Which Are You?

WHICH ARE YOU? BY J. C. HOGENSON. There are two kinds of people on earth today, Just two kinds of people, no more, I say. Not the sinner and saint, for 'tis well understood The good are half bad, and the bad are half good. Not the rich and the poor, for to count a man's wealth, You must first know the state of his conscience and health. Not the humble and proud, for in life's little span Who puts on vain airs is not counted a man. Not the happy and sad, for the swift flying years, Bring each man his laughter and each man his tears. No! the two kinds of people on earth I mean, Are the people who lift and the people who lean. Wherever you go, you will find the world's masses Are always divided into just these two classes. And, oddly enough, vou will find, too, I ween, There is only one lifter to twenty who lean. In which class are you? Are you easing the load Of overtaxed lifters who toil up the road? Or are you a leaner, who lets others bear Your portion of labor and worry and care? E. W. W. As I notice people day by day, I have come to the conclusion that the words of the poem quoted are true. There are few who get out and do things for themselves. There are few who do not depend upon others for their ideas and suggestions. The lifters are those who work by example as well as by precept. They are not afraid of work, but will roll up their sleeves and not cease to work until the task is completed. The lifters are leaders of men, while the leaners are only followers. The leaners are those who constantly depend upon others for their guidance. Those who have no mind of their own, and are

WHICH ARE YOH 447 always saying what they are going to do, but never do it. They are those who always ask how things are done and who imitate the deeds of other people. What little they do is done with no improvement over old ways, and no interest. They are those who shirk every duty and responsibility whenever it is possible for them to do so. We have both lifters and leaners in all classes of society. To which class a person belongs can very readily be seen from his daily conduct, and from the interest he takes in his daily tasks. Those who go at their work merely because it is the desire of someone that they should do so, and who otherwise have no interest in what they do, are surely leaners. Those who depend upon their fellowmen to solve every difficult problem for them are heavy leaners. Those who take no part in the activities of their surroundings, and who think themselves the only important personages who need to be considered, are leaners, and even hangers back for the advancement and progress of the community in which they live. On the other hand, those who have fully made up their minds to advance and to make themselves better fitted for the great duties of life; those who make sacrifices for the acquirement of knowledge, and who make the best possible use of every moment, are the great lifters in life. These are the ones who will make the world better for their having lived. Let us be lifters and not leaners, in this world, and thus grasp every opportunity which comes to us, and develop it to its fullest extent. No matter if we do have to get out of the rut which others have made. You will find that the ruts are always at the bottom of the hill, while the top is very seldom treaded upon. The poet Whittier has truly said : "Better to stem with heart and hand The roaring tide of life than lie Unmindful on its flowery strand, Of Go.d's occasions drifting by. Better with naked nerve to bear The needles of a goading air, Than in the lap of sensual ease, forego The God-like power to do, the God-like aim to know." Salt L^ke City, Utah.