St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1858-02-04
Depend upon YOUR own ExertiOnS.

To one who looks with calm re
fcction upon the duties of life, col
sidcrs its great ends and objects
and observes how many set out wit
fair prospects and high hopes, VIII
miserably fall, the question arise
with peculiar force of the cause of sue
cess and failure. We believe it Cal
all be expressed in one word. Sue
cess and independence are convert
bic words. The young man who will
an honest and upright purpose enters
upon the duties of life with feeling
of selfdepcndcncc, with no cxpccta,
tons from the influence of friends, no
dependence upon something to turn
up" no thought of going to sleep a
bcggar and awaking millionaire, no
hope in anything but his own industry
and perseverance, never fails. 1t is
the secret of Midas, and whatever Mi.
das touched turned to gold. Let no
young man who spends his days in
dreams of a golden future, while he
squandcrs his time in idlcness and dis
sipation, ever complain of the hard
ships of fortune. His fortune is in his
own hands, and it is with himself t,
make it hard or easy.
We have to complain, however, of &
too mad pursuit of wealth, as a nation
al popularity. One would think that
gold was the chief and only good in
life. See the hurrying crowds, the
days of toll, and the nights of anxiety,
the premature grey hairs the neglect
of all the little amenities that make
life pleasant and the world something
else besides great huckstcr shop /;
the sncer at the man of literary or
moral worth if he be poor in the
worlds goods the wild passion for
the foolerics of fashionable life and all
amusemcnts, where wealth can make
a splendid figure, and say that the pur-
suit of wealth is not absorbing all the
talent of the people, and degrading
us into nation of traders, and al
aristocracy Of wealth. The love o
the almighty dollar is driving out al
love of the beautiful and the good, il
crusting over the heart with a shell o
selfishness, and sitting every noble
generous emotion.
We would that young men woult
propose to themselves q career of sue
cess, in some noblcr spheres thar
ordinarily opens to men. Wherein
lies the true glory of nation? Wha'
is it that has handed down to us the
name of France and England clothed
in halo of glory that can never dim
1t is not that their merchants were
princes, or their ships spreading their
white wings on every sea! Not these
alone, but they have given to the
world their poets and historians, their
astronomers and philosophers be-
cause they have given to the world
their Roussct, their Corncillc, their
Shakespeare, Milton, Locke, Newton
and Lcvcrrier. Why may not oul
young men propose to themselves an
other path than that of the beaten
dusty, weary one, in which the vota-
ries of wealth are found? The same
effort that will secure them perishablc
money, will secure the impcrishable
riches of the mind. 1t is only labor
and sclfdependencc that is needed.
Can we not be something noblcr,
higher than mere money
seekers, mere toilers after pclf? We
cherish the hope that day is coming
when America shall take her place
the nations in the sphere of
literature and science, which she now
occupies in that of enterprises and
material progress.