The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson, S.C.) 1914-1917, 1914-06-30
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UNCLE Dawes LETTER. o
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every thoughtful person. The first is:
"ecOndly. Where is my life going to?'
but there IL Il third question
equally important. and surely az prac-
tical: What shall do with my life?
We may not get satisfactory answers
to the first two questions; but that
third question is one we can answer
for ourselves; for that is something
we can decide for ourselves. r
Each man finds himself under the
law Of necessity to work. II is the
Divine ord~r. Life depends upon it,
Other life in the world IT. amply pro J.
vidcd for by the Providence Of the Gre
at0r. but man. OF all the animals. must
work IN order To live. Each man finds
that lie is under the necessity OF con-
slant toll In Ordc- t. mair,aIn his own
.ifc. But l,r also discovers that he is
under the law of brotherhood, and
must work to help on the cause of
humanity. No man liveth to himself ;
We are all SO relat. d that our work
must react m Ill otAn-S
"rhc most serious question wi ich
every youth must meet on the thres-
hold Of life il; this: 'Wha, hall I do
with my life? What shall Dc my jo1"
ITO help you answer :s.at Guc4fio.
will lay that y.,i h'u,' inli". y,.u:
bent. Each III you has nni.. Yt.u haN..
IT lc2s; one. In all p:.ll.i'i:i;y .5.,.
have only one. 'i'hat l. :ou have II
natural aptitude in one dirc::.:on.
fou arc best fitted - do :0mc cnc
specific thing. |: l.; yrry important
that you should - the very outset
Oi life rid Yourself OF the notion that
you are very versatile.
We ave all familiar with the oh:
l?%-Jack 0. ii, trade and good al
none There is noihi..s SD fatal to
success as Il futile versatility
sured that you can do SOM one thing
and do that o'c thing well ia bound TO
succeed. And you E!ay be we'll as
surrcd thai you ch,i ~ :; me Ole IL; G
Each has at least ore talent. Your
key to succesr Is to discover Whit it
IL. In all probability it is the thing
you like. If you like It, you will be
more sure to do it we'll.
And. on the other hand. II you like
to Go any certain thing and 1t comes
ea.!ly. and YOU do 1t we'll. you may be
convinced that. in the doing OF that
thing your life will be success. One
must early learn what he can best do.
and then emphatically refuse to be
tempted aside from the doing that one
thing. We Mast voluntarily decide to
be ignorant OF many other things in
order that we may be wire III the do
ing OF some one thing.
"Thoreau says that the measure OF
mans learning will be the amount OF
his voluntary Ignorance And he; 'is
right You cannot know everything.
You must choose. Your SUCCESS will
depend upon the vigor with which you
specialize i'n 'oEe one line Of -enr
deavOr. A mariners needle in the fac
tory, before it is- poIarized. will point
IN any and all directions. and is Of no
practical value. After 1t has been
mpgnetized, 1t will always invariably.
point towai d the pole. So you will.
pevs point steadily in any directior
until you have been polarized by a
choice OF your ideal career. Then you
arc something worth while
Misery and failure will follow II
you try to do the thing you have no
tast for. There was much philosophy
In the answer ex-Presidcnt Roosevelt
gave to friend when he was asked
how if the world he could do so much
work: I like my job That express
ed 1t. II VIC like our Jobs, we will get
much done and find no friction on the
axles. :
Here ;s the explanation os sc much
unhappiness Men try to do the thing
for which they have not fitness or
taste My advice is that you keep to
what you are by nature. Never desert
your line of talent. BE what nature
that is. Cod-intended you to be and
you Will succeed. Be anything else,
and you will be worse than nothing !.
Not only the miseries of life are TO
find their explanation in upcongenial.
'cmploymente. but the failure in life
can be traced to tho same source.
mo wonder the poet is miserable
anu failure when lie tTies 10 make
horeeshoes! No wonder the black
cmfth Is starving while trying to be q
poet. a
DO Not Drift Into Job.
DO not drift into a Job. One of the
meanest things ever c-aidf OF me was
spoken by man. who asked by one
who had known me as BOY and had
lost trace OF me and wanted to know
what had become. Of me. He asked
This man II lie knew what had become
OF me. His answer was, Have. Won
never learned? Why, he drifted into
auctioneering.' As IL I had been q bit
Of aimless driftwood on the current OF
life. and at last had drifted into al
landing place where had never plan
ned to go. Simply drifted. Implying
that had floated around from being
Q printer to an insurance agent, n
book agent to Christian Sciehce
healer. and then at last trifted into
the auction business. ~ q
do not drift into Job. Think about
It. Plan for 1t. Do not be In too ,sreat
hacte to decide what your life work
shall be. Do temporary work. II