The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1849-01-01
DAILY NATIONAI. WING.
For the National whg
"REMINISCENCES
OF THE
AMERICAN REVOLUTION.
ny RE VERA.

ID
lew days since. MY father used to say,
that industry, perseverance and economy
in connection with good trade, were any
young mans passport to fortune, respee'a-
bility and happiness. It should be so---Da''
40 il is not. Here am |, with good trade,
and | think may lay claim 10 the three VIZ
tues connected herewith by the old man,
for ] have left no opportunity unimproyed,
have diligently sought for, but cannot obtain,
employment, without which good trade is,
i take it, useless qualification. Is il not
so, my friends"
I" How long have you been idle ~
"Nearly three months.
"When you ,cTe employed, how long
did the work last q"
Ihad constant employment for year. !"
81 suppose you practised the virtues, in
dastry and economy, during that period"
81 did. ! laid by three hundred dollars
clear Of my expenses"
"That was we'll"
81 have two hundred and fifty left, and
il troubles me exceedingly that they are dis
appearing without hope Of my being able
to earn more. /"
"Without hope, did you say then
You are wretched, indeed?"
emo, no not that exactly ] should
have said present hope. I"
" All that alters the case. Well, young
man, cannot perceive that you have much
cause for discomfort You have sum Of
money abundantly sufficient, with prudence
and economy, to support you year, even
though yon should not (which is highly i'm
probable,) obtain employment during that
period. Meantime, you can put into active
exercise the virtues, industry and persever-
ance."
How SO, when | have nothing to doi"
/" Nothing to do, sir; that-doing nothing
is an impossible thing. Were it possible for
man to do nothing -pshaw he can't do
nothing-there's no such thing as nothing.
Man must do one Of two things, good or
epil; nay, he cannot abstain from doing
good without the commission of evil, hence
il is that illeness is said to be the parent Of
mischief, that is, the ceaslng to do we'll
When. you are improving your mind BY
study, the reading Of useful books, studying
the book Of nature in your recreative walks,
rejecting upon the granduer, the goodness,
the wisdom and power Of that Being who
Z tba or haa
and created man for its enjoyment-you are
doing something. When you devote your
time and attention to the pursuit Of folly,
squander it away in gambling, riot, dissipa-
tion, and Improbable lewd conversations,
you are doing something, good or evil"
True, in a moral sense"
aWhy, it is this moral sense that consti-
,tutes the difference between man and the
brute creation-the knowledge Of right and
wrong. Were il not so, the jackass would
have the advantage-for in things purely
4 physical--brute force, powered endurance
his hind leg is superior to mans right arm. "
III ~ begin to understand you confess
I, that have heretofore narrowed down the
application Of these things to mere, physical
employments, never dreaming Of their APP
plicability to the mind. My father was a
wiser man than his SON."
But not wiser than his son may be, il
he pursues the course marked out for hin by
his father. He has the benefit Of his ia
theirs wisdom; let him profit by his expe-
rience, and my word for it, he will become
not only wiser, but better, man than
he is at present. y
"Good II is worth the effort
aI am acquainted with man, a fellow
craftsman Of yours, who, whenever he was
afflicted with dependency, which some
times happened, for he had family and was
frequently for months out Of work, would
pay visit to the Aims House at Blockly,
where he found many 50 much worse of
than himself that it invariably cured him |;
for said he, had health, and strength,
and hope, with these a man need never
despair Iwould advise you to pursue a
similar course"
"Thank you"
"Well, il did him good, why may il not
benefit you' What is good tor the goose
is good tor the gander'"
81 am infinitely obliged to you"
- /" You are welcome. Now think Of it,
come to my house. | have no doubt can
do you good ] have some manuscripts
which wish arranged for the press, entitled
Incidents Of the Revolution You car
assist me, and at the same time learn some
thing abom hard times, times that tried
mems souls.'"
y 4" will be delighted 10 do sou
:" Come, then, tonight and we will ar
rang Rome man rs action in the premises