The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1872-12-28
A COMING YEAR.

There is never anything gained by
encouragement, but a great deal lost.
However dark and threatening may be
the outlook for the coming year, there
is no use in pausing at the threshold to.
enumerate our grievances, and point out
how this or that one must certainly des-
troy the industries or enterprises of the
country.
It may be hard to work against a
strong tide but if your boat sin it, who
would be mad enough to pause on their
oars to lament the effort which will be
required to breast it? Drifting may be
pleasant enough, if there are neither
rocks nor shoals ahead; but just now,
drifting may wreck Or strand lis before
help. Every word of vain and useless
complaint brings with it q correspond
ing sinking of mental energy, until all
power of resistance to any passing evil
is lost. The bugbear with which we
persist in keeping ourselves face to face,
will master us in the end; and to be
able to say "Iknew it and prophesied
just this ISSUE" will be sorry comfort at
last. '
No one can ignore the difficulties
which loom up before us in the coming
year. But there are wondrous powers
of recuperation in this symbol Pelican
of ours. Her life-tide is inexhaustible,
though for the time it has been drained.
Louisiana is emphatically an agricul-
tural country. A soil unequalled in fer
tility, and a se~mi-tropical climate, de-
eide her destiny. 1t is unluekily on ag-
riculture that the evils of an evil Past
have fallen most heavily. Uncertain
and high priced labor has brought about
a lamentable deficit in the planters
yearly returns. Then heavy taxation
finishes the work of ruin, for on some
plantations the, proceeds of the crop do
not meet the drain upon their resources,
The first evil might to a certain ex-
tent be modified by an encouragement
Of immigration, throwing more facilities
in the way of immigrants than land
owners seem disposed to extend. The
:" turf hunger" does not seem to lessen
among the proprietors of vast stretches
of unemployed land. The better classes
of immigrants + unwilling to settle il
a country where no prospect is held out
of land ownership; SO, instead of com
ing to Louisiana they go to Texas or the
West.
Skilled labor, which economies time
and material, is what we need 4; anG
skilled labor is what we do not invite
by any encouragement. Yet no one car
look at a Western farm with it's labor,
saving machines, its economy of manua
labor, andi its systematic workings, with
out ~regretting the different order O
things as they exist with us. BIZ
AS for taxation, when things are a
their worst they are certain to mend
Can there be any worst for us now
Some legislative enactment of relic
will probably grow out of the increased
dissatisfaction of tax payers.
But, under all circumstances, we Cal
see no good in useles complaint. Itcer
tainly is not necessary to deceive our
selves by crying peace! peace!" whel
there is no peace buts still less necessar.
is it for us to give way to impotent rail
ings.
Let us interrogate the New Year wit
hopes or fears, but from all ages it
answer has always been the same.
I" Iknow not whence I came, nor where 1 go
Nor if I come to bring a better part,
And heal the tears which flow.
: I nothing know but that the God of Years,
Andtimes, andseasons, holds them in His hand
! And men who trust in Him write neither fear
: Nor hopes in the Years sands.
I only know strong Purpose must prevail
: If it is based on Right and hedged by Truth,
In months and years maj works his BLACKLIST ba
4 flash brings Gods dear truth" -
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