The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1891-01-01

One OF these letters, Just received,
runs in the following strain:~-
I an country boy. I came from
farm il New Hampshire tc New
York with the hopes Of making
name and fortune: Either the fame
or the fortune would satisf: me. but
I prefer both If they are within
reach.
VIII YOU kindly tell me how I can
carve out for myself g Successful
career?
The result OF Our experience and
observation are entirely at your ser
vice, young man.
Suppose We begin our conversa-
tion by defining terms. What do YOU
mean by "a successful career?
If. Is YOU say, you are ambitious
to become millionaire two or three
times over your chance IS one IN a
thousand.
Possibly you may be that one. 1t
depends on your natural gifts and
your opportunities. But how about
the other nine hundred and ninety
nine? Are their lives to be failure
because they can't acquire an i'm
mense bulk of capital?
In other words. is 4 surplus Of
cash the prime factor in the problem
OF happiness, and is a citizens use
fulness to be measured by his bank
account solely:
You may also get the fame you
wish. 1t depends on your education.
on the quantity and quality Of your
brains and on your native genius.
With these, everything is possible:
without them, you will everlastingly
hunger for the unattainable, and in
the end draw Tie coverid of a wasted
life over your head and die dis
appointed man.
The number Of those who achieve
such greatness that the public build
monuments to their memory is very
few. but if your name happens to be
in that list the Herald Will gladly
subscribe for the purpose.
Don't make any mistakes in this
matter. If you wish to get out Of
life all there is in it-for you-there
is a way to do it.
Real happiness consists Of health,
self respect, the good will of the
community and a sufficient income
to crafty your reasonable wants.
Everything else is trivial and not
worth bothering about. The man
who has steady work, fair wages, a
cosy homo, enough TO eat, thick
oyercoat, and the consciousness Of
personal Integrity, is a nightly
favored fellow, in possession of more
than three quarters Of the best things
which this world affords.
Now, you can have all this if you
make certain rules the basis of your
conduct.
/. Don't aim too high: but aim
straight. Emerson's advice to ''hitch
your y."goa to a STAR is the merest
bunccmbe Of rhetoric. You will pro
duce larger practical results if you
hitch your wagon to we'll fed
mule.
Longfellow's poem, Excelsior" is
another bit Of exquisite trash. OF
course il is beautiful, ''and all like
that. you lnow," BUTT is not adapted
to rough and tumble fight with
circumstances.
The young man in that poem
shoulders flag and starts for--well,
for nowhere, SO far as we can dis
cover. He is one of the climbers-an
explorer Of the celestial Alps. When
he gifts to the top of a hill he turns
back and screams out Excelsior ,"
- What for we can't say This is a free
country, however, and he can do as
he pleases. Up he trudges until he
gets to the snow capped summit Of
the next ascent. Unreasonable boy!
he seems TO be just as dissatisfied as
ever. Evidently he wants the earth.
In spite OF a chronic bronchitis and
in constant danger Of pneumonia. he
waves his bunting. yells ''Excelsior!!"
once more and strikes out for an
altitude where the mercury freezes
in the bulb.
He may be going Yet, for aught
we know. He has undertaken q
tough job, though. and his flag by
this time must be in tatters.
You want t. get rid of good deal
of this "excelsior" folderol. 1t is a
mighty poor Investment Of talent.
Stay down below, and let the glaci-
ers and mountain peaks take care Of
themselves.
Second-Do your work we'll, no
matter what it is. Study your bust
ness. Make Yourself master of it by
putting your head and heart into it.
II it is bookkeeping. then keep books
IL such fashion that the Angel Cab
rel Will want to lend YOU his crown
as token Of approval. If you are
mechanic. or artisan. or farmer. be
proud of Yourself. and the rest Of tie
world viii soon come to be proud O..
YOU. Nothing is needed so much in
this generation as man with skilled
fingers. You may have q long pull.
but the clock VIII strike an unex-
pected hour and the opportunity
which cones to everybody III turn.
but which most people miss-will
present ITSELF. Study the bulldog,
and when YOU get your teeth into a
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