212 ILLINOIS STATE DAIRYMEN'S ASSOCIATION. 



by so much as any American citizen is deprived of the honest use of his 

 powers; so long as the soft snow cf a free man's ballot does not express 

 the will of the people — while som<~ of the highest offices are bought by the 

 man who has the most money, irrespective of his ability to fill that office; 

 while all property does not bear its just burden of taxation; while intem- 

 perance runs riot and polygamous men sit in legislation halls, while 

 watered stocks are sold and all for gold, the battles must be fought. 



This word "gold" is a little word, but over it individuals and dynasties 

 have fallen never to rise again. For gold a Judas betrayed a Jesus, and 

 for gofd He is crucified again and again. 



But you will question, What can I do? "He loves truth best who to 

 himself is true, and what he dreams in others dares himself to do." Life 

 may be given in many ways, and loyalty to truth be sealed as firmly in the 

 closet as the field. 



In the closely closeted life of our own homes most of our battles mubt 

 be fought. If the common days of our lives, the every days, which are 

 the true index of life, a truer measure of its character and value than the 

 most striking and brilliant things of the exalted moments, were only sweet- 

 ly and truly lived, what would be the measure of the stature as men and 

 women? We know what it would be for we have seen men and women liv- 

 ing such lives all about us. They are the mile stones that point the way to 

 the high lights; they are the beacons that light the dark places; they are 

 the advance guards that never heard of retreat; they are the victors who 

 wear now the laurels, and who will one day wear a crown. They may fill 

 humble positions; what matter, they have a strength of character, a loy- 

 alty of purpose, a principle, that tips the scales against any amount of 

 money, position or bank stock. It requires more strength of character to 

 be faithful in the minute and common place things of life, when no human 

 eyes sees us, than it does to execute one very important duty where a 

 multitude may see or hear. It requires just as much valor to be brave in 

 a thousand little struggles that come to us every day, battles so insigni- 

 ficant that it seems hardly worth while to put on armor, as it does to be 

 brave in one great conflict that calls for great heroism in which grave 

 interests are involved. It is these little things that are the grindstone?, 

 but it is this continual grinding that polishes the jewel, that wins one's 

 battles. 



