The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1882-03-22
MISTAKES.


MSTAKES. q
Reconcile yourself Gf you are to re-
main in this world at ally to the condi-
tons Of your being; do Tot vex yourself
and break your heart, struggling against
what is irremediable. Do not look to find
here what is not to be found. Do not
fancy that wiser and luckier folk have
found it, and that you would have found
it, too, but for some unhappy mistake
YOU made at critical turning in your
life. The mistakes you have made, II
you be an ordinary mortal living ordi-
nary life, have not, In fact done your
life much harm. You are making Just
about as much of things in this world as
il was in you to make 1t all. Make the
best of the bargain you have made. in
this or that. Doubtless you see it was
not a perfectly wise bargain. You would
not make it again. Had you been con-
siderably wiser than solomon you might
never have made it at all. But You are
in for.it now. Make the best of things,
in good nature and cheerfulness. Do
not nope and keep thinking, thinking,
how much better you might have done,
and Oike Mr.. Bumble) how cheap you
went. So doing, you will be making
the very worst Of things. You will be
deliberately blackening the Ky under
which you must live Il. you are to live At
all; you will grow into a curse to your
self and = nuisance to your neighbors.
There is plenty for you to do. Go and
do it. There are people . thousand
times worse of than YOU Try and help
them. And for any sake, do not be al
ways thinking about yourself. Get away
/ from that unsatisfactory subject Of con-
Temptation And be quite sure that if
you have told your special friends. about
ten times each, how unhappy you are
and how many blunders you have made,
they are by this time most uncommonly
sick both Of you and them. .-.,
Being what you are, it is quite certain
that if You had not done the foolish things
you did, you would have done something
else as bad or worse. You married early,
when you could not afford it; you had
some anxious years; days have been
when it seemed the poor head was to 20
under water altogether. Well, but it did
not. You have lived through these anx-
ieties; why recall thema You have got
upon firm ground.r Be thankful It ID
far more and better than you deserve.
And the burden which lay ON you SC
heavily may have saved you from max.
inr an inexpressible fool of yourself. A
man of sixty dangling after some silly
girl of five-and-twenty is an amazing and
humbling object of contemplation. Even
he suspects himself to be 3 fool; every
body around knows il. Now you, with
your seven grown-up sons, and witt
your masterful wife, are safe not to make
. fool of yourself in that particular way!
Other ways are open to you. But moi
/ one which leads to manifestations quite
so deplorable and contemplate. 1t i
likely enough you would advise friend
not to take the turning you did. "A mar
who has q mother-in-law Will generally
counsel any mortal man TO marry m
orphan. But this comes of your know
| ing the evils you have, and being. nm,
aware of those which are waiting round
the corner, and from which no earthly
lot is free. You must take all things
here, your profession, your wife, You
house, your horses, your servants, youl
native country with its climate. all YOU
environment, for better for worse.
friend worries you by little weaknesses
but he is better than no friend at all. Hs
may be ikened to q gift of d thousand
| ROuuQss saDJCCb W = 0coaCtASA Va ftWt
hundred and fifty. 1t is disadvantags
about locomotive engine that it gets s.
hot. But yoA must accept the engin,
under that deduction, For it will not *
unless it beso hot. If you, being q human
being living in this imperfect system O
things, will break away from everything
which has its inconyeniences, you vii
leave yourself without any possessions O
- tI-sa 80 f.sF
To speak gravely. One remarks, il
these advancing years, that the grea
anxiety and care of worthy men ant
women, growing old, are about thei
children; the lesser ones, still going Il
school; the bigger ones, for whom yo'
are seeking an aim In life, or whom hav'
| no children, you would be free from mani
anxious thoughts. The income would q
much farther. The furniture and tn
painting of your house would last mucl
longer. You could indulge in man,
luxuries, now impossible. You nigh
buy books without stint and cross tn
Alps yearly. But you would not hay
these selfish indulgences at the price.
is cherries thing, . childless home
No one will bear with you in the las
fretfulness, and smooth the last steps o
your way, like your own boy or girl. j
there be in you any good at all. it aha
been brought out mainly by the continue
presence and charge of your children
And you have had CLEANS of q pure an,
unselfish happiness, which are unknown
in lonely life. Had you kept clear Q
the responsibilities of life. and given m
hostages to fortune, you would, no doubt
| have presented a narrow mark to tn
shafts of care. But, unless You were
very poor creature indeed, every tim
YOU heard the laughterof the little ones
and watched their winsome ways, thei
thoughtless merriment, you would .hav
felt that you had missed the best happi
ness of this life And to do that of you
own free win is surely the greatest Of Al
mistakes. Your library may be full Q
beautifully bound volumes; your carpet
unworn, your walls unmarked by littl
fingers, no sudden noises may Jar You
nerves; no eager little face look in whel
you are in the very middle Of ., com
plicsted sentence, and break the teno
Of your thoughts. And you never We
saw the childish eyes close upon thi
world; nor received the last kiss fron
lips that were growing cold, when Some
body as of old) 'scalled to Himself
little child" You never knew that tel
rible trial. which no faith and NO hop
could make anything other. But neithe
did you ever see the bright looks ighte
up when Won return from a brief absence
nor did little pattering feet run to NEE
you You never were earnestly ques
J Ronsd as to what you had hroughk hss