The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1902-04-03

Fifty years ago small schooner was
launched at Gloucester, Mass, which Tor
forty summers did good service as a fishing
smack off the Atlantic coast. Latterly the
craft was used in the coasting trade. Inc
other day the schooner, says the Sun, was
drifting along in a fat calm in Penobscot
Bay, when suddenly almost every. seam
and butt appeared to open," and the an
cient little craft event down so quickly
that her crew had barely time to escape in
their boat" According to the skipper the
craft dissolved" II was case of nauti-
cal one-hoss shay.
The interest Of this incident however,
lies largely in the fact that it was this
schooner the Amy Knight, which figured
in Kiplng's Captain Courageous as
craft that was always breaking adrift-an
erratic and undependable member of the
fishing feet In the loss of the Amy
Knight disappears the last OF some twenty
historic little vessels mentioned in Kip
ling's story.
The fisher folk of Maine, it is true claim
that Kipling was wrong in his estimate of
| the qualities of this boat. Nevertheless, the
whole story suggests a moral. There are
people who may be likened to boats always
| breaking adrift. They never stay out long.
They never tie up to anything, and one
| cannot tie up to them.
This tendency to drift is observable in
| the peaceful affairs of life, and is also illus.
| trated in the realm of theories and beliefs.
| Certain people never can be depended upon
to do any one thing long, They shirk re-
sponsibllities, civil, social or religious, or
| il they assume them soon tire Of the work
I and prove unfaithful to the trust. There
| are men of whom 1t will never do to make
trustees of anything under the sun, for,
| however much of confidence is reposed in
them, they will surely sooner or later de-
sert their first charge in favor of some
I oktrnnt,np Manv nf tha oari1antc
or losses which are reported in the papers
are attributable to the lack of fduciary in
| stinct and interest on the part of individ
uals who have never learned the important
lesson of remaining at the post of duty un
til relieved by higher authority.
| There is also not little drifting to be
observed in the sphere of theory and. be
lief. Many people do not know what Che.
believe two hours running. Their theories
like the divine merces, are new every
| morning and fresh every evening. 10 sucf
settled creed is like a black buoy-some
thing from which to steer away.
This tendency to drift, when persisted il
for awhile, readily becomes an almost un
controllable habit. That was the trouble
according to Kipling, with the Amy Knigh
she would break away from her moorings
Unrest Of mind, impatence OF control, ire
5ponsiveness to duty, eagerness for novelty
pride of opinion, all these frames and few
ers, II allowed to run their course Will IN
evitably wreck the usefulness of the mos
promising life. Nothing is ever gained b,
drifting over the tossing waters of life
mysterious sea- The soul of man canno
afford to be mere derehct upon tn
ocean. There are voyages to be sailed am
ports to be made, under prescribed law
OF navigation. If chart and compass-pro
vided by Gods Word and Spirit-are dis
regarded, dire disaster will result. TIL
soul that allows the spirit of unrest so t
possess it as to wrest it from all safe moor
ings and to sweep it rudderless out to sea
viii end at last as did the Gloucester Graf
in sudden and irretrievable ruin. Bewar
of the first tendency to drift. Cultivat
the habit not Of nervous scurrying afte
novelty, but of careful and constant a
tention to truth, and to the practical r
sponsibilities which spring from its accep
ance. In order that your life may be su
cessful, steady it.-New York Observer.