Cherokee scout. [volume] (Murphy, N.C.) 188?-1961, 1908-02-04

one Il L I IS onl9 highest n eiViiiza1
tion that wofE is coming to its own.
In his savage state man is the lazy
animal. IndeA, It is not natural
for any animalNto work, save as it
is driven to it BY the whip of neces-
sity. This is the view Of work we
find embodied in the old Genesis
story, where labor is set down as
punishment for Adams sin, where
he is told, as he is driven from the
Garden, Thou shalt eat thy bread
by the sweat of thy brow" This is
not only a very uninspired part of
the Bible; but this sentiment certifies
that 1t Is very old part.
How labor was despised received
its most signal illustration from the
life of Christ. You remember how
over the multitudes who heard Him,
He cast spell. All the people said
that no man spake as He spake. The
loft1est spirits pressed about Him and
asked Him If He were the Messiah.
Yet they scarcely could believe for
Joy. And what was the basis of their
doubt? Their skepticism was all in
that question of theirs, ''Is not this
the carpenters SOM" How could
workman be the real Saviour? They
marveled at His wisdom. They con-
fessed that He spoke with authority.
They followed Him as sheep follow
a shepherd. But He was a carpen-
ter, and so the high and mighty set
Him down for a fraud. It was be-
cause their eyes were holden that
they mistook the dignity Of toll for
a disgrace.
In some parts of the world that is
still true. But increasingly the world
Is coming to honor the toiler,
whether he works in a profession or
a trade, and is correspondence COM
ing to despige the idler, whether he
be rich or poor. How much the
United States has done with its
democracy to bring this about, and
with its great men. almost all Of
them coming from the cabin and the
plow, we may never know. Certain
it is that New England was the first
country since the land of the ancient
Jews in which it was counted respec-
table to earn ones living.
Little do we think, or have taken
time to find out, how much our work
contributes to our happiness.
Work is great character builder.
I suppose most of us work in order
to eat. I suppose If we were gener-
ally asked, we would say that the
first requirement we made of our
labor was that 1t should clothe US,
and feed us, and house us. That is
the first requirement and the lowest.
The second and greatest requires
ment man makes of his work,
whether he knows it or not, is that
1t shall make man of him. Your
work must bring you bread, but no
less it must bring you culture. Some
- TrYn M n1r MI xySVrr -
the boy who Is born poor, or the
young man who fails at college. 1T
is al hardship and sometimes q pity.
LdeSe Is On4 man, NOW ever more m
fortunate than that young man, and
that is the young fellow who is born
In silken nest and goes through cob
lege in an automobile. There is
nothing wrong about a silken nest,
and there is nothing bad about an
automobile, except its trail. But you
cannot raise an eagle in eiderdown.
and 1t requires far more of man
| to amount to anything in college who
| goes through 1t in an automobile
| instead of walking. We are so made
/ that we must have struggle. The
! reason why rich mems sons rarely
amount to anything, is because they
never develop their muscles. There
i Is no teacher like work 1t mus
| bring him bread, but no less it mus
bring him culture. "The Man Will
| the Hoe'-he needs not so much pity
Moses was herdsman; David wa!
shepherd Jesus was carpenter
Benjamin Franklin knew no colleg'
he was a printers devil; Rober
Burns knew no leisure-he was +;
plowman; Abraham Lincoln wore nj
soft raiment; but these are our star
of the first magnitude. Even col
leges can give culture only through
work, and there are some things col
leges cannot teach Literature ant
history and the liberal arts are a
last the ornaments of life; even read
ing and writing and the rule of tire,
are all named the ''convenienees o
life.''
But these are fundamentals
dustry, thrift, courage, honesty
truth, faith, hope, love. These ar
the threads which, woven together
make the eternal life of man. If 70,
have forgotten these, though yol
have gained the whole world, yo
have lost your. own SOUL" and thes
may be had for the receiving in ever
: work and calling open to men. Whe,
you stand before task, look for
teacher. If it offer thee not wisdom
despise its wage If thy calm
yield thee not culture for mind an
heapt, 1t is but a coffin for thy bette
nature. Demand of your life wor
that It shall make man out Of yoy
Work is a great influence give1
And here we come upon anothe
blunder. 1t Is not the kind of wor
you do that gives you influence S
much. That Is what the worl
thinks. It is the way you do Il
Quality counts for more than kline
1t is true, of course, that there ar
some vocations that in themselve
damn the worker. ALI labor ths
makes merchandise out of men
vices is Of that sort 1t is true ais
that certain kinds of work give NOR
consideration than others.
The minister, because he is q mir
lister, occupies a larger place In th
community than the day labore
That is, he does il he ministers. III
great calling will not serve IN itsel
Many a laborer in many village he
been more the voice Of God to tbs
village than the parson has beef
For, after all, the thing that count
in influence is not money or posses
sions. 1t is a quality, a thing, an a
mosphere. It is persona ltstJs So "a
s AnG1,aass OF a mans work. or tn
eoArseness of 1t, is the thing b
which he is at last judged in tn
community.
There is q little town out in Min
nesota called Rochester. A few year
ago when I was there 1t only had
81 few hundred naonla In it. 1t wa