The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1883-02-21
Play Your Hand for all it is
Worth.

There is no greater barrier to q mans
success in life than his willingness to
fall into line with the stupid fellows
who play second fiddle the Jacquc
Strops to the Robert Macaires. They
should learn that the world laughs at a
clown and they despise the assumed
gravity Of the serious imitatcr. Then
again this class should learn that the
fools whom you would deceive can be Of
no service to you, and the wise men
who would serve IN honest intention,
or candid presentation, can see
through your stupid efforts to wear
gracefully the solemn dignity of the
owl, or the gaudy trappngs Of the pea
fossil, and if you put on the shaggy name
Of the king Of beasts, but open your
mouth and your bray soon dlspels the
deIusion, and the IDIOT Of false pretcnse
stands out in all his comical deformities
"A laughing stock to half the world, n
subject of pity to the rest.
Too many Of the genus homo are but
cia1acIs who howl from society's pit
when their chief signals the supposed
good points upon the stage. They are
but lily paid, and rarely reach distnc-
ton; yowling like dcryishes to impress
society with your picty; compiling 9th.
err mems ideas to ASSERT your hoped-for
position on the plane Of journalism /;
baying like u "yallcr" dog at the man in
the moon, to show your sympathies
whcn modesty would sit more becoming
~ N the strongest Of us; all these are
but the oulcroppings Of imbccilily that
writes brass upon its frOntIcts, and
prints ape upon its phylacteries To
such grotcsque characters we will say,
the strongest card you can play is the
one nature provided you with, that is,
your own natural force. If you fail
with this hand, even if you play it
alone, you can retire with dignity, but
nine times in ten you will succeed,
whereas, the assumption of character
as mimic or harlequin, will result in a
most miserable failure, making you a
laughing stock for the world to jcer at.
If you are born TO be Il wOOdchopper,
hcw to the line, let the chips fall where
they will don't imagine you can play
Blackstone on the one hand or Galen on
the other. Don't imagine if nature cut
you out for II newer Of wood and drawer
Of water, that had you the chance Of
other men you would have been an As
tor or n Vanderbilt; not bit Of it.
Nature has kindly put you exactly
where you belong, and there is no Use
kicking in the traces. If you take the
"studs" you will find society ready to
cudgel you into line. lfyou show your
heels like the artlcss mule, the world
will tie your legs and mcrclessly sit
down upon you. "Therc is no use
kicking against the pricks," is biblical
old and tritc. Conform to the places
where you may find yourself, in the
workshop, at the bar, or behind the
counter. Play your hand for all that
it is really worth. If you hold trumps
50 much the better, but remember that
no wise card player attempts TO catch
the right bower with the left. This is
II good lesson for the moralist. Let
mankind profit by it and we will be
wiser if not richer. We cannot trans
form ourselves into the condition of
others, and if We could we question If
we could play the role of the stranger
us well as the one nature has planned
out for us; no logic or sophystry can
change the DEGREES Of fate a man ut
thirty is either q TOOL or his own physi-
elan, and the same rule will apply all
through the varied phases Of life. Don't
imagine you will gain knowledge with
age. You are not wine, although ma
ny Of our readers may be full of-just
as You please, the juice Of the grape or
the idea. What Il man doesn't know at
thirty he will never learn. If at that
age You are a shoemaker stick to your
last. fan attorney, even if your coat
be out at the elbows, or if Il kind provi-
dcncc had placed you in one of its
highest inches, say mounted you booted
and spurred on the editorial tripod, ride
your nag until his tail drops of rather
than think you can dismount and scuf.
ilc IN the gDtter for place among the not
50 blessed. FIX.