The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1869-10-14
The True Value of Labor.

There are some VINO regard laOor DIS Ile
great hardship of life. They admit that,
as the world is constituted, it is a necessity;
that we are dependant upon it for every
comfort, pleasure and luxury that we en-
Joy; and that by the physical laws of the
universe, to which we are subject, active
conflict with the material world is essential
to our very existence. But while recog-
nizing its inevitability, they only submit
to it as necessary evil, to be endured for
the present; hoping for some good time in
the future, when its need shall be no long
er felt. Such persons have failed to read
the great problem of human Life; and i'll
thus failing, have missed the clue to all the
real endowment and satisfaction which life
has in store for every earnest worker
Had the, elements been so tempered as to
produce only pleasant sensations; were
the ground SO fertile that.eyery want could
be supplied without our effort;: and did
the earth yield us her riches without de-
manding our, strength and. skill, what
wonld be the character Of the human race!
Evidently contemrtible. one for all our
growth, all our energy, all our powers of
body and mind, are owing to the conflict
with difficulty. The muscles of the child
grows stronger by exercise; but if no mo-
tive urged their use, they would never be-
come firm. We would have 30 conscious
ness of any of our powers, no endurance,
no force, no energy, no will, were they
not called into exercise by the resistance
of all the forces of nature. Even the suf
ferings, perils and decay which abound in
the world, are the very conditions which
serve to elevate and energize our natures,
by leading US to put forth every power
we possess to resist their influence. Labor,
then, is not only necessity of existence
NOT only the means by which fruitfulness
covers the earth, and matter is changed
into the thousand forms which promote
our comfort and happiness-it has fal
higher end than this. 1t is the grand
means by which the nature and character
of man are developed; by which he gains
force, endurance, courage and efficiency !;
and without which he would be deprived
not merely of the material comforts of life,
but of all that makes him worthy the name
of man.
Thesu and happiness of every in
divldual depend much upon the degree to
which he recognizes this great truth, and
earnestly acts upon it. He who perceiyes
the true value and dignity of labor, will
also see that to extract its full benefits, he
must choose his work wisely and perform
rightfuf labor is honorable, yet that will
only reflect honor on the individual for
which he is fitted. Every one, rich or poor,
ought to have sorse great absorbing pur-
pose, some active engagement, to which
bis main energies are devoted. THIS divis-
ion of labor in civilized community makes
it more necessary that each should know
bow to do one thing thoroughly, than
many things specifically. If the young,
in selecting their life work, would bear in
mind that their own happiness and success
depend chiefly on their filling just that po-
sition in which they can produce most
benefit to the community, many fatal mis-
takes would be avoided. Considered on a
large scale, the interest of the individual
and of the community are identical; and
the pursuit in which they both unite, is the
one in which success is the most certain.
To discover what this is, is the great duty
of every young person, and demands the
most careful and deliberate thought. Too
often pursuit is selected because 1T is
fashionable, or because it seems to prom.
ise splendid fortune in short time, or
genteel position, or abundant leisure
Such occupations are frequently over.
crowded by those whose abilities are by
no means calculated to insure success in
them Nature, early training, education.
association and special talents fit men for
different employments, and will generally
if studied carefully, point the youth tc
what viii best suit him, and in what way
he,can best serve others. That which one
can do better than another, is just what he
ought to do. Character is the essence O.
destiny, and is its clearest indication; and
he who would decide wisely on his life
work, must study his own character, and
his own abilities.
One who thus weighs justly and decides
wisely on the labor to which he will devote
bis energies, will be prepared to perform
il worthily when chosen. He may feel that
the ideal which he has set before him is far
beyond his capacity to reach, for, as Car
lyle says, "Every noble work is at first
impossible;" but as he puts his strong will
and his best energies into the struggle,
and bends every endeavor to the perform,
ance of his task, he finds renewed strength,
hope and courage, as he sees his work
growing before him, under the inspiration
Of high and noble people. 1t matters
but little whether his work is of the hands
or of the head. or both united, so that his
whole soul Is put into it, and made to go
aut from it to bless mankind. There is in