The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1905-06-15
VALUE OF PREPARATION.

sought to impress upon his royal pupil that there
was no royal road to learning. man may be
ssuperfcially omniscient'' without much strenuous
effort, but there is only one pathway to thorough
knowledge the republican of toll and moi. -
This applies with equal force to everything worth
having. The real value of our possessions depends,
at least in our own estimation, upon the amount of
self-denial and labor we put forth to attain them.
That which costs nothing is, rule, worth moth.
ing A reputation for thoroughness and excellence
in any field of human endeavor is built on the
foundation of solid and careful work. And never
before was painstaking work essential as o-day,
for our age, whatever else it may be, is age of
work. Work is regarded not as a curse, but rather
as blessing through which man raises himself
above the brute creation and fulfils the destiny the
Creator has marked out for him. The struggle for
more and better standing room is SO keen that but
few can afford to stop working this of the grave.
Even he whose work has been crowned with success
must keep on toing to retain what he has gained,
for others are pressing upon his heels to rob him of
the laurels he has earned. The lives of great men
reveal the secret of their greatness-hard and
tanned work in life's quarry. This lesson the young
ought to lay to heart that they may profit by it.
But to do life's work we'll one must be prepared
to do it one must have learned how to use the tools
and the implements of his craft. He who neglects
such preparation will find himself ere long in the
plight of that traveller who, crossing desert, neg
lected to provide himself with food and drink suf
ficient for his journey. Many of LIES failures may
directly be traced to woeful lack of preparation.
Young men and women enter life without knowledge
Of what is required of them. Let the confession of
Richard II be a warning to all: 81 have wasted
time, and now doth time waste me- That life is not
romance but purpose dawns on many after they
have passed but few milestones on their journey.
To some the disillusion does not come until after
LIES meridian has been passed and fes opportuni-
ties have been wasted. Parents are often response
BILE for this. By sense of mistaken kindness they
keep from their children all knowledge Of fes stern
realities The consequence of such short sighted
policy must be disastrous. For homes filled to- day
with the sunshine of prosperity may on the morrow
be hidden behind clouds, dark and threatening. 1t
is therefore the duty of parents to acquaint their
children with what life requires of everyone. They
ought to be made to learn something useful, so that
under all emergencies they might be prepared to
enter well equipped the arena of life.
Every vocation has its duties and obligations and
our success must ultimately depend en- the manner
in which We meet them and turn them to our profit
1t is easier to coast down the hill than to draw the
sled up the slippery hill. But it is the uphill work
that makes for strong character, that lays the
basis for noble manhood and womanhood.
Preparation, then, is the prime condition OF life
worth living. Sir Joshua Reynolds, the famous
painter, offered small sketch for sale at 500
guineas prospective purchaser showed his
surprise that the painter should ask such an
nous sum for a few hours work, but Sir Joshua
Reynolds reminded him that it took more than 40
years to prepare himself to do the work in few
hours. The value of our work depends largely
on the time spend in perfecting ourselves in the
details OF it and in the years spent in preparing
ourselves Sooner later we must learn the lesson
that we reap what we sow.