Show H H 1 1 11 T VOCATIONS AND avocations by THOMAS ARKLE CLARK dean of men university Uni venity of illinois l ahti t H H I ll lil alil li 1 Se leucus who lived in syria three hundred bundred years sears or so before the beginning of the chris tian era had a really first class job of being king which ought to liae have kept him busy and con tented his soul but it did not FIOL lle was perfect ly daft on the subject of build ing I 1 I 1 nin am sure tie he studied build ing plans during all his leisure hours when as king lie was not signing things lie built innumerable cities we are told not because there was need for them but because building budding was for him decre recreation aaion a sport which stirred his fits im I 1 fingl agitation agi nation and to took ok ills mind oft off ills his regular business having built one magnificent city he moved on to another it took money of course and work but labor was cheap and gold was plentiful in syria and kings must be amused chapman was a farmer who sixty years ago or so was raising corn and hogs and cattle out by burr 0 oak grove giove in ili vermilion county ills agri agil cultural interests should have held field him for there was touch much labor needed on a farm in those days but not so lie he was all right as a farmer but what hat lie enjoyed most was fixing things making things go after they had ceased to function anything that had wheels in it fascinated chapman crippled mowers and sewing machines clocks and watches which refused to go were to chapman a source ace of the keenest delight lie ile used to come around once a year and ask to stay all night ile he out for the money for if anything needed fixing whether it were tile the sewing machino machine or fathers old watch lie ho was glad to put everything eer thing in perfect order simply for our lodging rind and feeding him and his horse the next nest morning lie he was on ills his way it was for him romalice rom romance aiice adventure the joy of life an avocation which gave him film the keenest pleasure lie ile enjoyed it for itself as bronson alcott used to enjoy lecturing and you will recall that lie he came back to con concord cord once utter after a mouths months pilgrimage having made a dollar and in the meantime having lost ills fits overcoat A little priest came to the country town a dozen miles or so distant from tb the e neighborhood in I 1 lived there was no church in the town worthy of the name but within two years he had one built and then lie he moved on to another and larger town ile he was a faithful shepherd of ills his lock flock but his avocation like that of Se leucus was building so as long as he lived he moved moed from one town to to another always leaving a beautiful church behind him film it gave him enthusiasm thusia sm it kept him young and interested te in life the man without an avocation Is sure to grow stale to dr dry up to lose interest in life and to become ineffective t i e in his vocation maybe Se leucus was a better and a happier king be cause of the cities which lie he bull built r 1930 western newspaper New paper UI union |