The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1888-04-19
SUCCESS IN LIFE.
SOME MEN FAIL WHERE 9TH
ERS SUCCEED.
Choose that "Calling' for Which Your
Talent Best Adapts You, and then
Stick TO it.
IKernersville News.l

daily supplemented by young men
eager to attain that success which
Youthful buoyancy seems to place with
in their reach, and while the question.
which every young man has asked
himself. ..what shall | do that | may
succeed ?" remains, in in SO many IN
stances, practically unanswered, 1t oc-
cl1rs to us that a few hints on the sub
iect, gathered from observation, may
not be amiss. Were it even possible,
which it is not, to lay down given rules
that would, if followed, invariably lead
to success, we should still be compelled
t. content ourselves with calling atten~
ton to a few of the causes that lead to
success and giving a few examples OF
those who have thereby attained the
realization OF their brightest hopes.
In the first place, it is essential that
the young man shall understand his
own talents and shall regulate his
career by his natural inclinations, if he
desires to give his abilities the fullest
scope. Therefore in the choice of a
profession or calling a great deal de-
pends, as many who might succeed as
merchants would be signal failures as
mechanics, and those who might at
tain renown as lawyers would starve to
death as merchants. "Our wishes are
presentiments of our capabilities, >, and
those pursuits for which one has a
fondness and a prediction are the
ones that will be followed most faith
fully and energetically. We cannot
succeed, no matter what efforts are put
forth, if there is no love for the work
if its performance is not in accord
with the reigning passion of our lite.
There is shown an intimate connection
between the little cannon and mimic
armies with which Napoleon amused
himself as a boy, and the martial
achievements of the Emperor between
the little ship which Nelson, when a
boy sailed on the pond, and the glorl-
Gus victories of the Nile and Trafalgar;
between the old traditions and legends,
which, we are told, formed the early
reading of Scott, and the brilliant fic-
ton with which he afterwards charmed
the world.
Then, too, there must be an over
powering passion, an unfaltering yea!
and an unchanging devotion to one
thing Zone science only will one
genius fit" We are informed by Pope,
and it is true At no time has it been
SO necessary for young men to bend
their efforts in the direction of one
single point. So many things clamor
for attention, that one is too apt tc
scatter their talents upon a diversity o.
objects and gain success from none
Constant application to one thing
brings a thorough knowledge of the
business and a perfect mastery of it:
details. Siedse-hammer blows scat
| tered over the surface of a rock, vii
not be SO effective as the constant drip.
ping of the little drop ofrain that fall:
peSistently in one spot. 1t IS import
ant that after choosing a vocation al
our energies should be directed in the
direction OF making that calling a sue
cess. There is no such thing as uni
verSal genius. We rarely see men wht
attain any reputation as linguists, wh(
are more than ordinary mathematician
and those who have gained celebrity
have done SO by directing their effort
to one thing specially. Milton was
failure as a humorist and wrote yer,
little prose that was worth reading
while Hobbies made hlmselfa laughing
stock as a poet. While every profes
sion is crowded only those must hope
for success whose signal ability vii
enable them to climb to lofty posi-
ton over the heads of others. Th
young man that desires success mus
bring his senergies-all the powers bot
physical and mental-to focus. H
must center them upon one object
''Stick to your business said Roths
child to a beginner,-Sstick to you
brewery, and you may be the grea
brewer of London. Be brewer an
a baker and merchant, and you wi
soon be in the Gazette" Other es
sentlal elements to success will be a
luded to later on.