The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1882-07-29

DO THE DUTY AT HOME FIRST.


had chance of making something of
myself-but it is work, work, work, no
time for anything but work. Some
people get on as if by magic. / believe
life is lottery, after all, and am 90
ing to try my luck in the casting of
stones. | have all faith in the number
nine. If L can hit that maple more
times out of nine than | miss it, I'll be
somebody. If fail, I'll go on like the
nobodies around me.n
The sleepy figure in the grass sat up
right, and commenced pelting the in
nocent tree with pebbles. Hit, miss,
miss, miss, hit, hit, miss, miss-no use!
I'll try no more. Five unlucky throws
out of seven.n
"For shame, boy, to call this noble,
intense life lottery, and try your des-
tiny for time and eternity with bits of
stones thrown from lazy, indolent
hand. Get up, and take hold of life in
earnest. Turn something up, instead of
lying there waiting for something to
turn up"
The big straw hat in the grass turned
slowly toward the gentleman in the
sulky, who had stopped beneath the
spreading bouyhs of the great oak TO
allow his thirsty steed the benefit of
the cooling draught that trckled through
the assures of the rock into the rough
trough.
q am the new doctor, who has put
out sign in the neighboring town of
Elton" said the voice which had aroused
the boy. 'Now, tell me who you are,
and what you are doing here"
"My name is Joe Harkness.n
Joseph, you mean," said the doctor
Yes, but / am too lazy to say it, and
l came out of that old farmhouse YOU
see on the hill there, to dig taters for
the dinner"
First potatoes [ ever saw grow at
the roots of timothy" laughed the doc
tor.
"Patch is across the run. 1 stopped
here to rest"
And carve out grand fortune by
dreaming. How long have you been
here? Long enough, l dare say, to
have dug and cooked them, too"
Joe's only answer was a grin.
LET me tell you, boy, the very
foundation of true greatness consists in
doing your everyday work in the very
best manner possible. Lett be digging
potatoes, hoeing corn, backing boots,
studying a lesson, or even playing
game of ball, go to work determined to
succeed. Get all the pleasure and good
out of your everyday work. What is
worth doing at all is worth doing well,
ought to be printed in letters of gold
and nailed over every door in the land.
Make this your own motto, and you will
never need to spell fail"
81 do not want to spend my whole
life digging and delving. / want to go
to college and know something. am
tired of work"
Then, my boy, you will have to be
transplanted to a more heavenly soil,
for 1 tell you there is no success any
where on earth without incessant toll
You will have to dig, dig, dig for knowl-
edge, if you are ever its possessor. Let
me see. How old are youP'
Fourteen, sir.
"And what do you know of booksPn
1--we been twice through arithmetic.
know something of geography, and de-
spise grammar and spellin'."
"And they are at war with You, OBJ
serve. You will never be a scholar
until you have a fair fight with these
two chief corner-stones, and come off
victor You must be master at every
step of the way. Nor must you cut
across-lots in order to shorten your
journey. Men often try this way, but
they find so many ups and downs, so
many streams and swamps, that if they
do not lose themselves altogether, they
will find their road, though shorter, by
an air line, in reality much longer than
the lawful route. There is great deal
OF going aeross-lots to make a beggar of
man in this world. Do you go to
schoolp'
"Only in winter. have no time in
summer"
"What do you do with your odd mo-
ments and rainy daysp"
"Rest."
"Hum! see you are not worth saw
ing. Never win amount to anything.
Why, boy. don't you know some of the
greatest men who are alive to-day. or
who have ever lived, received no educa-
ton, except what they gained in their
odd moments? Wake up and catch
these minutes as they fly. Rest assured
they will not wait for you. Study all
spare time and go to school wet days"
"But our teacher is woman" re-
piled Joe.
=. ~ a n