Rocky Mountain husbandman. [volume] (Diamond City, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1879-09-11
TOILING UPWARDS.

The act of engaging in labor may be up
nil work only at'the outset of life but the
work itself which We do may become ever
more and more arduous if we are not con-
tent with quality Of effect, but aspire to per-
lection in quality, Those who are possess
eel by this ambition will find the whole of
lies journey lying uphill. There are for
them no level plains on which to settle down
to reap the rewardo OF former toll. For them
the shades of evening bring no relaxation
OF effort. Their expectations may be less
unlimited as time goes on, and less of their
strength will be wasted in vain endeavor to
grasp at what is beyond their reach. But
the upward strain will not be relaxed; it
Will only be economical, as experience
takes the guidance of their steps.
And witt the lifelong toll of ascent
comes the lifelong expansion of horizon /:
the journey which is all uphill must needs
conduct the Wayfarer to fresher air and
serener solitudes; away from the crowd and
the smoke, up to the heights from which
what is mean and trivial falls out of sight,
and the sounds of strife are hushed. A
freshness more exquisite than the freshness
OF youth is reserved for some of the aged !;
but it can be attained only by a path which
lies from first to last uphill.
Uphill work, both literally and fgura-
lively, means work in two directions at
once literally, it is gong forward while
we raise our W weight tiguratively, it is
doing things and learning how to do them
at the same time thus lifting ourselves on
to a higher platform Of moral or intellectual
being. There is always in some cases an
ascending slope before us, which we may
scale If we will. But happily, it does not
rest with ourselves to decide whether the
general tenor of our lives shall be that of
laborious ascent or of gentle downward
gliding. The force of gravitation need not
be always regarded as a type of the de.
PRAYED tendencies of the human heart.
There is a time for all things, says the
wise man and if there is a time for learn
ing, so is there, happily, a time for forget
ting and also a time for idly applying and
enjoying what we have learned. There is a
time for scrambling upward, and a time for
lying on the grass in the valley a time for
climbing fruit trees and a time for letting
the ripe fruit drop into our mouths.
The most exquisite pleasure which we
ever take in the work of our own hands or
brains is probably derived from some rapid
achievement, wrought without conscious
effort, in some direction in which we have
lately been working hard. After making a
series OF laborious studies, with perhaps lit
tie apparent result, we suddenly find our
selves rendering an impression, either in
words or in color, with an unstudied felicity
which has gone far beyond the result of all
our former labor, and perhaps by means Of
which we can give no complete account.
Such moments are like those in which. after
a long steep climb in the shadow, up the
jutting shoulder of a mountain, we suddenly
turn a corner, and find ourselves face to face
with the whole cxpanse OF the western
heavens.
Few human lives flow together smoothly.
Uninterrupted happiness and prosperity are
rare. 1t is the touch of adversity. the an
proach of trial, thar tests the strength of
mans nature. To endure reyerses with
manly cheerfulness marks a nature inwardly
noble. 1t may be prudent to scent misfor-
tune from afar. and groan over the prospect.
but it is not likely to add to a mans happi-
ness. The seamstress. who stitches long
hours i'll the garnet, who contriyes with a
bird, or an humble flower-pot, to brighten
her narrow life, is a true philosopher, and
makes the best of an unpromising lot.
Sometimes she is really happier than her
wealthy employer, for happiness has no
special affection for those who have the