THE LESSER STARS.

Wairarapa Daily Times, 1 December 1926, Page 4

THE LESSER STARS.

A writer in the London Times recently complained :it some length of the injustice which the world inflicts upon those whom he termed the ‘‘illustrious obscure.” The term was intended to refer to that la'rge class of persons who, despite their good works, arc yet, through not being in the front rank, deprived of the meed of praise which is their due. But it was a singularly infelicitous term. For clearly a man cannot be at the same time illustrious and obscure; for to be illustrious is to be in the limelight of fame, and to be obscure is to be a humble personage. A far better .phrase is that which (Sir Henry Xewbolt has coined for the “Lesser Stars” in his fine poem addressed to the makers of the Dictionary of National Biography. He called such workers as these “obscurely s ,. e .,t”—“ lights out of the night that Hash'd and fell.” Sometimes they do not even flash, 'but fall unnoticed altogether, content to leave their work to speak for itself and never for them. But" though the writer of the article in the “Thunderer” was unhappy in his phrase, he was right in his complaint. The world is apt to give the whole praise to the general in command, and to overlook the rank and file who really won the battle for him. When gazing at the miracle of the heavens we note the Rigels and the Aldebarans the Alphas of the constellations, who fill the eye with their glow —and fail to mark the Epsilons and Thetas who, vet in their little seventh-magnitude jwny, are responsible for nearly all the scintillating glory of the sky. And so it is with men —the many lesser lights. ‘‘minora sidora,” are prone to have their real value overlooked because of the effulgence of the few great stars who blaze beside them. These workers of the second rank are found in every field. Often they do not shine at all, but live and die beneath the eclipsing shadow of anonymity. Others exploit their work and receive the credit tor the good it brings, while they, caring not overmuch for the popular applause, nor worrying at its absence, strive only to serve God and the King And keep the Nelson touch. In little things, as in great, the obscure and the unknown have more than played their part. As Hiltons they may have been mute, but never , inglorious, as Hampdens they may have had but a village for their field of operations, but ever have they marched breast-forward in the cause, of their little freedoms and their little rights. We may not know them, but we must admit the fineness of their deeds. In practical tilings as in abstractions they have played, and will ever play,, their triumphant part; and though they wear no bays they earn them every day. The name of him through whose mind it flashed that for centuries man had been threading his needle at the wrong •end is unknown; but the inventor of the sewing machine which lias been a boon to all the world is known and honoured. Rightly honoured, no doubt, but it was that unknown genius who rightly should lie honoured, too, for lie it was who made the boon possible. A thousand comforts that we use in daily life as matters of course we owe to the obscurely great. Even if we desired to thank them for their gifts we could not do so directly. Tor we 1 know then? not. But it is' only fitting that we should acknowledge our indebtedness at times in general terms.