Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1847-07-21
From the Philadelphia Inquirer.
5SELF-RELIANCE.-THE ERROR
sOF WAITING Or FORTUNE
Z. 7.,rIME. rAITn AND ENERGY.'

tinctiOn won. anu YET now InanV
commit The error of looking on at the va
rious movements of the world, of par
licipa,ing in fancy in the many upward
struggles for competence and wealth,
without possessing energy enough 10 step
into the arena, mingle in the struggle, OF
take hand in the great game in which
the prizes neutrality-suspicious., wealth,
position and character. All. we admit
are not winners, eYen among lnose VINO
exert themselves TO the u,most-but II Is
equally true that none succeed who DO noI
make the trial, and hence, participation
ia any enterprise sor undertaking IS abso'
Iutely esseulialto secure even chance OF
success. Look through society-read the
histories of men discover what they have
been and what they are-and you may in
some degree fore-shadow your own fate,
Selec. out aud Individual who has no self
reliance, who has no faith 10 his own
judgement, who is even expressing surprise
at The success Of others, but doing nothing
--idling away his ife-merely looking on
and YOU will discover drone, o. some
thing worse--perhaps miserable depen.
daut upon some energetic relative or kind
hearted friend--or worse victim OF in
temperance or candidate for the aims
house.
Look again, and choose out some well
known citizen, who has risen from poverty
aud obscurity, to independence aud posi-.
ton, and the chances are ten TO one that
he is man of energy, that be has dePen-
ded upon his own efforts, that his eyes
have beea open, his mind active, his hands
employed--and that hence he has ma !e
use, and with advantage, Of the faculties
given him by tho Crea,or.--lf he had been
aymere locker on, If he waited for fortune,
the probabilities are ths, he would be wal
ling still, with the coy dame as remote
from him as ever. But he pushed his for
tunes,-ir we may employ all ordinary ex-
pre.sion-he sought for opportunities, and
when they presented, he louk advantage
orthen. He had faith in his own abilities,
his own energy, and thus be became what
is usually denominaled sclf-made man.
Occasionally, it is true, instances occur,
in which individuals are enriched suddenly,
aud TO all appearances, without The exer-
else of any particular faculty Of thought,
tact, or activity But these cases are ex-
tremely rare /; and like fortunes made by
the purchase of lottery tickets, seldom re-
sui, in good, aud are not worth considering,
when making general estimate of the
chances among men. The true mode, we
feel assured, is TO tax ones capacity 10
the utmost, TO be industrious, perscverinS
and self.relying, 10 choose fair and honest
business, and to rrosecute.lt closely, stead
fastIy, and with all the means and resour-
ces al our command. ~ .,5
Tie folly ofmaiting for fortune,is little
better than madness. In our boyhood we
were acquainted with a youth of. great
mental gifts, so to speak, whose fan y was
quick, whose memory was retentiye, and
whose penmanship was extraordinary, not
oc,nlIy for tiis beauty, but the rapidly with
which il was executed. Before he was
seventeen has friends secured for him an
excellent situation in one Of the best rner-
camille houses in Philadelphia. He remain
) ed there year or two, and lien he began
10 oimagine that ordinary business was
degrading, that his faculties were superior,
aud that it was the easiest thing in The
world for him 10 get rich by, some short
cut, some novel speculation or Quixotic
discovery. He hined his views to his
friends, who at once saw that they were
based in error, and endeavered TO dissuade
him from any attempt TO cary them into
practice. Blu, 10 vain. He believed him
self 10 be endowed with superior powers,
and that if au ordinary man could get
along in an ordinary way, he, with genins.
could soon secure wealth if not distinction.
Alas the error was The fatal one of his
life. He abandoned the real for the ideal,
the practical for the speculative, the SUBJ
stance for the shadow-aud found, too
late. that in world like this, and society |
constituted as is ours, there is great dis
tinction between self-reliance, self-pro.
sumption,-between visionary genius aud
energetic perseverance.--betw lancying |
aud acting. He struggled, or rather idled
on for few years, waiting for fortune,
puzzled to know why some novel scheme |
did not present itself, and finally was glad |
to receive assistance from the very indi.
viduals upon whom he had looked in The
early, excited and mistaken portion of his
career, as very good sort of ordinary
people, but entirely inferior to himself.
lNo-if our young men desire TO get along |
in the world, they must be aclive, pushing
aud persevering, and more than all, they
Ernusl be true TO truth, honor and integrity.
Nor lei all be assured that commence.
sInent in lie that is moi based upon princi
pie, a starting out that in any degree is a
violation of rec,llude, is sure 10 destroy
5character-and that once gone, all is over.
Let no one suppose that he can be rogue
sinitraJe, .iu business, or in professional life.
aud with impuni,y.-He may escape d,
srect punishment, may avoid the meshes of
sthe law, Sui he nevertheless wilt be dislrus-
lied and looked upon with suspicion, and
thus will pay The penalty every hour tha,
he lives.
to quote the manly advice OF
one whospeakslike prophet and aphil-
losopher-'Up and be doing should he our
motto, in whatever rank Of life our lol is