Show persistence by THOMAS ARKLE CLAIR CLARK dean of men alan university of illinois X jt T the lie 01 a irian sitting ty the I 1 roadside of an ung ingulli IngUs lish li country by vay breaking stones to be used in beeping the road in condition 1 had een him frequently as I 1 passed to fro to the village allag g Q but today 1 topped a while to rest after my iny long lalk alk and to talk talk to him lie ile had been a stone breaker all tile ills ire ife and lie tool took not a little pride in uie the fact that the sit smooth tooth level road ver aver which I 1 lind find traveled owed much to co ills haloj great piles ales of rough tone stone lay along alon the lilg highway hway piles alles s aliat liat suggested unending toll to t me but he seemed to regard them only as in opportunity I 1 took up one of 0 the hammers that lay on te ground and tried my hand it the work with rather ill success A 1 few feu fragments were splintered from the rock but it did not break I 1 was hitting too vigorously lie said I 1 was expecting to accomplish with one hard bard blow w A what hat it would take a halt half dozen nr r more to do I 1 wanted results immediately till Ined lately time and patience he be said time aind in patience and the stones finally yield and the lilies idles of broken stone grow I 1 have thought of his philosophy often since impulsive couth finds it hard to wait if results do not come in response to our first efforts we grow irritated and discouraged and give up tip the tusk task it if the construction in the translation seems involved if otte ae experiment falls in our first attempt if we do not solve the problem or make the sale or accomplish the task the first time we hit bit it an intellectual blow we have a tendency to throw down the hammer and say that the III tiling ing la Is too much for us most blost of us need a little more persistence when I 1 have worked v etli fill a man or a task or a problem for a long time and have got nowhere rc when discouragement coura gement Is about to overwhelm me I 1 often think of the old englishman sitting by the roadside aul etly and persistently hammering at the heavy stones time and patience time and patience and the stones it fl i nally yield lie said and I 1 take courage as I 1 recall him film it if we work long enough at a thin thing it if we nye refuse to give up we sire are likely to win B Z 1924 western volon union |