Not that the young
man should not prove himself before the world accepts him; not that he
should not win his spurs before he is knighted. No one insists that he
shall "make good" more than I do. But in the testing of him, let us
give him the help of our kindly attention. Let us lend him the
encouragement of our applause as he rides into the lists.
Countless young men have been needlessly discouraged by the
indifference of the occupied and the sneers of the calloused. Let us
not be so chary of our sympathy. Faith in most young men is a much
safer hazard than infidelity. For all things strong and pure and
helpful to the world _may_ be possible of those young fellows who
must, in any event, very soon possess the earth.
So let not the frost of the world's unconcern fall upon young
manhood's unfolding powers. Let us beware how we extinguish the
feeblest of youth's idealisms. Let us check not the onset of his
knight-errantry. And the world does these things--not purposely, not
even knowingly, but thoughtlessly. Many a young man has had his
life's work kept back and the ardor of it chilled by rebuff at the
beginning.
Many another has had his faith in God and humanity and the
effectiveness of the eternal verities in the world's work enfeebled
and even shattered by what he felt was the world's disbelief in them.
Pages:
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346
347
348
349
350
351
352
353