the university of hard knocks-第4章

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You　were　doing　rightdoing　just　the　best　you　knew　howand　yet　some　blow　came　crushing　upon　you　and　gave　you　cruel　pain。

It　broke　your　heart。　You　have　had　your　heart　broken。　I　have　had　my　heart　broken　more　times　than　I　care　to　talk　about　now。　Your　home　was　darkened；　your　plans　were　wrecked；　you　thought　you　had　nothing　more　to　live　for。

I　am　like　you。　I　have　had　more　trouble　than　anybody　else。　I　have　never　known　anyone　who　had　not　had　more　trouble　than　anyone　else。

But　I　am　discovering　that　life　only　gets　good　after　we　have　been　killed　a　few　times。　Each　death　is　a　larger　birth。

We　all　must　learn；　if　we　have　not　already　learned；　that　these　blows　are　lessons　in　The　College　of　Needful　Knocks。　They　point　upward　to　a　higher　path　than　we　have　been　traveling。

In　other　words；　we　are　raw　material。　You　know　what　raw　material　ismaterial　that　needs　more　Needful　Knocks　to　make　it　more　useful　and　valuable。

The　clothing　we　wear；　the　food　we　eat；　the　house　we　live　in；　all　have　to　have　the　Needful　Knocks　to　become　useful。　And　so　does　humanity　need　the　same　preparation　for　greater　usefulness。

I　should　like　to　know　every　person　in　this　audience。　But　the　ones　I　should　most　appreciate　knowing　are　the　ones　who　have　known　the　most　of　these　knockswho　have　faced　the　great　crises　of　life　and　have　been　tried　in　the　crucibles　of　affliction。　For　I　am　learning　that　these　lives　are　the　gold　tried　in　the　fire。




The　Sorrows　of　the　Piano


See　the　piano　on　this　stage？　Good　evening；　Mr。　Piano。　I　am　glad　to　see　you。　You　are　so　shiny；　beautiful；　valuable　and　full　of　music；　if　properly　treated。

Do　you　know　how　you　got　upon　this　stage；　Mr。　Piano？　You　were　bumped　here。　This　is　no　reflection　upon　the　janitor。　You　became　a　piano　by　the　Needful　Knocks。

I　can　see　you　back　in　your　callow　beginnings；　when　you　were　just　a　treea　tall；　green　tree。　You　were　green！　Only　green　things　grow。　Did　you　get　the　meaning　of　that；　children？　I　hope　you　are　green。

There　you　stood　in　the　forest；　a　perfectly　good；　green　young　tree。　You　got　your　lessons；　combed　your　hair；　went　to　Sunday　school　and　were　the　best　young　tree　you　could　be。

That　is　why　you　were　bumpedbecause　you　were　good！　There　came　a　man　into　the　woods　with　an　ax；　and　he　looked　for　the　best　trees　there　to　bump。　He　bumped　youhit　you　with　the　ax！　How　it　hurt　you！　And　how　unjust　it　was！　He　kept　on　hitting　you。　〃The　operation　was　just　terrible。〃　Finally　you　fell；　crushed；　broken；　bleeding。

It　is　a　very　sad　story。　They　took　you　all　bumped　and　bleeding　to　the　sawmill　and　they　bumped　and　ripped　you　more。　They　cut　you　in　pieces　and　hammered　you　day　by　day。

They　did　not　bump　the　little；　crooked；　dissipated；　cigaret…stunted　trees。　They　were　not　worth　bumping。

But　shake；　Mr。　Piano。　That　is　why　you　are　on　this　stage。　You　were　bumped　here。　All　the　beauty；　harmony　and　value　were　bumped　into　you。




The　Sufferings　of　the　Red　Mud


One　day　I　was　up　the　Missabe　road　about　a　hundred　miles　north　of　Duluth；　Minnesota；　and　came　to　a　hole　in　the　ground。　It　was　a　big　holeabout　a　half…mile　of　hole。　There　were　steam…shovels　at　work　throwing　out　of　that　hole　what　I　thought　was　red　mud。

〃Kind　sir；　why　are　they　throwing　that　red　mud　out　of　that　hole？〃　I　asked　a　native。

〃That　hain't　red　mud。　That's　iron　ore；　an'　it's　the　best　iron　ore　in　the　world。〃

〃What　is　it　worth？〃

〃It　hain't　worth　nothin'　here；　that's　why　they're　movin'　it　away。〃

There's　red　mud　around　every　community　that　〃hain't　worth　nothin'〃　until　you　move　itsend　it　to　college　or　somewhere。

Not　very　long　after　this；　near　Pittsburgh；　Pennsylvania；　I　saw　some　of　this　same　red　mud。　It　had　been　moved　over　the　Great　Lakes　and　the　rails　to　what　they　call　a　blast　furnace；　the　technological　name　of　which　being　The　College　of　Needful　Knocks　for　Red　Mud。

I　watched　this　red　mud　matriculate　into　a　great　hopper　with　limestone；　charcoal　and　other　textbooks。　Then　they　corked　it　up　and　school　began。　They　roasted　it。　It　is　a　great　thing　to　be　roasted。

When　it　was　done　roasting　they　stopped。　Have　you　noticed　that　they　always　stop　when　anything　is　done　roasting？　If　we　are　yet　getting　roasted；　perhaps　we　are　not　done！

Then　they　pulled　the　plug　out　of　the　bottom　of　the　college　and　held　promotion　exercises。　The　red　mud　squirted　out　into　the　sand。　It　was　not　red　mud　now；　because　it　had　been　roasted。　It　was　a　freshman　pig　iron；　worth　more　than　red　mud；　because　it　had　been　roasted。

Some　of　the　pig　iron　went　into　another　department；　a　big　teakettle；　where　it　was　again　roasted；　and　now　it　came　out　a　sophomoresteel；　worth　more　than　pig　iron。

Some　of　the　sophomore　steel　went　up　into　another　grade　where　it　was　roasted　yet　again　and　rolled　thin　into　a　junior。　Some　of　that　went　on　up　and　up；　at　every　step　getting　more　pounding　and　roasting　and　affliction。

It　seemed　as　tho　I　could　hear　the　suffering　red　mud　crying　out；　〃O；　why　did　they　take　me　away　from　my　happy　hole…in…the…ground？　Why　do　they　pound　me　and　break　my　heart？　I　have　been　good　and　faithful。　O；　why　do　they　roast　me？　O；　I'll　never　get　over　this！〃

But　after　they　had　given　it　a　diplomaa　pricemark　telling　how　much　it　had　been　roastedthey　took　it　proudly　all　over　the　world；　labeled　〃Made　in　America。〃　They　hung　it　in　show　windows；　they　put　it　in　glass　cases。　Many　people　admired　it　and　said；　〃Isn't　that　fine　work！〃　They　paid　much　money　for　it　now。　They　paid　the　most　money　for　what　had　been　roasted　the　most。

If　a　ton　of　that　red　mud　had　become　watch…springs　or　razor…blades；　the　price　had　gone　up　into　thousands　of　dollars。

My　friends；　you　and　I　are　the　raw　material；　the　green　trees；　the　red　mud。　The　Needful　Knocks　are　necessary　to　make　us　serviceable。

Every　bump　is　raising　our　price。　Every　bump　is　disclosing　a　path　to　a　larger　life。　The　diamond　and　the　chunk　of　soft　coal　are　exactly　the　same　material；　say　the　chemists。　But　the　diamond　has　gone　to　The　College　of　Needful　Knocks　more　than　has　her　crude　sister　of　the　coal…scuttle。

There　is　no　human　diamond　that　has　not　been　crystallized　in　the　crucibles　of　affliction。　There　is　no　gold　that　has　not　been　refined　in　the　fire。




Cripple　Taught　by　Bumps


One　evening　when　I　was　trying　to　lecture　in　a　chautauqua　tent　in　Illinois；　a　crippled　woman　was　wheeled　into　the　tent　and　brought　right　down　to　the　foot　of　the　platform。　The　subject　was　The　University　of　Hard　Knocks。　Presently　the　cripple's　face　was　shining　brighter　than　the　footlights。

She　knew　about　the　knocks！

Afterwards　I　went　to　her。　〃Little　lady；　I　want　to　thank　you　for　coming　here。　I　have　the　feeling　that　I　spoke　the　words；　but　you　are　the　lecture　itself。〃

What　a　smile　she　gave　me！　〃Yes；　I　know　about　the　hard　knocks；〃　she　said。　〃I　have　been　in　pain　most　of　my　life。　But　I　have　learned　all　that　I　know　sitting　in　this　chair。　I　have　learned　to　be　patient　and　kind　and　loving　and　brave。〃

They　told　me　this　crippled　woman　was　the　sweetest…spirited；　best…loved　person　in　the　town。

But　her　mother　petulantly　interrupted　me。　She　had　wheeled　the　cripple　into　the　tent。　She　was　tall　and　stately。　She　was　well…gowned。　She　lived　in　one　of　the　finest　homes　in　the　city。　She　had　everything　that　money　could　buy。　But　her　money　seemed　unable　to　buy　the　frown　from　her　face。

〃Mr。　Lecture　Man；〃　she　said；　〃why　is　everybody　interested　in　my　daughter　and　nobody　interested　in　me？　Why　is　my　daughter　happy　and　why　am　I　not　happy？　My　daughter　is　always　happy　and　she　hasn't　a　single　thing　to　make　her　happy。　I　am　not　happy。　I　have　not　been　happy　for　years。　Why　am　I　not　happy？〃

What　would　you　have　said？　Just　on　the　spur　of　the　momentI　said；　〃Madam；　I　don't　want　to　be　unkind；　but　I　really　think　the　reason　you　are　not　happy　is　that　you　haven't　been　bumped　enough。〃

I　discover　when　I　am　unhappy　and　selfish　and　people　don't　use　me　right；　I　need　another　bump。

The　cripple　girl　had　traveled　ahead　of　her　jealous　mother。　For　selfishness　cripples　us　more　than　paralysis。




Schools　of　Sympathy


When　I　see　a　long　row　of　cots　in　a　hospital　or　sanitarium；　I　want　to　congratulate　the　patients　lying　there。　They　are　learning　the　precious　lessons　of　patience；　sympathy；　love；　faith　and　courage。　They　are　getting　the　education　in　the　humanities　the　world　needs　more　than　tables　of　logarithms。