The Abbeville press and banner. (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, December 04, 1889, Image 8
If we Had but a Day
BY MARY LOWE DICKINSON.
We should fill the hours with the sweetest
things
If we had but a day ;
We should drink alone at the purest springs,
In our upward way;
We should love with a life-time's love in an
hour,
If the hours were few;
We should rest not for dreams, but for fresher
power.
To be and to do.
We should guide our wayward or wearied
wills,
By the clearest light; v
We should keep our eyes ou the heavenly
hills,
If they lay in sight;
We should trample the pride aud the discontent
Beneath our feet;
We should tuke whatever a pood God sent
With a trust complete.
We should waste no moments in weak regret,
If the day were but one;
If what we remember and what we forget
Went out with the sun;
We should be from our clamorous selves set
free
To work or to pray,
And to be what the Father would have us be,
If we had but a day.
The Silver Cross.
GRAINS.
Strength is born in the deep silence
of long suffering hearts, not amidst
joy.
Christ knoweth when the fruit-hearing
branches themselves have need of
purging.
We cannot expect perfection in any
one, but we may demand consistency
of every one.
Faith evermore overlooks the difficulty
of the way, and bends her eyes
only to the end.
A sound discretion is not so much indicated
by never making a mistake as
by never repeating it.
Your parting may be the last. This
world is full of unconscious farewells.
Part in peace every time.
}f Cheerfulness makes the mind clearer,
gives tone to thought, and adds grace
and beauty to the countenance.
Never fear to bring the sublimest
motive into the smallest duty, and the
most infinite comfort to the smallest
trouble.
If thou wouldst find much favor and
peace with God and man, be very low
in thine own eyes. Forgive thyself
little and others much.
Some speak to the conscience ; some
plough and break the clods ; some weed
out, and some sow ; some wait that the
fowls devour not the seed.
Satan selects his disciples when thev
are idle: but Christ chose His while
they were busy with their work, either
mending their nets or casting them into
the sea.
In studying the work of God, digest
it uuder these heads; either in removing
some obstructions that keep God
and thee asunder, or as supplying some
uniting power to bring God and thee
together.
There are two wings by which a
man soars above the world,?sincerity
and^purity. The former regards the
intention, the latter the affection.
That aspires and aims at a likeness to
God, that makes us really like him.
Charity does not require of us that
we should not see the faults of others,
but that we should avoid all needless
and voluntary observance of them,
and that we should not be blind to
their good qualities when we are so
sharp- sighted to their Dad ones.
Paul said, "I bow my knees to the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
Many prayers ignore the existence of
God, the Father. They only pray to
Christ. We approach God through
Christ, but our approaches must be to
God. This tendency depraves prayer
and spiritual vigor.
Faith ought to show itself at its best
when the need of it is greatest. Hence
it is that when everything seems to go
against us we ought to be surest that
all is going well; for, at such a time
auove an tuners, n is ciear mat uou is
choosing for us, since we should never
hay? chosen this for ourselves.
I cannot but think that the world
would be better and brighter if our
teachers would dwell on the Duty of
Happiness as well as on the Happiness
of Duty; for we ought to be as cheerful
as we can, if only because to be
happy ourselves,. is a most effectual
contribution to the happiness of others.
Whoever else may be ready to trust
us, no one of us ought to trust himself.
Others may be sure that we would
never fail in fidelity to the right. . We
know that we are liable to fail at any
time. He that thinketh lie standeth
is already tottering for a fall. Only
the one who realises Ins constant danger
??f proving untrue has the possibility
of a sure standing in the way of
truth.
A certain means of stopping a dog
fight, or looseing a vicious dog's hold
upon anything, is to shower snutr on
his nose and produce sneezing. Be his
will-power ever so strong, the motion
of sneezing involuntarily opens a dog's
jaws.
If the hen and chickens are in the
habit of staying in the garden, you
might as well pull up the tomato vines.
It will be a waste of time and a great
strain on your patience to let the two
stay together
Bill Arp.
TELLS OF 1IIS BOYHOOD AND ITS
TRIALS.
I wish I was a boy and had as much
man's sense as I have got now. It
makes me right sad to see Carl and his
schoolmates plotting and planning for
their Saturday frolics. I want to go
with them, but I can't. I see them
cleaning out their guns and loading up
their shells and patting the pointer
dog and talking so merrily about the
birds they are going to kill, but I can't
go. I want to climb a walnut tree and
choiro tlio limlw nnrl hpflr flip rrmsin of
the walnuts rattling down. I want to
go chestnut hunting and cut off the
top limbs with a hatchet or if the trees
are large and tall show my skill in
knocking the burrs down with sticks
as I used to do on the old academy hill.
We boys used to take our bundle o1
sticks with us to school and hide them
under the house until playtime. I
want to go 'possum hunting aud hear
the music of the dogs on the track and
the welcome bark when they had treed
one of the dusky varmints up a 'simmon
tree or a black gum or under a
clay root. What a glorious frolic it
was to cut him down or dig him out
and then split a stick for his curly tail
and shoulder him and move on for
another victim. I want to go coon
hunting and see the fight. I waut to
go rabbit hunting in the snow. I
want to climb a muscadine vine and
hunt for black haws and Maj pops. I
want to go to the mill and run a horse
race back and cry "school butter" as I
pass the country school house 011 the
way. Then the boys would lay fcr us
the nest time and surround us and attack
us with sticks and rocks and trash
poles and the way we ran the gauntlet
was thrilling. I think of all these
youthful frolics svhen I see these boys
start out and I want to go, but I cau't,
I'm too old, my time's out, I couldn't
keep up. The spirit is willing but the
flesh is weak, very weak. It makes
me puff and blow to run or fox trot a
hundred yards now. My legs are overloaded
with corporosity but my arms
are all right. I can chop wood on a
wager with most any man and win it.
It was a rough young life in those
days, rougher than it is now, for we
didn't wear snoes mucn, nor coats, nor
undershirts, nor drawers, aud a homemade
cap or a sealskin cap would last
two or three years, and then be handed
down to the next boy.?Sore toes and
stouebruifces and burrs in the feet or
splinters in the fingers were common
to every boy, for there was no aristocracy
then. Three yards of mnkeen
and a shirt and a pair of galluses set a
school boy up pretty well for summer,
and a suit of country jeans and a pair
of shoes was mighty fine for winter.
Our mothers cut our garments and
made them and it didn't cost more
than five dollars a year for a boy, all
told. But now it takes about three
suits a year of store clothes for the
boys. Then there are ten dollars more
for hats and shoes. And there are collars
and cuff's and cravats and hand
kerchiefs and gloves and gold buttons
and so forth. I went into a store in
Atlanta yesterday to buy me a coat
and a young man measured me and
got out a coat and I put it on and he
said it fit me beautifully and I said It
didn't and he said it was not the fault
of the coat but my shoulders were
awkwardly built. I asked him if he
thought I was deformed, and he said
no, not exactly deformed, but out of
the proportion, and so I departed those
coasts. I tried another store, and they
jerked me into a bobtail cutaway, and
said it was just splendid, I looked so
nobby and genteel. 1 tola mm i want,
ed a frock coat?a black cloth frock
coat and he curled up his lip and said
that nobody but lawyers and preachers
wore them now, and they didn't
have my size. So I departed those
coasts and kept on trying until I got
what I wanted but had to have the
sleeves cut oft' a little to suit my arms.
Atlanta Constitution.
Read and Remember.?Mrs. Whitney
has well said that the great daily
test in our lives is "what gets crowded
out." What are we thinking, desiring,
planning, seeking, determined to
have, absorbed in obtaining? Does
the world crowd out religion ? Do the
pleasures of sin crowd out the enjoyments
of personal piety? Does business
crowd out private devotion, famii
ly religion and worship? In your dailly
life?observe it narrowly?"what
gets crowded out ?"
Christian Stan<lard.
\ If you desire knowledge, you must
toil for it; if food, you mint toil for it
and if pleasure, you must toil for it I
Toil is the law. And pleasure come
| through toil?never by self-indulgence i
i and endolence. When one really loves j
work, his life is a happy one.
It is not the number of acres that a
man skims over that makes him eithe
a large orsuccessful farmer. It is what
he makes net, above cost of production,
for his own toil and interest on the capital
invested.
There is a reason for all things, and
the small boy wants to know it
Somerville Journal.
Judicious Neglect.
The thoughtful mother, as her cares
increase with ail increasing family,
finds that she must neglect many
things she had thought indispensable.
The attention she has bestosved on side
issues must be concentrated upon central
issues. She must contract her enterprises,
nnd many of them, perhaps
must be given up for the time altogether.
With three or four little children
to look after, she cannot devote hours
every day to practicing music or painting
pictures or embroidering fancy
patterns. She may have to relinquish
courses of reading, give up society to a
large extent, and confine her activities
to what may seem a very narrow
sphere.
Especially is all this true if, in addition
to the care of hei* children, she
does all or the greater part of her owu
work.
In cou nting over the items that must
be done, those that may be left undone,
and those that must be left undone, judicious
and discriminating choice is
necessary. The family must have good
food, wisely selected, well cooked,
abundant, and at regular intervals;
but all fancy dishes and all that con.
sume a great deal of time in the preparation
may be omitted. Children ami
grown people thrive best on simple and
plainly prepared food. Yet this must
be selected and cooked with skill and
judgment to be good.
Sufficient and suitable clothing must
be provided. It should be neatly fitting
and becoming, but it need not
have a superfluity of stitches and trimming.
A plain garment is quickly
made, and with the abundance and
ariety of patterns of every description,
for sale in the stores, a woman of moderate
mechanical ability can cut and
make all ordinary garments worn by
uer cmiaren.
The house must be kept in order.
Following the two rules, "A time for
every thing and every thing in its
time," "A place for every thing and
everything in its place," the housemother
will be able to get round the
circle of her work more or less thoroughly.
It will help if all superfluous
ornamentation of her rooms is put
away; if the number of pieces to be
haudled and dusted and cleaned is re. j
(luced to the minimum ; if comfort it
consulted to the exclusion or style and
luxury. These laat two items are very
expensive of time and enthusiasm.
High thinking is easier if the living be
rtlnin
I ?
It is unnecessary to pursue this line
of remark further. The house-mother
who has courage to draw the line of
her activities at those things that must
be done will find time to care for all
the essential interests of her family,
and will not waste herself on unnecessary
enterprises and superfluities.
? I
Looking Ahead.
The mayor of Louisville, upon meet.!
ingan old negro, drew him aside, and
in a voice by no means gentle, thusj
addressed him:
"Randsom, I am going to have you
arrested."
"How come a at?"
"Why, for having obtained money
under false pretenses."
"I ain't done nothin' like dat, sah ; I
'clar to goodness I ain't."
"Didn't you come to me yesterday
and get a dollar?"
"Yes, sah."
"Well, but you trifling scoundrel, I
saw your son ou the street just now." J
"Hah?"
"You know what I said?"
"Yas, sah; yas but I didn't tell you
de boy was dead, did I?"
"Didu't tell me he was dead ! You
infernal old idiot; did you suppose I
thought you were going to bury him
alive?"
"Xo, sah."
"Then what did you mean by saying
tViof irnn /li/ln'f toll molio wne Hpnrl 9"'
"Now, jeshol' on, suh ; jest wait a
minit. Dat boy ain't been in good
helf furor laung time, an', dat I'd hatter
bury liim sooner or later, w'y I
'lowed better raise de money durin' de
busy season, when de folks wan't hard
pressed. I'se mighty kine hearted dis
way, sal), monstrous kine hearted,
but er man don't git no credit in dis
yere world o' sin fur bein' kine hearted.
An' ergin, I'se er man dat doan
blebe in puttin' ofF er thing that he
knows has got to be done. Knows dat
I'll hatter bury dat chile putty soon,
and yere you come an' wanter punish
me fer takin' up deercasion in time.
"You old rascal, that boy is in excellent
health."
"Who, dat chile? You don't know
dat chile like I docs, sail. Dat boy
sutlers wid der gestion, but it's jest as
T wivs. er hones' un' kine hearted mail
(loan git 110 credit in disyer sin cussed
worl."
Bishop Temple of London, relates
that when he was once worshiping in
an East-end church, where a musical
service is a distinguishing feature, he
joined in the singing to the best of his
ability. A workingman, not recognizing
the dignitary beside him, and
after fidgeting about for some time, finally
nudged the Bishop, at the same
time whispering, "I say, gub'ner, you
dry up; you're spoiling the whole
show."
? ?
Two Faces.
BY ANNA TEMPLE.
I saw two faces ; both were crowned
With whitened hulr.
And one unpleasing was to see,
And one was lair.
I questioned Wisdom of the cause,
And she replied,
That sin within one heart had lived.
In one had died.
Who Was "Jack Robinson?"
Once upon a time there was a farmer,
named Robinson, who was much 1
annoyed by the bad habit a certain
wolf had of eating his sheep. The
farmer reasoned with him, and even
ottered to pay for having him seat to a
private asylum where they cured such
bad habits. But the wolf said he pre/
3 A. _ I( 1, /, /.Krtnw n? 1
Iereu IU remuiliu Slave lu iuu succp appetite.
Farmer Fobinson then tried to over
come him by means of traps, pitfalls,
poisened meat, and other snares: but '
the wolf was a wary old beast, and for
a long time the only way John Robin- '
son knew that his enemy was alive 1
was by the death of his sheep. You
can imagine his joy, then when oue
morning he came upon the wolf se- ,
curely caught by the tail in a trap.
The farmer approached the wolf and
upbraided him. He then raised his
stick to beat him to death.
JJut the wolf, who had borne all his ,
reproaches meekly, stopped him by an
Imperious wave of his paw, and said
'Trithee, let me say a word."
The wolf, as the dicerning reader
doubtless notices, was a wolf of the '
old school, and used a certain stately
courtesy even iu addressing a farmer ''
about to kill him. But since the nar- 1
ratoi's old wolf English is a trifle rus
ty, lie win translate uie remaiuuer 01
the talk iulo tho language used by
common Americans.
"I am," continued the wolf, "caught
by the tail in your trap ; but with one ;
backward spring?about as backward 1
as the spring of 1888?I can be free. 1
It is true my tail is in your power, but
yoursheep will be in mine, and I as- *
sure you they shall suffer for it. Now, '
though my tail be an old one I am ^
fond of it, and am willing to restrain 1
my love of sheep somewhat if you ]
will let me go tailfully." 1
Worthy John Robinson was deeply
moved by words of the wolf, and cog- 1
itated long, wondering what hard s
. . ... . # f
terms lie might propose wiinoutoring- ing
on a backward spring. At length 1
he said: '
"I will let you go on condition that
you agree henceforth to eat no sheep 1
of mine."
"But," exclaimed the wolf, "in that
case I shall 9tarve ?"
"Not at all," said the farmer you
may eat my neighbor's sheep."
Now, the farmer knew very well
that his neighbors had no sheep. The '
wolf also knew it; but from earliest
infancy he had been renowned for his 1
great acuteness, so he merely said : 1
"How shall I be able to tell your (
sheep from your neighbars?"
"You can ask them to whom they
1 if il l T??t. T>~U 1
[ ueiony, UUU H Uiej' unsvvei juujv iuiuinson,'
you must leave them iu peace." '
"Well," said the wolf, your terms
are pretty bard, but I will do as you
say. Whenever I wish to eat a sheep,
I will ask her to whom :he belongs,
and if she answers, 'Jack Robinson,' I i
will let her go in peace." 1
Thereupon the farmer freed the j
wolfs tail from the trap, and went i
home rejoicing. But his joy was of
short duration, for the wolf developed
a remarkable quickness of eating, and
whenever he met a sheep he asked her
to whom she belonged, and then ate
her up before she could say Jack liob- .
inson-"?Selected. i
1 - ii? ? r?i ??
| uuarcoai is a wimjuwiuhv uociui ?ij
tide to feed to poulir}'. It acts on the
blood and tones it up, the result of
which is readily noticeable in the
jbright-color of the comb and wattles
and activity displayed by the chicken
itself.
For young fools there are several
cures?education, experience, being
vigorously set down on, etc.; but for
old fools there is only one remedydeath.
A Serinonctte on Etiquette
One hardly likes to say the word
"etiquette" when the question is that
of being kind and lovely in one's own
family. Yet if members of the same
household used a little more ceremony
toward each other, 110 harm would bu
done. What true gentleman would
treat his mother or his sister with less
courtesy than he would a chance
acquaintance? No one would greatly
respect a boy whose custom it was to
let his sister trot about 011 his errands
?run upstairs for his luindkernhicf, fly
hither and thither to bring his bat or
I his racket. I well remember the surprise
of a young lady when, in a certain
family, the brother sprang up to
light the gas for his sister," and when
the latter attempted to put some coal
on the open fire, quickly took the hod <
from her hand,and did the work himself.
1
"You wouldn't catch my brothlr be
.
?
ing so polite to me!" she said.
"So much the more sbame to your
brother!" I thought.
Every boy ought surely to feel a certain
care over bis sister, even if she be
older than he. Asa rule, he is physically
stronger, and censequently better
able to bear the burdens of life than
she. There is nothing more charming
the chivalrous protection which
some boys (bless them !)lavish 011 their
fortunate ''women folk." And nothing
is so attractive to other girls as to
see a boy gentle and tender to his sister.
As for you, dear girls, you would
never be so rude as to fail to acknowledge
any courtesy which your brother
paid you? If you would deem it
extremely unlady-like not to thank
any person who gave up his seat in
the horse-car to you, or who helped
you across an icy spot on the sidewalk,
you would blush to be less grateful for
a similar kindness on the part of your
brother. If he is ready to place a
chair or open a door for you, to make
sure that yon have an escort after dark
to take oft' his hat to you on the street,
to ask you to dance with him at a party,
surely you are eager to please him.
To sew on a stray button, or mend a
a rip in his gloves; to thank him for
taking pains to call for you and bring
you home from a friend's house; to
bow as politely to him, and to accept
him for a partner with the same pleastint
smile which you would have for
some ona else's brother,
A boy should learn the habit of easy
politeness in all circumstances, but if
there be one place on earth where one
should use freely his very best mau ers,
it is in his own home.
Harper's Young People.
A Story of Prinze Albert.
When Prince Albert came to Eng
land to live, be had some of the free
ind easy habits of Sabbath keeping
ivhich prevail upon the Continent.
His notions, too, of deference which
:he subjects of the queen would pay
aim were a little at fault. William
Hill,a famous organ builder, told a story
of an encounter he had with the
Prince in early days of his residence
n England.
On one occasion Prince Albert sent
?or him, on Sunday morning, to conjult
about a royal chapel organ. The
sturdy man took no notice of the summons
at the time, but attended promtjn
the following day.
"Mr Hill, said the Prince, who was
jnused to the strict English ways of
Sabbath observance, "I sent for you
pesteraay."
"I believe you did," was the limited
form of reply.
"But you did not come."
No," said Hill, "I never do business
m Sunday."
The hero of this adventure used to
idd that the queen was present at the
interview, but she took 110 part in the
conversation. "She only seemed to be
very much amused," ;he said. The
Prince, however learned the lesson,
ind tried, without complete success,
to full into English ways.
Expcct Little.
The less we expect from this world
the better for us. The less we expect
from our fellow-men, whether of spiritual
help or of inspiring example, the
smaller will be our disappointment.
He that leans on his own strength
leans ou a broken reed. We are always.going
to be something stronger,
purer, and holier. Somewhere in the
future there always hangs in the air a
golden ideal of a higher life that we
are going to reach ; but as we move on^
the dream of better things moves on
before us also. It is like the child running
over behind the hill to catch the
rainbow. When he gets on the hilltop,
the rainbow is as far off as ever,
T*! *? ?? Ar\ Ann nf n hurlior
1 11U^ MU UU1 UUJ 'UlVUlilO v/i M
Christian life keep floating away from
us; and we are left to realize what
frail, unreliable croatures we are when
we rest our expectations of growth and
victory over evil in ourselves. "My
soul, wait thou only upon God ! My
expectation is only front him."
I saw a sign painter take a dish full
of gold dust and pour it over the board
upon which he was working; but when
he turned it over, it nearly all seemed
to s ide oft'. But no! uotall; thelines
where his brush had been drawn a few
moments before with the adhesive preparation,
these caught the glittering
particles and held them firm. And so,
thought I, must the teachers of God
ij _.i .j
now (to. 1'our me uie goiuun saim uthe
Gospel over the whole congregation,
and if it seems to slide ofF, and get no
hold upon the hearts, let us know that
many a one who has been touched with
the preparing grace of the Holy Spirit
will catch and hold fast the word of
life, and so the word shall not return to
God void.?Dr. A. J. Oardon.
If the newspapers told half of all
they know, a social revolution would
ensue in short order. It is what is
kept out of a paper, not what goes in,
that keeps the world running smooth.
\ . . ,
========5======^=======
The Sccret of Health. ?
\
Don't worry.
Don't hurry. "Too swift arrives as
tardy as too slow."
"Simplify ! simplify! simplify !"
Don't over-eat. Don't slarve.
"Let your moclnnition be known to >
all men."
Court the fresh air, day and night.
"0, if you knew what was in the air!"
isieep an<i lvsr iiiiuncniiiuy. Bleep is
nature's benediction. \
Spend less nervous energy each day
than you make.
Be cheerful. "A light heart lives
long."
Think only healthful thoughts.
"As a man thinketh in his heart, so
is he."
"Seek peace and pursue it."
"Work like a man; but don't be
worked to death."
Avoid passion and excitement. .
A moment's anger may be fatal.
Associute with healthy people.
Health is contagious a9 well as disease.
Don't carry the whole world on your
shoulders, far less the universe. Trust
the eternal.
Never despair. "Lost hope is fatal
disease."
"If ye know these things, happy are
ye if ye do them.11?The Laws of Life#
Hereditary Criminality.
Rev. C. McCulloch, of Indiana, read
a paper before the National Conference
of Charities and Correction, recently
held in Buffalo, N. Y., in which some V
startling facts on the subject of heredity
and crime were brought out. Mr.
McCulloch elucidated his theme with
the aid of a diagram, shotting the social
condition of thirty families
through five generations, numbering x
1,692 persons. The history of these 1
people had been followed up for fifty
years. It was of the most startling nature.
There bad been seVeral murderers
in the group and thieves without
number. They did not work, but lived
by begging and petty thieving.
The children died young. Licentiousness
characterized the men and women.
Out of the 1,692 persons but one
had been known to rise from them and
become an honorable man.
' Well may every parent ponder upon
such facts as these. The responsibility
for such a progeny of vice and crime is
awful to contemplate, and yet more
awful to meet in the Day of Judgment.
Holiness does not run in the
blood like sin does, but it does propagate
physical health and mental and
moral strength. For the sake of posterity,
then, let parents be pure and true.
It tells on future generations.
When you are young grief is a tempest
which prostrates you ; at mature
age it is simply a north wind, which
adds a wrinkle to your brow and one
more white hair to your head.
Farm and Garden Notes. >
Cheerful work is an investment at
compound interest.
Teach the boys to respect farming as
an occupation.
Wash off dirt and care together when
you go into the house.
The most valuable possession in this
world is independence, and the thrifty
farmer is the most independent man
living.
There is always something wanting
to be done in the barn, stable or toolhouse
on a rainy day.
No farmer should be afraid to wear
good clothes at the proper time. Let
your best suit be a good one, and take
good care of it.
The night is for rest, but all rest is
not sleep, Iieading aloud, cheerful
conversation, or a pleasant call on a
neighbor in the evening, is the best
kind of rest and promotes sound sleep
afterward.
A dealer who handles a great deal ot
fine butter remarked the other day :
"I have just had to stop taking the but
ter of a man who really makes a very
palatable article, but who wili persist
in churning but once a week. When
this butter comes in it seems all right;
but after a day or two it becomes rancid."
All authors agree that there is scarce- %
'y a function of the body which es- ^
capes the injury done by the inlluence
of great dejection of spirits. That
long continued grief and anxiety of
mind hasten the development of other
diseases can readily be believed, and,
when those affections are once maniIfested,
their progress is more rapid
' when urged on by the depressing inI
tluence of this harassing passion.
-? *
j Mrs. Fleecy?Have you any Geo.
Washington relics'?
Second Hand Dealer?No, ma'am
just sold the last piece to-day ; expect
a fresh lot '.from the manufacturer
next week.
Life is no idle dream, but a solemn
reality based on and encompassed by
eternity. Find out your work and
stand to it; the night cometh when no
man can work.