Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1851-03-08
wHITTLING SHINGLES.

Of his great woodpile. John whittling a beach
chip the Editor base pood splinter.
The Editor.-Whiitle from you, John
why don't you white from you?
John.-Wha,'s the difference ? Whiting
is whiting, any way. whether you white
towards you or from you
Editor.-A mistake, John; palpable mis-
take. There is philosophy in whitiling.-.
There is a right way, and wrong way to do
every thing and for the right way there is
always good reason.
John-Pray what reason for whiting
from you. It's small matter at best-real-
ly too small to consider.
Ed,tor.-Wrong again It's the obser-
vance Of these little ihings--the consdera-
ton of irines-that constitutes what men call
bad luck. There, now, yoa have cut your.
iinger-not bad hope.
John.-Not very. Blast the knife. [7hroac-
ing 1t dorm.
Editor.-We, this is an apt illustration
proof posiive--bef0re had commenced my
argument.
John.-rd like to- know what cutting my
finger has 10 do with luck, good, or bad, or
Indifferent 2
Editor Everything. If you had consid-
cred momen, you would have seen that
whiting towards you was dangerous. Com
mon prudence would have shown you that
you might cut your fingers; while if you
white from you there was no danger. Here
in, then, is the key 10 that phantom which
men call luck.
John.-Don't you believe in luck
Editor Don't | believe the moon is a
green cheese No, sir. There is no such
thing. Ii's all moonshine. Just now cut
your finger and you say 4 am unlucky.'-
No such thing-you were stupid, careless
There's old Gripe, who began with no other
sands +; and you and every body else says,
las lucky as old Grippe and yet we all know
that he has make his money BY the opera
lions of clear inlelleci--a shrewd. close OBJ.
servauce of little ihings--tuIning the stream
al the fountain, and not waiting until it gets
: 10 be a river.
, John.--Trainng the sappling and not the
| tree.
Editor Exactly. A good idea. You al
ways find him about his business. His work
is never behind. His hay don't get caught
out in the rain. His wheat is never wet in
the bundle or swah. He looks al little do
, ings. If his grain is to stand out over night
it is all nicely put up in shocks and capped
! if his hay can't be carried the same day, it's
: raked and cooked. He says, am not mas
2 ter of the elements, but am of my time
D So he makes sure against contingencie.
which he cannot control. He always white:
\ from him and he is called 'lucky.'
!, JOhn.-And he is lucky.
;, Editor.-No such thing if You mean by
y that, chance favoring him more than others
: Now, there's Dick Careless, he is alway
), railing al his bad luck. Dick works hard
5. | think he does more real hard work thai
: Gripe. But every body piiies poor Dick, HI
= has such 'hard luck' IL il were not for hi
y wife, he would have been in the poor hous
y before now. Every body says, 'what clev
: er fellow is Dick , and so he is, he mind
every body's business but his own. Die
N stacks his hay, but neelects TO put on binders
is and the tops blow off and his stack is ruin
ed. He has a nice crop of wheat cut, an
intends 10 cart tomorrow, so he leaves IN
wheat carried into lunches. But to-morro'
it comes on 10 rain, and his wheat gets we
and sprouts, and then you say, 'well, that
Just Dicks luck Dick has ha,! bad lucE
with his sheep and cattle and horses, alway
losing more or less every year Now, 20
believe in luck, well, just tell me why h
loses more than you do
John.-He is careless. Don't take pair
enough with them.
Editor.-Oh ! that's it. Which way
W YOU think he whi,tles Two 10 one, Joh
{" he whites towards him. He can't see an
~ difference and like you is firm beIev'
~ in luck. There's Tapewel every body sa.
=" - what lucky fellow he has been, got as rio
;" as nabqb, and had only few goods to sta
upon. While Gngham, who had a fine sio
full of goods, went all TO smash in thu
years. ...... ......
~, John.-Yes, and old Tape bought his I'll
y, store and house at about one,quarter cost
Wasn't that luck
- Editor.-No sir. Tape lived within b
means, and accumulated his profits. He
ess not care for fine store while he could 81
ith his goods in the old one and being at le
'al expense he could always sell "a little cheap
ho aud thus got the best custom, Gingham i
',N ed up TO. his income, ard little over,
'' when hard times came he could not cole
.a could not pay, and down he went VIII
'bA Tape was snug in his old store, Poor Cir
os ham was called unlucky. But, you see, /
old only difficulty was, he whitfield towards hi
an. self, till he cut his 6ngers-while Tape VIII
ley lied the other way. No such thing as lu
there, John.
ai Josn.--Don't give it up yet, You're