Spirit of the times. [volume] (Ironton, Ohio) 1853-1858, 1855-10-02

Hc'hs hIc 81 PooIiy PiotoCscu H"s W0
kick Of a full grown cricket would top.
pie their enclosure down. A good
housewife places a pan Of hot ashes in
the wood. house, and tho house burns
down in consequence. 'Be very care
ful about fire. re.ccbo crowd ofhouse.
keepers whose kitchen floors are black
with burnt spots, and who have no zinc
under single stove IN their houses
How universal the knowledge which ono
might acquire or fave! How next to
universal the failuret 10 apply and use it!
Another fact quite as curious as any
about these matters is, that almost every
man must learn this knowledge, and be.
come master Of these provebs himself
Every generation is wiser, or should be,
in book knowledge and science than all
that have gone before. For it may have
all their treasurers, and should add
somewhat Of its own. But most Of our
practical k knowledge we must get some.
how for ourselves. Put on your over.
coat. my son. says the wa,chlul mother
as her boy is salIyins ou. in common
dress into the storm. 'You will take
cold If you don't The lad knows his
mother is wise and good, and he loves
her. But he rushes out without his
overcout after all. Atwo weeks illness
impresses, for the first time on his mind,
tho old proverb heard hundred times
before that 'an ounce Of preventative is
betl,r than pound Of cure Don't
trust your boys with that span Of high
spirited colIs,' said an old man to his
neishbor, some fifteen years his junior.
Il did so once. The team ran away,
one Of the horses the best one, was killed
and ny son got a broken ann, and was
laid up all SUMMER 'Yes, you ore
right replies the younger man, 'but the
boys have managed the colts pretty we'll
guess I'll let 'em try it a liule longer.
A few days afterwards, the boys go'
warmly into discussion while they were
perched on loaJ Of grain. The lines
were loose, the colts get frightened, The
boys are thrown from the load into &
fence, and stampede follows which
ends in breaking and smashing taing'
generally. The father had heard from
his childhood the proverb about foresee
ing evil and hiding oneself, and abou
the simple passing on and getting pun
ished. But now its real meaning ant
power are for the first time burnt, q
with a branding iron into his very soul
So we live. Each generation mus, lesr'
| its own wisdom. We see the way TO tn
; lions den. and observe, as the fox did
| that the tracks all lead thither, and tha
none return. But they insist the Rey
nard is a fool, end try the experiment o
visit for themselves. They are eatel
up accordingly.
s Men see the precipice over whic|
thousands have madly thrown them
selves. They see the bones Of those VIII
(; have perished whitening along the shev
r sides of the abyss. But they are no
+. content. They must try for themselve
3 whether the laws Of gravitation will no
S be suspended for their benefit, whethe
q they may not dash themselves on poin
{. ted rocks, and escape unhurt. Is nc
/. this fact, that the wisdom the commo
/. sense wisdom Of all the past, avails s
8 little for each living generation, one
r the potent and sad facts in mans life
1. As Carlyle would say, Few things NOR
!. so.'
/ Yet these proverbs are useful. The
!? fall now and then on good ground. an
Q spring up to bear hundred fold. The
!. ute rance now and then is felt to be s
/. benign, as to render even Tupper tole
i. able. And mayhap their reputation
d great enough to bear up the burden OF Il
y prosy article We are just now closing.