Rensselaer Union, Volume 5, Number 45, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 31 July 1873 — The Turning Points of Life. [ARTICLE]

The Turning Points of Life.

What we call a “turning point” is simply an occasion .which sums up and brings to a result previous training. Accidental circumstances are nothing except to men who have been trained to take advantage of them. Erskine made himself famous when the chance came to him of making a great forensic display; but unless he had trained himself for the chance, the chance would only have made him ridiculous. There is the story told of some gentleman, who, on a battle-field happening to bow with much graGe-4©-somc officer who addressed him, a cannonbqll just went through bis hair, and took off the head of one behind him. The officer, when he saw the marvelous escape, justly observed that no man ever lost by politeness. There is a man in Berkshire, England, who lias a park with a walled frontage of seven miles, and he tells of a beautiful little operation which made a nice little addition to his fortune. He was in Australia when the first discoveries of gold were made. The miners brought in their nuggets, and took them to the local banks. The bankers were a little nervous about the business, uncertain about the quality of the gold, and waited to see its character established. This man had a taste for natural sciences and knew something about metallurgy. He tried each test, solid and fluid, satisfied himself of the quality of the gold, and then, with all the money lie had or could borrow, he bought 7 as much gold as might be, and showed a profit of £100,009 in the course of a day or two. His “luck’ was observation and knowledge, and a happy tact in applying them. The late Joseph Hume went out to India, and while he was still a yqung man he accumulated a considerable fortune. He applied himself to the hard work of master ing the native language, and turned the knowledge to most profitable account. On ono occasion, when all the gunpowder had failed the British army, he succeeded in scraping together a large amhaqUf the necessary material and manufactu r trig 4t for the troops. When he returned to JBngland he canvassed with so much ability and earnestness for a seat in the East India directorate, that he might carry out his scheme of reform, that, though he failed to get the vote of a Certain large proprietor of stock, he won his daughter’s heart and made a prosperous marriage. And marriage is, after all, the “luckiest bit of luck,” when it is all it should be. There is, then, in truth, no “luck.” There are turning points in life, moments, critical moments, that are worth tnore-than years; nevertheless a great occasion is only worth to a man what his antecedents have enabled him to make of it, and our business in life is to prepare for these supreme momenta, these hours when life de-pends-on --the—decisions -of - the instant. Whatever of truth is veiled under the popular idea of luck and chance is, rightly considered, an incentive to the busiest industry, hot an excuse for folded hands and idle dreams. —Frederick Arnold.

—ln Calcutta, recently, on examining a ship lying in dry-dock, it was found that a sword of. a sword-fish was imbedded in her bottom, near the keel. It had penetrated the solid timbers to a depth of thirteen inches, and had evidently been broken off by the shock. The exports from Philadelphia ‘for the" fiscal year just ended foot up $24,203,125, an increase of $3,820,249 over last year,, and $7,300,000 over 1870.- Boston also shows a large increase, and the same is true of New Orleans. New York, of course, holds her own,