Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1861-03-15
An Essay ON Common Sense.

An Essay ON Common Sense.
Re.der, do not imagine that you are
with such projections as that
you cannot learn something from a
sensible essay on common sense. You
may be very accomplished, reader, in Z
many respects. Nature may have be.
slowed upon you some Of her choicest
gifts in their greatest perfection, but
she may moi have given you common
sense to use those gifts to your best ad-
vantage. We have thought that the
following little essay on com mon sense
might Re instructive to many of our
readers as it has been to Us. tits from
the Philadelphia Ledger:
. COMMON SgNsE TaE BEsT SENSE
There are too many persons thought
lessly given to dcpreciating common
sense. For the reputation of few
brilliant qualities, they sacrifice that
wisdom in little things, without which
there can b. no success in life, and
rarely even happiness. They would
rather have it said, "he has every sense
but common sense" than be c'mpli.
mented, even by the most intelligent,
for the possession of thatquality. And
yet, why do they despise it? Nothing
can be greater error. Common sense.
in its perfection, is one o. the rarest
gifts of man. Thousands, who are
sensible and prudent on most subjects,
have yet some special hobby, on which
they are nearly Insane. Tens Of thous'
ands more seem to be incapable Of de-
Gliding about the ordinary affairs Of life
correctly. Great lawyers, eloquent
teachers and profound savAns can be
counted by the scores. who are unit to
manage business, educate their disci-
pline, or take care Of what they earn.
Is it but common sense is good sense
applied to Insignificant things? But
the things are not insignificant. 1t is
by these despised lit 10 things that
prosperity and happiness are made up
In wife, the common sense that will
enable her to understand her husband's
character, ard to mako his home q
pleasant one to him, is vastly more
valuable than fine accomplishments OF
snowy intellectual qualities. In a
mother, it tells her how to manage her
, children's different disposition, so as to
!. make all alike honorable men Of vir-
.uous women. So also, to husband
or partner, common sense is everything.
Brilliant talents may benefit US occa-
sionally, may even, in some profess
sions, lad to fortune but the great-
est genius, if he has not common sense,
is miserable at heart. Ho is always
getting into debt, offending his friends,
doing some silly thing, and making
his family unhappy. Wine has been
, praised by certain poets as sort OF
nc ctar for the gods. But water, they
: admit, is best for every day use. Sc
it is with common sense.
Common sense, in truth, is everyday
wisdom. It is impossible to have i,
without also having a sound judgment.
, The two terms, indeed, are alomst sy-
nonymous. But lie who has SCUM
, judgment often only needs q wider
sphere to become, instead Of private
citizen distinguished for common sense,
q great captain, great legislator, OF
q great patriot. 1iampdcn, Cromwell
end Washington had all reached mid
die age before they became famous !;
but prior to this they had been remark
able, among their neighbors, for COM
mon sense. 1t was tae application to
larger affairs Of that careful collection
of facts. that many sided consideration
of subject, which they had beer. ac-
customcd to exhibit in little things tina !:
raised them, when the opportunity pre-
scented itself, to that commanding posi-
ton which has made their names his
torical. Had tho first Napoleon pos.
sessed, in addition to his vast genus,
a little more conn on sense; had he been
less impulsiye, less Of fatallst, less
reckless, he might have died in the tn.
ile,ies, instead Of st. Helena he
might have won Waterloo, instead of
losing it.
Common sense ma7 be cultivated,
very common notion to the contrary
notwithstanding. For though some
men are born with more wit than 9TH
ers,, it may be Developed like any other
intellectual quality. A Judge who has
been on the Bench for many years, is
better, all things being the same, than
ono Just elevated to it. Practice, it
has been we'll said, makes man perfect.
A blacksmith Who has been pound
ing iron for life time, has . bravnicr
arm than his apprentice Let man
begin at twenty one, deciding careful
ly on little things, and what was at
FIRST labor will become an instinct,
till, at last, he who started with COM
parativeiy no common sense at all, will
end with a we'll deserved reputation for
it. 1t would be bitter for the happi-
ness and prosperity of individuals, as
well as for society at largo, if common
sense was cultivated more, for to a
greater degree than anything else it
enters into the composition Of good
citseLs, good members of the family,
good men and good women.
DTDr. Holmes, in his last new
hook MElsia Yerner.N draws a nicture