The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1872-01-11
Readiness.

II nS'S WY Si.e W Oioooiy " oaJo Vho OouiPiaSSo
Artemus, "but haven't it aboutme Thi
isnot merely an unexpected and very witt,
4 turn /; it is something more than surfac,
pleasantly, for it gives expression to al
experience that is all but universal MOST o
us are conscious at times of possessing Ger
tain gifts or abilities which are somehow no
available at Just the moment when the,
would be of most service. "What scathine
reply / might. have made to Smith abou
parwinism p is the regretful reflection Of
Jones, as he retires heated and discounted
from contest with Smith on the subject o.
Tatural selection. What capital things We
|.righJ say and don'tl How humiliating it is
toIeAect that we were dull when we were
fully capable of being bright What an un.
satisfactory gift is the cleyerness tbat hangt
[ fre until after the game has, aoR When
We are alone we invent the happ$st Of re.
8rts; the most unanswerable arguhents flash
upon us without an effort on cur part; we
fesEtha we have more weapons in our men.
tai armory than Brown ever dreamed; yet
somehow, when Brown attacks US suddenly,
We cannot bring our twelve.pounder to bear
upon him before he has shot us through and
through with his ready little revolver. We
Of the superior metal find ourselves spiked,
so to speak. The fact is we lack readiness.
Roadinessis avery great power. In Law,
war, politics. journalism, oriudeed in almost
any profession or calling, it means success.
It is purely gift, but so patent ono that
III man possessing it even with little other
ability, can hold his own against fearful odds.
In its highest manifestation 1T is asott OF
|eafus. The man of readiness q Ike the
poet, is born, not made.
| No amount oftraihing will enable e man
|Q say keen things on the spur OF the mo-
fent, like Douglas Jerrold, or to avail hiuls
INSTANTLY of an sllaex expected move tns
eIny Ike borough
Readiness is gift pur ct simple, andenot
an requirement, and blessed is the man that
has it. The ability to make instant use Of
whatever material he may have, stands HIM
10 good stead of more solid qualities. IF he
have the solid qualities also, he is inyinci-
BE. Readir sss is askind Of presence Of mind
which enableso one @sturn the tide of battle,
avert disaster, strike Che needed blow and
Epcak the fitting word, at a moment when it
Us fatal to say or do nothing. It's good to
have learning and wisdom, and wit and
practical ideas a. ID executive ability but they
lose half their value. if you don't happen to
yonr 6a6r 5ff tsiY OUT
as was the case with Artemus Ward with
reoord to his Gift of oratory-you might al
most rs we'll not 20 have them at all.
W. take readiness to be our strongest ma
t;onol chnracteristic, the keystone of our sue
cess as q neoplc. We undertake a great
work or a seemingly hopeless task is thrust
unop us, and We carry it through triumph
antly, even while the Old World conserra-
tism is croaxipc of failure. This iucxhaus :
;ble pluck and fertility of resource are not
confined to vast engineering projects, but are
shown everywhere in our daily social life
Even as We write these lines, our people
have risen to the height OF an energy un-
paralleled in modern times. we are SEND
ing at minutes notice our wealth anu our
hearts sympathy, as freely as Water' W u
stricken city, in whose rum lies the pros
perity Of many among u.s. Men whose r'Sh'
pocket has been empt'ed by the disaster are
turning unhesitatinsly to the lett pocSet 70
feed the hungry and provide shelter for the
homeless. The letter-carrler on ms rou!e'
the artisan in the workshop, as well as Tue
capitalist in the counting-room, have come 10
the rescue with readiness which, we trust,
will forever be l American charaeter's &C.
The world looked with wonder while the
unprepared North placed immense arm'es IN
the field, and seemed to conjure fleets from
the very breakers along our coast: 1t was
noble spectacle, but the Army Of Good Sa-
maritaus which has invested the suffering
and despair that fell so suddenly upon fair
CHICAGO, present a nobler spectacle. We
nre a busy, practical moneyloviug people
but we have the gift of generosity, and
thank Heaven in case OF Necessity We
have 1t about us-E0ery ooeHo'y'
NoN-ExpLos1vE.-Here is bit Of gre.
tesoues humor from New Orleans: "Mr
GRAY has discovered n.oHplosive fluid
10 show how safe the new compound was