Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-11-15
MiseellaueOas 8sadine,
LUCK.
"Luck" Comes to the Wise and to the
Stronq.

Strong.
Philosophy recognizes no luck and
no accidents as these terms are popu-
larly understood. Everything results
human powers are not able to trace
the infinite series Of causes and effects
and do not recognize the law Of causa-
ton in some sudden mishap. Dr.
physician, in his work on Cause and
Effect" says that there is throughout
nature a regular sequence of events;
that our power depends upon our
when the connection of events is un-
known ignorance refers the event to
what is called chance. Superstition,
which is ignorance in another form,
refers the event to the immediate
agency Of some superior benevolent or
malevolent being; but philosophy en-
deavors to discover the antecedent in
the chain of events" The purport of
this is that the lawless thing called
luck or i'll luck or chance is figment
Of the mind, convenient designa-
ton for something we do not under
stand.
We like to attribute our poor en-
deavors to some malign, obstructing
and thwarting influence beyond our
selves. However this may be, it must
be admitted that persons are fire.
quently the victims of what are
called accidents, perhaps accidents
Of birth and environment, which Sc
riously handicap them in the effort to
rise in the world. Some are so de-
ficient in faculties that they seem
DOOMED to i'll fortune, but the vast
majority who persuade themselves
that they are the victims of i'll luck
bring misfortune upon themselves by
acts of commission or omission. Be-
tween those born apparently under an
evil star and those destined from
birth for every kind of prosperity to
be gained with no effort come the
great mass of persons who have the
making of their fortunes entirely in
their own hands.
A Greek proverb recognizes three
prerequisites to success, 'sagacity,
strength and luck" which is another
way of saying that men succeed by
using common sense and courage and
by seizing opportunities as they fall
in their way, and it may be remarked
that opportunities are likely to fall in
the way of the sagacious and the
alert. The gold seems to lie waiting
for him who knows where to dig for
it, The hunter who knows where to
look for game finds it. 1t is not a
question of good luck or chance. 1t
is rather a matter of hearing and see
ing and applying ones abilities to
the thing in hand. 1t is said of GER
tain successful men that everything
they touch turns to gold. There is
no Midas touch other than that which
every knowing and skillful man uses
in the improvement of his affairs.
There is a faculty in Shrewd and un-
daunted men which minimizes the ef-
fects of misfortune, or i'll luck, and
makes the most of favoring circum-
stances. There are some strong ma
lures that readily rebound from an
unexpected and discouraging situa-
ton.
Our aim should be to attain such
perfection and refinement in averting
the disagreeable things of life
whether they come from our fellow
men or from the physical world-that
like an active fox, we may slip out
of the way of every mishap, great or
Shall, remembering that a mishap is
generally our own awkwardness in
disguise.
Great achievements would not be