The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1880-06-10
Continuity OF Purpose.

CIbiSSChCC 10 Whos Wln6s AAO oohA'
ty to stick to the work undertaken OF
the cause espoused is as necessary as to
make beginning. An obstinate, dog
ged perseverance will conquer anything
but impossibilities, and these shrink and
dwindle and nearly all disappear before
him who wills. 1t is your fickle, pur-
possless. impulsive. cowardly spirit that
perpetually
"Keeps the word Of promise to the ear.
But breaks it to the hope"
There is nothing in life SO discourag-
ing and so foolish as to try to make O
compass Of . weather-vane. You allow
your feelings to get interested. and give
time and strength and thought and in
genuity to tinkering at it. and just when
you think you have got IL where it will
not fail to point in the right direction,
and In future can be depended upon,
first you know it is veering to windward,
to leeward, on the diagonal, any way
and every way but being true to the pole,
and your work is all to do over again.
A young lad was making his maiden
speech" before crowded lyceum. A
few sentences were gotten over when
pause ensued that grew more and more
painful, and finally ludicrous to the un-
sympathetic young people. Somebody
suggested prompting, and the Chairman
excused him from duty; but the boy,
though he colored deeper and deeper,
paid no more attention to that than he
did to the ill-mannered and unencoursg-
ing giggliDg, and with the bravest pa
tience and se.f-posses ion and after the
longest pause we ever saw permitted, re-
covered his memory and finished in such
good style that every one forgot how
coarsely he was clad, how dull and
heavy he looked, and how unpromisipg-
ly he had started out. We always had
faith in that boy after that, not because
his oratory had any special excellence,
but because his patience was SO brave.
He has achieved many things sine and,
in spite Of obstacles and hindrances that
would have prevented weaker nature
from rising at all. We had almost said
better make NO promises at all than to
be everlastingly breaking them. What
is the good Of signing apledge to-day il
You can't get blythe saloon tomorrow? ?
Providence is not going to pu: some mi
raculous Intervention in our way to cave
US from following our base desires, nor
lift us INCREASINGLY from the cutters we
make of our own depravity. Occasional
intervals Of rense, now and then q spasm
Of virtue, at rare periods an impulsive
inclination toward purity ana goodness,
vows kept for day, repentant tears fol-
lowed by increased recklessness, refor.
nation without forsaking the habits and
practices that lead to and furnish oppor-
tunity to sin, these are like the fruit
that dropped half-matured, has exhaust
ed the tree to no purpose, dis6g1res the
ground, and Is good for nothing.
There is no place in the physical or
moral world where there is not premi-
um on the ability to hold out we'll. The
disposition to faithfully prosecute what.
ever task is attempted, whetherit be the
accomplishment of piece of work, the
performance of an unpleasant duty, or
the .copquering Of bad habit, already
ensures its success. The child cannot
learn it too soon; men and women may
grow into it IL they choose, and cultivate
that brave and noble persistence in we'll
doing that is the highest quality of mind
and upon which every good achievement
depends.