Okolona messenger. (Okolona, Miss.) 1900-current, 1904-06-22

MAEMAa
We cannot.
In one sense Of the word there is no
such thing as chance. That this
world is governed BY fixed laws We
have no sort Of doubt, but so far 81
poor finite mortals like the editor Of
this moral guide is concerned, It ls a
world Of chance. We do not know
what the laws are BY which We are
governed and for the most pant we
are going 1t blind. Some people are
fortunate enough to strike good things
right along and they get credit for
wisdom often that they DO not deserve.
The child born into the world is tax
ing chances all the way from the collie
to the tomb. Every minute Of his
existence death is lowering about in
bis immediate neighborhOod and the
fact that he manages TO live At all is,
90 far as be Is concerned, q matter Of
good luck rasher than good judgment.
The born coward who is always fear.
full Of danger and continually trying to
avoid it, Is just as liable to be taken
away by some disease, drowned Ia a
food or swept into eternity by a oy-
clone as his Drawer and more reckless
companion.
No matter what q business man may
engage in the chances are apparent
" against him.
We talk about the farmer having q
sure thing, bat as q matter Of fact we
know of no business where q man
takes greater chances In the game.
He holds one hand, the elements and
the various kinds Of insects that prey
upon his crops hold the balanee Of the
cards and they play together to do
him up.
He never knows when the 1oOd will
sweep over his crops in the valleys and
hail and cyclone destroy what he has
planted on the upland. He tolls and
perspires to get in q crop and the
ehinch bugs, the cut worms, the Hes
sian ay and the weevil lay in wait and
remark. "Hal hal we don't do a thing
to you"
If he misses disaster from floods and
winds and bugs and sees his cribs
bursting with the crops he has gar
nered, he says, "Now / win invest in
cattle and turn this crop into beef at a
profit. He works Is hours per day
feeding and tending his herds and
finds at the end Of six months that
the price Of beef cattle has fallen so
that he cannot get as much for his fat
steers as he paid for his stock cattle in
the fall.
Once in a while a man makes an In
vestment which turns out we'll and he
has a fat deposit in the bank. He
Swells mp with satisfaction thinks,
vain man, that be lie a person Of q
perior scumen, whereas it was mostly
bull luck. About the time that he
supposes he has the world by the nar-
rative with a down hill pull and con
cludes that he will take his ease, the
bank breaks and he is in luck If he
gets 25 cents On the dollar.
VANITY, vanity all is vanity sayeth
the preacher Probably made that
remark after he had invested in stocks
which he supposed were solid as the
cedar covered hills of Lebanon only to
find out that they weren't worth 10
cents on the dollar.
II you want q reasonably sure thing,
invest in government bonds. Even
that form Of investment is not an alb
solute cinch, because the government
might become bankrupt or some fool
congress might conclude to pass a Law
repudiating the obligations of the
nation or pay them in deprecated
currency, which would amount to the
same thing as reputation; but such 8
calamity Is not likely to Q It Is
reasonably certain that II you have 8
government bond you can cash 1t at
any time for as much or more than It
calls for on It's face, but your govern
ment bond will moi yield more than 9
per cent net on the investment.
II you.ouly have 3 few hundred dol
lars to invest you will not live fat on
the interest You win draw on govern
ments bonds.
II you have just q few hundred dol
lars, invest It in property which ex-
perience seems to show lie worth all
you pay for It and then trust to Provi-
dence, r~ecoIlecting, however, that
Provldencs isn't doing any guarantees
business so far &c we have heard.