Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1861-03-22

nearest Of all people yet discovered TO that
terrible cousin of-humanity ape"
From the Springfield Republican.
A REMEDY FOR DULL EVENINGS.
We casually overheard young man com
planning, the other night, OF the dulncss Of
Springfield Time hung heavily ON his hands
he knew not what to do Of an evening, and
was making himself quite miserable about it,
He had just come up from one ol the subter
ranean saloons, where he had been spending
an hour merely because he did not know where
else 10 20 or what else to do. The entertain
ment there was evidently not quito to his
taste. The stale and dirty Jokes had become
insipid, and the hot and foul air, rceking with
bad tobacco and worse liquor, bad produced
stupidity and duh ache and sense of weari-
ness all over. He had come out on the street
! for o breath Of fresh air. and in its inspiration
really wished he had a better use for his even
ings than to saunter from one saloon to an
other, seeing everywhere the same style of
character and hearing the same proflne and
corrupting talk lie did not look like stu
pid or dirty fellow. There was the FIRE OF
intellect in his eye and the glow Of good ma
ture on his cheek, and every way he seemed
above the associations into which be had fall
len. A single winters education in the sa-
looms may essentially change him. and he may
become as listless, as dull eyed and as iaun'
diced by spring the majority Of his asso-
ciates, and have as little sense left of the true
use and enjoyment Of life as blind old hors,
in treadmill. Hell worth saving and wortl
making something of, if he would only think
so in time to do it.
| There are three hours out of the twenty
| four at his absolute command, and he nigh
make them four without robbing his body o
any necessary rest or recreation and all thi,
time he throws away because he thinks b,
/ does not know what to do with it. No, it i.
worse than that; If these hours were spon
in sleep they would be harmless, but as now
used they bring only loss of health, loss o
manly ambition to do and be something il
/ the world, and general degradation of bod,
and mind. Life is too short tor such bas,
uses. Let him consider what be might do witt
himself in these three or four hours daily
now worse than lost He has had but a smal
amount of schooling and was too enger lu
sport to make much of that little and he does
not know any too much for man who is &,
take the high position Of an independent
American sovereign. He is now old enougt
to appreciate the value Of knowledge, and t,
accumulate it rapidly if he sets himself abou
it with a will. If he should fall into thu
hands of parliamentary committee, such a
they have in England to investigate the mora
and intellectual condition of the workin,
classes we fear he would make but poo
show in the report. II would not be very
agreeable 70 him to see himself described
before the civilized world something altoi
this fashion: "a B. is eighteen years old
drives a team and does odd Jobs wage
small not much taste for reading; has hear.
Of sciences, and thinks Tom Heenan under
stands it don't profess TO be much on sci
ence himself; has heard of geometry, believe
il is used in lumber yard, but don't know
what they do with il; can't say certainl,
whether a triangle is round or square, an,
don tsee as tits an object TO know: understand
what astronomy is because the girls used tc
recite it at school but thinks it no use tC
bother about the moon and stars they car
take care of themselves has heard Of tn,
constitution Of the United States don't know
what it is about, but goes it strong for th,
Union; thinks learning a very good thing 70
schoomasters and lawyers, but has no tint
for it and shouldn't know how to go at it j
he had goes to church occasionally to pleas,
his mother; likes the singing first rate. anC
goes to sleep regularly in the sermon, becaus,
he don't understand it and knows it ism
meant for him and on the whole don't con
slider it anybodys business how he spends
his time, and only wishes there was some
fun a-going evenings"
1t may not be worth while to give adyic,
to A. b., but we are quite sure thatif he will
sit down and make out list of things he
would like to know, and which would be use
ful to him to know, or get an intelligent frienC
to do it for him, and then set himself TO worl
in getting just the knowledge that will f
him to live aud take arespectable stand among
men, he will soon find his evenings passing
pleasantly, and will no longer complain tina
time hangs heavily and there is too large
supply of the article, but will wish that the
long winters evenings lasted all the year
round Three hours in day amount to about
+ flty-fyc days of ten hours in six months
and man can learn a considerable amount
in that time. Let the young men who fnt
their evenings dull and miserable, try it anC
sec.
TfJ, rNIfNfn ArTnNa I'm unT ANN