Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1907-07-04
WHY SOME MEN IDLE
Spend Time in Discussing Luck
Instead OF Seeking Work.

A REPORTER representiye over
heard a conversation on the street
corner the other day. The parties
were men evidently out of work-ac-
cording to their story-by no fault of
their own. They were not talking of
the crying demand for men in the mills
and factories in Grand Rapids; the
Wisconsin River Valley; in fact, the
entire country; not were they discus
sing the present high wage scale nor
the reasons for paying common labor
ers from $3.50 to 81 per day, when
plenty of men were available in years
gone by at much less compensation.
They were, however, discussing the
question over which philosophers
have gone mad; essayists have de-
voted pages; and noyelists and histor-
ians have ground out volumns. They
were learnedly consoling each other
with incidents of "Luck" which
elevated their school chum to wealth
and prominence in the business
world.
On our office desk, when we re
turn, we found the following, -co-in-
cident as it may seem, and for the
sake of our curb-stone philosophers,
who Micawber like, are waiting for
something to turn ap." we publish
the same entire. The article in
question is as follows:
Failures always believe in luck.
ceSSful men also do not believe in the
wonderful freeks that circumstances
sometimes seem to play. Many So
called successful men, in telling the
story of their lives, point to a rare
combination of circumstances, over
which they seemed to lloye no con-
troll that gave them the desired op-
portunity. The majority of success
full men, successful men in the truesU
and best sense of the term, however,
do not believe in luck, but recognize
the principal that back of every effort
in this world of affairs there is a
cause that can with searching be
found out and established.
But failures always believe in luck!
Listen to the men on the street. in
the office, store, factory or plant who
look with enviops eyes at the 'old
man" or the "old mans son." Hear
these failures talk about, the time
they and the sold man" were boys
together. They, the failures, accord
ing to their own talk, were just as
bright, just as wise, just as ready to
work and seize opportunity as were
the men who are now their superiors,
but "luck" didn't run their way.
That's the way they put it.
The failure always has q good rea-
son for his lack of success. He always
attributes it to ''Flck" that the other
fellow has made a good showing in
the game of life.
Luck simply consists in hard work,
honest preparation, being on time at
the opportune moment when duty de-
mands that one shall be i'm his place.
1t is simply the inevitable out come
of clearly defined and exactly stated
law. A man with a world of know
ledge who sits on his launches and
waits for something to turn up, will go
a long time hungry. Time and tide
wait for no man but they do bear on
their bosom to the harbor of success
those are ready when the time is pro-
pitious and the flood time comes.
This world is full of winners, grun-
tiers, grumblers and lazy people, who,
jealous of the success Of others, always
make plausible excuses for them
selves Int ALWAYS believe the success
full ones are successful because of
luck. If winners. grunters, grumblers
would take as much time to inyeSti-
gate the reason of their failures, and
profit by their Investigations as they
take to talk about the luck, of the
other fellow, they, too, would prob
ably be a success.
Failures, talking failures, make
failures. Achieving men, talking
achievement, achieve.