The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-06-17
FATE-A SUBTERFUGE.


Fate is the high priest and guiding
light of sthe cowardly and lazy. Bat
tered by the hard fist of adversely the
coward yields and sitting weakly by
murmurs, That's just my luck" En-
vious of the prosperity and good for
tune of the energetic man, the slothful
lazy and Indifferent man, lolling Ian
guidIy in an easy chair, environed by
sluggish disorder, drawls, "Fate's
Fate is the root of all their failures. de-
feats and disappointments, these two
wend their uncertain way gloomily
through life, missing the great lesson
they are here to learn, that good for
tune and contentment for man lie in
! the exertion of will and effort in de-
veloping opportunities.
The old.saying has it that opportuni-
ty knocks at the door of every man
but once in his life. Not so. Oppor-
tunity in this case is but yelled allu-
sion to Fate and Fate. as interpreted
by the yielding and Indifferent, is but
an excuse, invented of their magma
tions, to apply to all that transpires,
whether favorable or otherwise. OPP
portunity knocks at no mans door-at
least. not outwardly. 1t exists wholly
within mans brain and lies there dor
mant forever, unless released through
effort, will and perseverance. 1t is
hard to develop and therefore sweeter
and of more lasting value to the man
who pluckily strives and fails and
strives again, until at last he conquers
and bends opportunity to his will. And
such men as these place a rightful
value on opportunity. They hold it
tightly to themselves and do not allow
it to wander forth on fruitless
journey, knocking at the door of ev-
cry man, leaving the lazy mans I'M
opened door and forced by the cow
ards hesitancy and indecision to pass
on until it reaches one haven out of
millions. where it is recognized at it's
true worth and taken in and treasured
A few homily Illustrations may serve
to show clearly the difference between
developed opportunity and magma
tive Fate. The wise and energetic
fruit-grower picks peaches from his
trees before they have ripened entire
ly, and by this wise precaution is able
to market his produce in the freshest
and most pleasing condition This
man by his own effort makes fate or
opportunity respond to his command.
Having fine fruit he gets the best
price for it, and. what is more. salts
fieShis customers and rests easy in the
assurance he can sell to them again.
Hissneighbor,. also a fruit-grower. is,
however, slothful, lazy creature. neg
lectfuLof his orchard, spending prec-
ous~time in idleness, while his peaches
to the ground and rot. And
when<he finally markets his fruit
remnants he receives but a scanty re-
muneratfon from customers of his own
stamp who, though dissatisfied, never
theless~ are forced to endure food of
poor quality, because their purses are
lined. only with slothful mems wages. |
Then Mr.. Indifferent Fruitgrower, on
his way home, counts over his seanty |
proceeds and, summoning old, imagin-
alive Fate, bemoans his hard luck.
These illustrations are not far
fetched. You see both classes around |
you in your daily life Those who
think and work and win; those who
and merely exist. Those
who work out their own destiny and
those who. through lack of individual
force of character, bow beneath the
destiny worked out for them by 9th
ers- To every man is left the choice
as to which of these classes he will be-
long. If he believes in and practices
working with his brain as well as with
and perseyeres in this through
every trial, he will win out and con-
troll not only his own destiny. but the
destiny of others. But hesitate or
fear, idle or procrastinate, and it is not
his Fate. but his fault that others shall
have the deciding voice as to his
destiny.