按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
at compound interest！ They are dead。 This is life。
Birthdays and Headmarks
Yesterday I had a birthday。 I looked in the glass and communed with my features。 I saw some gray hairs coming。 Hurrah！
You know what gray hairs are？ Did you ever get a headmark in school？ Gray hairs are silver headmarks in our education as we go on south。
You children cheer up。 Your black hair and auburn hair and the other first reader hair will pass and you'll get promoted as you go on south。
Don't worry about gray hair or baldness。 Only worry about the location of your gray hair or baldness。 If they get on the inside of the head； worry。 Do you know why corporations sometimes say they do not want to employ gray…headed men？ They have found that so many of them have quit going on south and have gotten gray on the insideor bald。
These same corporations send out Pinkertons and pay any price for gray…headed mengray on the outside and green on the inside。 They are the most valuable； for they have the vision and wisdom of many years and the enthusiasm and 〃pep〃 and courage of youth。
The preacher； the teachereveryone who gets put on the retired list； retires himself。 He quits going on south。
The most wonderful person in the world is the one who has lived years and years on earth and has perhaps gotten gray on the outside； but has kept young and fresh on the inside。 Put that person in the pulpit； in the schoolroom； in the office； behind the ticket…window or on the benchor under the hodand you find the whole world going to that person for direction； advice； vision； help； sympathy； love。
I am happy today as I look back over my life。 I have been trying to lecture a good while。 I am almost ashamed to tell you how long； for I ought to know more about it by this time。 But when anybody says； 〃I heard you lecture twenty years ago over at〃 I stop him。 〃Please don't throw it up to me now。 I am just as ashamed of it as you are。 I am trying to do better now。〃
O； I want to forget all the past； save its lessons。 I am just beginning to live。 If anybody wants to be my best friend； let him come to me and tell me how to improvewhat to do and what not to do。 Tell me how to give a better lecture。
Years ago a bureau representative who booked me told me my lectures were good enough。 I told him I wanted to get better lectures； for I was so dissatisfied with what little I knew。 He told me I could never get any better。 I had reached my limit。 Those lectures were the 〃limit。〃 I shiver as I think what I was saying then。 I want to go on south shivering about yesterday。 These years I have noticed the people on the platform who were contented with their offerings； were not trying to improve them； and were lost in admiration of what they were doing； did not stay long on the platform。 I have watched them come and go； come and go。 I have heard their fierce invectives against the bureaus and ungrateful audiences that were 〃prejudiced〃 against them。
Birthdays are not annual affairs。 Birthdays are the days when we have a new birth。 The days when we go on south to larger visions。 I wish I could have a birthday every minute！
Some people seem to string out to near a hundred years with mighty few birthdays。 Some people spin up to Methuselahs in a few years。
From what I can learn of Methuselah； he never grew past copper…toed boots。 He just hibernated and 〃chawed on。〃
The more birthdays we have； the nearer we approach eternal youth！
Bernhardt； Davis and Edison
The spectacle of Sarah Bernhardt； past seventy； thrilling and gripping audiences with the fire and brilliancy of youth； is inspiring。 No obstacle can daunt her。 Losing a leg does not end her acting； for she remains the 〃Divine Sarah〃 with no crippling of her work。 She looks younger than many women of half her years。 〃The years are nothing to me。〃
Senator Henry Gassaway Davis； West Virginia's Grand Old Man； at ninety…two was working as hard and hopefully as any man of the multitudes in his employ。 He was an ardent Odd Fellow； and one day at ninety…twojust a short time before his passinghe went out to the Odd Fellows' Home near Elkins； where he lived。 On the porch of the home was a row of old men inmates。 The senator shook hands with these men and one by one they rose from the bench to return his hearty greetings。
The last man on the bench did not rise。 He helplessly looked up at the senator and said； 〃Senator； you'll have to excuse me from getting up。 I'm too old。 When you get as old as I am； you'll not get up； either。〃
〃That's all right。 But； my man； how old are you？〃
〃Senator； I'm old in body and old in spirit。 I'm past sixty。〃
〃My boy；〃 laughed Senator Davis； 〃I was an Odd Fellow before you were born。〃
The senator at ninety…two was younger than the man 〃past sixty；〃 because he was going on south。
When I was a little boy I saw them bring the first phonograph that Mr。 Edison invented into the meeting at Lakeside； Ohio。 The people cheered when they heard it talk。
You would laugh at it today。 It had a tinfoil cylinder； it screeched and stuttered。 You would not have it in your barn today to play to your ford！
But the people said； 〃Mr。 Edison has succeeded。〃 There was one man who did not believe that Mr。 Edison had succeeded。 His name was Thomas Alva Edison。 He had gotten to St。 Paul； and he went on south。 A million people would have stopped there and said； 〃I have arrived。〃 They would have put in their time litigating for their rights with other people who would have gone on south with the phonograph idea。
Mr。 Edison has said that his genius is mainly his ability to keep on south。 A young lady succeeded in getting into his laboratory the other day； and she wrote me that the great inventor showed her one invention。 〃I made over seven thousand experiments and failed before I hit upon that。〃
〃Why make so many experiments？〃
〃I know more than seven thousand ways now that won't work。〃
I doubt if there are ten men in America who could go on south in the face of seven thousand failures。 Today he brings forth a diamond…pointed phonograph。 I am sure if we could bring Mr。 Edison to this platform and ask him； 〃Have you succeeded？〃 he would say what he has said to reporters and what he said to the young lady； 〃I have not succeeded。 I am succeeding。 All I have done only shows me how much there is yet to do。〃
That is success supreme。 Not 〃succeeded〃 but 〃succeeding。〃
What a difference between 〃ed〃 and 〃ing〃！ The difference between death and life。 Are you 〃ed…ing〃 or 〃ing…ing〃？
Moses Begins at Eighty
Moses； the great Hebrew law…giver； was eighty years old before he started south。 It took him eighty years to get ready。 Moses did not even get on the back page of the Egyptian newspapers till he was eighty。 He went on south into the extra editions after that！
If Moses had retired at seventy…nine； we'd never have heard of him。 If Moses had retired to a checkerboard in the grocery store or to pitching horseshoes up the alley and talking about 〃ther winter of fifty…four；〃 he would have become the seventeenth mummy on the thirty…ninth row in the green pickle…jar！
Imagine Moses living today amidst the din of the high school oration