The Gavelyte, October 1908

12. r5he Second Team Men of Life. RY WILLIAM HAWTHORm;, '09. l1t>hin<l PvPry movement and indeed in great measure sustaining it are hidciPn mnltitu<lPs of the um~een human forcPs of life. In every athletic contest, in PvPry commercial enterprise, in every Hocial uplift, in every religious under– taking are clearly manifeRted the power anci the at.:tivity of the mPn behind. True indeer! is it that in considering tlw great movements which have benP– fited mankind in any way we oftimes forgPt the e un een human beings and shower all the glory and all the prai:3e upon thP leaders, the "~t:>en" forcP; but how often do we err in our e timation of the comparative value of hu– rr,an effort;;. The same old sin which caused Paul, the inspired, to write to his brethren, "far off"- inability and disability to see unseen forcPs in t,he spiritual sense- ha~. to a great extent, in the material worlci, been the mean of producing a son of material far-sightednes in viewing the labors of mcm. Fortnnately for the world's progress, the truest and best leaders have been those who have used intelligently and appreciated highly the necessity and vitality of the force displayed by the men of t.he rank and file. In college athleti~s. there is a term whi~h defines these unseen and unthought of person very definitely a:- the second team men-- men who are not con– sidered sufficiently skilled tu battle for supremacy on the gridiron or on the gym floor, but yet how necessary anci how glorious a part do they fulfil in their opportunity as developt"rs of the strength and kill of thl" first team. How weak would be the defence and ho,v striking would be the failure of the college that lacked a second team. Thus, even more neces ary to thP su ceRs of any t>ffort that it should have thP intelligent service of the work– ers! Not all men can be leaderR, not all can be teaeheni, hut the worlci's hProes, the le:.iders of to-day, the preacher of t,i-day and the t.f'achers of to-day are demanding mon~ anci more clamorou ly, aR the monthR and years flit by, the intelligent co-operation and hearty , upport of the so-called "mas– ses". Anci that word, masses, iR a. ignificant term, it's a co. mopolitan word, it's a complex idea. Think of the wonderful po.ver anrl the Rupreme bun,lle of living manhood embodied in that one word ''masses" and we have en– forcerl upon our mincis a collee;e mPn and women the terrible reRpon, ibility of rlefinitP training anrl devPlopment for Pfficient lt->arlPrship. TherP is no