St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1909-05-29
Ruler Of
Destiny
Man Makes
Luck Good
Oh Bad
by DR.. MADISON G. PETERS.
Notes Nsw-YoEk Dfviass

The ancient Greeks and Romans believed in what they called Destiny,
the mysterious governing power. Piny said: "some people refer their
successes to virtue and ability but Ill is all fate Cicero spoke Of "luck0
IN connection with the Roman empire and generals IS q settled thing.
Caesar once, when crossing D stream, told the pilot: 9You carry Caesar
and his good fortune Alexander depended upon his aluek.o Napoleon
was always talking about his Star Cromwell had similar notions about
destiny
What is there in the idea Of @chanee?0 Circumstances do combine
sometimes to give men favorable opportunities for graspng precious prizes.
Az Shakespeare has i: sThere is . tide u the affairs Of men, which,
taken at its food, leads on to fortune But who controlled this tide?
Chance comes and goes like all other opportunities in life, but the man
who makes the most Of it gets the greater benefit, and circumstances, in
stead Of being 4 hindrance, constitute the quarry out Of which We are to get
the paving stones for the road to success.
The successful man is not he who idly stands with arms akimbo set
until occasion tells him what to do, but rather it is be who rolls up his
sleeves, strikes when the iron is hot, and keeps it hot by striking. a'Tis
not IN our stars, dear Brutus, but IN ourselves, that we are underings"
That fortune is 8 tickle jade that cit is more by hit than good wit"
Sc the bugbear Of the idle and languid.
Away with the crude notion that fortune Is / blind goddess and with
her blind hand, she, blind, besows her gifts" Robert Burns had the In
telligence and enlightenment Of our twentieth century when be wrote:
10 catch Dame Fortunes golden smile,
Asaduous wait upon her.
Success is won BY doing the right thing at the right time, in the right
way. Sir Walter Raleigh flung his lace jacket in 9 mud puddle and won
proud queens favor. Innine cases out Of ten the successful man ID he
"Who breaks his births inYdious bar,
And grasps the skirts Of happy chance,
And breasts the blows of circumstance,
And grappes with his evil STAR
Your so-caned lucky fellows are usually keen sighted men, who
have surveyed the world with 9 scrutinizing eye, and who to clear ideas Of
what ought to be done unite the skin to execute their practical plans.
Our remedies in ourselves do lie,
Which We aacrbe to heaven; the fated sky
Gives us free scope; and only backward pulls
Our slow designs when we ourselves are dull
Sir Thomas Buxton said: "The longer I live the more certain Z am
that the great difference between men, between the great and the insignif-
cant, is energy, inyincble determination, an honest purpose, once fixed,
and then death or victory. This quality will do anything IN the world,
and no talents, no circumstances, will make . twolegged creature q man
without it,
An old Latin proverb says: Opportunity has hair in front, but is
bald behind. Seize him BY the forelock1
Is luck that gives the lawyer his clients, the physician his patients,
the preacher his hearers, the merchant his business, the mechanic his la
Dor, the farmer his harvest2 Read the story Of aWhos Who III A1nerica,"
80 per cent. Of our great men we're born in the baekwoods and graduated
from the University Of Hard Knocks. Men like Edison atoned for their
lack Of schooling by grit and ambition and BY making the most Of their
spare momentA
Stephen Gisrd, the second richest man in his day in America, Who
eame# here 9 poor immigrant boy, said: Fl began life With sx-pence, and
believe that mans best capital y his industry John Jacob Aator began
Life q . peddler IN the streets Of New York. John DsRoekefIer worked
% q porter in 9 machine shop and Andrew Carnegie began life q i mas-
senger boy.
Men lose their luck By letting their energies out through bad habits
and unWise projects. Nothing viii ever turn Up for which you have never
.sh1ven. Luck blossoms on the tree Of pluck Whatever may be your ma
tive powers ultinaate. success viii never be attained without the most ar
dpous, well directed, life lasting labor for seltimproysment. The prize
belongs to him vho, with faith undying and with hope through thick and
thin, keeps atrying.