The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-06-17
mIna your Own.BuaIucss

Walking along the streets OF tie city,
does 1t not sometimes occur TO you,
reader, that everything you see, large
and small, has been put in It's place by
the hands of man? The brick pave
ment under your feet, the cobble stones
| in the street, every single brick and
every pebble in the pavement has been
| manipulated, perhaps scores of times.
The brick has undergone all the hand
ling requisite to manufacturing, the
cobble stones may have come hundreds
of miles as ballast, and all the long
piles of buildings, stone and BRICK and
wood and plaster, have been transferred
to their places in pieces larger or small
er, from troWel's hold up to hum
dred weight or q ton. The ants are not
buster than man, and the individual
work of each is not smaller in propor-
ton to the whole result than: in the in
dividual work of each tOiler in build
ing n city. Now we all have share in
the work of making the world habita.
BILE and OF keeping it SO. Our proper
ton may be greater or less; and the aid
we give direct or indirect. But, while
men live, even though they be but
drones, the mere process OF supporting
life-nO matter at whose eXpense-sub'
dues and utilizes the earth for mans
purposes. And the benefit of civiliza.
lion is that it divides and economies
labor, so that each man must, whether
with a good will or not, help somebody
else to live, by the mere fact of living
himself. The bread a droue begs or
steals, has paid several different sets of
agents for producing it.
The best man in his indutrial rela-
tions is he who does best whatever he
has to do, however humble his post may
be. The man who lays the pavement
single brick he has in hand; and the
man who drives the nail be sure that
he strikes it square on the bead. he
NAV be as unconscious of the grand TO.
tai 10 which he contributes as the coral
insect is of his agency in building an
island out of the sea. But still his work
tells, as certainly as the work of the tiny
island builder. And If every worker,
in whatever sphere. would remember
this, he need not be ashamed OF his hon
est vocation.
Maria Edgeworth was Il mate for Poor
Richard in practical common sense.
Her tales are curious for the paradox
cal blending ofimagination and utility;
Utility often gets the best OF 1t, and
crowds imagination into very mathe-
matical straightness. In one of her
stories, the maxim is illustrated that
"Whateyer is worth doing at all Is worth
doing we'll" That Is to say, in shorter
phrase, "mind your own business!'
And whoever does that, let his business
he what it NAV, so that it be honest, is
helping the world along. he is adding
his atom to the piles of buildings, doing
his share in dwelling the mountains
and raising the valleys, driving his
spike in Pacific railroads, and twisting
his strand in the magnetic cables which
will one day unite Patagonia ana Sltka
Nova Zembla and the Capes Hope and
Horn.
And more than any physical and
material work, he is aiding in the In
tellectual and moral editication OF the
world. For manual industry cannot
90 on without promoting mental ac,
tivity, and stimulating both physlcaI
and moral science. The great tuie L, iol
each is TO do what he has TO do right
work up to his pattern, and as much
above it as he can-to give his undi-
vided attention to what he has In hand,
while 1t is in hand, and to take up the
next thing In order with the like con
centration of thought and industry: In
a word-we can't help repeating IN q
pleasant sense what is often spoken In
acrabid tone-'mind your own busi-
ness!'
image. That Is to say, BE made man
i'm mans subordinate degree, creator.
That worker lives up to his destiny
who performs his work, whatever IL Is,
With a consciousness of Rodlike char
acter, of honest and satisfied Industry,
CONTEMPT for useful toiI is. one OF the
abuses and errors which, though II
struggles still TOR lie, bas been In a
diving condition ever since tne truth
ldawned on the world that it is better tc
keep men alive than to Kill them'
wiser to cultivate the arts of peace than
the barbarities of war; to produce rath
ar than to destroy. In place of feudal
service due to useless lordiings, the
true tenure by which men now holo
their right to life, liberty and the Pur-
snit of happiness, is by service, as less
or creators TO the Great creator.
Mn WENDELL PHILLIPS declared to
tho Nav England a Anti-Slavery society
IN BOSTON, last Friday, that he hao
tconfidence in the firmness of the bon
Harry wilson, We make this ans ans
nouncement with the greatest pleass11Fre. re-
It has been popularity supposed lloI
which Mr, Phillips himself Is PeEnAPS5
a little to blame) that he monopollzso
all the 'firmness,' $50 far as puollc cues
tions are concerned, in the country. y
His speeches, somehow, always glIe us
the impression that he 'aees ", ,1Ia an
that other people don't-tnaG ne SIZE ~ AZ =
while every other human being IN tne
country is backsliding. Mr.. Wendeil
Phillips having so far relaxed from ms ms
austere isolation as to 'have conhdence
in Senator Wilson, he may, In une,
also have confidence In some otneI
Senator, or Representative, or Cover
nor. Having passed most of his life In
| a condition of chronic distrust, 1t is
Ipleasing to find this moral sanchorite
graduaB ~ 1ipkipg better Of his species,
whict WnRSS IneugntsoiWSA