Long, long afterward, in an oak
  I found the arrow, still unbroke;
  And the song, from beginning to end,
  I found again in the heart of a friend.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

THE INNER LIGHT

  “Thrice is he armed that hath his quarrel just,
  And he but naked, though locked up in steel,
  Whose conscience with injustice is corrupted,”

says Shakespeare.  But not only does a clear conscience give power; it also gives light.  With it we could sit at the center of the earth and yet enjoy the sunshine.  Without it we live in a rayless prison.

  He that has light within his own clear breast
  May sit i’ the center, and enjoy bright day: 
  But he that hides a dark soul and foul thoughts
  Benighted walks under the midday sun;
  Himself is his own dungeon.

John Milton.

THE THINGS THAT HAVEN’T BEEN DONE BEFORE

It is said that if you hold a stick in front of the foremost sheep in a flock that files down a trail in the mountains, he will jump it—­and that every sheep thereafter will jump when he reaches the spot, even if the stick be removed.  So are many people mere unthinking imitators, blind to facts and opportunities about them.  Kentucky could not be lived in by the white race till Daniel Boone built his cabin there.  The air was not part of the domain of humanity till the Wright brothers made themselves birdmen.

  The things that haven’t been done before,
    Those are the things to try;
  Columbus dreamed of an unknown shore
    At the rim of the far-flung sky,
  And his heart was bold and his faith was strong
    As he ventured in dangers new,
  And he paid no heed to the jeering throng
    Or the fears of the doubting crew.

  The many will follow the beaten track
    With guideposts on the way,
  They live and have lived for ages back
    With a chart for every day. 
  Someone has told them it’s safe to go
    On the road he has traveled o’er,
  And all that they ever strive to know
    Are the things that were known before.

  A few strike out, without map or chart,
    Where never a man has been,
  From the beaten paths they draw apart
    To see what no man has seen. 
  There are deeds they hunger alone to do;
    Though battered and bruised and sore,
  They blaze the path for the many, who
    Do nothing not done before.

  The things that haven’t been done before
    Are the tasks worth while to-day;
  Are you one of the flock that follows, or
    Are you one that shall lead the way? 
  Are you one of the timid souls that quail
    At the jeers of a doubting crew,
  Or dare you, whether you win or fail,
    Strike out for a goal that’s new?