Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1864-12-08
Te make Labor Attractive.

Were labor as attractive as it should
be, e,there would be less desire to exchange
It for what are considered more gen
teel pursuits, and less disposition to
shirk it, and thus contract idle, shift
less and vicious habits. Did all pos
sess true views of manual industry and
intelligently regulate their work, labor
would cease to be disagreeable, rugged /
constitutions would not be broken .
down by it, snd every effort would be
attended with more profit Man hav-
ing been created an active being, his ac-
tivity Is as spontaneous as anything in
nature. 1t follows that rightly educa-
ted in reference to labor, man would
end as much pleasure in it as in any
thing else to which his powers are ade-
quate and for which we are created /
The great question, therefore, is,
how TO make labor attractive.
l. Establish the conviction that it
is your duty to work at something, to-
ward your own support and the good /
Of society, and that you have no more
right to live without it than you have
to steal T |
2. Become convinced also that any
thing necessary to be done to support
humanity or build up the world, is
equally honorable with any other use
full service, and anything which you
are able to do is as much your work as
any one else; in short, be willing to
take hold of anything of which you are
capable with cheerfulness and energy.
You can choose your employments, but
where circumstances force upon you
special labor, do it without complaint
The most contemplate of all things is
the man, woman, boy or girl that whines
at the performance of anything neces-
sary to be done
3. Cultivate a thorough contempt
for the practice of eating without earn
ing your food, or of getting anything
for which you do not render an equiv
alent in useful service. This will 90
far to make labor agreeable.
4. Never labor to exhaustion, but
stop when nature demands rest Suf
fer not the body to become deformed
or the mind benumbed by excess of
work. There is no necessity for this
with intelligent men, or the amount Of
labor which the preservation Of health
demands, is sufficient to bring complete
independence.
8. Take deep interest in whatever
you do. The hunter delights in his
sport and can protract the severest eff
forts without fatigue. So would he
that digs find the hours pass swiftly by
in the performance of much work, did
he make 1t a pleasure. Should one feel
interested in preparing his. soil for the
most thrifty vegetation, he would de-
light in the hard labor of underdrain-
ing, fertilizing and cultivating it. If
he loves flowers and shrubbery and de-
lights in beautiful garden, the work
necessary to produce them will be
found pleasurable. So of everything
else. Thus it is seen that intellectual
and moral culture is necessary to ele-
vate labor above the irksomeness that
follows an enforced toll. Thus only
can man become king over his labor,
and cease to be slave to his daily en-
ployment
o. 1t is true that with the avaricious
the prospect of large profit docs more
than anything else to make labor at
tractive. Many work themselves to
death for the sake of gain; but in the
end it is found that those who have sac
rifioed their health and vigor for profit
have after all made positive loss. To
struggle for the sake of wealth is des-
picable and only characteristic of Ii tile
minds, but it il an indication of true
greatness to desire and seek it for the
purpose Of carrying forward some great
enterprise for the public good. The
pleasure which mere avarice affords is
exceedingly barren. The possession
OF wealth for its sake alone should new
er be inculcated as motive to work.
7. Neither is the desire to leave for
tunes to children laudible motive for
work, because it is not good for them
to be placed above the necessity of earn
ing their own living, of cultivating a
love for work and participating In it as
duty and pleasure. Each one WAS
created to get his own living, and for a
parent to rob his own humanity for the
sake OF eorrupting his children, making
them haters Of work and contemners
OF the very labor by which their faith
ers got the wealth transmitted to them,
10 turning ones energies TO an immense
loss. There Is no room for drones in
this world; and no one should feel rich
enough to afford what Is known as
..genteel and respectable life," because
It Is attended with the violation of the
nrst OF duties; Is thronged with petty
annoyauces that poster and bellttle OK.
istence, Is universally productive OF
both mental and physical feebleness,
and degenerates humanity.