The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1883-12-20
Time.

Time is the most valuable property
a man possesses, and besides, it is
property held in common by all. Will
liam H. Vanderbilt hasn't any more of
it than the man who sleeps on the soft
side of plank in police station be-
cause he hasn't money to pay for
lodging. 1t is a property wholly under
individual control. Another man can't
steal your time without your knowledge.
This puts the advantage on your side
against being defrauded of it by others.
OF course you may be defrauded of 1t
by others. For instance, a man may
interrupt you in the pursuit of some
useful occupation, and consume an
hour or more, of your time in talking
nonsense. But in such case, the
fraud is perpetrated with your knowl-
ledge and consent, and is not, there
fore really theft. Then, again, you
in the performance of some service for
others for certain consideration, and
fail TO receive it. But in this case, the
loss of your time is simply the result of
business risk, it being wholly optional
with you to stake your time against the
risk OF receiving a proper equivalent
for it.
Absolute theft of time can only be
perpetrated by yourself, and the re-
markable fact about it is that you dom t
seem to realize how great a thief you
are in this line-that is until you find
yourself upon the threshold of eter-
nifty, and then the realization of the
fact can't do you any possible good
except to acknowledge your crime, and
penitently pray, God, forgive me, a
poor sinner"
There isn't an hour of any mans
time that can't be profitably employed,
if not mechanically, mentally. If a
rainy day prevents you from perform
ing some outdoor work that you pro-
posed to do on that day, and you sit in
the house grumbling about the rain
until you fret yourself asleep, you have
robbed yourself of just that amount of
time. You might have set your mind
to work upon some plan for facilitating
the labor you are accustomed to do of
whatever character it may be, and so
gain time n the future to compensate
for that u lavoidably lost. If you failed
in this object, you would have the con-
ISOLATION of knowing that your time was
not only honestly but proiitably used,
since, the purpose to which it was given
prevented you from fretting and work
ing Yourself into fever of irritability
and consequent loss OF physical and
mental energy.
Procrastination is the thief of time
Procrastination means yourself. Pre-
posing to do tomorrow that which yes
ierday you proposed to do to-day, is
simply proposition. to rob yourself of
day of time, unless you also propose
to do to-day something equivalent to
that which you propose to postpone till
| to-morrow-which in nine instances in
ten is not the case.
If Columbus had told the king and
queen of Spain, after they had made it
all right for him to start out, that he
guessed he wouldn't undertake the job
| that day, but some other day, it is just
possible that their Majesties might have
changed their minds in the meantime,
and America might have remained a
bowling wilderness to this day, and
four hundred years of precious time
have been lost in the development OF
Republican institutions and the Ameri-
can Eagle.
Treat time as you would any other
guarding against being despoiled of it
by others, make the best possible use
OF every minute OF it yourself; and il
when you leave it to enter upon enter
nifty, you are no richer from pursuing
| this course, you certainly will be
happier. Sunday AdUance.