Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1871-11-23
Lecture by John II. Cough.
"WILL IT PAY.

lecture by John II. Cough.
"WILL IT PAY
The lecture course of the Rutland
Young Mems Christian Association, for
the season of 1S71-72, had brilliant open
ing, Tuesday evening, by the presentation,
for the first time in Vermont. by John B.
Cough, of his new lecture evil it Pay"
An immense audience was gathered, com
pletely packing the floor and balconies of
the Opera House. All of the platform,
and even babind the scenes. except bare
" room enough for the speaker, was oHcu-
pied by ladies and gentlemen. Indeed it
would have been hardly possible t. have
crowded another person into the House,
yet all were comfortably seated and the
audience one of the most quiet and order
ly ever assembled in Rutland.
Mr.. Cough looked the Same as on his
previous visits to Rutland, with beard
and head nearly white, but with 10 dj-
intuition of that fire and visor which
have rendered him so famous. He had
his manuscript upon the desk in front OF
him, but rarely referred 20 il, either in re-
latirg his Anecdotes and storiea, of which
the lecture is largely comp1sai, or IN the
there more serious parts. The audience
thoroughly enjoyed the lecture, frequent
lV interrupting him with rapturous and
long continued applause, from its com
mencement to the close. We regret that
owing to the latene-a of the hour, we are
compelled to omit al reference to that
part of the lecture relating to California
and the Yosemite valley. Mr.. Cough
was presented to the audience by Henry
Clark, chairman of the Lecture Commit
tee, at precisely fifteen minutes TO eight
o'clock The following is an abstract of
the
LECTURE.
The questions on the lips or in the
hearts OF pinetenths of the men we meet
hurrying through the streets. crowding
the exchange, jostling each other in the
cffices of business, at the stores, the bank7.
the markets, on the docks or avenues, in
the parks, on the steamboats or cars, are ::
"What will it profit me ?' What shall |
make or lose ?" "Will it pay p In the
pursuit of pleasure, business or study, all
are seeking to make it pay-that ia, striv-
for the remuneration commensurate with
their plans, labor and schemes. l main
tain that it is the right and duty of every
man TO take care If and provide for him
self, to accumul.te we>lth by honest in
dustry, to aim at valuable results, useful
conse quancps 70 labor for An accession OF
good and avoid detriment or damage toI
himself. The Bible contains injuncti0ns
and Inducements TO industry for personal
gain. THE hand of the dilgent maketh
rich" "Bs dili4ent in business" etc.
The royal law, "Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself," teaches the duty oil
loving ourselves. Even before Paul aud
Silas commanded the i}or to believe,
they erioined self preservation thy
self no harm"
"Take care of Number one I am
aware that this maxim often finds often
live and contemplate means Of express
sion To take wise care of number one
is every mans highest duly. What il
Number One ? 1t ia myself, the whole
being; not merely my body, but my mind,
my intellect and my spirit, mysef "a a
whole. Thus the question becomes i'm
portan+, reducing it to the simple WHAT
shall I do to benefit nyself-t0 accomplish
the best results for myself 2" Aud thi=
may be asked in a spirit of large-hoarted
benevolence. Helping myself that I may
help Others, and God has 70 ordained that
helping others g one Of the surest means
of helping myself in the highest sense
The ambition of personal gain or advance
ment is noble till it degenerates into sell
fshness, and then it does rot paw. This
question enters into so many varied cir
cumstanres Of orr lives that it il almost
universal. Will it pay? I well remem-
her, when boy at school could not
have been more than nine years of age
a fight was arranged between me and an
other koy Many of the scholars repaired
to the field, where ring was formed, and
at it we went. After sparring, fencing
dancing and lodging around each other
for some time, [ received a severe singer
on the nose and it hurt. But before my
opponent could plant another I had de-
cided that it did not pay, and | gave up
the contest. Perhaps you think [ was al
coward. Perhaps | was, but it didn't
psy, and I have never engaged IN another
game of fisticuffs from that time to this,
and I think I had the best of it.
1t does not pay for a man TO look al
ways on the shadows of life. There is
more light than shade, yet some see gloom
even in the sunshine, anticipate trouble.
look out for disaster-prophets of evil.
They perceive q cloud in bright skies.
Observe such an one That would throw
gloom on funeral. The face set in such
forlorn and doleful expression that no
smile could revel on the hard surface, or
relax the muscles, so rigid in their cast
and utter misery. If the sun shines on
a bright morning-"Oh it won't last
long there's msckerel sky" They are
always vexed at the moon in its beauty,
because, as the Irishman complained, it
only shinesi on bright nights when we
don't want it. If it would but give light
when it was needed it would be worth
while. They make themselves miserable
by most absurd anticipation of what
NAV come. Like the servant girl who
had never received an offer of marriage
sitting on the curb of the cistern and cry
ing bitterly. "What ia the matter ~
"Oh, dear, I was thinking that If I was
married aud my baby should fall into the
cistern and be drowned how dreadful
should feel" Yes, and such persons all
feel dreadfully in anticipating how they
should feel by thus borrowing trouble.
Away man! wake up Come ont of
the dreary dismalness of IFS J Look. about
you as the poor slave did ; have you not
blessings2 Reckon up your mercies; are
you in pain No. Are you pinched and
poor? No. Have your enemies tri-
umphed over yon2 No. Then what is
the matter9 Rouse yourself from this