Talks to Young Men. IV: Ruts

TALKS TO YOUNG MEN. IV.— RUTS. The changes which break up at intervals the prosperity of men, are advertisements of a nature whose law is growth. — Emerson. When I was a boy, it was my privilege to haul wood from the canyons. Father was too apprehensive to send so young a boy alone, so he went along. The hills were steep, and often the roads were temporary ones formed by our wagon and others, in their abrupt descent from the summits to the valley below. The lower wheels dug down into the loose earth, making a deep de- pression, or rut; for safety, we always sat on the upper side of the load, prepared to .iump,in case it should appear that the load, get- ting top-heavy, might topple over. We used an improvised brake, made of soft, green quaking-asp, and suspended in front of the hind wheels from logs on either side of the wagon. On the right side of the brake was the brake pole, so fixed that by attaching a rope to its upper end, by means of a pulley one of us could hold the wagon in check. I generally drove the mules, while father, seated at the rear, guided the brake, holding the load from the animals' heels. One day we were going down a sidling, steep grade, in this order, with a heavy load. As we were on the steep- est part of the hill,, one end of the brake dropped, thus disabling it. The load plunged suddenly onto the mules. The speed was uncomfortably accelerated. Father yelled, in his commanding way, * 'Steer the animals up the side hill, you chump!" Tugging at the lilies with all my strength without success, I turned and cried out: *'I can't; we're in a rut." We jumped from the load, and about the time we were up and

TALKS TO
YOUNG MEN. 271 around,
the mules, wagon and wood, landed in a mixed bunch at the foot of the hill. A friend of mine had a similar experience last summer. He is a proud horseman, and also takes great pride in Jerseys, not- withstanding he has had two narrow escapes, within the past few months, from being trampled to death by vicious, well-fed bulls. Animals, let it be said in passing, like men, are apt to become vicious when they are too well provided for. It may be that my friend's Jerseys cost him more than he gets out of them. But all this is neither here nor there, as far as this anecdote goes. He invited me to ride behind his fine bay, in his sparkling new buggy; and since such an invitation is rare, in my experience, I readily accepted. We enjoyed a refreshing ride up one of the beautiful canyon roads near his place, turning up one of the side canyons for a change. All went well until we were returning from our side trip down a steep incline ending in the main-traveled road. As we were half way down, one of those infernal automobiles came puffing along said road, and upon sight of it, his horse decided to go faster. By quick mathematical calculation, I could see that unless the horse was suddenly turned out of his course, he would reach the intersection at the precise 'moment the automobile Vv'as due. I hurriedly suggested that he turn the horse; but just as I jumped, I heard him say: "I can't; the wheels 're in a rut." The buggy was sent for another day, and the motor of the automobile was disabled. Fortunately, a passing doctor made the riders quite comfortable. There can he enlargement, and the man of today scarcely recog- nizes the man of yesterday. And such should be the outward biog- raphy of man in time, a putting off of dead circumstances day by day, <is he renews his raiment day by day. — Emerson. Going back to when I was a boy, I remember two young men who hauled lumber to the city from a local mill situated far back in the hills. That was before it was forbidden to cut timber on government land. Helmer, one of the young men, was the champion hauler, faithful as a man could be; up early and late; he fed his horses well, and made big money for his employer; and, besides, satisfied himself, at his business.
Everybody praised him.
He made more

272 IMPROVEMENT ERA. trips in a given time than anyone else, was prompt, exact, and a model, in every way. I remember how I envied him, as he sat on his great load, when he passed by, as the music of his loaded wagon greeted my ears in the field where fate seemed to have doomed me to the simple and tame task of curing hay. One day it was noised about that another young man, Bulwer by name, a lucky-go-easy from, a neighboring village, had been hired to haul lumber, and would compete with Helmer. This man had been put on the road out of some person's charitable recom- mendation, at a reduced salary. He made three or four trips, and then one day he laid over at the mill, apparently to rest. He was already beaten by his companion teamster, who shook his head, saying, "That chap, Bulwer, will be laid off for good. Too bad, for he is a good, considerate fellow." But when Bulwer went to town next time, after having unloaded, he went directly into the team-owner's city office, and confidentially told his employer that he had learned that the mill boss was about to let a contract to one person for hauling all the products of the mills to the city. Here was a good business opportunity. Would he take advantage of it? If not, Bulwer would take it himself. The snap was ac- cepted. Bulwer multiplied his own salary, and doubled the team- owner's profits. Later they entered partnership in selling the lumber, also, and both made handsome additional profits. But Helmer continued hauling, and even Bulwer acknowledged that he had no match in this line. Bulwer now owns three or four saw- mills, and several townships of timber in a neighboring state, with everything to match. He has dollars invested in nearly every fi- nancial and manufacturing enterprise in his native city, with bank and railroad stocks to spare. But Helmer is still hauling. To be sure he has no lumber to haul, but he gets jobs in other lines, and he does faithful work, too, although he isn't what he used to be thirty years ago. His wife often wonders why Helmer don't do something different when so many chances lie around. Nobody has answered her, although one day a neighbor came very Jiear to solving the question when he said: "He seems to have got into a rut." The penetrating young man who has read thus far will have observed what a mental and physical disadvantage it is to get into

TALKS TO
YOUNG MEN. 273 ruts. And we are all in danger of getting into them. It is so easy: you don't have to think or steer. In fact, you can't; and then it's such easy, pleasant traveling! You have noticed, too, that they generally lead down hill, but that the end is invariably discouraging. Look around you and see if any of your friends are in ruts: that farmer, that workman, that bookkeeper, that teacher, or professor! Are you slipping gently into a rut your- self? If so, be warned in time; for of all laughable things, see how faithfully those who are in, stay! NEED OF RELIGIOUS ENLIGHTENMENT. In regard to religious knowledge, even men in the civilized world are exceedingly ignorant, although most of the people call themselves Christians. As a consequence, it is necessary that the true principles of salvation shall be preached to them by the Lat- ter-day Saints, as well as to the whole world of mankind in general. The more knowledge a person possesses, the more power and influence he can exercise. That "knowledge is power" is not alone true in temporal affairs, but certainly also in spiritual; and the power of knowledge extends into eternity. Knowledge is power in religious and spiritual affairs, as well as in scientific and temp- oral. The Bible teaches us that to know God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent is eternal life. Consequently, a man must be in possession of a knowledge of the attributes of God, and of the mission of Jesus Christ, before he can gain eternal life, or a salvation and exaltation in the kingdom of God. The Prophet Joseph Smith also declares this doctrine, saying that men cannot be saved in ignorance. Men may claim that if they are members of one of the many sectarian Christian churches that they have enough knowledge of God and of Christ, but in most cases their knowledge is very limited, and many of them are very indifferent. They likely serve God with their lips, but their hearts are, as a rule, far from him. They may pray enough, but do not act enough, or, as has been said, pray too much on Sundays and too little on week days. To change all this, and enlighten the world in the true knowledge of God, is the great work in which the Latter-day Saints are engaged. — A^. F. Green.