The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-08-19
YOUR VOCATION IN LIFE.
BY DR.. Lyman Abbott.

II.
The farmer and the miner draw from the
earth the raw material. and the whole Of
this Nation is dependent upon the agricul-
tural class aud dependent upon the men who
20 down into the bowels OF the minos. But
it is useless for rucn to gather the Juices
from the earth. or to bring the minerals from
the miuts unless they themselves are ready
10 modify them by manufacture.
The manufacturer Is n Kind OF creator.
lie takes the raw material. inodhes and
changes It's form. Tho man who turns the
juices OF the earth Into wheat, barley corn,
cotton. peach or plum ~ manufacturer,
ana every true iuanufaelurcr Is doing God
work tor Him tor he 10 doing Gods work
with Him. Next to the manufacturer Is tho
engineer llo is the practical scientist who
lays hold OF the natural forces and makes
them 90 cur work Tor as. These forces are
+ the muscles and sinews OF Nature, and al
the laws OF nature are the laws Of God. so
the m, solcs OF nature are the muscles Of God
himself. Nature is God and God himself
saws to us, Here, l viii put the muscles
OF Tho Almighty in tho harness. and | will
grind your corn In the mills, | will run the
trolley cars FOR YOU" The Indian woman
OF the oriont sits and laboriously grinds her
corn into meal by revolving with her hands
one milestone on the other. But 1t Is the
scientist who interprets Gods works. He II
Is who brought us 10 steam artificial light
aud heat The world for long time staid
In darknesa after sunset because We neither
had books to read nor lights 20 read by,
And SO God puts his muscles at our service.
aud 1t Ia the scientist who lays hold on the
immutnhle and Invisible powers of nature.
that Ia. OF God to do our work for us.
~
Then there is the work OF taking these
manufactured things from the places whore
they are not wanted to the places whore they
arc wanted. Tho one great reason for the
famine in India is the lack of railroads, OF
transportation facilities, no means of carry
irg the food stuns whore thoy are needed,
And yet there are come people who complain
Of the railroads. This Then Ia the function
or the merchant though some may not so
understand it; TO distribute the wealth Thia
is what he is doing, whether he Is railroad
man, wholesale man, retail man, or, as
ho is sometimes called, the middle man.
The water Is gathered out OF the great
lake. run Into the reservoir, sent into pip S.
through the pipes into our houses, where We
get II BY turning the faucet, Turn the faucet
ana out comes the water. The faucet IN TIL
commercial world is tho middle man. HI,
brings to our homes that which very ottea
wa should have To 20 across the contucni
or perhaps TO Europe 10 nnd. And the banker
Furnished tho currr ncv 10 meet emergencies
aud with which to carry on business, ant
without which there would be nothing pui
, confusion.
Ana thus we see that the whole OF tina
which is called tho industrial svstem IA do
pendont ono part uuon another The manu-
! iecturer upon the miner and farmer, the mer
The miner and farmer upon the manufactures
for to him they dispose Of the product o
. their toll, and tho manufacturer turns owe
9 TO the merchant the results OF his lahor anl
g tho merchant distributes them and thus W.
5 I've, But there Is no such thing as hide
= rcndcnce. II rs only tho barbarian that Is a
e aIywiso ndepondent The berries that yo'
: ate this morning at breakfast wcro probably
q n ckod IN Mexico or IN south America thei
, thty were brought horo by the railroads
r then hnr died hy the merchant, ard then tho'
o elEe. Then. also, some one raiaed the wheat
r some one else ground II som body else brought
{ It hfre, somebody else cooked IT, How man,
( men were employed simply In getting 90 yol
. one article OF your breakfast
a We arc dopendent most Of all on tho rail
y roads. aud some do not want to pny thei
fare on railroad train How many broker
hearts how many RESPONDENT ambitions. hoy
, MANY abandoned hopes before tho proces
d Of even the hrst construction work w1s nc
y lcomplished Not willing TO nav fare2 Go. 8
md render your thanks Can You 20 to III
y grave md nav tho doad7 Can you nay a
!, that the past has doneY
y ~
y This is the law OF life, SEQ that your voc0
u tlon Ia nm honest vocation; that what 20
a bave Is won by industry. No man Is n
honest man II he does not give TO II
world as much rs he gets out of the worl'
II he does not he Is at least an object {
pity. You remember the old Mother Coos
rhymo
" Hank. bark. the dogs do bark
II Tho bcggar5 are coming 10 town:
II Some in rags some In tags
And some IN velvet gowns
II We have beggars in velvet Towns In Amer
, lea. Men and women who are wiling to thI
= the product OF other peoples industry an
J. rvc nothing In return. For my part haN
Hess tcsnoct for the hegRar IN tho velvet gov
- than for the hcggar In rags and tags, IN
"a tramp who tramps across the continent IN
y coat Of laco and Is an outcosl ne can hay
y at lorst this for his defense; that he va
horn bred ana educated "a a. While II
u trimn who tramps across the continent m
y across the seas In Pullmnns hhd yafht
y who having wealth and OPPORTUNITIES y
! culture and opDortunities for service, liy'
u in idleness giving nothing doing moth nj
II ought to DO an object for the worlds cor
tempt as tho other is an object OF the worla
And look YOU TO how men carry on the
d daily transactions. What 10 nm honest tran
h acton? Nothing is an honest transaeto
g which has not the intention to give an edulv'
Ie lent for that which n received. The ~
sire to get something FOR nothing 10 vel
. common desire In America. but II IS az
le for nothing In America is not uncommon
n but II is always and everywhere dishone
le desire.
This is the greed OF gambling and u do'
not make any moral difference whether u
y gambling BIO with dice. with cards or WI
Al whfat cotton. pork or stocks, II man %
* deavors to get something out OF ms neRl
IN hor's poeket, something without putt ng pa.
into his neighhor's norket equivalent tneret
o. he is either TO be ranked as Neggar
rs with the thieves Of society. ] know tnls
~ nIaln speakipg. but I have always ,helev
is that minister. above all men should spe'
NJ plainly. -
a. There are only four ways In which N,
can got ANYTHING IN this world, The mrs,
?, mike Il by his own industry the second
IL receive II ms eft. the third is to Mich
q, ron somebody else; aud the fourth IS 70 ta
II out of the common stock which God MA
snr eli hin children Now Of these four wa
there is only one way that Is honest and sol
respecting for man with bodily vigor a.
Intellectual ability, ana that - 10 MAKE
by his honest Industry.
DYING SOLDIERS LAST THOUGHT