Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1859-08-19
LUCK.

LUCK.
Of all the words in cur language. we mos
letest this. 1t means that some men are. as i
we're pet children in the world to whom it.
sweetmeats Ste given irrespective of their mer
its and labor. When we are too indolent tc
work for thing, we trust to luck; when We
are too self complacent to see our own bluntlers
and Gollies. we deplore our bad luck" Thus
ii is base metal coin Of ignorance and laziness
Micawber waiting for something to "tnrn up;'
the countryman standing by bis imbogged cart
with folded arms, and calling upon Hercules
for help-these are the types of the believers
in luck. We sometimes hear his friends saving
to youth just entering upon his career, I'VE
wish you good luck" They mean nothing un-
friendly By in; but it is good thing that we
have Universe of Laws far wiser than our
Wishes-Laws which, when We shall know more
OF them, will teach US TO say to the youth,
Remember that God helps those who help
themse YES. Remember that there are no
such things as luck, wind-iall, god-send your
destiny rests on your own heart and your own
right arm. There is q path leading to each
tling travelling on that path you reach that
whtreto it leads,-and that which you seem to
grasp, without patiently fulfilling It's conditions
is an Illusion, aud lie, by no means the real
thing
There is an impression abroad. still, that God
and Nature can be cheated. and the Laws Of
the Universe evade] by the blind ways, short
cuts, royal roads. and what not i man tolls
fifty years and amasscs fortune his son does
not toll a day, and gets that his father earned !;
people say he is in luck born with sil-
yer spoon in his mouth, and so on. But first,
let US be sure that he really has or can have
that money which he did not earn. To his
father that wealth means something industry
patience, prudence, diligence. good habits. have
shaved themselves into god and silver forms
they are the money of the money. The young
heir knows nothing of the habits and virtues
underlying the wealth,-he gets the mere
glittering form. 1t becomes, to him, tempta-
tion of his uniformed character it means not
probity and industry, but fast horses and wine
so his riches go faster than his horses, This
makes the spendthriit, a man can alone truly
value that which he has earned. If he is OF
too selfish a nature to become spendthrift, he
becomes a sensualist and an idler. Not un-
frequently do we hear of his exclaiming, q" am
1 an IFishman or a Dutchman that should
work ?"-soon followed by beating some vile
woman to death, and passing on to the Peni-
tertiary, even if, by his wealth and position he
can escape the gallows. And this is luck
Very wise was that ancient poet who wrote:
g Brother, if Jove to thee present makes .--
See that thou from him nothing take
He knew the danger of climbing up "by an
other door than honest toll into any benefit,
and that it could not really enrich man but
must make him a beggar. A beggar is he who
gets for nothing that which another has earned;
and whether he asked for it OF not, whether it
be dime or a million, makes only the differ
ehce of degree or form. We have often seen
your lucky man" and never knew him fail TO
bear out this statement. Generally he is a
conceted, superficial, intiolent fop, whom, If he
were not wealthy, men would easily recognize
as an idle puppy" He has learned nothing,
because he has done nothing and endured moth
ing. Everything about him is skn-deep.--
Alas, if we could bring ourselves to use the
phrase at all, it would be to exclaim for him,
:" unlueky mani
1t is true enough that accidents do not hap
pen in this world. In all the roar of waters
at Niagara, there is not one drop that is not
obeying the exact laws of gravitatioh, attrac-
ton, action and reaction. In the roar of hu-
manity, each drop cbeys its laws with equai
strictness. Take all the steps between you and
your object, and you will reachit. Would you
weave crow bars into cause? You can do ii
as surely as you can weave thread you have
only to take all the steps. Omit one blast Il
the furnace, one stroke of the hammer, and
your wire cause remains a crowbar forever !; no
lucky chance will ever cause you to wake up
and find that it Las gone through the change
at one leap. And the same will apply to ev-
cry aim of life. An English statesman once
claimed the secretaryship Of the English Cabi-
net, for he said Il have served up to it anc
must have it." 1t was given to hinl-for whel
man has served mp to anything he can claim
it with authority. So let our young mel
serve up to things, let them earn them as they
were meant to be earned, and let them say tt
to every thought of luck, " Get thee behinc
me-" They are lucky to he born safely, to
have eyes and see the fair world. hands to strug-
gle for noble and happy life ; their luck end
ed, the working day began. Let them fix in
their minds the old saying, that g the longes.
way around is the shortest way home; lie
them live full under the truth, that on th'
throne of this Universe sits LAW and not wHM
I-Cincinndti Press.