THE TRUE BUSINESS OF LIFE.
Never faint, halt, or despair, because you cannot realize your ideal, and do the thing you would. Only do the best you can, and no authoritative judgment shall condemn you. You may be equal to your ideal, while circumstances may raise an insuperable bar, for the time being, at least. How many persons make wreck of talent in sighing for opportunities to do other and more than circumstances warrant! They disdain the low rounds of the ladder, which most assuredly lead to the high. They have a notion of what is perfect accomplishment, and are unwilling to take any half-way, preliminary steps. They have no faith in the proverb, “Half a loaf is better than no bread.” If they would study the record, they would soon learn that the most famous winners of whole loaves were, at the start, willing and ready to take any slice they could get. Our true business in life is to make the most of the means and opportunities we have—not to neglect small advantages because we cannot have large ones. By cultivating the small, we make it easier to compass the great.—The Ladies’ Treasury.