The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1852-1855, 1854-12-07
AIisers Of Minutes.

"Take care OF the pence, and the pounds
will take care of themselves" is the secret
of growngric And in thetime currency.
moments are the gold .fllings-,he pre-
cious atoms that, saved or lost, make or un-
make life. No man can afford TO lose
his minutes. The miracles of success that
have been wrought in the lives of certain
men have been achieved through economy
of time, as close as Thomas Elwes's econ
omy Of fartbings Elihu Burritt. the learn
ed blacksmith, once said 3Lhat he had ac-
quired some knowledge of fifty languages
during the intervals of his labors at the
anvil! He treasured his minutes, as bis
only earthly "fortune."
Dr.Mason Good, the learned English au-
thor, composed his translation of Latin
book in the streets Of London, during his
extensive walks and rides to visit his nu-
merous patients. His practice was to
take in his pockets two or three leaves OF
the original, He read this passage over
, as he walked along until he had engraved
it on his retentive memory. Then he
translated ths passage in his mind, cor
recie.. it, and when he reached home com
mitted the translation to paper: He thui
finished the work without omiting u singl,
professional visitl Richard Baxter, wht
wrote more discourses and books, ant
s visited more frequently his parishioner
than any clergyman of that century, There
by affording an example to many minis
ters of our day, was miser of minutes
His good example was contagious among
his flock. He taught the Kidderministe
weayers to fasten religious books on lhei
looms, and study their contents while the,
were throwing the shuttle.
He that loses his lfe--too often loses hi
soul. For we never hare any thing bu
the present moment. The past is gone
the future is not ours. And the sea cap
tain, who should sit and heave out his car
goby the single package, would come in
b to port at last with about tho same char
acter for ssgacity as the spendthrift o
time comes to the death-bed that ends hi
life-voyage. 1t is total loss and no in
surance.
1t would be both curious and sad for u
to cast up strict inventory of our waste
moments in a single day. The time lost i
tuO hoi hhS III uSpothB Win oulSclNS
whether we shall get up or not--(i instea
of following the example of the systemali
John Wesley, who, when he was temple
to loiterin bed, was overhead to call ou
"Well, John Wesley you may do as yo
% like, but 4 mean to get up")--the tim
lost in indecision rs to the days work, i
making long talks or long visits whe
shorter ones would achieve more, in idI
reveries, in trihing awhile JetVecn each soT
arate engagement--the aggregate of eac
days loss from such causes would be ar
ling. Added together, they might occup
longer time than it took Milton to write III
Paradise Lost, or Bunyan to write the Pi
grim's Progress; longer time than Fultd
was occupied in constructing his steam
boat or Galileo in making his telescope,
Newtonin toiling out his immortal ..:PriI
cipia."
Reader! make close calculation Of
single days losses and you will be frigh
enod. And let me hint to you. too, thu
you will work great saying.in your pa:
tors precious time by avoiding needle.
calls upon him in his study hours, (whic
ought to be in the morning and by nc
keeping him waiting when he calls upo
you. "Be sholt," is as good motto 70
tho parish as it is for the pulpit CAristia
Intelligencrr. ,