Rapides gazette. (Alexandria, La.) 1869-187?, 1873-03-29
Two Strings to Y0urBsyy.


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| am always sorry for a man that
knows how to do but one thing. 1
have seen many such men. L gave
ten. dollars. to one who could speak
aad write fiee or six languages,
translate beautifully; but in the
middle Of n hard winter he could
lab get q living. l rem mber an
other man WHO had preached TWEEN
ty five years till his threat failed
him, ana.he used to go round look
ing very blue and sad, until people
pitied him and made donation par
ties for him, because he was good
for nothing except to preach. L
knew a lady once that had taught
school for twenty years, till she was
poor, nervous, broken-down wo.
men, and really didn't know how TO
make dress for herself. i know q
man that wants to keep store, and
lie sits with his thumb in his mouth
waiting for n store TO come to HIN
to be kept. | heard of a minister
who, when his people gave him a
horse and buggy, had to wait for
the tleacon's wife to, come over and
show him how to harness-for he
didn't know the bit from the crup-
per. Now, boys and girls, every
real man should know how to do
IoBe thing right well; and he ought
to know how to do Sc, erai things
tolerally we'll. Every wise farmer
has a principal crop T; but he always
puts in Il little something else, so
that, if his main crop fails, he will
have something to live on. Don't
carry all your eggs in one basket.
Don't carry all your money in one
pocket. If you want to get along
right well, learn one sort OF work to
geta living by, and ali sort of work
to get along with when your QUE sort
gives out.
At West Point, where they take
boys and teach them to be perfect
soldiers, they have to learn, among
other things, to cook and make
bread, and make their own beds,
and do their own sewing. aud sweep
and dust; because, Won know. a
sailor or soldier never knows where
his deity may call him, and the man
who knows how to do the most
things is the best sailor, the best
seldier-that is to say, the most of a
man. never saw a woman do a
nian's work handily, bat | liked her
all the better for it. And / neyer
saw a man do Il wOman's work neat
ly, but | thought the more OF him
for you see that work is something
that needs to be done; and he who
knows how to do most will have the
best chauce TO make money, or,
which is better Still. make himself
feel like useful man. For, you see,
ifa man feels that he is of no use in
the world except to he bug in a
crack, and ii the crack widens be
scared and drop, or if the crack
closes be pinched, he is always anxi-
GUS a cut the crack for fear that
something is going to happen, and
that he will he out in the cold or
else jammed. Such a man can never
be happy, because he can never
feel that he amounts to much. Bnt
if man feels that, if he cannot
make shoes, he can curry horses,
lay sidewalks, rake stones out of the
road, spade IN the garden, or take
care of sick folks, or scour old coats,
he is always sure he can do some
thing. That man will never fee
scared.
So, then, what do You say boys
Suppose hereafter you do AZ the ca
diets do at West POint-make Your
own beds every morning till you
can do it better than your own
mother can. Aud, giils, do you learn
TO harness horse till You can do it
as quickly as your brother. and,
boys, learn how to make bread and
girls, learn how to sharpen a knife
and white, and drive nails with
out splitting tue board and boys,
learn how to hem towels, run stock
Ing heels, and patch your own trOw-
sers; aud girls, learn how to grease
boots and wagon wheels, to lay
shingles, and ease the doors when
they stick. Keep your eyes and
ears wide open. Learn to dosail
sorts OF work. And, m word for
il, you will grow hearty aud plump,
handsome aud happy Cambria
Freeman.