The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1894-06-12
Written for THH PROGRESSIVE FARMER
RANDOM THOUGHTS.
Joe Jackson Now Gives a Few Thoughts
Stolen at Stray Moments From
Lies Varying Scenes.

SAAN O41S WO SOuA0 W OUT OuGY |
The time has passed away when by
gone thoughts and deeds were rulers of
the universe. We live in a progressive
age that is seeking and demanding new
creeds, new thoughts and new actions,
fitting the spirit of the age we live in.
What was right for Jonah or Crom-
we'll or Washington or Lee, nay be
entirely wrong for us. We must keep
pace with the onward march of mind
and matter that is destined to yet revo-
Iutlonlze the social, industrial, politi-
cal and religious realms. Away with
the prejudices, the hobbies, the shams
OF the past. Give us truth, untarnished
truth, though the heavens fall, though
parties and churches and monarchies
and republics fall torise, the wonder of
the goth century. / may go down ''un-
Wept, unhonored and unsung," 1 may
never be rich or popular or ever hold
an Office in the land, but I would rather
die a tramp than play traitor to the
people and plead for policy or party
sake. Give us truth and light and love
and liberty.
To tramps like me this is a funny, a
strange, a mysterious world. It is so
inconsistent, 80 hard to understand, so
logical, so little yet so large. All, this
old world is a strange creature, and
stranger still is it's lord-man. The
drama of life has four distinct acts,
viz: childhood, youth, manhood and
old age. Each act has it's lonely and
sad and awful tragedies and comedies,
exits and entrances. The stage-the
world-upon which this drama isacted,
has many different costumes and actors
and curtains and lots of stage par
~phernalia. Time is the master of cere-
monies in the drama of life. At his
call the actors play their part-laugh
and weep, pray and dance, sigh and
sing, At his call the curtains rise and
fall, are bright and dark.
Every moment the drama is being
rendered, some times in ~gladness, some
times In. sadness, some times In sun
shine, some times in rain. Most people
act the same old acts that their fore.
fathers did, they believe the same old
faiths and tell the same old jokes just
as was the custom Of yore. 1t is mighty
hard to get a new play acted on the
stage of life, although it be weighty
with truth. Weread Shakespeare when
we ought to write something better.
We laud Cicero when we ought to ex
cell him. Nothing is impossible to
prone minds and hearts. I believe in
a personal independence. Every mind
ought to do its own thinking, make its
own creeds, and let the songster in our
bosom-our conscience and reason
direct the tenoro of our lives. What are
so many theories and sects and parties
but somebody's thoughts on paper9
Perhaps in your mind far greater things
than these lie dormant, waiting to be
called into action. We need Luthers
and Franklins and Edisons every day.
The world always misjudges genius
and independence. 1t wants every n
to conform to old habits and old GUS
toms, irrespective of conditions and
truths. The world hates a transforma-
ton of any kind, hence we have mar
tyrs and bigots and cranks in every
age. Greatness is seldom appreciated
until the actors die. The world is slow
to recognize true worth because the
world has been fooled so often. There
are so many false PHILOSOPHERS, Sc many
tickle frauds, 80 many shams, so many
Judases, that very often the true and
the noble are lost sight OF. And then
the world has so little time to seek out
her mobiles and heroes. Every is
so ~engrossed in himself that others III
infnitesimals. Publicity never has
made true worth. It is true it has
gilded many q name in letters Of gold
over many a hearth-stone, still it
helped to make character. A person
is great or small in the eyes of the
world according to his position, where
as opportunity makes the position.
'Tbere's many a flower born to blush unseen
And waste its sweetness on the desert air"
There were thousands of men who
could have been a Washington or a
Lee or a Lincoln had they had the op-
portunity. There are many Millions,
many Websters in each State had they
proper environments to draw out these
gifted attributes of genius. Then why
laud he whose fortune OF fame was
moulded by opportunity more than ne
to whom such opportunity has not yet
anneared2 Rather wait until he has