Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1879-04-16
ALessOn 10 the Times.

10 all ana eacn Oh uS IN Que way vi
another the question, How can | man.
age 10 these hard times to make both
end. meet?' comes very directly home.
All or practically all, have diminished
incomes, and thousands know not
where to get their bread in an honest
and selfrespectful manner For years
we lived on the vain belief of sudden
return to prosperity next spring or
next fall, but OF late hope deferred has
literally made the hearts Of many sick.
Journals now clamor. too often in vain
about returning pro sperity. Although
their grounds for obtaining our conf
dence have greatly improved, yet the
faith many persons has waxed faint.
One good, however, has come out Of
il all, aud that is, &C rtain steadlness
with which many of US are settling down
to work, as if convinced that it must
take a hard pull and long pull to reach
favorable winds and water:. Perhaps
it is the yer growing prevalence of this
sentiment thai is helping much TO bring
nearer the ong.hoped.for good times.
But TO saw Ee are settling down to-
work does not exactly meet the question
Of how to make both ends meet. Econ
omy will d. muck and circumstances
nave fore, d us to practice it has we prob
ABLY never thought we could. Uidrr
any system of expenditure. however.
mDnry must he hal in some way in or
der t., live. The wonderful prnsp rltN
Df America II ret0fOrc has. fortunately.
saved us from learning the hard lesson
Of tne pressure OF 81 'se competition and
small prJ6ts so we'll kna sal in Europe.
Bat nov the 81 s.ion is fore d upon
us, and the simple answer should al
WAYS be. do tina. which lies nearest your
land. in the full belief that close appli-
cation to such work will lead up 10 bet
ter things. The curse of the times has
been that people would not 90 to work
because they were waiting for better
opportunities that never came to them.
We know, indeed, that there have been
many, yer. mauy, cases where work of
anl kirk was absolutely unaltainablc;
but. rs Il rule. people nave not accept
cd existing circumstances. WaOlc lam
lilies Of persons capibIc, every one OF
them, o! making something. if ever 50
little, have literally lived Oh one OF
their number, because they could not
get just the work that suited them.
Fortunately all this is gradually chan
ging, aud people are answering the
question Of the times by doing the best
work they can fluid to do. And the best
work for vast numbers has proved to lie,
as it must always lie, on the farm.
Millions of acres were sold IN the West
last year, for farming purposes, aud our
increasing exports are already begin
ming to show the results of these sales.
Because we are coming to learn this
lesson Of good, honest work by manual
labor, or any labor possible, renewal
oil prosperity seems at length to be clear
lJ approaching; but our efforts must
not therefore relax. 1t may be near us,
bu. who shall say how near or how far
| if we don't Dold a wise course. And in
my case, be it near or tar, we can new
cr afford to forget the lesson taught Us
by the past hard times. that man was
intended 10 earn his bread BY The sweat
II his brow and that there IS no royal
road to riches ans more than there Is
to learning. While doing the work al
hand. hewever, let Us train ourselves
in any special line for which We know
We have ability, that we may become
skilled producers and not mere common
routine workmen. Above all. let Us ID.
iersst ourselves more and more in farm
ins, tor therein lies the backbone of our
prosperity, after all.
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