Show 1 1 VOCATIONS AND I 1 avocations by THOMAS ARKLE CLARK dean of men uni venity of JL aby illinois all l lla Se leucus who lived in syria three hundred years or so before the beginning of the christian era had a really first class job ot of being king which ought to have kept him busy and con tented ills his soul but it lid did nol not ile was perfectly daft on the subject of build ing I 1 am sure lie studied build ing plans during nil all tits his leisure hours when as king lie was not signing ti lings lie built innumerable cities we are told not because there was need tor for them but because building was for him recreation a sport which stirred ills imagination and took ills his mind olt off tits his regular business having built one magnificent city lie he moved on to ik another nother 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 racing corn and hogs and cattle out by burr oak grove giove in vermilion county his aita agri cultural interests should have held him film for there wa was much labor needed on a farm in those days but not so lie ile was all right as a farmer but what he enjoyed most was fixing things lings ti making things go after they had ceased to function anything that had wheels in it fascinated chap man crippled mowers end and sewing machines clocks and watches which refused d to RO go were to chapman a source of the keenest delight tie he used to come around once a year and ask to stay all night lie ile out for the money for if anything needed flag whether it were the sewing ma chine or fathers old watch lie was glad to put everything aers thing in perfect order simply simpli for our lodging and feed ing him film and ills his horse the next nest morning he was on his way it was for him romance adventure the joy of life an avocation which gave him the keenest pleasure lie he enjoyed I 1 it for itself as bronson alcott used to enjoy lecturing and you will recall that lie he came back to concord once after a months pilgrimage having made a dollar and in the meantime having lost ills his overcoat A little priest came to the country town a dozen doyen miles or so distant front from t the he neighborhood in which I 1 lived there was no church in the town worthy of 0 the name but within two years ears he had one built and then he moved on to another and larger town he was a faithful shepherd ot of ills his flock but ills his avocation no catlon like that of Se leucus was building so as long a as s he lived lie he moved moed from one town t to 0 another always leaving a beautiful church behind him film it gave him enthusiasm thusia sm it kept dept him young and interested te in life the man without an avocation Is sure to grow state stale to dry up to lose interest in life and to become tive in his vocation maybe Se leucus was a better and a happier king because of the cities which lie he built C 1330 western newspaper union |