Rensselaer Republican, Volume 12, Number 43, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 July 1880 — Cultivate One Talent. [ARTICLE]

Cultivate One Talent.

One talent, well cultivated, deepened and enlarged, is worth a hundred shallow faculties. The first law of success at this day, when so many matters are glamoring for attention, is concentration; to bend all the energies to one point, looking neither to the right dot to the left. It has been justly said that a great deal of the wisdom of a man in this century is shown in leaving things unknown; and a great deal of his practical sense in leaving things undone. The day .of universal scholars is past “Life is short, and art is long,” The range of human knowledge has increased so enormously, that no brain can grapple with it; and the man who would know one thing well must have the courage to be ignorant of a thousand things, however attractive or inviting. As with knowledge, so with work. The man who would get along must single out his specialty, and into that must pour the whole stream of his activity—all the energies of 11 is hand, eye, tongue, heart and brain. Broad culture, many sidedneas, are beautiful things to contemplate; but it is the narrow-edge men, the men of single and intense purpose, who steel their souls against all things else, who accomplish the hard work of the world, andh»'ho are everywhere in demand whenjikrd work, is to be done,