The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1879-05-21
A Purpose in Life.

A story is told of Connecticut Yam
kee who, when young man, came to him
70 make application for his daughters
aand In marriage, engaged and held him
In conversation about his personal mat
tiers, his prospects, hopes and fears until
the bit of pine stick upon which the suit
or had been employing his knife, had
dropped in shavings to the ground. He
then replied: "young man, l have known
your family for many years, and have al
ways thought we'll Of you, and had you
made anything of that stick you have
been whiting, even if it had been no
more than toothpick, you should have
had my girl; but don't want for SON.
in-law one whose tendencyis to go through
life whiting to no purpose"
How many do We see every day who
are wasting their time, spending days,
weeks, months and years without profitable
result; and often, perhaps we may say
nearly always, because they have no fixed
purpose in life,-no object at which they
aim, no goal to be attained. A few,
fortunately, in their younger days have a
controlling desire to fill certain positions,
or accomplish certain ends. Such are al
most sure to succeed, no matter what OBJ
stacles may be in the way. A patient
and steady struggle with adverse circum-
stances may be necessary, but an advance
step by step, upward and onward, slowly
if must be, will finally bring one to the
desired position and insure success.
There are few, however, who at the
time they should be directing their at
tention to their life's work, have any de-
cided preference as to what that work
shall be, and therefore most people are
the more likely to float down the stream
of life without q rudder.
If the choice of pursuit is made by pa
rent or friend, it is more likely to be in
accordance with the hopes or desires of
the director, than with the adaptation or
fitness of the subject, and the result is
the latter goes through life vainly striving
to fit a square bolt to round hole. In
such case there is no purpose in the mat
ter. The subject is set to work out the
plans of others, with no purpose of his
own.
Every young man is better fitted by
nature to engage in one class Of business
than in another that requires ability of a
different kind. Such natural tendencies
should be sought for, carefully watched
and cultivated. To thwart them is Ger
tain failure. Said DR.. Chaplin: "Many
a man whom God has fitted to occupy an
honest and honorable position as good
shoemaker, has endeavored to override
Gods DEGREES and turned ont poor cler-
gyman Of no use to himself or to any
about him." The services of competent
phrcnologist can in many cases be EN-.
ployed to advantage, for while such men
may not be possessed Of the definite ability
they sometimes claim, they would not
send one with constructiveness, small, to
a machinc-shop, or one in whom mathc.
NAUTICAL talent is obvious, to an engraver's
room. And, in great majority Of cases,
they would point out the calling or prir.
suit in which the person under examina.
would be most likely to work with a will
and purpose, and that purpose would
insure success, @5A&z}2I g.. ~
Perhaps it istrue that there are com
paratively more inefficient men engaged
in agriculture than in any other pursuit
They take to the farm either from force o.
circumstances or want of enterprise to de
anything else. : They are human ma
chimes, and work with little thought
But Mother Earth is kindly, and as hu
man mothers sometimes do, gives he1
children from her bounty for the mer'