Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1883-08-16
YOUNG MAN, BRACE UP.

you may as well understand, first as
last, that you have got to work for all
you get in this world. You may not
always get what you earn, as there are
men in this world toe mean and con-
temptable to give to others what really
belongs to them. but if you would
keep out of the poor house, and have
a competency in your old age, you will
have to wor for it. To be sure there
is great difference in men. Some
are endowed with greater intellectual
powers than others, while some are
greater physically. Some men are
born low down in the scale of intel
lectualism, but mark you the physical
of such man. There is way pro-
yided, however, for every man to
better himself You won't find it in
the gin mill, neither is it to be found
at the gaming table Remember one
thing, and that is, you have not the
capacity to take into yourself all the
strong drink made in this world, and
you had better let the contract out
before you attempt to work on it.
Don't bet all you have on a bob-tail
flush, or before you know if the other
man will either raise you out of the
game or come in on a straight flush.
Nine hundred and ninety young men
out of thousand, who started in
with an idea of becoming suddenly
rich by betting on a sure thing. get
left, and are worse off than when they
came into the game. The bay horse
is more liable to get beat if you hold
pool check on him, than he was
before you put up your money. Such
certainties are uncertainties, and never
give up certainty for an uncertainty
Don't fool with the tiger; you can't
most always tell which way the beast
will jump.
When a young man sits down in
IidIeness, with an idea that the world
+ owes him living, its high time his
body was committed to the dust from
whence it came. As for his soul
nothing will ever be known of it. 1t
is so small that it would rattle around
in the shell of mustard seed and
when it leaves his lazy carcass, is
forever lost on account Of its infinite
proportions.
A record Of the young men who
| have been unfortunate enough to have
fortune left them shows that eight
in ten never amount to a single atom
in the world, and seven out of eight
die bankrupts, financially, morally,
and otherwise.
When a father brings up his son in
idleness, never teaching him the first
principle of economy or the value of
dollar, he commits a terrible blunder.
The father guilty of such a crime
generally has to saw wood for a living
in his old age. Nine out of ten of
the boys with fathers, who bring them
up in idle luxury, ere they reach the
meridian of life are total, wrecks.
Wrecked on the rocks of total deprav-
ity which lie beneath the stream Of
life and on whose sharp and ragged
edges, thousands of lives have been
wrecked and ruined. Money bags
may, like bladders, keep you above
the waters of distress for time but
puncture them, let their contents
escape, and you sink.
Young man you have undoubtedly
meant to do we'll. No young man
ever goes astray Intentionally, but in
some idle theughtless moment he
graduates from soda water and lemon
ade to something stronger. and before
he is fairly aware of it he has not only
lost caste, out has whole menagerie
on his hands and is employing a doc
tor to help dispose of his immense
elephants and the snakes that laugh
ingly cuddle in his boots. Yes, the
world presents too many temptations
for the minds of all to withstand and
the only safe way for young man is
to keep away from temptation. IF
yeu see a man at a wheel of fortune
win ten times running by betting on
the red, you just keep your hands out
Of vO,r paalet and sae him loco oil bo