And when we consider the young man in his relation to all the aspects of life--civic, commercial, industrial, and social--we must recognize him as the _ruling element_. Like Jason, the young man of to-day is the hero to invade the empire of thought and action in quest of the Fleece of Gold. "Lives of great men all remind us, We can make our lives sublime; And departing leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time." II The Golden Quality "They Passed Through." To live content with small means: To seek elegance rather than luxury, and Refinement rather than fashion; To be worthy, not respectable, Wealthy, not rich; To study hard, think quietly, Talk gently, act frankly; To listen to stars and birds, to Babes and sages, with open heart; To bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, Await occasions, hurry never,-- In a word, to let the spiritual, Unbidden and unconscious, Grow up through the common-- This is to be my symphony. --Channing. Success In every land and in every age since the curtain first rose on the world's great drama men have been in quest of the Fleece of Gold. The onward progress of the race since our rude forefathers from the leaves of the tree formed their clothes, and in the somber depths of the primeval forest constructed their habitation, is due to an insatiable desire to possess the coveted prize. Hanging before man's gaze in the consecrated borders of his existence, it has inspired him to greater usefulness. He has built ships and traversed the seas, invented machines, reared cities, and established laws. In science and art and literature he has vied with his fellow-man and given a mighty impulse to civilization, all for the Fleece of Gold--success. The world worships at the shrine of success. It regards it as man's greatest attribute. And whether we find it in secular affairs, substantiated by material grandeur, or in the mysterious realms of the inner life characterized by the serene consciousness of truth, it must ever be the goal of human aspiration. It is the thought of some day having their efforts crowned that causes men hotly to pursue the phantom or the reality of their lives. This aspiration keeps the torch of hope ablaze in the midnight darkness, and the spirits buoyed under the noon-day glare, while men forge on to the goal. The surging throngs of a great city, the active hands and brains in the bee-hives of industry and the many places of business, the vast army of seekers after knowledge in the schools and colleges throughout the land, the men of fame in the halls of Congress molding the affairs of the Nation, the countless army tilling the fields under the open sky, the legions in the dark caves of earth searching for treasure--all are seeking to enter the golden gate of success.