Litchfield enquirer., 1855-12-27
sBe Diligent In Buslness.~

| Ffankiin mas somewhere said sthat he
owed considerable share of his success
ia life to the impression made upon him,
while yet boy at home, by a passage in
the Book Of Kings, that those who were
''diiigent in business" should stand in the
presence of princes. 1t is well known that
few men were more industrious. Il is
equally known that while he began his
career as poor boy, he lived to be an hon
| ored ambassador at the court Of the proud.
! est monarch in Christendom. He was an
example, therefore, of the literal fulflment
OF the text. a.
But he was not the only man who real-
lied its truth. We doubt, indeed, if any
man ever succeeded in life, who was not
diigent in business. The supposed in.
stances TO the contrary, so often popularity
quoted, invariably prove fallacious when
rigidly examined. Curan, the grea, Irish
orator, was said to have eloquence native
born. But on the contrary, he has left it
on record, that he took the greatest pains
TO perfect his elocution, his gesture, and his
knowledge of law. Burke, the British
Cicero, built up the edifice Of his fame by
slow. p"rseveiing, aborious effort. The
late Stephen Girard amassed his colossal
fortune by assiduous attention to business.
Clay, Webster and Calhoun all worked
hard. And Napoleon the First, who was
born genius. il ever man was, achieved
most Of what he did by unceasing labor,
often debating to several secretaries at
once, and always firing out every body
about him. -
Ii these great men achieved distinction
only by their diligence in business, or even
if this as none deny, was the principal
cause of their success, how can those Of
inferior abilities expect to prosper, unless
they follow tho same example lie who
negeets his business will soon find his
business mgiee,ing him.--Ability, with
out industry, will not do Men who think
to succeed by doing half a days work,
mus! sooner or later 20 TO the wali.-There
Is but one way TO rise il lis to be diligent,
always diligent The merchant, who
leaves his store to take '.sociable drink !"
the mechanic, who stops work to have a
''h!ue Monday the professional man,
WHO goes off on parties Of pleasure, and
misses the chance OF clients or patients
caIiing-ail these either fail utterly in life
a. last, as the case in nine examples out
of ten, or fall short of that complete sue
cess which they might otherwise have OBJ
tanned. The old fable OF the tortoise, Who
beat the hare TO the goal. because the latter
stopped so often, is realized every day and
hour in life The old adge, "slow, but
sure" is verified continually by experience.
Even genius itself has been said BY no less
thinker than Sir James Macintosh, to be
only another name for industry. Go and
ask OF the scores of beggared old men,
who. once prosperous, now eat the bread
OF dependence, what it was that ruined
them, aud they will answer, il honest,
"because We were not diiigent."
It's yonng men just starting in life, who
should especially lay this truth to heart.
They must not foolishly suppose, because
they see their rich employers dining in
fine houses, dressing extensively, doing
little hard work. or lavishing time or mon
ey in other ways, that they may also do
the same. If their superiors had not been
diligent. in early life, they would never
have earned the means TO live luxuriously.
A clerk is not the head Of firm, or an APP
prentice master mechanic. BY "diligence
in business" thousands Of poor lads have
risen in opulebce, and come at last to have
all the leisure they desired. But tens Of
thousands, who could not wait 10 enjoy life
ill they had won the right 10 il By s.diIi-
gence in business" have gone hopelessIy
down in the full meridian ofexistence, like
the crew OF leaky ship sinking in sight
Of harbor, because they ate and drank and
made merry when they should have been
working a, the pumps.