The North-Carolinian., 1857-09-05
}VOLUME XlX-NG. 966.
NORTH CAROLINIAN.
Looking and Leaping.
1ETTE FILE, ". G.,

Looking and Leaping.
1t was bitterly cold winters evening, aLd
our little party nestled closer and closer around
the blazing FIRE No one felt inclined for read
ing; we all declared we were by far too cozy
for that ya,d all seemed too happy to talk. or
felt too Essaast to laugh. So
81 u.der row and then, Nv hat shall we dof~-9s
mixed party ofold and young, of both sexes.
must necessarily be rather varied in tastes and
lnclihations, and ours proved no exceptions so it
was not till some time had elapsed that we all
agreed in one thing to submit our several plans
10 the patriarch OF our circle, who had hitherto
kept aoof from the discussion
Mr. Simpson smiled at appeal and bent
his dear old silvered head to listen to our sug-
geStons as one by ore, they were urged on
him by their ardent proposcrs. A last it was
agreed that game Of proverbs shduld be PLAYED
with this Improvement, that the proverbs should
furnish matter for useful and entertaining talk
rather than for idle questions. Accordingly.
proverbs and names were written on slips of
card, and the great delight, and in some cases,
relief Look before you leap" came forth
MfslIu MI SIMPSONS NAME Never SGdn L 1Or-
get the venerable old gentleman, as, raising his
head and collecting his thoughts for a minute
he began:
My dear young friends it is strange that
Providence has given me this little duty to
night Truly in my lifetime ] have seen many
leap and some few looks. The pleasures of
green memory almost repay the other disadvan-
tages of age, and make one bless G cd for being
one of his sheaves near harvest time Let us
look into the subject a little mentally, I sup
pose, for our expositor took off his spectacles:
'it seems to divide mankind into three classes
those who continually look and never leap: those
who leap and never look; and the few who look
we'll and often before they leap.
He VII leaps before he looks. often invol-
untarly looks back after, and then, just in time
to be too late, sees his own folly and feels its
effects The rash and inconsiderate, if they
have any feelings at all, are always habitual,
and, what is worse, useless pentents. The die
is cast; they have taken irrevocabe step,
and that without thought. 1t is a sad sight to
see man grievng without hope for an event
which momentary glance beforehand might
have obviated
Equally bad is the part of those who are
for ever looking but never leaping. Ding to
perform some tremendous feat, thinking
unheard of exploit, they spend life like John
sons famous character, fearing to go forward
least he should go wrong Alas for the insta-
bllty and indecision of human nature! Leap
ing in this life my friends, is quite as necessary
AS looking; we must
Act in the living present;
Heart within, and God DER head
Death will at length surprise these do-noth-
ings, and then they will see how worthless an
existence of mere looking is They have been
the worlds lumber useless to themselves, and
IA stumbling block in other peoples way"
''But the third set Mr. Simpson? don't be SO
dismal, please"
wv ell the third set certainly does brighten
the picture, which makes me regret the deeper
that there are not more of them. The man
who looks carefully, deliberately, and, above
| all, conscienciously before he leaps, will pre-
| serve himself from numerous troubles, and will
afford valuable example to the world around
him-I do not refer tc a more worItlly-wse
about him, but to the habit of weighing his
| future actions d., p right
G od's wifi OIII11DlD|4b ponders
the influence for good or evil, of his doings,
and invokes his Makers blessing upon them,
will spend happy life; and when called to take
. solemn look at the dread leap OF death before
him-when preparing earnestly and prayerfully
for the great change that is ever impending,
guided by 6 DDS Spirit he cannot but expert
ence safe and happy transition into the exter~
nal world.
"Our prov erb recommends a medium course
between rashness and over caution. 1t pictures
neither the character of the man who rushes at
chasm, and desperately filings himself over or
down it; nor yet him who swings his body to
an fro Oh the brink, who ponders and intends,
intends and ponders till the curtain Of the night
falls, and he finds himself not inch nearer
his destination than he was at sunrise; but It
pictures the man who looks thoughtfully, meas
ures distance and force and leaps with brave
heart and steady eye.
Remember my friends, the leaping; but
above all things never forget the looking"
"Papa, have guns got legs?" "No." Glow
do they kick, then? with their breaches, py
son"