To praise one's luck when things are doing well or to blame one's misfortune when something goes wrong is quite customary in this country. "He was lucky," they say of a man who has succeeded. Still more often, when something goes wrong it is said, "I had no luck". It is forgotten that in whichever case the reasons for the outcome ought to be sought in the person concerned: on one side, his foresight, his ability, his carefulness; on the other, his lack of persistence, ability, etc.

It is true that conditions may play a decisive role in a man's life, especially in a country where matters develop speedily. Thus, for many of those who have taken farm land, it has been a matter of guess work--a chance whether they obtained good land in a good district or poor land in a poor district. It was impossible for them to know in advance, so they had to 2set out and trust to fortune. Similar occurrences may take place in other fields too: for example, people may stream in to a new district where gold has been discovered, etc.

It is dangerous, however, to make blind chance one's god. It weakens the personal responsibility, the power of will, the energy of action. The man to whom luck is the root of all good or evil will meet life just as a rudderless ship meets a storm; he will drift aimlessly wherever chance may lead.

"I never had an opportunity," is another saying one has often heard....Most people have met those who complained of never having had a chance. If, however, their lives were to be investigated, it would be found that they have not been lacking in opportunities, but rather have been lacking in the energy, push, and force needed to get ahead. Many slackers pass through life as though they were in a dream; they devote their energies to insignificant 3matters; they do not observe opportunities which present themselves, though they may lie directly in their path. Yet, when some other person grasps those opportunities and succeeds, the slacker is the first to exclaim, "Oh, if I had only had that man's chance!"

Not every one, however, will meet the same opportunities; some will have to fight far harder than others in order to succeed. There is, however, a compensation even in this, for no character can become really strong except through struggle. There is also an amount of joy in looking down from the mountain top to its very foot where began the steep paths that have been climbed.

Then there are some who climb but who do not reach the top; they get part of the way then collapse. But still they are not the ones who complain of never having had a chance, for those who complain thus are the ones who never got started. He who really wills to get ahead....does not wait for 4opportunities. He gets started from where he is and works on with persistence. Should things not always go according to his wishes or expectations, he does not blame them on poor luck, but instead takes hold once more, still more determined than ever that the goal be achieved. When this goal has finally been achieved, he knows that the victory he has won was not a result of good luck, but the fruit of his own hard labor.

All this talk about luck and chance, whether good or bad, weakens the will and the sense of responsibility; it paralyses a man's energy. Away with it! Every man is the author of his own luck, his own fortune. But to mold the metal, it is necessary to heat it and strike it while it's hot.