The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1905-12-30
NEW YEAR THOUGHTS.
"Count that day lost whose low descending sun
Views from thy hand no worthy action DONE"


Long years ago trained under the
above sentiment for good while. 1t
is a pity the name of the author is
lost, for one likes to know when
good thing has been said or written
where it came from, and whose fer
tile brain conceived it. I used to lie
awake at night, sometimes, wonder
ing what was meant by "lost day"
and worthy action" All the days
were lost, so far as 1 could see, when
they are passed and gone, and a worthy
action seemed to be something big
and consequential, that everybody
would take notice of and approve,
and quite out of my sphere; there
was nothing of the sort in my neigh
borhood lying around waiting for me.
OF all things should have enjoyed
trying my hand at something of the
kind that would save the day and
make friends for me; but it seemed
nonsensical to tell one to do what
couldn't be found to be done.
It took me long time to under
stand that worthy act was not ne
cessarily a great act, and that the
most worthy of them all were often
the smallest-that no eye beholds and
nobody knows of but the doer. 1t
isn't worth while to go far in search
of something worthy to do; oppor-
tunities are about US everyday and
all the time, and the only thing that
is scarce is the willingness to lend
hand to help, If we were as much
inclined to give lift to help others
along as we are to seek easy, import
ant places for ourselves this would be
better world than it is, and the bur-
dens of the overworked people in it
would be greatly lightened.
That day is lost when we idly sit
down to eat and drink and be merry
at the expense of other people not
seeing nor caring that we are eating
their substances, draining their pur-
ses and destroying the privacy and
beauty of their homes with our aim
less, worthless presence.
What right has anyone who is able
to work to the comforts of others
labor supplies? What right have
those who have squandered their
means, regardless of consequences, to
a living, anyway? Prodigality in
youth is followed by want in age. 1t
is Gods retribution !!
If our legislators would enact laws
for compulsory work, and compul-
sorry saving in youth, they would
reach the point they aim at sooner
than in making compulsory educa-
tional laws, which often deprive pa
rents of the much needed help of their
children, and the children themselves
of opportunities to learn to work,
which is the mostimportant but most
neglected part of their education.
Indulgence in things not necessary
to health and comfort has been the
cause of most of the poverty in this
favored land and heaped untold bur-
dens on those who have been indus
trious and careful of expenditures.
That thrifty people must support the
vagabonds doesn't seem fair. 1t is
growing to be hard enough for young
farmers to get on without weight of
other folks self imposed poverty,
crime and debauchery to carry in the
shape of taxation. 1t is said there
are more young men in the peniten-
tiaries in this country learning trades
than there are outside of them. What
wisdom is this that allows the chill
dren to grow up without any handi-
craft by which to earn livelihood
and sends them to Jail to get it !?
A person can do without fine cul-
ture, he can do without Latin and
science and art, but he cannot do
without food and clothing. Itwould
seem to be the better part of wisdom
to seek first the most important part
that which cannot we'll be done
without-the ability to provide for
his own wants.
Idleness is not in accord with the
apostolic command 'if any would not
work neither should he eat, or of
the high Christian examples of not
eating any mans bread for naught,
but laboring night and day that they
might not be chargeable to anyone.
The early Christians looked upon
that person who worked not as a dis
orderly characterize was pronoun-
ced a busybody, and it was advised to
note that man and make him asham.
ed by having no company with him.
We are trying to be Christians now
with Christianity left out. To eat
our bread in the sweat of some other
face than our own is the standard we
rally under. If some rich relation
leaves US enough to carry out this dc
nothing policy we arei in luck /; if not
we can borrow-we can keep going
along while on borrowed money, and
when the collapse comes there are
plenty of institutions and wealthy
people to pick us up and take care
| of us.
"I have Observed" said Franklin
"the more public provisions are made
for the poor the less they provide fol
themselves. There is growing
sentimentality about caring for the
poor, and they are provided for Sc
abundantly, and even in some case
luxuriously, that it encourages lazi
ness in those who are born tired.
If we would spend as much energ.
in efforts to teach and supply paying
empIoyments as we do in almsgiving
we would lessen poverty and bring
the speudthrift back more surely t
the tried and true plan of paying hi
own way.
Parents are often called upon t
decide for their children when they
are young and had had SO little knowl
edge of the ways of the world tha
they do not know what is best TO
them. I sometimes think If the,
were turned over to the grandparents