| Strength and Beauty |
Chapter 15 |
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A rich man can become possessor of many things by paying for them. Men are glad to work for him to get his gold. It is said that with money in abundance there is nothing one cannot buy. But though he were willing to pay out his millions for it, a man cannot get knowledge, intelligence, culture, wisdom, for money. These are treasures which he can make his own only by long, diligent, unwearied, unresting study. Nothing less than the full price will buy these attainments. Nor can there be any vicariousness in this matter. No one can take upon himself the toil, the study, the patient research, the self denying discipline, and then give us the benefits, the results. Every man must bear his own burden, must pay the price for himself.
Another prize that can be got only by paying for its full value is character. Many people have fine dreams of moral and spiritual beauty which never become anything more than dreams, because they will not work them out in pain, struggle, and self restraint. Here is an incident from a private letter just received:
“One day, lately, one of my little music pupils, an old fashioned, sweet little girl about nine years old, was playing scales and octaves, when she turned to me and said, ‘Oh, Miss Graham, my hands are so tired!’
“I said, ‘Never mind, Norma; just try to play them once or twice more. The longer you practice them, the stronger your hands will grow, so that after a while you will not feel it at all.’
“She turned the gentle little face weariedly to me as she said: ‘Miss Graham, it seems as if everything that strengthens hurts!’
“I gave her something else, but I thought: ‘Yes, my dear little girl, everything that strengthens hurts.’”
The child was right. It is true in music, it is true in all art, it is true in the making of character; everything that strengthens hurts, cost pain and self denial. We must die to live. We must crucify the flesh in order that we may find spiritual gains.
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