Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1870-10-06
John Ploughman's Talk.
ON SEEING OPPORTUNITIES.

the train starts, but crawl into the
station just in time to see that every
body is off, and then sleepily say
''Dear me, is the train gone? Ny
watch must have stopped in the
night."' They always come into
town day after the fair, and open
their wares an hour after the market
is over. They make their hay when
the sun has left off shining, and cut
their corn as soon as the fine weather
is ended; they cry, ''Hold hard! af
ter the shot has left the gun, and
lock the stable door when the steed
is stolen. They are like a cows
tail, always behind; they take time
by the heels, and not by the fore
lock, if indeed they ever take him
at all. They are no more worth
than an old almanack; their time
has gone for being of use; but, un-
fortunately, you cannot throw them
away as you would the almanack,
for they are like the cross old lady
who had an annuity left her, and
meant to take out the full value of
it; they won't die, though they are
of no use alive. Take-it-easy and
Live-long are first cousins, they say.
and the more's the pity. If they
are immortal till their work is done,
they will not die in a hurry, for they
have not even begun to work vet.
Shiftless people generally excuse
their laziness by saying, ''they are
only little behind;;" but q little too
late, and miss is as good as mile.
My neighbor Sykes covered up his
well after his child was drowned in
it; and was very busy down at the
Old Farm bringing up buckets of
water after every stick of the house
had been burnt; one of these davs
he'll be for making his will when he
can't hold pen, and he'll be trying
to repent of his sins when his senses
are going.
These slow coaches think that to-
morrow is better than to-day, and
take for their rule an old proverb
turned topsy- turvy-"Never do to-
day what you can put off till to-mor-
row." They are for ever waiting
until their ship comes home, and al
ways dreaming about things looking
up by-and-by; while grass grows in
their furrows, and the cows get
through the gaps in their hedges.
If the birds would but wait to have
salt put on their tails, what break
fast they would take home to their
families! but while things move as
fast as they do, the youngsters at
home will have to fill their mouths
with empty spoons. 'Never mind"
say they, ''there are better times
coming, wait a little longer" Their
birds are all in the bush, and rare fat
ones they are, according to their ac-
count; and so they need to be, for
they have had none in the hand yet,
and wife and children are half
starved. Something will turn up,
they say; why don't the stupids go
and turn it up themselves? Time
and tide wait for no man, and yet
these fellows loiter about as if they
had freehold of time, a lease of
their lives, and a rabbit warren of
opportunities. They will find out
their mistake when wants finds them
out, and that will not be long with
some in our village, for they are al
ready long way on the road to
Needham. They who would not
plough must not expect to eat; they
who waste the spring will have
lean autumn. They would not strike
when the iron was hot, and they will
soon find the cold iron very hard. :
6 He that will not when he may,
When he will he shall have nay.r
Time is not tied to a post, like
horse to manger; it passes like the
wind, and he who would grind his
corn by it must set the millsails. He
that gapes till he be fed, will cape
till he be dead. Nothing is to be
got without pains except poverty
and dirt. In the old days they said,
"Jack gets on by his stupidity"
Jack would find it very different
nowadays, / think; but never in old
times, or any other times, would
Jack get on by foolishly letting
present chances slip by him; for
hares never run into the mouths of
sleeping dogs. He that hath time,
and looks for better time, time
comes that he repents himself of
time. There's no good in living
down and crying, "God help us!'
God helps those who help them
selves. When | see a man who de-
clares that the times are bad, and
that he is always unlucky, gener-
ally say to myself, that old goose
did not sit on the eggs till they were
all added, and now providence is to
be blamed because they won't hatch.
1 never had any faith in luck at all,
except that believe good luck will
carry man over q ditch if he Jumps
well, and will put bit of bacon in
to his pot if he looks after his gar
den and keeps pig. Luck gener-
ally comes to those who look after
it, and my notion is that it taps at
at least once in lifetime at every
body's door, but if industry does
not open it, away it goes. Those
who have lost the last coach, and
let every opportunity slip by them,
turn to abusing providence for set
ting everything against them: "If l
were hatter," says one, "men would
be born without heads" "If l
went to the sea for water" quoth
another, 81 should find it dried up"
Every wind is foul for a crazy ship.
Neither the wise nor the wealthy
can help him who has long refused
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