Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1859-12-01
Living on Stills.

dH dSpiIuR JuNcHiie IuOuHIeu on WOODEN con
tinuatons of his rather short legs Did you
ever observe how pertinacously he risks a
bloody nose and bruised limbs for the satisrac.
tien of stalking awkwardly about some three
or four feet above the ground? That boy is
the type Of the future man. He may throw
away his deal-board and leather supporters
when be is old enough to play billiards or " run
with the machine" but the chances are that
he will continue TO use stills all his life that
is to say, that he will always endeavor to be
higher in the esteem of others than he deserves
Towards the close of a long life Of bitter ex-
perlence be many acquire the good sense
10 kick off his stills ald walk among men with
his own natural gait Now and then. too. we
fnd man who acts and talks naturally and
who has no disposition to be esteemed better,
wiser or richer than he is But the greater
part of The world, dissatisfied with a Just esti-
nation, are continually striving to appear and
be thought better than they are.
That writer who is endeevoring 20 magnify
a traing subject by long winded essays, or
who expresses his ideas in the words of " fear
full length and laundering sound" instead of
of the plain simple and natural language to
which he is most accustomed, aud which is the
only kind to attract the favorable notice of
men OF common sense-that writer is on stills.
and there will never be any comfort to him or
satisfaction TO his readers until he comes down
to the common level Turgid, heavy, dul! and
obscure, his essays cost him more labor than
if prepared in simpler style without being of
much benefit to his readers There arc those
CT that class who seem 10 spend their whole
time in ransacking the dictionary for words Of
imposing sound
The young man who receives all he earns
yet whose income is limited but who wishes TO
appear 10 have an abundance and to keep
pace with the eXtravagaut and speHdthrift
folly Of the wealthy of his age, is on stills
He must appear d little higher in the world
than be is entitled TO, and therefore must spend
more money than he has earned His pride
keeps bis pocket empty, and prevents him
from resortlng TO such rational and innocent
pleasures as are within his reach. His POSITIONS is
consequently as painful as it Is awkward and IN
natural. Throw away your stills, young
friend-cutivate pleasures which are not ex-
pensiye-iive within your income, and you viii
be much better aud much happier for it
Fa>hion-oying and fashiou-rolIowing people
are all on sttS-run mad with notions Of gen
tity-forever desirous of creating for them
selves peculiar circle and of excluding the
great mass of mankind from ia pecraye of
rags-au aristocracy of gloves, crayats, laces
and ewelry. OF the wild mazes which the yo-
taries Of folly dance through, that of the peo-
pie who are on stills OF fashion is the most
absurd The love Of Gucry chokes ont all
that is good III their hCarts-tbey become iden-
t6ed with their garmeuts-they are laced aud
Starched into nUngntieS-whO.eSOm natural
feelings, vigorous thought, generous emotions,
lofty impulses are all swallowed up in show
Squald poverty has nothing half 50 pjtiful as
the state OF those whose souls are all taken up
with pomp, parade, show, style, fashion aal
ecat The wild Indian that hunts his game
for food, adores the Great Spirit, loves his
friend and hates his enemy, walks on this earth
Il head and shoulders taller than the dandy on
his stills Of fashion, for he is twice as much a
nan Still, awkward and unsafe is the tilt
march of those vino chase this eycr-chuuging
phantom fashion. Their heads are raise
above the sphere Of affection and Of rational
enjoyment. All the noble traits of the char
acter in them have been replaced hy dllet-
tanlSm and snobbery Taste they may indeed
have, but it is a taste which gives its possess
ors 10 genuine pleasure. Retired they may
be, but in the process of refinement their ma
tive eXcelencics have BEEN destroyed.
Equally to be pitied are those who are
raised upon literary stiltS-who have imposed
UPo" 'ne'use'''S anu VINO a'e S""F., 10 man,
,rL 1%,u ''g reputation ol "GL'LG"u people,
i"e '"SA ''ey ">ou'H'' Co'nPe'1 'nfi' 20 'tau
u s!""'e o,e' e'ely "e" "ooA' u''nou-n "oV
o"e III t"e"'!' - "o''u ' :" Thought 'ea''hS no
,o"'ii Iol o''G,''%'.y 1"e! are co" 'u'SoFy
oooN' otnlS' wiz" I'''e P'ea>urt' except "ha'
to serve as walking catalogues.
In short Iarre prop, rtion of our ncopIe
are raised unon stilts of some kind or another