The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1885-07-03
TALENT AND ENERGY.
Making Good Use of the Little Things OF
Life and of Daily Opportunities.

Making Good Use of the Little Things OF
Life and of Daily Opportunities.
Honor and shame from no condition rise,
Act well your part, there all the honor lies"
Pope.
Do hear some one say: 81 have no
talent" How can that beP Young,
middle-aged and old, all have some
talent and some niche in which they
can be of use. The positions of trust in
business and the high rank in scholar
ship will not come without the exercise
of our individual energy in little things.
Our talents may never be equal to those
of lawyer, inventor, physician or
engineer, but every one of us is capable
of dong some good with what we
possess. If, therefore, none Of us can
exercise or display any great talents,
we must not give up, and say: "Oh,
well, what is the use of trying?"
Let us look little more closely into
the matter. Some of you are fond of
reading, some of mechanical pursuits,
and mending, some of drawing or
writing. Now what are you to do with
these prominent likings? Those of you
who love to read, have you ever thought
how much pleasure you could afford by
reading to others? Mother and sisters
would like it as well as yourself. If,
however, at night they are unable to
read for themselves, could you not find
time to read aloud one evening, or every
evening for short timeo Are there
not some invalid friends who would be
grateful to you for willing away an
hour in reading to them? / know it is
not always an easy task, but it gives
you chance to exercise your talent,
and it is one of the little things which
require individual energy. A year
would pass quickly, and stated course
of reading, even one half-hour every
evening, would give comfort to many
and materially enlarge your stock of
knowledge. The thought that you have
helped to make others happy and been
energetic in looking after one of the
many little things that make up life's
grand total will be reward enough now.
Then those of you who are fond OF
mechanical pursuits must not let your
fondness degenerate into a selfish use.
Mothers chair may need mending, or
the knob may be off the door, and
thousand and one little things need at
tention. If you can do it and be Of
service az a saver of time and money, it
should be q pleasure to exercise your
talent. / know ut is only little
thing" but some one has to attend to
it, and if you can do it best, then it
should be your duty to gladly remedy
the evil.
Then you who want to draw and
write; it may not be your lot in
life to be artists or authors. If you
have any moderate degree of talent,
however, in either line, you can always
be of service to some one, and what can
you ask more than to be help to 9TH
ers? In thus helping your friends you
do what they can not do as well, save
them annoyance, and make a life that
is, at the end, as great as that OF any
distinguished man or woman.
We must think more of these little
things, and in time our life will acquire
q serenity which only comes when we
are doing our duty.
1t is easy to commence but hard to
continue, therefore we should, each one
of us, be determined to be individually
energetic in the little things of life, and
learn to so economic time that there
will be room for all. Give up the idea
of looking for great deeds, and push on
in the good work nearest to us, remem-
bering that whatsoever our hands find
to do, to do that heartily and with
might. Cecil H. HoWGrd, in Christian
at Work.