The Sumter watchman. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1855-1881, 1870-06-15
5Miscrllnne.oals..
wlrAv ~ ..,2w DOING ro1. ME,
~. GEORGE L. WALKER.

y VERY important question for mo,
as well MS Tor every othcr young man,
is, What is life doi;:s Tor lAc2 AIN |
gcttin: the good Of it? Am l acting on
u right theory - value? sec men
acting on very dissimilar theories Of
the value cf life, They get very different
result out Of It.
Nov, what is Il right result? Iwant
sound ,hcory, for cannot afford au
unsound one. There is no coming back
to try over agai... This little span
through which 1 an passing must give
me its best, for it is all Of this kind Of
liIc 1 am 10 have. Perhaps [ can set o
hiut or w. .cwards an answer by looking
at some people ground me.
Here is my wealthy ncighboc MIR. B.
Life to him is what it brings him Of
property. His theory is {: Life is worth
what it does in making man rich.
But that theory will not do for me.
ouly need tc lock at Mr.. B. himself,
to sec it is 100 scanty to answer. 1t
does not meet his wants. When his
cl.ild died last spriug-whcn tho Wall
Street panic came last Octobcr-I saw
his theory failed him. Nay, it fails him
every day. ~ hundred wants look out
of his eyes unsatisGcd. His theory is
too narrow for him even now, and to
carry it over into The future, is to make
it shrivel up altogether. "Our best
garments &C without pockets"
look, then, to my old scllool-rricnd
w. His theory of the conduct of life is
the gaining Of happiness. Life does its
Office for him, he thinks, when it brings
him pleasure. But cannot hide from
myself thai, under this theory, w. has
been going downward ever since knew
him He has been hardening and con-
tracting. Ills theory ignores all obliga
tion to others. IT makes him heartlcss.
1t shuts him up in his own interest
Besides, see, also, shat W's theory of
life leaves very many persons hopclessly
to fail Of good. The sick, the oppressed,
the very poor, cannot DC provided for
on any such plan. If onjcyu:cnt is life's
end, then for mnltitulcs the cud must
;a,l. VS. theory will no: do for me.
Two other men often pass me on the
street. Onc is ID, tho great student;
the other is NJ, tho great politician
One is the mott learned, the other the
most Influential man | know. j.. thinks
lilc is worth what it gives him of
knowledge NJ. what it gives him of
power But / know both of them well
enough to sec hat the theory of neither
is adequate. ID. is by no means as
useful in proportion as he is learned;
ard NJ. by no means happy in proper
ton to his inncncc. Life is not doing
for them what ought'to content q man.
They arc making splendid failures. |
| look, then, at one other man. II. is
head book-kecper at tho establishment
iu which | am. lie is an old man now.
His life has been very eventful one.
lie has known what it was to be a
fonAlcd child of rich parents; then an
impoverished orphan then struggling
youth thrown on his own resources
then a wealthy merchant, tho head oi
Ills own home; and now, finally, after
period Of disaster in business and allie
ton in family he has been ten years
Keeping books on scaniy salary for the
somewhat close handed firm VIC both
serve. / asked tic old man ono quarter.
day some years ago, as we each of us
received our mcasrc stipc;d for three
u. mis- work, az hats the use Of life