Mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado Co., Cal.) 1854-1860, 1860-07-21
A FALLACY.

lar To those which originated the apt saying,
it is repeated. 1t passes on from one to an.
other, until its use is familiar, aud finally IT
take, place in the list Of proverbs, which are
acknowledged by common consent, and with
out due reflection To contain indubitablc
truths. In this manner, some Of the holdcst
fillacics have been fastened upon the under
standing Of mankind, aud come to he regarded
at last as propositions cuincutly wise and in
controvcrtblv correct. Prominent among these
absurd falarcs ranks the old.tmc aphorism
"a fool for luck" 1t is orlv necessary 10
hc>tow casual glanc" uron this incentive to
folly, to ascertain its utter Cabu!on>ncos. !"
look at it from the first standpoint Who
are the characters most prominently namcj
upon the page Of history: From Moses down
to the present day, through the long genera
tons Of the human race, those who have ac-
quircd distinction sufficient TO secure niche
in the temple of fame, were the very opposite
Of fools And V t, it must hcconrcdcd, "luck,
as iavoring events are curly termed, has had
something to do with the lu>trc which sur.
rounds the names Of al these great ones Of the
earth Luck i, defined To- he, tat
winch cannot lac previously known or deter.
mined with certainty by human skill or
power Accepting this as n proper expos.
ton cl the true intent and meaning uf the
word "lurk," how can an observation Of III"
>iri,>itudc> and incidents of life as disclosed
upon the historic page, or cXcmpliiicd in the
daily cXpciiencruf existence. justify tbs rs.
iayoring genius. about tn" pathway Of the fool:
lGt VIZ ttart the tCarucd sun .tnhrS1UIUJ!oTSiUg
the y,ity Of the homcly rroYuh to which ",
alulc, for he SAYS in the h''h'.r, "con>i!cr
the gift of i""t a, below the care of wise men.
III this, he either means that "a Wi>c man should
look with contempt Li'"u Tat f1tdnr which,
proc cls from mere fItulty a. lIu"h,c aud
unworthy the acceptance "t the wi,r, or lac
designs illustratr the infrcqu.ury which
in his estimation, chance h,acrnt'ns fiil -
tie lot Of The Children Of wi,.iotn, IN wLirL
10y the great morai>t, it cannot
,ul>taitlatc til" fact, that : ID irtturc U>l,'y
dance, attendance uuon fio,, S,,h ,.c. m.
,- mcnt to folly i .l,cr,t,ve nal ~ va,i.,.,,
with the best interests "f tie >,,cri,>. Slrrc
,islt hl"hr upon Ia nov nrl' Viii, uuii\o'!
the sovereign sway ii night, aud earni shed a
ii. ,,.rr ,r L,,,.,,, o.,;.,.,,,,,,,h ,,,.,,,;,,.
and glory have been IN. rro,i(, i,r c.r,ouI.
ta,t> oC vi, ,om vii ana ,Y,rt Whether
~, I,l =, ,hc ,,I,i., ,u,,,. ~ r,n,Li,J IN
rive n,r,;,.,,,r If vor,.ix h,,u,r and ,l.x,,,p y.
-, ~ ,,,, ,r,,,cr &c u, If, ,rl ,,,ru,.l,,v,,
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,;j., p,,.;.,r p,,., D.r,n.,;,,. II,,,;lI
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a,.a &C.,, ,.. L.l u,, lu.,. ;,
1.,y. 81, !, r-,,x n,o, ,hc r,,,o1 !, v,i,.h
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sam, p.,.j. .l,
III. ,c, ;,r,,,,,o,r - ,,,o,o,.,,r.,I;..t.r ,.
t.,.,. o,i,o. c.. u,;,I;.L
.r,i ,ru:,
90, T., ,u,,,.r. ,r.,,.,r, u... r,u..l2l,
.,,..l o,l ,.,.. ...,,,.,, l., ,.l..; ..;,
,.,a..;.,,. :, ,,.i;., ,r :. ,,,,,,,, ..,."..i
80, ,hcr Inv. al Lo., .,,,,,,,;,.l, ,,,-,,r
IN. ,,ow oC,.r i, a.. $3.50. II .,.r, ,,.,, &C.
~, co,,,,, sam, ,n.,r,G,..,, ,,nn',o, ..
.,,,,r .,r,.,,,r, I,,,t o,r,,,o,,l ,h;.I, ,,....
!, ,,,o ro;,,ll.,,h,o1 :, ,l;.h ;,..,.,.,.,;,,.
I'm, ;,r.rf.c, o,,,;ros ,ro r.,,ic,,, l.. H..
rome If This tim, ar the o,bor on.'. =" C,llv :"
some individual whose imornotion N,ridi.
G.d ,so 70 src,l, Lv uro~roc,.d and c,,.r.r,
ur1cxrrvcd INIT ,c,nror,rv srcco., c,rc;,s
,h,, hi. w.,l,h ~hou.,Ic.s ,ycr.cror. him.
sale mil o,,.u,,,. oxrc,;wor,s ,Loso ro.,;,o
linn i r,r hcvord hi, mo0ns Srch instance.
or;.r IN ,hc recollection or ovorv ro,d,r Tho
,rr,h Is "hcL "or cood r,r,uno vh;ch :. ,ho
nroncr ~ nrcss;o, in tho ,,rsc in which ,ho
curt word "luck" ;S ccumcpc,Il, unacrstood
in r;ro ,,scs an, oC ton ow,;,. uron wo,l II.
rcc,cd ncrccu;iop and sound iudymcnt How.
ever humbl, the nrcten.ions Of the successful
individual oS n man Of mind-howevcr ron.
u,,tcd may he hi, view, Of many crovc sinh.
ircts il will he found TINT in that dcrortmcn,