The Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Scott Co., Iowa) 1841-185?, 1850-09-05
Frona tie Wooi Gyouer.
WHlTTL[EC SHINGLES

i WHlTTLlNG SillNGbE&
i scENE.---.Mr. Ro,ohandle's door yard--Jotn and
Editor, seated on logs on the sunny side ofh,sereat
,rood-pale. john uhitting beech chip: the Ed'-
tor bass rood splinter.
Edisor.-W Whittlc from you, John; why
don't you white from you2
John What's the difference? Whit
Ting is whiting, any way, whether you
whiitle from you or toward you.
Editor.--A mistake, John; a palpable
mistake. There is philosophy in whiting
There is right way anda wrong way to DO
every ythng; and for the right way there Is
always good reason.
John--Pray what reason for whiting
from you? It's small matter at best
ren|ly 100 osmnll to consi ler.
Editor--Wrong again! It's the obser-
vince Of these little thngs--the cnnsidera-
tion Of trihes-thnt constitute what men
call good or bad luck. There now you
have cut your finger-not bad hopc.
John.--Not very. Blast the knife
/ Throws il down.)
E2ditor.-WelI this is an apt illustration
proof positive-before had hardly com
menced my argument.
JoAn--l'J like to know what cutting my
finger has to do with luck, good, bad, or in-
different?
Editor Everything. IL you bad but
considered moment you would have seen
that whiting towards you was dangerous !;
common prudence would have shown you
that you might cut your fingers; while, u
you white from you, there was no danger.
Herein, then. is the key to that phantom
which men call luck.
John-Dnn't you believe in luck?
\ Editor.--Don't believe the moon is
tgreen cheese? No, sir. There is no such
thing It's all moonsbne. Just now you
cut your finger, and say 81 am lucky. y
No such thing--you were stupid, careless.
There's old Gripe, who began with no
other capital than his axe. worth now bis
thousands; and you and everybody else
say, s'as lucky as old Grippe and yet we
all know that he has made his money by
the operations of clear inteIect-a shire wd
close observance Of little thngs-turnlng
the stream at the fountain and not waiting
until it gets - be river.
| John.-Training the sapling and not the
tree.
Eiitor.-Eyac,ly. A good idea. You
always find him about his business. His
work is never behind His hay don't get
. caught ont in the rain. His wheat is new
er wet in the bundle or swarth: lie looks
at little things. lfhis grain is to stand out
over night, its all nicely put up in stocks
and capped; it his hay cant be carted the
same dav, it's raked and cooked. He says
am not mastcr Of the elements, bat am
Of nv time So he makes sure against
contingencies which he cannot control.--
He always whites from him, and he is call
cd lucky.
i John.--And he Is lucky.
Eiitor--No such thing, If you mean by
that chance favoring him more than others.
Now, there's Dick Careless, he is always
railing nj bis bad luck. Dick works hard.
think he does more real hard work than
Gripe. But every body pi,es poor Dick,
he has such ..hard luck" Iii, we're not for
his wife he would bave been in the poor
house before now. Every body saws, s'what
a clever fellow is Dick;n and so he is. He
minds every body's business but his own
Dick sticks his hay but neelecis to put on
binders, md the top blows off and the stack
is ruined. lie has nice crop OF wheat
cut, and intends 10 cart il Tomorrow, 80 be
leaves the wheat carried into bunches.--
Bn, Tomorrow 1t comes on to rain, and his
wheat gets wet and sprouts, and you say
.weI that's just Dicks luck" Dick has
had '.bad uck'' with his sheep and cattle
and horses, alwass losing more or less every
vear. Now YOU believe in luck, well Just
tell me wbv be loses more than you do? q
.Tohn.-fIe is careless. Donttake pains
enough with them.
Eduor--Oh! that's it. Which way do
,, YOU think he whites? Two toone, John,
be whites toward him. He can't see any
difference; and like you is a firm believer
in luck. There's Tapewell, verybody
says "what lucky fellow he has been, GO,
rich as nabob, and had only few goods
to start upon" While Gineham, who had
a fine store, full of goods, went all to smash
in three years!
! John.--Yes, and old Tape bought his fine
store and house at about one-quarter lts
cost Wasn't that luck?
| Editor.--No sir. Tape lived within his
means, and accumulated his profits. He
did not care for fine store while he could
sell his goods in an old one and being at less
! expense he could always sell little cheap
er, md thus get the best custom. G'ngham
lived up to bis income, and a little over, so
when hard times came he could not collect,
could not pay, and down he went; while
Tape was snug in his old store. Poor
Gingham wns called unlucky. But you see
the only difficulty was, he Whitfield toward
himself. 'tih he cut his fingers--whIle Tape
always whitfield the other way. No such
M ahoro 1nhn