Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1880-06-04

this, the belief in fate has too strong a
hold on many minds to be uprooted. The
difficulty is that people overlook the per-
sonal factors-oftentimes very compli-
eated-involved in the problem; and we
recollect the opportunity which the sue
cessful man utilized, while we forget the
no less brilliant chance which the So
called unlucky man either failed to see
or else found himself unable to seize.
What we miscall fate is the fine accumu-
lation of countless thoughts and actions
unrecosnized in detail, and only known
in the compact weight Of the avalanche.
But beyond the generalization there
are still features in the question which
perplex the mind not little. Wesee men
who are apparently thrifty, prudent and
industrious, yet they are always in diff
Guilty, and fail in their enterprises, while
Others, who, to all appearance, are no
better equipped for the battle of life, sail
on a smooth sea straight to their ends.
If the unlucky man is farmer. his crops
are poor when his neighbours field groans
with the weight of the harvest. If he is
doctor, he loses his patients, though he
may be most scholarly physician, while
his rival, whom he calls quack, sue
ceeds in curing the sick. II he is law
yer, lie somehow fails to command the
respect of the judge and convince the
jury, though he draws his brief with
most lucid clearness, arrays his authori-
ties like the Macedonian phalanx, and
talks with the golden eloquence of Cicero.
If he speculates on Wall street, he fails
to hit the market right, though he oper-
ates ON secret points," while another
reckless slap-dash fellow rushes in blind
ly and makes 'pot of money" Such
cases of i'll luck are constantly occurring
and seem to give the lie to all our most
philosophical deductions as to the work
ings of the law of cause and effect. So
far as we can discover, there is no reason
why such men should continually fail in
their enterprises, while Others, no more
gifted with acuteness, prescience, indus
try and energy succeed.
1t is by no means improbable that
there is some physical reason for this
habitual i'll luck. Oftentimes adversely
is hereditary, a curse that carries down
the consequence OF sin and failure from
one generation to another. The mind is
the outcome of an energy which not only
springs but takes its shape from the ply
steal organism. The qualities which
make up the secret of success in life
strong will, clear insight into things,
vigor, patience and perseverance-are
properties compounded of body and
mind; and lack of one of these, in that
just proportion which makes the robust,
strong, aggressive nature, may result in
the habit of failure, a habit which may
be transmitted from father to son. The
men that fail often do so in virtue of a
disease, in the sense that madness or ex.
IRENE nervousness may be called disease
If this be true, it may be possible tc
eradicate the cause of failure, if not in
the immediate person, at least in his off.
spring. If, instead of lamenting plain
lively on the score of i'll luck the unsuc,
cessful should set to work to discover
the cause, particularly in the direction O.
their physical shortcomings, there would
be good chance of their removing til,
difficulty. 1t may be lack of energy
torpidity of the mental system, low ply
steal vitality, deficiency of brain ant
nerve force, OF, perhaps peevish tenn
permanent, which quarrels with ant
abuses fortune instead of taking up til,
gauge thrown down. by the tickle god
dess, as though to try the metal of TIN
man struggling for fame or competency
If those who are discounted in the battl
of life would rise valiantly and try owe
again, searching for the weak points il
their characters and equipments for tn
conflict, instead of bemoaning their re
verses and seeking to escape their tri
ais by some cowardly artifice, the sun
of human prosperity would be vastly in
creased. -Aa1dreVs' Bazar.