action. He yearns to emulate the triumphs of those who have preceded him
on the stage of endeavor. If he reads "The Message to Garcia" he feels
himself pulsating with the zeal to do deeds of valor and heroism. Whether
the records deal with Clara Barton, Nathan Hale, Frances Willard, Mrs.
Stowe, Columbus, Lincoln, William the Silent, Erasmus, or Raphael, if
these people are present as vital entities the young people will thrill
under the spell of the entrancing stories. Then will history and biography
come into their own as means to a great end, and then will aspiration take
its rightful place as one of the large goals in the scheme of education.
As Browning says, "A man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a
heaven for?" and again:

What I aspired to be
And was not, comforts me.




CHAPTER SEVEN

INITIATIVE


No one who gives the matter thoughtful consideration will ever deprecate
or disparage the possession of the virtue of obedience; but, on the other
hand, no such thoughtful person will attempt to deny that this virtue,
desirable as it is, may be fostered and emphasized to such a degree that
its possessor will become a mere automaton. And this is bad; indeed, very
bad. We extol obedience, to be sure, but not the sort of blind, unthinking
obedience that will reduce its possessor to the status of the mechanical