The West Virginia journal. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1864-1877, 1864-12-07
To Make Labor Attractive.

To Make Labor Attractive.
Were labor as attractive as it should
| be there wold be less desire to exchange
it Tor what are considered more gcntccl
pursuits, and less disposition to shirk it.
and thus contract Idle, shiltlcss and
vicious habits. Did all possess true
views Of muuful industry,aud intelligent
| ly regulate thcir work, labor would cease
to be disagrccable, rugged constitutions
would not be broken down by 1t, and
every effort would be attended with more
profit. Man havin. been created an ac.
tive being his aclivit" is Us spontaneous
as anything in nature. 1t follows that
rightly educated in reference to labor.
man would Gnd as much pleasure IN 1t
as in anything else TO which his powers
are adequate and for which he Was cre'
atcd.
The great question, therefore, is, how
to make labor attractive.
|. Establish the conviction that it is
your duty to work at something useful
toward your own support and the good
Of society, and that you have no more
right to live without j, than you haSe to
! steal
>. Become convinced also that any
thing necessary to be done TO support
humanity or build up the world is equal
" honorable with any other useful ser
vice. and anything you arc able to do is
as much your work as that Of any ono
else in short, lc willing to take hold o'
anything Of which you are capable with
rhccrfulnc$s and energy. Icu can
choose your cmploymcnls. but where
circumstances Iaree upon You any spec.
ial labor do it without complaint. The
most contemplate Of all things is the
nan, woman, boy or girl that whines at
the pcrlornancc Of anything necessary
to be done.
3. Cultivate thorough contempt for
the practice Of eating without earning
your food, or of getting anything foi
which you do not render an equivalent
in useful service. This will 50 far to
make labor agreeable.
4. Never labor to exhaustion, bu|
stop when nature demands rest. Suffer
not the body to become dclormcd or th'
mind hcnLmbcd by excess oj work.
There is no necessity for this with in
k,clIiyent men, for the amount of labor
which the preserva;ien Of health ano
strength demands is sufficient to bring
complete independence.
! S. Take deep interest in whatever
you do. The hunter delights in his
Spnr: and can protract the severest eli
forts without fatiyHe. So you'd be tba
digs End the hours pass swiftly By in the
for,nance Of much work did he make 1t
Measure. Should one feel interested
in preparing his soil for the most thrifty
vereta.ion he would delight in the hare
labor Of undertaking, tcrIi!iEins ant
! cultivating it, If he loves flowers ant
shrubbcry and delights in beautiful
garden the work necessary to produce
;hem will be found pleasurab!c. no O
everything else Thus it is seen tina
intellectual aud moral culture is Deces
! sary to elevate labor above the irksomc
ness that follows an enforced toll. thus
only can man become king over hi
I labor and cease to be : slave to his dali!
employment. ..
6. 1t is true that with tho avariciou:
the prospect Of large profit does m0r'
than anything else to make labor ot'rae
, tive. Many work themselves to death
f for the sake Of gain : but in the end It'll
found that those who have sacrificed
, their health and Higor foT profit hav
after all made a positive loss. II
struggle for the sake Of wcalthis despIc
, able and only characteristic Of littl
minds, but it is an Indication OF tru
greatness to desire and seek it for tn
purposc of carrying forward some grea
. ENTERPRISE for the public good. qM
pleasure which mere avarice Affords j