--John J. Ingalls.




Opportunity

The famous statue, "Take Time by the Forelock," was a masterpiece of
Greek sculpture. A noted Athenian orator, Callistratus, has given us a
picture of the work of art: "Opportunity was a boy in the flower of his
youth, handsome in mien, his hair fluttering at the caprice of the wind,
leaving his locks disheveled. Like Dionysius, his forehead shone with
grace, and his cheeks glowed with splendor. With winged feet to indicate
swiftness, he stood upon a sphere, resting upon the tips of his toes as
if ready for flight. His hair fell in thick curls from his brow, easy to
take hold upon. But upon the back of his head there were only the
beginnings of hairy growths, and, when he had once passed, it was not
possible to seize him."

An ancient legend gives us a more vivid idea of the significance of
the statue:

"Who art thou?"

"Time, the all-subduer."

"Why standest thou on tiptoe?"

"I speed ever."