The star. (Reynoldsville, Pa.) 1892-1946, 1905-03-29

we must not make the mistake OF sup.
posing that all these good things will
be thrust upon us or given to us with
out any effort on our part to acquire
them. never knew farm that would
run itself. In fact never knew of any
kind of business that would go without
a driver. / know of lots of enterprises
that are run like David Harum's horse.
They will stand without hitching, but
when you want them to go you must in
dulge in little coaxing. | knew an
old man one time who in his anger
stated very philosophical question.
He was rather passionate, and he was
trying to pull one horse wagon up q
grade into the barn. He had raised a
little sawed off fellow whose first name
was Joseph, and this little fellow was
helping the old man to get the wagon
up into the barn. Things were not 60
ing right, and the old man got mad. He
let go of the shafts and turned on Jo-
seph with the exclamation What the
ID are you doing Joseph ? Are you
pushing or a pulling? The answer to
that question solves the problem. If
you want your business to grow. you
must be pusher, and not puller a
builder-up and not tearer.down. Life
is what you make it, and you can get out
of it all that you are entitled to.
There is no more respectable or hon
orable business than that of farming,
and the man who is engaged in the pur-
suit of agriculture is the freest and most
independent of all men. He has his
trials and tribuations, of course he has.
Will you be so good as to show me a
man who is not beset with real or i'm
aginary ills, whatever his occupation
may be. But of a truth nine-tenths of
all our troubles in this life never come to
pass. If we woald learn the philosophy
of living one day at a time aud, like the
humming bird that sips the flower, ex-
tract from that one day all the sweet
ness possible, we would not have one
trial or trlbulation for every ten we now
have. | have little motto hanging in
my library entitled "But Once" 1t
reads like this A.: 81 shall pass through
this world but once. Any good there
fore that ! can do or any kindness that
can show to any human being, let me
do it now ; let me not defer or neglect
it, for | shall not pass this way again"
There is boutonnlere that every man,
woman and child ought to wear. What
a glorious world this would be to live in
II envy, hatred and spite were sup
planted by the gospel of love, good will
and peace if the disposition to weave
out of the misfortunes of Others a crown
OF glory for ourselves could be eliminat-
ed and we could have in its place dis
position to share the blessings of this
life in kindly helpfulness with our
brother man. In these days of great
interests we see, or think we
see, much of danger menace to the
upon which the greatness
of the American Republic rests. The
one thing that fires the zeal Of man and
brings out the best that is in him is
individual proprietorshlp or dominion,
the opportunity to acquire for himself
a property or business that he can call
his own. This is the greatest element
of strength in any nation, and to ignore
or neglect it is to invite disaster. The
vital, vibrating cord that holds the
people together and gives the nation its
greatness is individual opportunity to
become a sovereign. A nation may be
commercially and politically great its
territorial limits may stretch from sea
to sea its natural and material re-
sources may be inexhaustible, and its
overlooking with gold but
If the right of the individual to par
ticipate in the ownership of his country
is denied Dim, that nation is inherently
weak. 1t is easily within the memory
OF those present when the shoes we
wore were made at home the plows,
stoves and various appliances of life
were largely furnished by the small
manufacturer found in every country
town. Over the door of his place OF
business hung the sign of the sovereign
within. But all this has changed. The
small dealer and the small manufac-
turer are being driven out Of business
by the large corporations, and the basis
OF Individual proprietorship is narrow
ing. When a man sells out his business
now he rarely invests in another enter
prise because the opportunities for the
small capitalist to go into business are
very limited, and consequently he de-
posits his money in the bank. Large
sums lying idle in the banks do not
indicate great national
wealth or prosperity, but rather that