SUCCESS THE REWARD OF MERIT
In studying a forest it will be found that there are all kinds of trees, big and little, strong and mighty, as well as the weak; and it is just so among men and women. There are those who are leaders—men who are extraordinary in character and ability, men who have the will to strive for better things. On the other hand, there are those who are so weak that they must be cared for. There are men who show neither will-power nor character. Every normal man, however, has in him the power to shape his own future. It is for him to choose. He will take his place according to the way he measures up to the responsibility.
In considering these things the question of compensation naturally comes up. Are we to reward every man on an equal basis regardless of his own contribution to progress? The answer is emphatically—No. Compensation takes two forms; financial and honorary. Some men strive for both; others for money alone and still others for the praise and respect of their fellow-men. Without the incentive that comes to a man when he knows that his extra effort will be rewarded by greater returns either in money or honor, there can be no advancement.
James J. Hill, the great railroad builder, who was responsible more than any one man for developing the wild West of his time; Andrew Carnegie, the lad who arrived here almost penniless and later built one of the largest fortunes ever accumulated; Edward H. Harriman, another railroad builder, who overcame all sorts of physical handicaps and took his place among the men who have made America; Theodore Roosevelt, if you please, who as a boy was so weak and sickly he was not expected to live, and yet later developed into the most vigorous and powerful man in body and mind this country has produced—they all knew that success would come only as a reward of individual merit, and they played the game to win. What could have been more fatal than to have taken from these men their hope of the future? To them it would have been unfair, but to the world’s progress the injustice would have been a thousand times greater.
No one disputes the right of every individual to stand equal with his fellow-man before the law; which means that justice shall be equal in favor of the humble and the great. But you cannot equalize ambition, courage and ability. While the humble are just as needful and important in the world’s work it is necessary also to have leadership with which the less capable must co-operate to produce the best world’s results. The ambition of every individual in the world should be to make the most of himself, strengthen his character day by day, develop his ability, and thus aim for the highest position that God has given him power to attain. No man can be held responsible for the lowly position in which he may have been born, but he can be held responsible for being content to stay there.