River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-05-22
A Purpose in Life.

A story Is told of a Connecticut Yam
kee who, when a young man, came IL him
to make application for his daughter
hand in marriage, engaged and held hins
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, | have kuow,l
your family for many years, and have at
ways thought well of you, and had you
made anything of that stick you have
been whiting, even if it had been NO
more than a 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 dag who
are wasting their time, spending days,
weeks, months and years without protjtable
result; and often, perhaps we mas say
nearly always, because they have ne fixed
purpose in life,--no object at which they
aim, no goal to be attained. A few,
fortunately, in their younger days have =
controlling desire to fill certain positions,
or accomplish certain ends. Such are al
most sure to succeed, no matter What ob-
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
fit must be, will finally bring one 90 tlrs
desired position and insure success.
There are few, however, who at the
time they should be directing their a.
tention to their life's work, have AIRY de
cd TO -l,af hut
shall be, and therefore most people are
the more likely to float down the stream
of life without a rudder.
If the choice of pursuit is made by pit-
rent or friend, it is more likely To be ii
accordance with the hopes or desires 0t
the director, than with the adaptation of
fitness of the subject, and the result =
the latter goes through life vainly striving
to hit square bolt to a round hole In
such case there is no purpose in the mat
| ter. The subject is set to work OFT the
plans ef others, with no purpose of his
! own.
Every young man is better fitted bg
nature to engage in one class of business,
! than in another that requires ability of (,
different kind. Such natural tendencies
should he sought for, carefully watched
and cultivated. To thwart them is ceb
tain failure. Said DIR. Chaplin; "Mang
aman whom God has fitted to occupy ar
honest and honorable position as good
shoemaker, has endeavOred TO oynrrid.
| Gods DEGREES and turned out poor cleE
gyman of no use to himself OF TO ans
about him" The services of competeIu
phrenologist can in many cases he eny
ployed to advantage, for while such me-.
may not be possessed of the definite ability
they sometimes claim, they would met
send one with constructiveness, small, {;
machine-shop, or one in whom rnathe
NAUTICAL talent is obvious, to an engravcr
room. And, in great majority OF cases
they would point out the calling or pun.
suit in which the person under examirq
would be most likely to work with q wiz
and purpose, and that purpose woulv
| insure success,
Perhaps it is true that there are con.
paratively more inefficient men engage
in agriculture than in any other pursuit
They take to the farm either from force d
circumstances or want of enterprise to d,
anything else. They are human ma
chimes, and work with little thought
| Dut MOilltI I1dIln II anu 10 III
man mothers sometimes do, gives he1
children from her bounty for the mcr,
asking. But such men are never success
full They live to he sure, anst $,
do the beasts of the fed. The true farm
er is he who starts out with an object il
view, and gives the labor of both brain ant
muscle to achieve it-he who is not con
tent to gather The natural product of noun
tain or valley, but, by care and culture
improves in quality and increases in auan
tity every crop that he supervises. Witt
purpose steadily pursued, such on;
can attain almost any desirable result
even though it be apparently as Difficult
as to gather grapes from thorns OF fgS
from thistles.