The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1897-07-08
SPECKED APPLES.
SUCH ARE ALL LoATERS.
POOR BEGGARS AND RICH
IDLERS THE SAME.
Some Rambling Thoughts.
BY "NEMo." /"

| copyrighted by Dave & Tabor.)
Like specked apple in a barrel oi
good ones, is an idler in community
of workers powerful to produce g
similar condition in others and that
only. Loafers are enemies to society
for they do not suffer the loss OF moral
backbone alone, but they flash the dis.
covery before their fellows that it is
possible to scramble through the world
without much effort. As Mrs. Jose.
phine Shaw Lowell says: "The world is
! divided into two great classes, not the
rich and the poor, but the workers and
the idlers." The frowsy beggar OF
sturdy frame whining at your door, and
the child of the wealthy. killing time
in every conceivable fashion, belong in
the same class. Dirt and daintiness,
rags and respectability blend in one
common downfall of all that is best in
human nature. The race has hitherto
gained solely by the sweat OF the brow
in some form or another, and we who
toll see no other way to assure further
progress. But these easy-goers tell us,
in effect, that we are fools; and they
are always gaining fresh listeners. You
who are hating between two opinions,
strong in capacity but weak in will,
undetermined whether to expend the
minimum of effort in the world, or
whether to give of your capacity in full
measure, be the gain yours or not,-let
toiler speak to you out of full heart.
May he be confounded who would
persuade us away from work. It always
has been blessing in disguise, or, as
Whittier says:
"The curse of earth's morning
Is the blessing of Its nOon."
To work is to discover the happy, the
healthful, the hopeful way through
life; tor definite labor puts the nerves
at rest and quiets the feverish heart.
If bowed down with sorrow, stricken
because beloved voice in sl1enced for
evermore Go, Work and the motions
of daily duty will solace your spirit.
If bewildered at the apparent confusion
in the world, misery where there should
be Joy, crops of disappointment from a
generous seeding of hope; Go, Work
and the concentration of purpose need
ed by your duty will relieve your oyer
strained brain, and clearer under
standing of the laws of life will be
yours. The balance of the wide world s
brain is kept by toll. With nothing to
do and boundless time for thinking and
puzzling over the mysteries of our end
ing, we should become a universe of
melancHclic fatalists. But the rhythm
of work constantly recurring Keeps us
wholesome-minded, just as the ebb and
flow of the ocean purifes the world.
Work is the anodyne for suffering. 1t
is the great sanity-idleness, the insan-
ity-life.
How much we loved the wondrous wand
In childhood's story told,
Which, waved by the magician's hand
Turned everything to gold!
And changed the cottage mean and low
Into palace great,
And made grimed Cinderella glow
In robes of royal state.
Yet we too have magic wand,
Which stranger changes shows,
And makes the dreary desert sand
To blossom like rose.
So let us lift our power on high -
We may not, dare not shirk,-
And move the very earth and sky,
By simple, honest work.
Let it not be supposed that riches
bring happiness. The owners are only
happy if they have some definite duty
in life. Many OF the wealthy toll away
under responsibilities that would crush
the inexperienced. But the indolent
among them are most miserable the
men out-of-sorts with themselves and
their comrades, following evil to drown
reflection and being OF such little i'm
portance to the world when they pass
awaythat they become nothing more
than worthless names to occupy valua-
ble space on head-stone; the women,
wrapped up in soul-shrinking ambi-
tions and deyoured by petty jealonsies
unworthy of humanity. They dress
for dress sake, having more worth
without than there is within. and strut
their little day like puppets on parade
No soul gets satisfaction from that sort
Of life, any more than the prodlga
With the blood full of humors, th'
heated term is all the more oppressiy'