This morning I saw a pair of horses which had evidently become
discouraged by being hitched to loads that were too heavy for
them. At the start they did their best to go forward; when the
driver struck them with his whip they made an effort to pull;
but one could see that their spirit had been broken; the long
struggle with unequal burdens had caused them to lose their
confidence and their grip, and after a while they ceased to make
any effort to move.
I have often seen other horses loaded beyond their strength; but
no matter how heavy their load, they would pull again and again
with all their might, stretching to the utmost every muscle,
nerve, and fiber in them; and, altho they could not start the
load, they would never give up trying.
Everywhere in life we find people like those horses. Some have
become discouraged by trying to carry too heavy a load, and
finally give up the struggle. They spurt a little now and again,
but there is no heart, no spirit in their effort. The buoyancy
and cheer and enthusiasm have gone out of their lives. They have
been tugging away over heavy loads so long that they have become
disheartened. There is no more fight in them.
There are others who, no matter how heavy their load, will
never cease in their efforts to go forward. They will try
a thousand times with all their might and main; they will
tug away until completely exhausted; they will gather their
strength and try again and again without losing heart or
courage. Nothing will daunt them, or induce them to give up
the struggle. When everybody else lets go, they stick because
they are made of winning material, the mettle which never gives
up.--_Success._
(1874)