Chris was mighty happy as he put his foot on good old Mother Earth, not so much because he had discovered a new way to India, as he thought, but because his foot touched land. Two days before he landed on San Salvador, his crew pitched into him and threatened to throw him in the sea and turn back with the ship to Spain. [Sidenote: The Last Step Counts.] If Chris had shown the white feather, 1492 would not be the date of the first line in the geography, announcing the "Discovery of America." Chris had perseverance--the stuff that makes men successful. He started to find India by sailing westward. He didn't succeed in his purpose, but his determination was rewarded just the same, for he found a new country, and that was worth while. Before he started, he was promised ten per cent of the revenue from any lands he might discover. Just imagine what that would mean to-day. Columbus had perseverance and pep, and his unwavering fidelity to his cause brought him success in his efforts. The world has improved since 1492, but the percentage of men who would keep everlastingly at it like Columbus did, has not increased, perhaps. Columbus sailed with three ships, the largest sixty-six feet long. He steered in the direction of the setting sun. His crew was 120 men. None of them were enthusiastic at the start; all of them disgusted, discouraged and ready to mutiny toward the last. [Sidenote: Keeping Everlastingly at It.] But Christopher kept the ships pointed West, through rain and shine, through drifting, breezeless days and through wild stormy nights. He kept on and on and on, and he brought home the bacon, which, being interpreted, means that success crowned his efforts. Perseverance and pep--when all is said and done, these are the factors without which no great achievement is possible. It was the mileage made on October 12th, 1492, that counted. It is the last step in a race that counts. It is the last stroke on the nail that counts. The moral is that many a prize has been lost just when it was ready to be plucked. Perseverance--patience--pluck--pep--these are magic words. They are the "Open Sesame" of modern life. They open the door to opportunity, and will bring you prosperity, peace and plenty. 48. The man who ridicules everything is on the toboggan slide, and he will end up by becoming an out-and-out grouch. You and I know men who never have a pleasant word to say of anyone, or a serious commendation of anything. [Sidenote: Ridicule and Humor.] Ridicule and sarcasm are often coated with would-be humor, and are sometimes decked out as puns. By and by, however, this bias toward ridicule and sarcasm gets to be a habit, and the coat of humor becomes threadbare. Just at this time friends depart, for the grouch phase of the disease has started.