rishes no envy toward men of this kind, but
renders them spontaneous homage.

But, although this genius, this original power, rises to a natural
supremacy, it does not involve the most legitimate element of
precedence. There is no real ground of merit in the natural talents of a
man, any more than there is a ground of merit in personal beauty, or
family descent. He has nothing but what has been given him--the five
talents instead of his neighbor's one talent--and, so long as he does
not use them to their best purpose, there is only an admirable
possibility, no merit of achievement.

And all genuine merit--that which entitles one to some ground of human
precedence--comes from personal achievement in life; substantially, from
the stock of actual benefit which one has contributed to the world, and
which has become assimilated to his own spiritual nature. The ground of
precedence--so far as it is lawful for man to think of anything like
precedence at all--is not in outward possessions, not in gifts, but in
_uses_. And here is thrown open a broad and noble field, depending not
upon genius or station, but upon _will_, and therefore accessible to
every man. Here is an arena where one may strive lawfully, emulous to
build up his own inner nature, emulous to let such power as he possesses
go out in blessings for the world. A field for all of us, my friends,
right here in the dense city, amidst the hurrying feet, the clang of
machinery, and the roar of wheels. And the condition of the game is, not
large capacity but good purpose and loyal endeavor; not to strive
greatly but to strive lawfully.

And, I observe once more, that the real claim to precedence is not
eagerly snatched by us, but _comes_ to us. It is not in _seeming_ but in
_being_, and it makes no essential difference whether the world
confesses it or not, so long as we actually have it, working in our
consciousness of duty and drawing our consolation from inward resources.
Here, my friend, is your work--here is the field of opportunity, which,
however broad and rich absolutely, is for you great and pregnant with
incalculable possibilities. And though men may not see its best results,
they are nevertheless real, and develop in your own soul a light and
power, a ground and fabric of precedence that cannot be shaken, and will
never vanish away.

And yet, to a large extent, the world does confess this true supremacy.
For, let me ask, who among these crowds of citizens a