The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1879-11-22
USEFULNESS
Should be the Aim of all hu.
man Action.


walks erect, although provided with
four limbs, his feet being used for To-
comotion, and his hands for manipu-
lation, or handling. How wise in
his construction, how well fitted for
usefulness2 A mere animal acts
from instinct, human being from
judgment, or at least he should SO
act; and yet, how often do we see men
and women disregarding both judg-
ment and instinct, obeying only a
vitiated and depraved appetite. Man
was intended to think first and then
act; but how common it is for persons
to act first, and think afterward; and
in this, degrade themselves lower
than the beasts of the field or forest;
for while they have not judgment to
guide their feet and conduct, away
from danger; neither have they judg-
ment, or power of reflection or regret,
to punish them for their indiscretion.
The wise man Solomon, hath said
that "a wise mans heart is at his
right hand, but FOOLS at his left"
This proverb is but figure of speech,
as we suppose, to show to us that in
asmuch as men as rule, use the
right hand to perform most useful
purposes, SO wise mans heart
should be inclined and used as his
right hand; that is to say, in useful
ness. Or as the left hand, as a
rule, is not as useful to man
as his right, SO fools heart is not
inclined to usefulness Nor do we
suppose that the term fool, as there
used, is intended to include only per-
sons destitute of mind, or reason; but
includes also all those who fail to
exercise that faculty in shaping their
conduct.
If this construction of the Scrip
ture proverb be correct, then, accord
ing to Solomon, we have great many
fools now days, and perhaps al
ways had. Solomon, we suppose,
understood it, that fools &C ed fool
ishly, and therefore those who acted
foolishly were in fact fools, then we
repeat, that usefulness should be the
aim of all our acts; and will be 50 if
we are wise.
That usefulness may be to our
selves, to our families, to our neigh
bors, to society or to the country, as
the case may require, and a wise
head and pure heart must direct
where it is, and in what it consists
The wise creator has provided so
many and such variety of duties
and things for US to do, that we need
not, nay dare not remain idle, unless
30 circumstanced, as to require us to
be idle or quiet. If our health re-
quires us to cease from labor and be
physically idle for time, then wis
dom and usefulnes requires us to
be 80 until our health is restored /;
or until nature and rest have re-enfor-
ced strained or over worked condi-
ton, if nature is weary and tired by
a hard days toll, when night comes,
we should go to the repair shop, in
the dry, that when morning comes,
we may rise repaired, vigorous and
bright. This the wise man or woman
will do because it is useful; but the
fool or the foolish ones will start out
on their night prowl or ramble, ex-
posed to the miasmas of the descend
ing dew to engage in dissipation or
so called amusements, of no use, and
indeed often worse than useless
The wise man will before acting,
inquire what good" am to receive,
or reasonably expect to receive from
the contemplated act or acts? The
fool will do the act and then when
the evil day cometh will regret his
folly.
We throw out these crude sugges-
tions, because we are impressed that
80 much of the conduct of men and
women seems to be aimless, and worse
than uesless; and because that in our
opinion it ought not to be so. Intel
ligent beings should act intelligently,
inasmuch as their talent will be re-
ouired of them. We should endeav-
or to be useful, first to ourselves, like
charity, let is begin at home; and
like charity it need not end there
Our lives are quite too short to spend
in aimless or useless conduct; and
need our happiness be diminished by
the closest observance Of our motto?
We answer not. On the contrary, not
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