Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-09-12
LOVES TO FIGHT.
It II the Succeeding and Not Success
That Makes Some Men Happy.

That Makes Some Men Happy.
1t is now'many years since, and the per-
son of whom I am about to speak is a very
prosperous man. But there was q crisis
once. This New England manufacturer
was recently narrating to me how near he
came to destruction.
81 was 80 years old. then had only the
lower mills. After o short interval of
profitable business I suddenly awoke one
morning to confront the loss Of half my
market for the goods. During the next
three months I scarcely slept. knew no
rest from constant worry with difficulties.
One evening as I was returning home,
jaded, almost hating the very office had
left behind, and with no zest for the dear
home which l was approaching felt a
hand on my shoulder. Looking round,
YEARLY, saw the benevolent face of our
village pastor, a venerable man. He i'm
mediately broke the silence by saying:
Did you ever solve rebus or q puzzle?' I
smiled and replied that 1 had when a boy.
What was there interesting in such eff
forts| why, the fun of doing the thing.
There was queer kind of pleasure in over
coming the puzzle' That's what you
must see in your business he gravely re-
marked. You must learn to enjoy the OBJ
stacles and relish the struggle more than
the victory, or you will not live out half
your days
"With that word the reverend man
turned on his heel and left me. That was
the turning point in my career. l saw it
all in flash of light. 1 must learn to en-
joy the contest with obstacles. I must
find my satisfaction, not in my achieved
success, but in my battle with the difficult
ties on the way. 1t was astonishing how
this aspect of my extremely vexatious af-
fairs restored me. 1t has been my constant
thought ever since and enabled me to en-
dure. Eighteen months later l laid the
foundation for the large mill"
''And got into more difficulties, if I re-
member?" remarked his partner, who was
sitting opposite. Gin fact, you have never
been doing anything else except solving
riddles" now turning to me. eff there
ever was man who was at his best when
in dangerous place, Fred is the man. In
fact, difficulties are his business You
would hardly believe it, but the difficulties
of our affairs are about the only things in
which he takes any interest nowadays. He
draws his dividends with Indifference. He
hears of any good luck with scant congrat-
ulations. But tell him of hard nut to
crack and he is all alive from head to foot
and will spend half the night at it. What
some men find in chess, or breaking in
refractory blooded colt, the head of our
house, say it to his face-seems to find
in our problems"
There was a general laugh round the
table for a moment, when the first speaker
resumed:
"This is the philosophy of life to teach
boys. 1t is not the end of life, but the liv-
ing; not the success, but the succeeding;
not the thing done, but the keen relish of
doing thing, and the conscious strength
of graphing, and not being floored, that
gives man enduring and fresh satisfac-
ton. Now, if you will pardon me, and do
not use my name, take that failure up the
street here that we had last month. And
the poor boy died as the result. knew it
would kill him, for about two months be-
fore the crash we were talking together,
and he remarked I hate afight.' Instantly
I exhorted him that he must learn to love
a fight if he expected to get on and endure.
He looked up at me, surprised. He was a
member of our church, you know, and fine
as silk. I explained that did not mean
love of contention with the individuals who
opposed him, but a real enjoyment of the
struggle to win in an honest way and by
staying longest. He turned away sadly
from me, murmuring, Life is too hardr
ana knew lie wUu1u ~ r,rrelv1.
The fact is, young people, life would be
uncomfortable to man Of spirit were it not
for the spice of danger, contest and cease
less exertion. No man can afford to be-
little his powers by getting into an ''easy
place." ga soft snap" or "feathered nest"
and for the reason that such a situation in
this world is only temporary at BEST But
while it lasts it enervates. A youth forgets
his weapons, his muscles grow fabby.
Then, when the fight comes as it WILL he
"hates a fight,' is easily tempted to COM
promise, to the loss of his best interests,
and is permanently disabled in the race
He will find that the world will accommo-
date him; it will lay him on the shelf and
keep him there.-Harlkley Harker in New
York Weekly