Constantine republican. [volume] (Constantine, Mich.) 1836-1838, 1837-03-01
From the Trenton True American.
"Over the heat and fire Of blood
Sprinkle cool patience."

say, with the Thermometer ranging about
zero, and wood seven dollars About the
greatest difficulty just now is to keep warm.
But say not so fast, my gentle reader.-
What | mean to advise is--kecp Thy temper
cool-and thou mayest warm thy feet and
nose as opportunity offers.
One of the greatest mistakes that man
or woman ever commits, is to keep warm
excited-irritated. 1t is surprising what a
little friction produces heat. Rub your
hands together and they are hot directly-a
couple Of dry frosty sticks may be made to
burn in the same manner. And just so with
the temper-rub it hard against any thing
and it blazes directly-and then we say
things that we had better not have done.
Well, let us talk about the matter.
We hear great deal said about hasty
iempers-quick tempors--~a4.d irritable tenn
pers. And people seem to treat these things
as natural defects-unfortunat weakness,
when the fact is, that every thing depends
upon the way the temper is schooled and
trained. There is difference among men
admit-some are naturally more cold and
phlegmatic than others. But you will be
much mistaken if you suppose that you can
Judge of the natural temperament of men by
their conduct always. Onthe contrary, you
| will find in many instances, that men once
hot, testy, and over bearing, become habitu-
ally, cool, uniformly mild. They discover
the weak point in their characters, and so
constantly guard that point, that habit even-
tually becomes second nature and the
change that you see takes place.
Let me give you some rules for keeping
cool-and if they do not succeed it will be
because you do not give them fair trial.
1. To keep cool-you must make point
to be sure you are in the right--whether it
| be a matter of business, or a matter of ar
gument, or point of etiquette. There is
nothing that rubs so hard against the tenn.
per, as to find yourself Unexpectedly in the
wrong. Examine your way well before
you attempt to travel it-take care that it is
so straight that you see the end before you
set out. And then
2. Go quietly on. If you have an aIgu-
ment on hand, don't rise from your seat,
Your temper will rise with you-don't stretch
out your hands, or its half over with you--
don't lift up your voice, or you are gone.
That's what mean by quietly
Did you ever notice the fact, that if you
keep your nerves composed, and your voice
upon its lowest key, you never get angry
1t is so-there is just that arrangement
between the physical and moral powers
just so the one acts upon the other.
3. If it be Observation-Disclosures
to keep--in good humor. Some men try
to keep down their tempers by laughing
through discussion or a dificulty-Bu
the laugh will occasionally degenerate into
: a sheer, and then the effort at good humol
, is seen to be rather laughable affair. Blu
does this seem like begging the question
1t squints little that way, | confess-bu
yet there is something in it. You grant mt
that you feel in good humor sometimes
|, Well Just then let me ask you, if it isn't ;
very comfortable feeling-and if you arr
not convinced, that it would be an exceilen
7 attainment always to feel so. If you can
!, grant me this-why then there is not in you
J nature, a hook to hang one chance of re
formation on.
E Well, now, you are in good humor.-
! Will you be so good as to tell me, what u.s.
there is in getting angry think hav
you with that question. Do your debtor
!, run away-wil your anger catch them !
: Does your business 60 wrong-will it g
= right if you get in passionl Can't you pa.
your debts-will any creditor give you
receipt in full, for your i'll nature Doe
: your wife scold-your children cry; o
! your neighbor abuse you; will you mem
:. the matter by getting cross about it? No
J you will only make yourself unhappy an
your condition worse by it. Then sa.
:. keep in good humor.
But once more they have a phras
= down east, as familiar as household word
= like it. 1t calculate And wheneve
!. case arises in which you see possibilit
|. of 'losing your temper as we have it; Q
= finding more of it than is necessary for tn
! time-just calculate, about as long as yo
. can count ten, whether the occasion is wort
y the quarrel whether the game will pay fo
- the powder and even if it will; the
y whether the powder will fetch the game,
, another question to be solved.
: By little observation and attention
!, this subject, its importance and the utility
inc rules pTOpOScu, uiiih WIN ooSoh
manifest. commend them, reader to yol
u consideration.
: The composition of Legislatrc--It
ut becoming quite fashionable to state I'll
II various callings of those who compose OF
| Legislative bodies, and in this detail
at generally happens that some two or thre
Ne in each body are ranked under the heo
ne of ssgentlemen." Thus we find in Il
= Pennsylvania Legislature "two gentlemen
is out of 1OS members; rather a small propo
he ton one would imagine when the Americs
N use of the word is considered, which is, |
be Webster has it, " a man ofgood breeding
\ Only two men in the Pennsylvania Legi
he lature of good breeding! Only think
ce that!
vt But perhaps the term is to be understoc
according to Walker who defines gentlems
&c to mean q a man of BIRTH" and if SO VIII
ii has it to do with Republican Legislature
ok This chasing members under the nan
he of"gentlemen," is ridiculous practice al
up cannot be justified in any case. If m,
to get into the Legislative body that cannot
,ar classified for want Of occupation, let the
H. come under the expressive name of "loi
,e; ers," or as blanks thus - instead
EAR t" gentlemen" We are all men Of birt
He that is, we have been born, and it matte
aid little when or where, provided our condu
| Il