Character and Success 99 



semblage of virtues, active and passive, of moral 

 qualities, which we group together under the name 

 of character; and if between any two contestants, 

 even in college sport or in college work, the differ 

 ence in character on the right side is as great as 

 the difference of intellect or strength the other way, 

 it is the character side that will win. 



Of course this does not mean that either intellect 

 or bodily vigor can safely be neglected. On the 

 contrary, it means that both should be developed, 

 and that not the least of the benefits of developing 

 both comes from the indirect effect which this de 

 velopment itself has upon the character. In very 

 rude and ignorant communities all schooling is more 

 or less looked down upon; but there are now very 

 few places indeed in the United States where ele 

 mentary schooling is not considered a necessity. 

 There are any number of men, however, priding 

 themselves upon being "hard-headed" and "prac 

 tical," who sneer at book-learning and at every form 

 of higher education, under the impression that the 

 additional mental culture is at best useless, and is 

 ordinarily harmful in practical life. Not long ago 

 two of the wealthiest men in the United States pub 

 licly committed themselves to the proposition that 

 to go to college was a positive disadvantage for a 

 young man who strove for success. Now, of course, 

 the very most successful men we have ever had, men 



