The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1854-11-15
Mistellantuus.
Work for a Living.

The best means of obtaining living is
to UOrk for it. Nothing SO exalts and en-
mobiles a man as honorable labor, and he
who is the most efficient worker has the
strongest claim upon the world for living.
The world, too, will readily acknowledge
the claim Of all such to the privileges and
blessings Of life. But let man throw him.
self upon the world, relying in the old mot
to-"the world owes me living,"-tnak.
ing no effort to help himself, and you will
see how soon, and with what practical en-
Phasis, his demands will be repudiated.--
The world OtOes!' What folly. Who con-
stitutes this world against whom the demend
for living is made by the idle and vicious!
Why, individuals of course. Suppose,
then, each individual should set up the claim
that the world owes him q living, and there
fore refuses to work, what would be the con-
sequence! Who would pay the demand!-
What kind of living should we have, and
how much would life, under such circum-
stances, be worth to usl ...
The truth is, we owe everything to the
world--all our energies, physical, moral and
intellectual. And unless we devote these to
the high purposes of our creation, in ad-
vancing the general interests of humanity,
we shall prove recreant to the duties made
incumbent upon us from the very organism
Of our being, and shall deserve the con-
tempt and reproach of oil men. The fol-
lowing sensible remarks upon the subject,
from the Ledger, we commend to our read
ers: ...I.r .......
"THE WORLD OWES Me LIvING."-One
of the cant phrases of the day, invented by
laziness and rascality to defeat it short COM
ings, is that Which we have placed at the
head of this article; for, as it is usually en-
ployed, it means that man ought to be
supported, whether he does anything to elp
| himself or not. Now so absurd doctrine
needs only be stated in plain language to
refute itself. The human race would soon
sink to the condition of the most degraded
savages, or actually become extirpated by
starvation, or by disease brought on by idle
ness or scanty food, if every man were to
adopt this phrase for his motto. Society
does, indeed, owe living to the manned,
the aged, the imbecile, or those who cannot
obtain employment, but to no one else
oh nF
his claim on the world for assistance. Idle
ness, unthrift, or want of energy furnish no
reason for demanding aims; for they are
vices which ought to be extirpated, and which
properly carry their own punishment with
them. 1t is law of existence, applying to
the brute creation as well as to man, that
they who will not work shall starve. The
bird oft the air, the fishes is the sea, the lions
in the wilderness all have to look out for
their own food, and would starve, if they
initiated the habits or adopted the philoso-
ply of some of our modern visiosaries.
The world, however, does owe a living to
every man who works for it; and what is
more, he gets it, especially in this country.
No man need starve, or even suffer, except
for temporary period. There is always
labor of some kind to be performed, if men
will earnestly seek it and faithfully perform
it. The great enemy of persons seeking
work, is pride. They need money for fuel;
their families may be almost starving, yet
they will not do this or that. because sit is
beneath them" We once knew young
man who started life with manifold advan-
Ltages, yet who made a miserable failure'
and died early in poverty, because he would
not, after a first disaster, as-he said, "stoop"
to subordinate position. Many man has
reduced his family to indigence; has left
his wife penniless widow; or has brought
his orphaned children to the almshouse, be.
cause he would not go out and seek fortune,
or take fortune in whatever shape she offer
ed herself. To sit with folded hands and
| piteous face, waiting for work to come, is
not the way to deserve ones living
Bread is not rained from heaven, mama.
like. Those who would succeed mus,
strive. Prosperity is only won by strenu'
Gus exertion; but energy and perseverance
are sure to command it in the long run; and
he who says, 81 ptA have work." and tries
and tries again to get it, is certain at last
to obtain it, to keep it, and even to attain q
competence through it. ..s. )