The opportunities afforded by the Overground Railroad, in the way of
obtaining information, can not be overestimated. It is, practically, a
school of instruction that may be attended by any one, and who may
follow the bent of his desires afterward.
There are two classes of people who may avail themselves of the
educational process undertaken by the dissemination of information
through the medium of the Overground Railroad: The man who is aided in
his life work, and the man who must help himself. It is of the man who
must help himself, of the “self-help” man, that there is more to be said
of than the other. He represents the bone, sinew and brains of the
nation.
When a man or woman succeeds in reaching a high position through his or
her own efforts, or in attaining a point from which the work of a
lifetime begins, and in the direction of success, the pride of
attainment is justifiable.
There are many who have the strength of purpose and the will power to
utilize the forces of mind and body within them, and develop themselves
with the aid of that power.
Their examples are an illustration of a higher education that really
educates.
The man or woman who sits with folded hands waiting for someone to help
him, or for something to turn up or come his way, so that he can seize
upon it without trouble or labor, is too far gone in uselessness in the
present age to be worth trying to lift up.
We are all interdependent in this world of business, but must not
imagine that because we must live with and do business with others, that
we can depend solely upon those others. Every man must stand upon his
own ability and exertions.
The men who do this succeed through self-help, self-reliance,
self-knowledge, and self-sufficiency. The greatest men in history are
those who worked themselves up from humble surroundings and against
tremendous odds. It is always the brain that conceives the thought, and
the strong arm that executes the mandates of the thought. Where the
physical arm is not strong enough, the brain quickly conceives a method
of supplying the difficulty.
It was the boast of the philosopher Archimedes that he could move the
world if he could find a fulcrum for his lever. The modern man is so far
advanced that he finds a fulcrum for his lever, and if he does not move
the earth, he moves a large part of it.
If we take the pains to look about us, we shall find every avenue of
human endeavor occupied by self-made men. These men originated in the
most humble surroundings, but lifted themselves up through the sheer
force of their own energy of character and vital force backed by
persistence.
The history of the world has pages about the men who sprang up from
humble sources and amid the greatest difficulties. They overcame them
somehow, some say by the aid of Providence, but we know that it was
through innate courage, brains, energy and persistence.
Every man may raise himself up by his own efforts, indeed, the man who
uses another as his ladder will soon find himself leaning on a broken
reed, and amount to very little in this world of struggle and
competition.
Who knows better what a man can do than the man himself? There are
always hidden sources of strength in every man, and he alone is able to
bring them into use. Remember one point in this age of competition:
Learn how to do things, and then set about doing them of your own
accord. The man who waits to be pushed ahead seldom finds any pushers.
This is the wisdom of experience, and will =not= bear argument, so true
it is.
TRAIN YOURSELF FOR YOUR LIFE’S WORK
Physical Development—Exercise for Pleasure and Profit—Uniformity in the
Use of the Muscles—General and Special Muscle Training—Systematic
Hardening of the Body—Various Kinds of Exercises—Key to Good Health and
Mental Activity
A Strong Healthy Man Is Always Selected for the Best Positions
In all ages of the world physical development has been regarded as a
preparation for health and the successful beginning of a life work.
The ancients had a maxim to the effect that there should be a healthy
mind in a healthy body, and that there could not be a healthy mind in an
unhealthy body.
In these days when good health and a companion physical development are
so much in demand, you must train yourself for your life work in such a
way as to merit a selection for the best positions.
Here is the reason why a man is often turned aside from a position where
he might be mentally qualified. One look at him explains the reason for
his failure to be given the opportunity. He is not physically developed.
The times and the business undertaken by every man is strenuous. He must
be prepared for hardships, and will never attain any good position if he
carries that in his body or face which indicates inability to stand the
strain or liability to succumb under it.
Nobody wants a man who will work along for a shorter or longer time and
then break down and be obliged to quit altogether or for time enough to
recuperate.
This physical training is now called “Athletics,” and it must be
practiced advisedly and not at random. It is for the promotion of health
and manly vigor, just as much as bathing is for the promotion of
cleanliness and health.