Winchester journal. [volume] (Winchester, Indiana) 1862-1863, 1863-05-08
LABOR.
From MoOre's Rural New Yorker
Labor degrading? Idleness en-

which holds that IL man Will not
twork neither Shall he eat, is emf
nently wise one, and ought to
he promulgated everywhere. 1t
is an right and proper that a gau.
dy butterfly should devote her
life 10 summing herself on a rose /
stalk, or for a sIeePy-eyed sloth |
to spend his time taking slestas
in the cradle Of the tree-tops, be-
cause that is what butterflies and
sloihs were made for. But, for
ga living, thinking. feeling man"
or woman, either to live the life
ola drone, idIing away existence
like a butterfly, or doing It away
like a sloth, is a shame and a sin.
Don't talk to me Of toe geatiHty
Of fdleness, --of. its being refined
and arlstocratic to do nothing
as though n man was any more
a'man because he keeps his eyes
shut and his hands folded. Arts
Ctocracy, indeedl Iwould rather
Il belong to the democracy forever,
than to such an aristocracy as
that. What would be the condi-
ton of these effeminate do-noth-
ings, | wonder, these people that
despise work, if the machinery of
labor should cease 10 move for
twelvemonth, or if the working
hands of the world should SNAKE
n strike" everywhere for a similar
length of time. Whence would
come the delicacies for their dain-
" palates, or bread to satisfy
their hunger? Whence their sat
ms, jewels and broad cloths?
Who would bring them shoes for
their feet or coats for their backs?
Who would make them beds to
lie on, or houses to live in? Never
call man independent until he
knows enough to earn his own
living; for, just as 'long as he has
no calling in life, no avocation,
nothing 10 do, either of hand,
head or heart-work, just so long
Is he goOd-for-nothing, and ut
terly dependent.
And happiness! Some people,
young and foolish ones, mostly,
seem to think that idleness is
state of perfect bliss; that the
word is synonym of enjoyment.
But it's all q deluslon; and if
you ever. my friend, expect to
reach the pleasan! bowers of
Content, and sit there, along with
Mistress Happiness, you have
got to take the ,homely, oId-fash-
toned, dusty, rugged highway of
daily lGbor-doing whatsoever
your hand findeth to do with your
might. There is no ''short cut
thither-no royal road to happi-
aess any more than there is to
learning. Somebody has some
where said, and very truly, that
all which seems necessary to
make fallen ADAMS thoroughly
miserable, is Just to put them in
Paradise, and, declaring them
serious occupation, give them
permission to make themselves
as happy as they can. Thor
oughly mlserable-that is the ex.
act term. A happy do-nothing?
The words fairly contradict one
another. | don't believe our first
parent could have been happy,
even in Eden, had not his Maker
set him to naming the beasts,
and doing something.
Speaking of Eden leads me to
think of the curse pronounced
there-that men should eat bread
by the sweat of their brow.
What curse that was. Male
dictions, as a usual thing, bring
forth a crop Ofthoras and thistles,
hut this one, unlike all others.
has resulted III a harvest Of en-.
during sweets,-is clustered all
over with fragrant blossOmlngs.
Would vOu receive the benson OF
a light heart and a peaceful con
science? Would YOU have the
sweet violet OF content and the
rose-buds OF joy blooming in the
garden of your heart? Work.
Would you be rich, independent,
useful? There is but one answer.
Work. There is nothing nobler,
wiser, or better to do in this
world than to work; end the
sooner the sluggards and Irones
In the human have shake oil their
torpoT, and lay their hands 10 the
pillow, and their shoulders TO the
wheel, so much sooner will the
grand milIennial dav dawn, when
II.,.. III 10 OusaD Of ,b,