The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1873-06-28
LucE---Or No LaJcE ?

Correspondent wishes to know II there is
a such thing as luck.
Fis ! people think there is such thing as
luc. many think there is a great deal of it;
some that there is, to them,a great dealof good
luck, and others that there is, to them, great
deal of bad luck.
at is his luck" say the neighbors, of one
man "his investments always turn out we'll ;
he is bound to make money" We remember,
by the way, hearing this remark made once, by
an ambitious young man, about one many years
his senior "It is his luck" said the young
man "whatever he touches turns to gold; !" and
on the strength of mis- faith in this elderly mans
luck, the youth, although he was theological
student, broke off an engagement with true
hearted young girl and married the "lucky"
mans daughter but it turned out that the lucky
man afterward failed, and instead ofeverything
that he touched turning to gold, the young mans
hopes and expectations turned to ashes.
But is there, in reality, any such thing as
luck?
We suppose there is, if the word luck be lin
tied to its proper signifcation. Luck proper
ly applies to such events as entirely be-
yond ones own control, and oven outside of
ones influence.
The common error on the subject consists in
attributing to luck or fortune those things
which depend entirely, or mainly, or in some
part upon ones own conduct and management.
One man fails in everything; it is his luck:
Sc, he thinks, and so others half believe; when,
as the TACT is, it is all his own fault. He does
nothing at the right time, or in the right way.
He may work very hard, yet he works to little
or no purpose; and yet it is entirely attributa-
bic to the fact that his efforts are not timely, or
are misdrected or misapplied.
Another man almost invariably succeeds
1t is his luck, people say. Yet luck, in most
cases, has little or nothing to do with it. His
plans are judicously laid, and promptly and
perseveringly executed. The result is simply
the natural products and consequence of his ex
ertions.
If an accident which could not be foreseen by
the passengers occur to a railroad train, it may
be a matter of luck whether traveller happen
to be in a car which is crushed or in one that
escapes. II we look back to the root of the mat
ter, however, we discover that the accident it
self, instead of being consequent upon luck, in
most cases is occasioned by some carelessness
or mismanagement.
The truth is that "luck" is the name of con-
venient pack-horse on which careless and indo-
lent and thoughtless people delight to place the
responsibility for their own errors and short
comings. A person who always does his duty,
at the right time ar to the best ability is very
apt, in the long run, to turn utlucky.
Gsy- The following speech before Woman s.
Rights meeting the N. Y. Express is responsible
for and evidently means just what it says--no
more, no less. Miss Beehive, addressing the as-
semblage, said:
Mrs. Chairwoman and Lades-Once more do
we meet to do battle with the tyrant Man, the de-
stroyer of our peace, the overbeariug thing which
calls itself our master. Now, what is man
"a voice-"A beast.") Precisely so he is,
thanks to Mr.. Darwin; a mere degraded form of
a monkey, or man-key, as the term originally
stood. He has even descended from the ape, if
that professor might be believed, and believe he
may. (Applause.) 1t is time for US to throw
off our false-( A voice-"Hair," and laughter)
position, and assume our rightful sphere. We
mu,. no longer submit to these acts Of tyranny.
Remember Catharine de Medici and Mrs. Man.
ming, Lucrezia Borgia and Florence nightingale
and take heart. Even this very day | heard
wretch of man speak of his domestic helper as
"slave." ("Oh, oh P') Are we to submit to
the sewing on of shirt buttons while our husbands
are getting sown up at the club, and the knitting
of stockings while they are knitting their brows?
Never We must rally to the rescue, and alter
this state of things. Wemust come to the scratch,
and scratch if necessary. Every dog has his day
but no matter. am an advocate for Home
rule and no surrender, and if you return me to
Parliament you may rely on my upholding all
the bright measures l can lay my hands on. A
voice, "Pewters.") A bill for the abolition Of
latch-keys would be one Of the first TO receive my
attention. This has been an open question too
lone, and they would require to be on the qui OiOe
to prevent deadlock.