Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1849-01-15
Truth fears nothing but Concealnent.'
ONvA y
SMALL BEGINNINGS.

Despisc not the day of small things
This sentence contains wisdom aud phi
iloEophy, as well as scripture. 1t is very
easy and natural to sneer at small Begin
nings and humble means, but it is not al
ways wise to do SO. 1t ii is better TO COM
mencc on small scale, and come out in
good style at last than TO suffer severe
collapse after an extensive and ridiculous
flourish. Some men will do better with a
capital ofsixpence, than they would if half
the fortune of Astor had been given them
Ito commence with. We have heard it told
ola man worth his millions, that he COM
menced by selling fruit at street staH.--
We have seen boys at school roll hand
ful of snow upon the ground, till by its
accumulated matter, it became so bulky,
that dozen could scarcely move it. Sands
make the mountains, moments make the
year, drops make the ocean; and so, little
endeavors. earnestly, increasingly and hon
eslly put forth, make the great men in the
worlds history.
We say. then, dom, despise the day of
small things. Ifyou have an undertaking
to accomplish, or a good thing to bring
about, begin according 10 your means, and
never be discouraged, because you can
not make so magnificent commencement
as you could wish. Old King John, the
Frenchman, FIVE hundred years ago, took
it into his head to found library; and he
began with-what do you suppose ten
volumes. But he knew wha, he was about:
for that library-lhe Royal Library at Paris
lis now the most magnificent public H.
brary in the world, and contains 100000
volumes.
A whale one day came fro1icking into
the harbo. of Nantucket, short time after
the settlement, of,hat island, and as for
many hours it continued there, the enter
prisipg inhabitants were induced TO con-
triye and prepare large barbed iron with
strong cord attached with which they
finally succeeded in securing this aquatic
monster. A small matter. truly; hut j,
was the commencement of business which
has added millions to the wealth of the
ipeople--the incipent introduction to an
enterprise which nearly three quarters Of a
century ago extorted noble tribute OF
: admiration from Edmund Burke, on the
floor of the British Parliament.
! Two fishermen in Holland once had a
dispute in a tavern, on the question wheth-
er the fish takes the hook, or the hook
takes the fish. From this trivial circum-
stance arose two opposing parties, the
Hooks and the 'Cobble-J Joints who for
two centuries divided the nation, and main
, tanned contest not unlike that between
the red and white roses in England.
1 There is a Evolutionary counterpart 10
this in our own history. We allude to the
81, N1,cti
we are gravely told, involved us in war
with Great Britain in 1S12.-There is no.
thing incredible about it, however, and as
most of our readers are too young TO re-
collect the anecdote, we will venture to
repeat it 1.-TWO neighbors, both Of the
old Federal school of politics, who had
lived in the city of Providence, CHANGED to
quarrel. And so it happened, one was the
owner of pig, who had an irresistible in
(clnatien to perambulate liz the garden OF
the next neighbor. The owner of the
garden complained of the pig-sty being in.
sufficient 10 restrain the pig, and the neigh
Dor replied, it was all because he kept his
fences in such i'll repair. The pig was
taking his morning walk when he was sur
prised in the act of roofing up some very
valuable Dubious roots; this was the last
feather the owner of the garden pu, a
pitchfork into his tender sides, and killed
him outright. Atthe coming election, the
the owner of the garden was candidate
for seat in the legislature, and failed by
one vote, the vote of his incensed neighbor
who voted against him. AT the election
of Senator the Democratic candidate was
|.elected by one vote-and when the CUES.
|tion Of war with England was before the
Senate, it was declared by "a majority OF
one yote---so that but for this pig, we should
have been, probably, saved from this war. F"
:, 1t is related Of Chantrey, the celebrated
sculptor, that when boy, he was one day
observed by gentleman in the neighbour
hood Of Sheffield, very earnestly engaged
in cutting stick with a penknfe. He
asked the lad what he was doing and with
great simplicity ahe boy replied, II am cut
ting old Fox's head" Fox was the school
master Of the village. On this the gentle
pronounced it TO be an excellent likeness,
presented the youth with a sixpence.-
This may be reckoned the first money
Chantrey ever received for the production
of his art; and from such production a.
rose this greatest OF modern artists.
Again we say, despise not small begin
nings, nor look with superclious contempt
upon everything which appears nsignifi'
cant and tri1ing. Tritles are no, SO plen-
ty in this world as many Of us imagine
A philosopher has observed that wars, in
volylng mischief to great nations, have
arisen from ministerial despatch being
write in a fiji of indiuestioui When Alex.
f ander Pope received his present Of Turke y
figs, he little thought that twig from the
basket was to be tie means of introducing
the weeping willow into England and A.
mcrica. So is this world made up and
governed by trihes at first too small 10 at
trast notice sand the wise man will not
only cultivate sharp eyes, but attentive
habits, making the most Of everything, and
despising nothing small but small SOULS.
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