The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1893-03-11
DIFFICULTY.
From the Philadalphia pa, Ledger.

EHuln EniAIhIpuld AHe-y LchSeA-
There are few qualities more admirable
and valuable than the courage to under
take and the firmness to conquer what is
difficult We rightly despise that pusil-
lanimity and self-indulgence which shrink
from everything arduous, and choose always
the easiest path. On the other hand we
honor the manly vigor and fortitude, which
surmount every obstacle as fast as it pre-
sents ITSELF 1t is, however, possible that
in this very commendabie spirit some may
misunderstood the meaning of difficulty,
and overestimate its province. We oc-
casionally meet with persons so profoundly
impressed with its utility that they esti-
mate everything in proportion to the diff
Guilty of its attainment As soon as they
gain the power of doing anything with
facility they lose interest in it, and sigh for
other worlds to conquer. When some
enterprise is planned or some reform sug
gested, or some new idea is awakened, they
Judge it accordingly. fit is simple in its
nature, easy to understand and to carry out,
with no stumbling blocks in its way, they
want none of it. But ifit is full of thorns,
with much up hill work to be done, with
antagonism to encounter and obstacles to
remove, and much uncertainty of success,
they will welcome it eagerly on that ac-
count. In its difficulty, more than in
anything else, lies its charm for them. OF
course this notion affects even more strong
ly their judgement of the labor of others
Unless they see them toiling hard and
struggling against the SIRENS, they have but
little respect for their achievements They
cannot appreciate that ease and pleasure in
work which comes as result of thorough
capability and long practice.
Yet little reflection will show that this
element of difficulty, in any enterprise, is
! by no means correct test of its intrinsic
importance. For, in the first place, the
difficulty itself is variable quantity aud
depends largely on the person who is to
cope with it. What is difficult for one
man is easy for another, and impossible for
third 1t cannot be truly estimated for
any one, except by experiment. Some
times what looks like mountain of diff
Guilty, when viewed from distance, is
found on nearer approach to be an easy
slope, and sometimes what appears smooth
and accessible path proves rugged and
thorny when we come to tread it. Then
it is transient element, vanishing for
every one who conquers it, while the work
itself renains equally valuable when it has
become feasible Indeed, it is only after
the difficulties are overcome that the work
in hand is ever done in the best manner.
By far the greater part of them are caused
by inexperience and want of preparation.
The unskilled carpenter who attempts to
build house finds difficulties at every turn;
but let him be trained carefully and grad
ually to the work, and he performs it with
confidence and pleasure The lessons Of
the school-room are often difficult, merely
because they are not well explained or
thoroughly comprehended Children not
unfrequently pore over book and slate, with
muddled brains, trying to do the impossible,
and exhausting their nervous energy to no
purpose, when few minutes lucid ex-
PLANTATION would clear away the obstacles
and enable them to go forward with courage
and success So it is in every pursuit.
Probably nine-tenths of the difficulties Of
life would vanish were the preparation
thorough aud the habits of action intelli
gent and accurate.
True, difficulty is in itself friend which
makes us stronger, and gives us skill and
ability for greater efforts in the future, but
there is quite enough real and unavoidable
difficulty in the world to produce these re-
suits, without wooing those which are need
less The pedestrian does not select path
because it is steep and stony, but because
it is the most direct road to his destination.
If it prove by the way to be rugged and
difficult, he is ready to encounter all need
full toll and fatigue in treading it, but if
not, he thankfully accepts the easy path,
and saves his strength for future needs.
So in ali our choices of life, whether for
ourselves, our children, or others, we should
regard difficulty as an incidental and sub
ordinate element. We should neither shun
it nor court it, If it comes in the path of
duty we should cope with it mapfaliy and
overcome it. If not, We need never regret
its absence, nor esteem the less any worthy
l. Dor that can be performed without it.
Then, too, labor does not make the whole
of life, and there are some things whose
value and beauty would be diminished, and
and even spoiled, by the very presence Of
difficulty. All friendship and love are of
this character Their spentaneity is their
chief element, without which they are well
nigh worthless. If they are not delightful
they are nothing. The mother who re-
CARDS her labors for her children as toll
some burden knows but little of true ma
ternal affection. The msn who finds his
relations with his friend difficult and oner-
Gus has never tasted the sweets of true
friendship. Kind and benevolent actions
would lose all their grace and charm if
they were seen TO be painful aud difficult
tasks The physical functions are no longer
perfect when they can be carried on
oply with difficulty The air, the water,