aps with infinitely poorer means, will
raise his material in value a hundredfold, five-hundredfold, aye, a
thousandfold, while the ninety-nine will wonder why their material
remains so coarse and crude, and will attribute their failure to hard
luck.

While one boy is regretting his want of opportunities, his lack of
means to get a college education, and remains in ignorance, another
with half his chances picks up a good education in the odds and ends of
time which other boys throw away. From the same material, one man
builds a palace and another a hovel. From the same rough piece of
marble, one man calls out an angel of beauty which delights every
beholder, another a hideous monster which demoralizes every one who
sees it.

The extent to which you can raise the value of your life-bar depends
very largely upon yourself. Whether you go upward to the mainspring or
hairspring stage, depends very largely upon your ideal, your
determination to be the higher thing, upon your having the grit to be
hammered, to be drawn out, to be thrust from the fire into cold water
or oil in order to get the proper temper.

Of course, it is hard and painful, and it takes lots of stamina to
undergo the processes that produce the finest product, but would you
prefer to remain a rough bar of iron or a horseshoe all your life?

[Illustration: Lincoln studying by the firelight]

CHAPTER XXXIII

SELF-IMPROVEMENT THROUGH PUBLIC SPEAKING

It does not matter whether you want to be a public speaker or not,
everybody should have such complete control of himself, should be so
self-centered and self-posed that he can get up in any audience, no
matter how large or formidable, and express his thoughts clearly and
distinctly.

Self-expression in some manner is the only means of developing mental
power. It may be in music; it may be on canvas: it may be through
oratory; it may come through selling goods or writing a book; but it
must come through self-expression.

Self-expression in any legitimate form tends to call out what is in a
man, his resourcefulness, inventiveness; but no other form of
self-expression develops a man so thoroughly and so effectively, and so
quickly unfolds all of his powers, as expression before an audience.

It is doubtful whether anyone can reach the highest standard of culture
without studying the art of expression, especially public vocal
expression. In all ages oratory has been regarded as the highest
expre