Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-08-10
WORK.

WORK.
The world is a great machine, and
the engine which propels and regulates
its complicated movements, the most
silent of workers.
Man is n machine constructed ON
somewhat smaller scale, and run by
an engine not So frictionless.
Man was not placed in the world
merely to devour and assimilate GER
tain quantity Of carbon, hydrogen,
oxygen and nitrogen, and then to
give II forth again in death to the air
and the earth.
Lees nicely balanced faculties and n
less God-like intellect might have suf-
feed for that. and sooner or later each
one of us discovers for himself, or Is
taught by others, that such is not his
destiny.
Every human being Is sent into the
world to work, and each Is assigned
his own sphere. The work of life lies
still before us, as yet scarce begun
Most necessary is it then that we
should keep before ms lofty standard
of life.
Many think work is curse in
reality IL is blessing. Work is en-
joyable, and heaven begins in us
when we work. The young farmer
who works is better off than the idle
young landlord who has wealth. Any
work, no matter how humble. that u
man honors by efficient labor will be
found important enough to secure re-
spect for himself and credit for his
name.
God has given us everything that
we need for our comfort and our hap
piness. He evidently expects us to
use all that He has given us. But can
we use these gifts without work? Man
| finds the mines of iron buried in the
mountains side very useful, but many
days of labor must be put forth to reach
the ore; and when Obtained the iron
must be separated from 1t and made
into various implements.
The mines above the earth are RS
useful as those hid in its bosom. We
note the literary mines open TO
lis; but is not work required here
il we obtain the precious metal of
knowledge? Surely,
"There is no excellence without labor"
Such is the law of fate, to which there
is no exception. Genius unexerted is
| like latent heat, IL does not affect the
| temperature, IL Is insensible to all but
| its nearest neighbors; un the other
hand, genius exerted is like the sun, 10
passes round aud round and benefits
all nature. Genius unexerted is dross.
| Genius exerted is precious metal.
All work Is good if applied in the
proper direction; so is steam, but II
| NAV be destructive. Take the man of
! the pen, he may be "A fine writer, yet
that hand may forge note. Hence
the control of working talent, as well
as its development, Is necessary.
Success depends entirely upon work.
A high degree of perfection in any
direction is not attained without deep
study and long preparation.
The painter dissects, nils his room
with models, and takes every limb aud
Joint from the living figure.
The novelist must bestow no less
pains on the details of his pen pictures.
He must watch human nature In all
its phases, and must know how u
weigh the relative Importance oil
events, before he can use his powers Il
the uoblest purposes.
How many there are who look up tt
the lofty heights attained by others
and almost covet the green laurels oi
honor that they wear. But alas, few
of them are willing to pay the price
They come not as comes the sunlight
to the sluggard, but US comes shining
gold to him who digs into the noun
lains and rips up the very rocks.
Great men are not SO by originatiop
but by derivation. There Is no royal
road. no nowery by-path which will
lead us to success; we must not expee
to ride or sail or slide or be carried, we
must 90 afoot and do our own climbing
| We should live up to the old maxim
"Never put off till tomorrow what
can be done to-day" Each
days work well done fits us FOL
the work of the morrow. To-day !,
the ever present portal OF eternity; Il
opens to all who tread Its threshold
j with courage and faith. and, widening
as we advance, IL will usher US from
the perplexing labyrinth Of this NE
Into the broad and lustrOus glories oil
the life TO come. where we may sui
continue our work.
/ In this world we cannot hope to
reach perfection; still, although hs
who aims the highest does not Away
| hit the mark, he Ii sure 10 strike
higher than one who has q less noble
target In view. But in the world u
come we may hope, by patient contin
uance In well-dolng, 10 reach the poinl
which we here long to reach. Let ~
then inscribe upon our banner the
word work and let US follow oul
motto through every temptation and
allurement, in spite Of every warning
every attempt 10 turn us from oul
course, J. RUMsEy.