The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1861-04-17
Common sense the best sense.

4 .
Common sense the best Sense.
There are too many persons thooghtIessly
given to dePreeisting common sense. For
the reputation Of q few brilliant qualities,
they sacrifice that wisdom in litile, things,
without which there can be no success in
lie, rarely even happiness. They would
frather have il said, "hs has every sense but
common sense" than be corhplinented,
even BY the most intelligent, for the posses.
sion OF that homely duality. And yet why
do they des2lse III Il 1t because 6esrly ev-
erybOdy has5it! Nothing can beia greater
error. Common sense, in It's perfection, is
one Of the rarest gifts to man. Thousands,
who are sensible aud prudent on most sub.
jects, have yet some speciaIh5b on which
they are nearly insane. Teas Of thousands
more seem 10, be ineapable OF deciding
ahsat'ths ssasassg afiefs a. Do sSsfseJJsy.
Greet iswyers. eloquent pre- scliers and pro-
found savans can be counted by The scores,
who are unf to msnage business, educate
their disciples, or even take care of what
they earn. ~ al@s suafi
1t IS but comnon sense is good sense ap-
piled to insignificant But the things are
Insignificant. It's BY these despised little
things that prosperity and happiness are
made up, In wife, the common sense
that will enable her to understand her hus-
| bonds character, and to make his home a
pleasant one to him, is vastly more valuable
than fine accomplishments or showy INTEL
lec,nai qualities. In a mother, it tells her
how to manage her children's different dis
positions, SO os to make all uiike honorab b le
men or virtuous women. 81 also to bus
b'nd or partner, common sense Is every
thing. Brilliant talents may benefit Us occa-
slonally, may even, in some professions,
lead to fortune; but the greatest genius If
one has not common sense, is miserable at
heart. He id always getting into debt, Of
tending his friends, doing soma Silly thing,
or making his tamiIy unhappy. Wine has
been praised by certain poets as sort oI
nectar for the gods. But water, even they
admit, is best for every day use. So ii is
with common sense.
Common sense in truth, is everyday wis
dom. Ii is impossible to have il without
also having sound judgment. The two
terms indeed, are almost synonymous. But
he who has a sound judgment often only
needs wider sphere to become, instead Of
private citizen distinguished for common
sense, great captan, great legislator, or
a gre patriot. Hampden, Cromvell, and
Washington had llrsanaha iaals-as sa- be-
fore they became famous; but prior to thi:
they had been remarkable, among tbei
neighbors, for common sense. 1t was the
application to large affairs OF thai clrecu
collection of facts, that many.sided consid
GRAFTON Of subject, which has been accus-
toned to exhibit in little things, that raised
them, when the opportunity presented Itself
to that commanding position which has made
their names historical. Had the first Ma
poleon possessed, in addition to his va>t
genius, little more common sense; had hi
been less inpulsive, less of a fatali.t, les
reckless, he might have died in the Tuler.
n les, instead Of 81. Helena; he might hav
won Waterloo, insteld OF losing it.
Common sense may be cultivated. yer
common notion to the contrary notwith
r standing. For though some men are borr
{ with more wit than others, it m'y b, devel
oped like any other intellectual quality. A
Judge, who has been on the Bench for many
years, is better. all things being the same
than one who has just been elevated to it,
Q Practice, it has been we'll said, makes per
h feet. A blacksmith who has been poundin!
/. iron for half Ii etime, has brawnier orr
than has his young apprentice. Let ma
d begin at twenty .one, deciding carefully o
e little things, and what was at first labt
= will soon become an INSTINCT, till, at last.
ly who started with comparatively no commo
10 sense at all, will end with a we'll deserve
", reputation for it. II would be better for th
I'd happiness and prosperity Of individuals, c
ht we'll as for society at large, if common sens
was cultivated more, for TO greater degre
- than anything else it enters into the compc
OIL sition OF good citizens, good members of tb
d family, good men and good women.-P31li
pa } Ledger. ....
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