Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1882-08-08
Do the Duty at Home First.

10 the DUTY NJ Home First.
II despise this horrid life. If I only
had chance of making something of
myself-but it is work, work, work, no
time for anything but work. Some PEG.
pie get on as if by magic. believe life
is lottery, after all, and am going to
try my luck in the casting of stones. I
have all faith in the number nine. If I
can hit that maple more times out of nine
than miss it, I'll be somebody. II 1
fail, I'll go on like the nobodies around
me-"
The sleepy figure in the grass sat up-
right, and commenced peiting the in
nOcent trees with pebbles. "Hit, miss,
miss, miss, hit, hit, miss, miss-no use
I'll try no more. Five unlucky throws
out of eight"
"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, indoIent
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 boughs of the great oak to
allow his thirsty steed the benefit of
the cooling draught that trickled
through the assures of the rock into the
rough trough.
II 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."
Joseph, you mean," said the doctor.
Eyes, but am too lazy to say it, and
I came out of that old farmhouse you
see on the bill there, to dig taters for
the dinner"
"First potatoes I ever saw grow at
the roots of timothy" laughed the doc
tor.
'Patch is across the run. stopped
here to rest"
IT carve out grand fortune by
dreaming. How long have you been
here? Long enough, dare say, to
have dug and cooked them, too"
"Joe's only answer was grin.
"Let me tell you, boy, the very foun-
dalton of true greatness consists in do
ing your every day work in the very
best manner possible. Let it be digging
potatoes hoeing corn. backing boots,
studying a lesson, or even playing q
game of ball, go to work determined to
succeed. Get all the pleasure and good
out of your every day 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"
1T do not want to spend my whole
life digging and delving. L want to go
to college and know something. I am
tired of work.
"Then, my boy, you will have to be
transplanted to more heavenly soil
for tell you there is no success any
where on earth without incessant toll.
You will have todig, dig, dig for knowl.
edge, if you are ever its possessor. Lei
me see. How old sre you ?"
"Fourteen, sir"
"And what do you know of books ?"
give 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 scholar un.
til you have 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 Of
ten try this way, but they find SO many
ups and downs, SO many streams and
swampe, that if they do not lose them
selves 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
across-lots to make beggar of a man IN
this world. Do you go to school ?"
:, "Only in winter. 1 have no time in
summer"
"What do you do with your odd mo.
ments and rainy days ?"
"Rest." ---
"Hum! I see you are not worth saw
ing. Never will 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 IL woman" re-
piled Joe.
"Well, amt your mother woman ?"
"None Of the fellows 60 to waman. "
"Why?"
"Who wants to be managed by wo.
man? You must take me for q cow
ard"
"a most despicable coward, to speak
of a woman in such way. If you can.
not help this teacher manage these
young sayages, and one in partieHlal,s
the sooner you are transferred to the
care of the angels the better. Has your
teacher certificate?"
"Of course, or she would not have
been emn1Ovedv
"Then she sscapable of teaching you
few things ?"
1.-THE boys would laugh at you"
''Be brave boy But there Is your
mother calling for the potatoes. Go
along. Begin by digging your potatoes
in arrest"
Joe sprang up, and, as the doctor
drove away, went to work with will.
He followed the DOCTORS advice to the
letter, and year later when the doctor,
as one of the Examining Committee,
admitted. him into the academy, Joe
told him :-"You were right; am glad
you walked me up and set me to work
that day you found me asleep in the
grass" The incident came back to the
DOCTORS memory, and he patted the
boys head, saying :-"Bravely DONE"
Chicago Interior.
How can Virginians support the
party that grinds them down with an
enormous tax on their staple produc.
ton?
How can they vote to perpetuate the
iniquities of the U. s. Internal Revenue
system when its army of officers are
used as active political instruments to
prOlOng the rule of the Republicans?