the university of hard knocks-第22节

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WE　NEVER　STOP　GOING　SOUTH。



Chapter　X

Going　Up　Life's　Mountain

The　Defeats　that　are　Victories

HOW　often　we　say；　〃I　wish　I　had　a　million！〃　Perhaps　it　is　a　blessing　that　we　have　not　the　million。　Perhaps　it　would　make　us　lazy；　selfish　and　unhappy。　Perhaps　we　would　go　around　giving　it　to　other　people　to　make　them　lazy；　selfish　and　unhappy。

O；　the　problem　is　not　how　to　get　money；　but　how　to　get　rid　of　money　with　the　least　injury　to　the　race！

Perhaps　getting　the　million　would　completely　spoil　us。　Look　at　the　wild　cat　and　then　look　at　the　tabby　cat。　The　wild　cat　supports　itself　and　the　tabby　cat　has　its　million。　So　the　tabby　cat　has　to　be　doctored　by　specialists。

If　the　burden　were　lifted　from　most　of　us　we　would　go　to　wreck。　Necessity　is　the　ballast　in　our　life　voyage。

When　you　hear　the　orator　speak　and　you　note　the　ease　and　power　of　his　work；　do　you　think　of　the　years　of　struggle　he　spent　in　preparing？　Do　you　ever　think　of　the　times　that　orator　tried　to　speak　when　he　failed　and　went　back　to　his　room　in　disgrace；　mortified　and　broken…hearted？　Thru　it　all　there　came　the　discipline；　experience　and　grim　resolve　that　made　him　succeed。

When　you　hear　the　musician　and　note　the　ease　and　grace　of　the　performance；　do　you　think　of　the　years　of　struggle　and　overcoming　necessary　to　produce　that　finish　and　grace？　That　is　the　story　of　the　actor；　the　author　and　every　other　one　of　attainment。

Do　you　note　that　the　tropics；　the　countries　with　the　balmiest　climates；　produce　the　weakest　peoples？　Do　you　note　that　the　conquering　races　are　those　that　struggle　with　both　heat　and　cold？　The　tropics　are　the　geographical　Gussielands。

Do　you　note　that　people　grow　more　in　lean　years　than　in　fat　years？　Crop　failures　and　business　stringencies　are　not　calamities；　but　blessings　in　disguise。　People　go　to　the　devil　with　full　pockets；　they　turn　to　God　when　hunger　hits　them。　〃Is　not　this　Babylon　that　I　have　builded？〃　says　the　Belshazzar　of　material　prosperity　as　he　drinks　to　his　gods。　Then　must　come　the　Needful　and　Needless　Knocks　handwriting　upon　the　wall　to　save　him。

You　have　to　shoot　many　men's　eyes　out　before　they　can　see。　You　have　to　crack　their　heads　before　they　can　think；　knock　them　down　before　they　can　stand；　break　their　hearts　before　they　can　sing；　and　bankrupt　them　before　they　can　be　rich。

Do　you　remember　that　they　had　to　lock　John　Bunyan　in　Bedford　jail　before　he　would　write　his　immortal　〃Pilgrim's　Progress〃？　It　may　be　that　some　of　us　will　have　to　go　to　jail　to　do　our　best　work。

Do　you　remember　that　one　musician　became　deaf　before　he　wrote　music　the　world　will　always　hear？　Do　you　remember　that　one　author　became　blind　before　writing　〃Paradise　Lost〃　the　world　will　always　read？

Do　you　remember　that　Saul　of　Tarsus　would　have　never　been　remembered　had　he　lived　the　life　of　luxury　planned　for　him？　He　had　to　be　blinded　before　he　could　see　the　way　to　real　success。　He　had　to　be　scourged　and　fettered　to　become　the　Apostle　to　the　Gentiles。　He；　too；　had　to　be　sent　to　prison　to　write　his　immortal　messages　to　humanity。　What　throne…rooms　are　some　prisons！　And　what　prisons　are　some　throne…rooms！

Do　you　not　see　all　around　you　that　success　is　ever　the　phoenix　rising　from　the　ashes　of　defeat？

Then；　children；　when　you　stand　in　the　row　of　graduates　on　commencement　day　with　your　diplomas　in　your　hands；　and　when　your　relatives　and　friends　say；　〃Success　to　you！〃　I　shall　take　your　hand　and　say；　〃Defeat　to　you！　And　struggles　to　you！　And　bumps　to　you！〃

For　that　is　the　only　way　to　say；　〃Success　to　you！〃




Go　Up　the　Mountain

O　UNIVERSITY　OF　HARD　KNOCKS；　we　learn　to　love　you　more　with　each　passing　year。　We　learn　that　you　are　cruel　only　to　be　kind。　We　learn　that　you　are　saving　us　from　ourselves。　But　O；　how　most　of　us　must　be　bumped　to　see　this！

I　know　no　better　way　to　close　this　lecture　than　to　tell　you　of　a　great　bump　that　struck　me　one　morning　in　Los　Angeles。　It　seemed　as　tho　twelve　years　of　my　life　had　dropped　out　of　it；　and　had　been　lost。

Were　you　ever　bumped　so　hard　you　were　numb？　I　was　numb。　I　wondered　why　I　was　living。　I　thought　I　had　nothing　more　to　live　for。　When　a　dog　is　wounded　he　crawls　away　alone　to　lick　his　wounds。　I　felt　like　the　wounded　dog。　I　wanted　to　crawl　away　to　lick　my　wounds。

That　is　why　I　climbed　Mount　Lowe　that　day。　I　wanted　to　get　alone。





It　is　a　wonderful　experience　to　climb　Mount　Lowe。　The　tourists　go　up　half　a　mile　into　Rubio　Canyon；　to　the　engineering　miracle；　the　triangular　car　that　hoists　them　out　of　the　hungry　chasm　thirty…five　hundred　feet　up　the　side　of　a　granite　cliff；　to　the　top　of　Echo　Mountain。

Here　they　find　that　Echo　Mountain　is　but　a　shelf　on　the　side　of　Mount　Lowe。　Here　they　take　an　electric　car　that　winds　five　miles　on　towards　the　sky。　There　is　hardly　a　straight　rail　in　the　track。　Every　minute　a　new　thrill；　and　no　two　thrills　alike。　Five　miles　of　winding　and　squirming；　twisting　and　ducking；　dodging　and　summersaulting。

There　are　places　where　the　tourist　wants　to　grasp　his　seat　and　lift。　There　is　a　wooden　shelf　nailed　to　the　side　of　the　perpendicular　rockwall　where　his　life　depends　upon　the　honesty　of　the　man　who　drove　the　nails。　He　may　wonder　if　the　man　was　working　by　the　day　or　by　the　job！　He　looks　over　the　edge　of　the　shelf　downward；　and　then　turns　to　the　other　side　to　look　at　the　face　of　the　cliff　they　are　hugging；　and　discovers　there　is　no　place　to　resign！

The　car　is　five　thousand　feet　high　where　it　stops　on　that　last　shelf；　Alpine　Tavern。　One　cannot　ride　farther　upward。　This　is　not　the　summit；　but　just　where　science　surrenders。　There　is　a　little　trail　that　winds　upward　from　Alpine　Tavern　to　the　summit。　It　is　three　miles　long　and　rises　eleven　hundred　feet。

To　go　up　that　last　eleven　hundred　feet　and　stand　upon　the　flat　rock　at　the　summit　of　Mount　Lowe　is　to　get　a　picture　so　wonderful　it　cannot　be　described　with　this　poor　human　vocabulary。　It　must　be　lived。　On　a　pure；　clear　day　one　looks　down　this　sixty…one　hundred　feet；　more　than　a　mile；　into　the　orange　belt　of　Southern　California。　It　spreads　out　below　in　one　great　mosaic　of　turquoise　and　amber　and　emerald；　where　the　miles　seem　like　inches；　and　where　his　field…glass　sweeps　one　panoramic　picture　of　a　hundred　miles　or　more。

Just　below　is　Pasadena　and　Los　Angeles。　To　the　westward　perhaps　forty　miles　is　the　blue　stretch　of　the　Pacific　Ocean；　on　westward　the　faint　outlines　of　Catalina　Islands。　The　ocean　seems　so　close　one　could　throw　a　pebble　over　into　it。　How　a　mountain　does　reduce　distances。　You　throw　the　pebble　and　it　falls　upon　your　toes！

And　Mount　Lowe　is　but　a　shelf　on　the　side　of　the　higher　Sierras。　The　granite　mountains　rise　higher　to　the　northward；　and　to　the　east　rises　〃Old　Baldy；〃　twelve　thousand　feet　high　and　snow　eternally　on　his　head。

This　is　one　of　the　workshops　of　the　infinite！





All　alone　I　scrambled　up　that　three…mile　trail　to　the　summit。　All　alone　I　stood　upon　the　flat　rock　at　the　summit　and　looked　down　into　the　swimming　distances。　I　did　not　know　why　I　had　struggled　up　into　that　mountain　sanctuary；　for　I　was　not　searching　for　sublimity。　I　was　searching　for　relief。　I　was　heartsick。

I　saw　clouds　down　in　the　valley　below　me。　I　had　never　before　looked　down　upon　clouds。　I　thought　of　the　cloud　that　had　covered　me　in　the　valley　below；　and　dully　watched　the　clouds　spread　wider　and　blacker。

Afterwhile　the　valley　was　all　hidden　by　the　clouds。　I　knew　rain　must　be　falling　down　there。　The　people　must　be　saying；　〃The　sun　doesn't　shine。　The　sky　is　all　gone。〃　But　I　saw　the　truththe　sun　was　shining。　The　sky　was　in　place。　A　cloud　had　covered　down　over　that　first　mile。　The　sun　was　shining　upon　me；　the　sky　was　all　blue　over　me；　and　there　were　millions　of　miles　of　sunshine　above　me。　I　could　see　all　this　because　I　had　gone　above　the　valley。　I　could　see　above　the　clouds。

A　great　light　seemed　to　break　over　my　stormswept　soul。　I　am　under　the　clouds　of　trouble　today；　BUT　THE　SUN　IS　SHINING！

I　must　go　on　up　the　mountain　to　see　it。

The　years　have　been　passing；　the　stormclouds　have　many　times　hidden　my　sun。　But　I　have　always　found　the　sun　shining　above　them。　No　matter　how　black　and　sunless　today；　when　I　have　struggled　on　up　the　mountain　path；　I　have　gotten　above　the　clouds　and　found　the　sun　forever　shining　and　God　forever　in　His　heavens。

Each　day　as　I　go　up　the　mountain　I　get　a　larger　vision。　The　miles　that　seem　so　great　down　in　the　valley；　seem　so　small　as　I　look　down　upon　them　from　higher　up。　Each　day　as　I　look　back　I　see　more　clearly　the　plan　of　a　human　life。　The　rocks；　the　curves　and　the　struggles　fit　into　a　divine　engineering　plan　to　soften　the　steepness　of　the　ascent。　The　bumps　are　lifts。　The　things　that　seem　so　important　down　in　the　smudgy；　stormswept　valley；　seem　so　unimportant　as　we　go　higher　up　the　mountain　to　more　important　things。

Today　I　look　back　to　the　bump　that　sent　me　up　Mount　Lowe。　I　did　not　see　how　I　could　live　past　that　bump。　The　years　have　passed　and　I　now　know　it　was　one　of　the　greatest　blessings　of　my　life。　It　closed　one　gate；　but　it　opened　another　gate　to　a　better　pathway　up　the　mountain。

Late　that　day　I　was　clambering　down　the　side　of　Mount　Lowe。　Down　in　the　valley　below　me　I　saw　shadows。　Then　I　looked　over　into　the　southwest　and　I　could　see　the　sun　going　dow