The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1878-10-17
Our Young People
By REV. R. h. RIVERS. D. D.
Causes Of Failures.
LESSON "a.

wretched them selves and they max,
others miserable. Why is this
Why does not every man make thu
world wiser and better? Now, nay
young readers must attend closel,
to this lesson and they will see why
it is so few succeed In life.
l. All people commence life il
entire ignorance The child knows
nothing. If in after years knowl
edge is gained, it is by great effort
Many persons never put forth this
effort. They never try to learn
Hence they live and die in igno
rance. You have heard that knowl
edge is power Do you understand
this? Take a doctor. He is sem
for to see a sick child. The child
can tell him nothing. The doctor
is ignorant. He knows not what
ais the child He knows nothing
of a remedy. He has no power, be
cause he has no knowledge. An
other doctor comes He can tel
the moment he examines the child
what is the matter He tells by the
skin or the eyes or the tongue. He
has power. He knows the remedy.
He cures the child.
My watch is out of order. 1t
does not keep time. | do not know
what is the matter with it. i carry
it to poor mechanic. He knows
nothing about a watch. He makes
it worse. / then take it to Iirst
rate matchmaker. He knows all
about it. A spring or wheel is
out of fix. He fixes it. Knowl
edge is power. The watch runs ali
righs now So you see that igno-
rance is one great cause of failure.
A lady cannot make a dress unless
she knows how. She cannot COO. a
meals victuals unless she under
stands it. Then, if you expect to
rise in life, you must study. You
must try TO be wise. Yon must get
wisdom and lay fast hold OF instruc-
ton.
,. Many a man fails for lack of
energy, He is lazy. He loves ease.
He will not work. He sleeps away
the golden opportunities for usefnl-
ness which God gives him. A lazy
man has no success. His whole life
is series of misfortunes. He has
more bad luck than all his neigh
bors. HIS farm is grown up with
briers and weeds. His house has
no comforts, the roof leaks, the
wind whistles through the cracks in
the walls, and the poor wife has no
heart to do anything, for her hus-
band gives her no encouragement.
The children are poorly clad and
badly fed. The home has no cheers
and the family circle no joys. The
husband and father is a drone and
a disgrace to humanity, the shame
of his wife and the ruin of his chill
dren, for they must grow up in ig
norance and probably in crime.
Now, children, come let us look at
a lazy man as described by Solo
mon. 1t is a beautiful morning.
The sun is high in heaven. There
is not cloud in the sky. 1t is the
beautiful spring time. The flowers
bloom and the birds sing. and all
nature is in her gayest attire. Let
us look at the watch. 1t is just 9
o'clock. just on the roadside is
poor shanty. The chimney is prop
ped up with rails, or it would fall
down. The gate is off its hinges.
The pigs are in the yard. The gar
den is full of Lhorns and thistles.
The door is ajar and we enter. On
a bed OF straw lies the lazy man.
He is not sick. He is in a deep
sleep. He snores We wake him.
He rubs his eyes. He yawns. He
"YoU have walked me too
soon; l must slumber again" His
children are in rags. His wife is
moping in n corner OF the miserable
hovel. You cannot blame her, for
her children are crying for bread
which the lazy hands of her hus-
band will never earn. A lazy boy
is at the foot of his class, and a
lazy man is at the foot of society all
his life.
8. Another cause of failure is
want of firmness. Some children
are tickle. They have no aim
They are very easily Influenced to
change. They cannot continue at
any one study, or even at lesson
until it is learned. They never make
scholars. Change. Change is the
constant cry. An unstable man
cannot succeed. If he is first one
thing and then another, every body
loses confidence in him. knew a
man who was first dentist, then
lawyer. then a preacher, then pol
itician; now on one side in politics,
now on another, and the result was
failure. Children, take your stand.
Form your purpose. Be firm. Go
in the right. Dare to stick
10 the true and the good, and you
will succeed.
4. Another reason so many fail is
The lack of honesty and the want of
ruth. They are cheats; they are
shams. They lose the confidence
IF all that know them. They make |
promises and break them. They |
deception as an art. They |
prefer falsehood to truth. Such |
children always come to grief Such
men lose their standing, get into
rouble, commit crime, aud are sent
o the Jail or peniientiary. | once
lad pupil of this kind. He would
hay truant. He would ieigh sick
Iess. He would be guilty OF thiev
ng in a sly way He lost all char
cter at college, and left in disgr ace.
lie grew up to be man. He still
arried on his dishonest practices.
The last | saw of him be was peck
ny rock in the penitentiary Of Ten
essee. He changed his name in
rider to save his family from dis
race. Such must be the end of
fe that has no principle to guide
!. Justice may be slow, but it is
cry sure. Dishonesty, falsehood,
ypocricy may be prosperous for
while. Such cannot last. Disas-
er must come. Ruin must end a
fe of falsehood. Disgrace is sure
D follow a career of crime. d
5. Dissipation is another fruitful
ource of failure. 1t is utterly inn
ossible for success to follow in the 8.
,.,La ~ tha duunkard He i al