The Express.
London, England, 1857-10-08 00:00:00

VIE ART OP LICUSE.

What a Curious and amusing collection Could be
made of all the different ramiee which people have for not
giving when called upon ! We do not et all mean to throw
discredit upon thin department of ingenuity, nobody can say
that it is net wanted in these days. We ma all speak
feelingly on this subject. But, if the &moult is formidable,
the defence is not unequal to it. Views up to the emergency.
The art of excuse has grown up in accordance with the
great remedial laws of nature. Nature throws up her
earthwork instinctively in the direction, whatever it may
be, in which the is threatened; the tree sends out its incrus-
tation of bark to meet Us wind, rivers make their own
banks, and the wound throws out Its own covering sad pro-
tection. We shell therefore say nothing against this useful
art—we could not get on many days without ft, those of no,
at least, who want to see their way at all clearly, and like
to have six months of comfortable subsistence before them.
There are many forms of speech which are used on these
ocesaions; there are elegant and inelegant. new and oil,
fresh and trite, sympathetic and businesslike modes of
declining to opera your pocket. True ingenuity frames its
clews so skiltally that at never appears an exam; every
news I. stamped with the eincenty of nature, and sends
wily the claimant, not only latithed, but Often] with you.
Indsel, many • non-giver is a MOM popular man than •
giver. But those who cannot make good coleuses must make
bad ones, fur it is very had that we should be robbed of
everything we have because we are not clever.
But three is nothing which may not beamed. This very
useful and laudable art of exeum—thie syetem of self-defenie
against pecuniary claims, may be carried to mesas. There
an some persons, for example, who declare summarily and
comprehensively that they hive made a rule, and that their
rale is not to give to anybody or anything. Others never
have any 2110011, arid are always in debt to their Waken,.
Othees have always a fit of indignatiaa when they see salted
to give to anything; they suddenly remember wrongs
sad grimaces which are wholly bulimia:mutable, and ope-
rate se a summary check epee their munificence. Their
warnings were neglected on such en occasion ; somebody
laid snooty:ate if them which was false, calumnious, and
trawherous , there was grow mismanagement ; three was
naisapplicatwn of funds this or that pawn won 'wend over'
in spate of their recommendations, and therefore they cannot
think of supporting the charity any longer. This constantly
recurring indignation whenever a claim of any kind is made
on their pockets in • favourite piece of tactics with many. It
has all the miarantagee of the " rule" and the “banker's
book," and it has, moreover, this peculiar advantage, that it
makes the men who shuts up his pockets the loj tired party,
So far from others having any right to complain of him, he
is the true object of taymparby and compassion; be is the
trite sufferer. It is satuniebing what a mart)Plolsl fa involved
in • man thus Pimply keeping bin money in his puree , what
• sacrifice it is not to anoint your neighbour in hip extremity.

A M N ArctIiENTALLT 8110 T.—On the night
of the 30th ult., 'MIA some awn-serriate were protecting
the 'men from the deer, whkl were la the nightly practice
of making raids esicapt the &ids, to the peattry of the
tenanta at Loehlaggen, one of the watchmen heard a rulingamonget the stooks-. Thinking the opportunity a good one
for haring & shot at what be supposed to be a denizen of
flenalder Forest, he took aim by chance in the direction of
the intender, and fired, when, moat unfortunately, the con-
tents of the gun lodged in the face of a young man of the
name of Laing, a Crimean hero, whereby his life was placed
in some peril. As it is, Laing has lost one eye, and his
head and face hare been much diallgared.—larerness Adoor-

Tint Coulee CntNouNE.—The following incident
is related in local domestic enrolee as having occurred
within a few miles of the capital of Somerset. llarting
name., we give the story as it reached us. Mrs. B—,
a thrifty housewife, noticed, a few days ego, that an iron
I harp was missing from the rain-water tub. Well, all the
fervants were questioned, but no clue to the missing
" ircunifenadisi iron" could be obtained, and it we.
naturally concluded that some picket-up of useunsidered
trifle* had marched off with the aforesaid !mop to the
nearest marine-store dmler. Sunday last was •• ILe
Sunday-out" of Sally, the cook, and as the wee lerribtri
attired in her best, her runner remarked with astonishment
the bulk winch " cookey " forayed in the skirts of bee dives.
The damsel teemed a little bewildered, blmilied, but mid
nothing, when, to make amurance doubly sure, the lady
put hen hand on the cook-matd's rotund peculiarity, and
found, to hrr horror, that the amenities of servant-gslisui
bail convened the rusty hoop into a "Soluisy-going ciao-
lbw:" —l7switett Courier.