Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1869-03-25
Ghuife Misfellany.
LUCK.
BY HENRY WARD BEECHER.

/ WAhD BEECHER,
The word luck is toe firmly bedded in
cur language, and belief in the fact ex-
pressed by its too strong to Justify an
expectation that it will sooa become OBJ
solete. Luck Is an event, good or bad.
which befalls man Independently Of
his own volition. If a man work all day
for five dollars, his wages is not consid-
cred luck. But ifhe finds five dollars in
the road, that is luck.
II man aims at an accommodation
train. but hits an express train, which
has been delayed a little, he is in luck.
He has secured what he did not plan for.
If the last boat of the season leaves AL
bany for New York day sooner than
the shipper has calculated, and he loses
and opportunity of sending his freight,
he exclaims, That is just my luck"
Cf the fact itself there can be no doubt.
Many ydisappointments beiall men which
seem to have no relation to their own
agency. Many pieces of good fortune
occur which the recipient did Eot plan,
or look for.
| But the cause of luck, thus defined is
another thing. If we could look into
mems minds and render clear those OBJ
scure and nebulous thoughts that hover
there, it would be found, probably, that
very different notions are entertained
about it. Some believe that there are
spirits, or sprites whose power intercal-
ates these events upon the calender of
nature. Others seem to believe that in
the vast realm cf Nature events are float
ing about like notes in sunbeams, and
ENTHUSIASTICALLY stumble upon them
Some people believe it to be crook in
the grain of things, some men being
born and destined to fulfill some
mischieveus decree. De what they
will, they can never escape ill luck. "
Where some mems notions analyZed, I
should not wonder if it were found that
they believe Luck to be personal being,
as Puck, or Ariel, who spent sheir time
in playing tricks upon men, good or bad
according to their peculiar fancy.
But dismissing all these notions, there
are several pieces Of general good or ill
luck, which have much to do with men.
l count it piece of prime and admira-
BILE luck to be born of parents who had
sound physical constitutions, ample
brains, well proportioned and balanced,
living in moderately prosperous circum-
stances. Next to this, is to be brought
up in simplicity among people kind and
just, and under circumstances which
require one to exert himself actively, So
that he shall never expect to have any
thing which he does not himself earn.
Lastly, and as consequence of these it
is supreme good luck to have a patent
nature, too proud to do evil and not
proud.enough to take offenceat the COM
mon experiences of life; as contented as
is consistent with enterprise, and above
all. with unwasting good nature.
This last quality-good nature-is per-
haps the most desirable of all, in so far
a q mil fc
knows that it is sugar in fruit that gives
it its palatableness, and that converts
its juice into wine. Good nature is to
humnn dispositions what sugar is to
grapes.
A robust and cheerful nature hardly
knows the difference between good and
bad luck. Some things, which extort
pi eOus complaints of bad luck from his
neighbors, befall him without exciting
more than a moments attention-just
as healthy man does not feel chilly
gust which sets an invalid into shivers.
LII luck in petty affairs is only another
name for want of foresight, unskillful-
ness, poor judgement, clumsy-handed-
ness, lack of spring and enterprise. Few
men are willing to say that their own
upon their own heads. Luck is to them
fortunate word. Luck is word that
hides mans inefficieucy from himself,
and saves his pride.
Every one of us have lucky and un-
lucky days. Poo much excitement, late |
hours. late eating, poor sleep, and too
little of it, bring on mornings full Of de- !
pressiOn-blue days, i'm which everything
seems wrong. Everything our hand |
touches fails. This is a simple case in
which respectable dissipation has put |
the whole instrument by which man
works, his brain and nervous system,
out of adjustment. His mistakes are no |
more surprising than would be mer-
chants who worked by faulse rule, or
g chemists who measured by incorrect |
standards.
By-and-by, rest, diet, and good habits
restore the equilibrium, and then comes
a sparkling day Of good luck. Helf the
twice the ordinary results.
We meet the very persons we desire most
TO see. Everything geOes on rightly
The world is propitiousI
In olden times, when necromancers
would fill the air with spirits, they had
potent spells, cabalistic formula, and
various charms by which to evoke and
control evil spirits. There is a much
shorter and surer way than all that to
fill Heaven and earth with deamons-
Put your liver out of order. That is
spell that never fails. Dyspepsia will
raise more devils in one day than Mer-
lin could in year.
A good man, in good health, engaged
in business for which he is fitted, and
will always be in luck.
Poer luck goes with hslenderjudgement,
with Incidence, with supersensitive
pride, with indigestion, with torpid
ivers. witt heedlessness, and stupidi-
".
As all of us have fiecks andltints of all
Of these elements, at times, so we-all of
is have our share of bad luck. The Z
height of ill luck is to be born badly, to
i've badly and to die badly.
Let every man blame himself for all
his bad luck, and he will find a cure for
more than half of it. The rest is i'm
aginary.