The Opelousas journal. [volume] (Opelousas, La.) 1868-1878, 1873-07-26
THE STRENGTH OF WILL.

even unto death utterly, save through
the weakness of his own feeble will,n
says quaint old Joseph Granville, and
whilst watching the triumph Of a con-
centrated purpose, we are almost dis
posed to endorse the exaggerated esti-
mate.
Will, like successful mesmerism, al
lows no depression of thought or action.
but compels by a fixed, undertaking at
tention to the end. Palissy, the potter,
whilst wife and children were weeping,
broken hearted over the ruins of his first
attempts, neither saw nor heard their
grief. Far beyond hisfailures, his mind
travelled to the perfect forms Ofart which
afterwards made him famous. Lawrence
Roster, at HARLEM, in his first rude at
temps at a printing press, saw fitting
before him the wonderful dream which
shone before him, when the name carved
in the wood leftits impress onthe damp
leaves on which it had been laid. He
fulfilled the first part of the vision
through failure after failure. The last
has expanded into the six-cylinder press
with which, to-day, we glorify Faustus
instead of the first discoverer of type
setting.
There is no power under the sun equal
to that of Will, for itrelies upon nothing
extraneOus, nothing that is not within
itself. Difficulties go down before it
like grass before the scythe. Virtue and
principle are green withes to restrain it,
for it is in too many cases subjected to
no law under Heaven but its own. In
fact, a strong or feeble will makes the
difference between man and man. Give
an individual the varied talents of a
Criehton, load him with opportunities
for distinction, remove serious obstacles
from his way but, if cursed with a feeble
will, he will most certainly go down be-
fore an opponent of mediocre abilities
and attachments, and limited opportu-
mites, if this same opponent has the
masterful quality of an indOmitable
will.
For good or evil this quality is equally
strong. Whether to build up or cast
down, tocry "salve in honoro of the Di-
vine Master, or "anathema" in worship
of his Satanic Majesty, the strong will
must still be the lever which moves the
world.
We are forced to these reflections by
seeing around us, every where in Louis
lana, and the South generally, an utter
lack of will in matters of moment.
Things slip out of our hands as easily as a
creased pole from its wouldb be climbers.
If there are any benefits to be gained,
financially or agriculturally, are our peo-
pie the one to be prOfted by them? In
possession of the two leading staples of
the world, cotton and sugar, we send the
principal portion of the first to be man
ufactured abroad, and as for the second,
in the words of a leading Southern pa
per-"If there was any way in which
cane could be carried North and coined
into wealth for New England, rest as
snred, between Northern.enterprise and
Southern ehivalry, NaiSser ader) it would
have been done long ago."
The wealth and prosperity of the one,
and the ruin and present poverty of the
other, isSimply the antagonism between
the strength of will Of the first and the
fanh1nnass of the 1as+
We grant all the political and financial
disabilities whichhave hampered ussince
the war. We allow too for the enerva-
ton of preceding wealth and luxury
but even with all this there remains 6
residue of feebleness which has made {
bad situation ten tunes worse.
A strong, resolute will, whether it il
like the strength of marble to resist, tht
strength of steel to oppose, or tht
strength of the fine gold which you car
twist around your finger, and that We
bears the weight of innumerable pounds
Mountaineering can ultimately bendal
things to wished forissue. Few of OH.
elements of wealth are utilized, beoaus,
determination is lacking to struggl,
against obstacles. The end is not stead
lily held in view, and one or two failure
throw the work into ADLER hands ant
leave us out in the cold.
Unless the Southern people rouse vi
to this knowledge, they will see, n b,
one, the possible factors of wealth de
part from them to enrich strangers
With all our poverty and distress of ev
cry kind, there still would be hope if W,
could see a little exercise of strong vii
to overcome the troubles. Failures mus
be expected, but need a failure be final
Must we see the industries at our doc
developed by aliens and have no share il
the golden stream a~sitsweeps before us
Yet, to this, we are coming slowly an,
surely. Whatever grand possibilitie
are dormant in Louisiana, we very mucl
fear the children Of the soil will have d
part in what a strong will would hav
delivered entire into their hands.
Under the new postal law the subseri
beers of the Chief in the parish of As
cension who receive the paper throug
the mail will be compelled to prepa
postage thereon at the rate of five cent
per quarter. This small burden wi
not be imposed upon them for perhap
more than six months, for it is regarde
as certain that Congress will at its mex
session restore the provision of the pos
tai law providing for the free deliver
Of papers in the parish in which the
are published. IL we could succeed j
establishing D system of delivery b
carrier to all home natrons withouf in