Evening capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1888-1893, 1891-02-23
ENERGY vERsus LUCK.
The Ignorant Superstition which Prevail
I'm Regard 20 the Latter.

Z q IfY we are u0t al Ell.cu WIN liI5 lDIt
uudfe grace if we were we need never
troubie at any time. But it happens. how
ever, says the London Standard, that the so
/ called lucky ones are very few and very
far between; and yet, TO note the observa.
[ tons Of everyday life, one would imlgine
tnat the contrary were the case-that is 70
say, if we may Judge from the fact that
everybody asserts that every body else is
lucky except himself 81 never knew such
luck as that man has," says Jones Of
Brown. and Brown Of Jones remarks that
Jones has the very devils own luck
every thing he does turns out wellr' and
still they may be both in the same boat
struggling against impending adversely or
calmly gliding along tho stream Of com
parauyc prosperity.
1t is merely the outcome Of an unfathom-
able discomfort that pervades all, or nearly
all human Creatures-that sent Jealous
feeling Of each Cther's ueIghbor that finds
lodging in every breast Now, risking the
wrath Of the superstitlous and the belcv-
ers in omcns and odd numbers, we firmly
maintain that there is no such thing as luck
at all Perseverance, and circumstance are
the secret Of all success, and, as nothing
succeeds like success, luck is the natural
sequence Of perseverance. Il is mainly the
luckers and lazy people who perpetually
rave about lack Of luck, forgetting that, if
there be any virtue in this tantaizing tails.
man, it is very like the philosophers stone,
and requires q considerable amount of
delving and diving TO secure.
Shakespeare gives evidence that he was
not free from this peculiar failing In the
MERRY Wives Of Windsor" he makes that
genial and obese old rogue "Fastaffn say
80. a
numbers. They say there is a divinity in
odd numbers either in nativity, chance or
deathw This idea is, Of course, founded on
the Pythagorean system, Gan nature is a
harmony; man is a full chord. and all beyond
is Deity, so that nine represents Deity"
And thus A major chord consists Of funda-
mental or tonic, its major third and its just
fifth. Seven notes complete the octave,
and nine is Deity. The odd numbers being
the primary notes Of nature, it is easy to
see how they came to be considered the
great or lucky numbers, but then the luck
belongs exclusively to the numbers and not
to the application thereof as is the popular
impression.
But to enter into or properly explain the
positions and qualities of odd numbers
would paralyze the great Euclid himself
SO, to return to our luck. If there be such
an uncanny thing, how is it that never since
the creation has one man ever been known
to credit his success in life to lucki His
downfall, yes to bad luck; his rise and
progress 20 luck good, bad or indiflerentt
Never If any one had the tcmerity to sug-
gcst such thing the notion would be
secuted as not only prepOsterOus but i'm
pious. The answer would be something like
this: my success, sir, which you vulgar
ly attribute 10 luck, has been achieved by
sheer hard work and determination; and
what have earned l Deserve And in
most cases it would be right.
Certainly there are at times fortuitous
circumstances that make man successful,
whether he will or not, but then such is not
luck, it is pure accident And as we are all
liable 10 meet with disagreeable accidents,
81 are we all likely to meet with agreeable
ones Only we never own II, supposIng we
think so. We go on declaring that 1T is
better to be born lucky than riChn and vet
we are quite incapable OF explaining what
we exactly mean In the commercial sense
and it is only in the commercial sense
that we think upon the subiect-if we are
rich, we don't want luck. and if we are
lucky we are rich Lord Beacousiield saws
Ia HNsHet.a:n Luck, is he who has neither
creditors nor offspring, and who owes
neither money nor afcction-after all the
most difficult to pay of the two" This is SO
cynicaliy true that not Il soul believes it.
Faith IN the charm of the horseshoe is
held sacred 20 this day, in town and coun-
try by ignorant persons; but we do not
imagine that they nail it up over the door as
a protection against witches, as was once
the custom II Is supposed TO rather bring
good luck than TO avert any evil Many
Otherwise sane individuals will stoop TO pick
up ashoe IN the street. and others would
rather deliver up all their goods and chat
lels than walk under ladder There Is
more common sense IN this latter idiosyn-