Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1847-06-25
A TRIFLE THAT MAY NOT BE A TRIFL
INTENDED FOR THOSE WHO THINK.


Half the grievances of the world arise from
inattention to small matters The sum of hu-
man happiness Or misery is not made up of
great actions or their results, but depend upon
the aggregate bearing of the seeming trifes of
the hour. The lack of the proper estimate of
the importance of minute things induces a
carelessness-a want of thought-a neglect
Of which few would be guilty, did they but
rightly apprehend the important consequences
of all actions. &C Call again." said man of
wealth to an humble purveyor of small luxu-
res, &C | have no change with me- 1t was
no doubt true to the letter, but he had bank
notes, and few steps would have furnished
the requisite trhe. 1t was a trife to the
wealthy purchaser, but was it the same to the
poor vender? 1t would not do for the latter
to offend his customer by telling him he really
wanted the few shillings, and could not wait
his F'more convenient season." No-he must
go without the necessaries for his family
which were to have been purchased from the
proceeds of his sale. The world would be
happier if there were fewer instances of this
evident want of thought, although they may
not be very common. But the few that do
occur occasion sufficient misery to call for a
few remarks. The fact of demand being
small, instead of being an argument for in
slant settlement, is commonl y regarded as an
apology for delay. The loss of credit follows
the protest of note for hundreds, and the
debtor will move heaven and earth, in a small
way, to avert such a catastrophe. But the
same person will say 6: call again to the dol
lar or two creditor, without the fear of conse-
quences. 1t cannot affect his standing 1t is
so very trihe that it can be paid at any time,
and that is a reason for paying it at no parti-
cuIar time.
But the unrehecting man does not know
that his creditors credit may go by the board
through his procrastlnation, and that creditors
verbal promise to pay his creditor suffer pro-
test equally as fatal to his good standing as a
bank accident to the other
There are some business too, which are
made up of small dealings and trhing credits
The printers demands, for example, as a
rule, seldom attain two figures in the dollar
column. Just apply the g call again" system
to him, and his paper manufacturers bill will
be about as slow Mississippi bond.
But the effect of the &c call again. repulse
tells hardest upon those who live by their dali
ly labor, And its exercise may not operate
upon one person or one family, but run thro
a score of families or Individuals If you
could only trace the dollar which you paid to
a laborer, in its travels for few hours after
it left your hands on Saturday evening, and
note the debts it paid and the purchases it
made, you might have an idea Of the disap-
pointments which would have been occasion
ed by "call again. Such an insight into
the machinery of life mihgt induce train of
thought which would evolve the truth that
the trifing due should be at least as rigidly
binding upon our punctuality as the larger de-
mand. even though it assumed the form OF
bank obligation.
If it only take such rank in your estimation,
it will be right. Then there will be no I" I'M
considered trifes," and ali will see the weight
of Napoleon's reply to the apologist for the
neglect of what he was pleased to term "a trl-
fe"-" Who talks of tri1es' There are no such
things in the world !'=WrfghfS Paper.