s not a question of what a man knows but what use he can make of
what he knows.--J. G. HOLLAND.

Seest thou a man diligent in business? He shall stand before
kings.--SOLOMON.

The most encouraging truth that can be impressed upon the mind of youth
is this: "What man has done man may do." Men of great achievements are
not to be set on pedestals and reverenced as exceptions to the average
of humanity. Instead, these great men are to be considered as setting
a standard of success for the emulation of every aspiring youth. Their
example shows what can be accomplished by the practise of the common
virtues,--diligence, patience, thrift, self-denial, determination,
industry, and persistence.

We can best appreciate the uplifting power of these simple virtues
which all may cultivate and exercise, by taking some concrete example
of great success which has been achieved by patient plodding toward a
definite goal. No more illustrious example of success won by the
exercise of common virtues can be offered than Abraham Lincoln,
rail-splitter and president.

Probably Lincoln has been the hero of more American boys during the
last two generations than any other American character. Young people
look upon him as a marvelous being, raised up for a divine purpose; and
yet, if we analyze his character, we find it made up of the humblest
virtues, the commonest qualities; the poorest boys and girls, who look
upon him as a demigod, possess these qualities.

The strong thing about Lincoln was his manliness, his straightforward,
downright honesty. You could depend upon him. He was ambitious to
make the most of himself. He wanted to know something, to be somebody,
to lift his head up from his humble environment and be of some account
in the world. He simply wanted to better his condition.

It is true that he had a divine hunger for growth, a passion for a
larger and completer life than that of those about him; but there is no
evidence of any great genius, any marvelous powers. He was a simple
man, never straining after effect.

His simplicity was his chief charm. Everybody who knew him felt that
he was a man, a large-hearted, generous friend, always ready to help
everybody and everything out of their troubles, whether it was a pig
stuck in the mire, a poor widow in trouble, or a farmer who needed
advice. He had a helpful mind, open, frank, transparent. He never
covered up anything, never had secrets. The door of his hear