The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1905-07-26

ken heart! Some Of them might have
gone fishing some day, but they didn't
sit on Il log ana 60 to sleep while a
bullfrOg ate up their bait. No. sir.
They went fishing for fish, and they
caught them, and if they lied about the
big ones that got away they lied and
had it over and got back to their work
again.
1t is said that about twenty capital
lists own America. l reckon the state
ment is true, and l also reckon it took
some hustling to make those dollars.
Nearly every II of the men started
out poor. 1t would have bothered them
to have raised the money for a ham
sandwich, and they had to keep their
knees behind them as much as posi-
bic to hide the patches. You didn't find
them sprawled out in the shade of an
apple tree. wondering why crows and
canary birds can't sing alike, and it
didn't take them all day to sort over a
barrel of potatoes down cellar. They
probably had their mean streaks, for
you can't run across human nature
WltACul VII, uut tuct were uuSlieTS.
and %Snyder's never saw them.
There was Il time in the history Of
our country. my son. when Il man
could lean on his hoe half the time
with his mouth open and yet be sure
of jo%lnnycake and fried pork for al
most every meal. We were 50 we'll
satisfied with II splint bottomed
chairs and sanded floors and pudding
and milk that we didn't feel called up
on even to % to the polls early or save
a years time in courtship. They tell
you those old time people lived the
longer for tho way they lived, but
don't YOU believe it. lust take q walk
throu"ll the country E~rayeyards. and
you Will learn that they didn't. No
body can say that they We're ever hap
pier.
That time has gone by. however. be
the case what it may. The procession
has struck it's gait. and it's either keep
up with it or find Yourself lost. You
have either got to be Il lazy man or
one Of the spokes of the big wheel.
No doubt you might take a heap of
comfort sitting around on Il soap box
and watching Il honeybee trying to
extract sweet from Il milestone. but
what the Old woman will have for sup
per when you get home is another
thing.
Whatsoever you decide to go into,
my son. make up your mind to push 1t
for all you're worth. If it's trapping
muskrats. don't stop until you have
cleared the marsh. If it's preaching,
pound the Bible now and then and
show your earnestnpss. When you
find Il preacher hanging on for the
hundred dollars Il year he gets don't
wonder over it. The hundred dollars
is probably more than he is worth.
You may prefer the burglar business
to anything else. II so, don't be an
hour doing a fifteen minute job. and
don't be content until you reach the
head Of the procession. Fifty years
ago you couldn't tell the American
eagle from the American vulture
when he was flying high. Today the
eagle is getting there and back as fast
as possible. He has to do it to keep
up with the number Of stars on the
American flag.
You can't call all the lazy men in
the country together and set a wood
saving machine at work to make ord
wool Of them, and there Is no law
by which they can be killed of n by
one. They are Of III and among us.
and W. have got to go on enduring
them. Perhaps 1t is better SO. II We.
didn't have them the hustler wouldn't
get the credit he deserves, and the
soar boxes and cracker barrels would
go on lasting forever. NJ. QUAD.