Okolona messenger., 1907-04-17
SEES JOY IN WORK.
WORLD SEEMS TO HAVE NO
PLACE ron THE IDLER.
No Real JSy In Lie Of Ease Without
Lab6r! says Man Whe iAs Given
the Matter Thorough
Tplal. M

qAfter all" said q man who fome
time ago had a fortune left to him.
there's nothing like work.
II used to think that if I had
money enough to live on comfortably,
30 that diGa. hare to work. should
be happy. My work was one incessant
grind, day after day the same un.
ending round of the same things oyer
and over again. and fused to getsso
tired OF It all that sometimes 1t seem
ed as though / should fly.
"But l had to keep at 1t to live, and
so / did keep at it till distant rela-
tive OF mine tina: had never known
was worth anything died and left me
q fortune.
There never was anything that
ever happened to me that ever gave
me half 30 much pleasure as that
The Arst thing l did was to shake the
work which got rid of as quickly as
I docentIy could. and then I set about
planning enjoyment.
"The one thing of all that I wanted
most was travel. craved change,
and when that money came | got 1t.
set out on my dreamed Of travels,
and found a keen delight in them all
for time.
1T was all the same to me whether
1t rained or the sun shone, for wher-
ever / was or wherever was going,
was free to enjoy 1t all, and ] did
for time, but then | began to find
myself in a way apart, and not so
much privileged to enjoy these things
as had been at first
"For / was an idler pure and sim
ple, while all those to whom was
Indebted for the possibility Of the
pleasures of travel. the railroad men
and the steamship men, were all
workers, as we're also the hotel men
and the theater. people and every
body to whom / was indebted for
pleasures in sOjourn, all workers. So
likewise were all or nearly all the
travellers l met, workers In one field
or another, ALL, and finding delight in
every breath they drew because they
were workers.
''And they were drawn, II not to-
getker, at least toward one another
of their kind. while /, an idler only,
had nothing in common with the
world Even in the far distant ports
where / leaned over the rail found
myself more and mDre separated 1bum
the labOrer on the wharf, who, bound
though he might be- to his work., yet
had an object in lEke, which he DC
complished by labor. while was .
mere part.
I'm ftact the more / Idled the more
clearly came to realize that the law
Of the universe is labOE, that In nature
there iS nothing idle. and the more
Il traveIed the more clearly 1t came tcD
me how few real idlaEs there are
among men. When finally at the
end of three years Of fdling l had
come back again to tine city / hadl
this fact borTe in upon me with'
greater intensity than ever, and now
the great Joy that had found at,
first in siheer lOafing WAS quite de-
parted!
THE, city was alive with activity,
with men all at work. an doing some
thing. all accomplishing something.
and II was out of it. an fdler and-a
stranger. Actually mem looked at
me aHs q strange being. and some of
them with curiosity. That should
be doing nothing whem there was
chance. t1eT wondered.
Friends that had known greet
ed m@ and smiled and then passed
on. Tltey had their work, to do, and
their Interests and their sympathies
were with other people. So stood
alone. as one set on. until, by q
kind or Providence. there afrCse with
in me- desire to work.
I've been at 1t ever since, and
am at. 1t stfIl. grateful to be back in
the fGTA Of men,"