Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1863-02-07
A Chapter on Wastefalness.

waste is q second nature, and whose candles
are perpetually burning at both ends. Light
come, light 20, isan almost certain rule. There
have been wonderfully lucky gamblers, but
who ever heard of one, however fortunate,
that died rich The winnings they got from
the green cloth melt like ice in the dog days
Dampier, Bishop, Hall, and other historians
of the Buccaneers, chronicle some remarkable
instances Of the childish prodigaiity Of thsss
audac;oussn&iaN Nssking could stick to their
unthriAy fingers. The richest prises afforded
them but short revel on shore. Gold moi.
dores, silver bars, diamonds, church plate,
slipped through their fingers with scanty pleas
ure and less profit. The plunderers Of New
Spain were commonly sllocless, hungry
band Of ragged Robins, and poverty clung to
them as mantle.
All criminals, or nearly all, have an in.
stinctive wastcfulness. Thieves are always
poor; witches were proverbially SO the crafty
forger dies in need, If not in penal scrvitude,
and tho ingenious swindler is buried by the
parish. Even licensed spoil little profits the
marauder. Throughout history there are c,,-
rious episodes, in which common soldier
has held for brief time kingy fortune in
his grasp. The Koh-i.Noor did not enrich
the rude Persian who snatchetl it at the sack
of Delhi; the Pitt diamond did not make
raah of the slippery knave who stole it from
the eye socket Of the great idol. Many
Sikh or British full private laid his hard hands
on glorious gems at Lucknow. and elsewhere;
but the precious prizes were lost, or sold for
fraction Of their value to some knowing native
dealer. Gold-diggers. privatcers'nrn. sailors
dazzled by shower OF prize.money, are but
too apt to spend the fruits Of toll and danger
in day.
WASTE OF TIME.
Time is grand object Of waste. Consid-
ering how short our span is, it il marvellous
how heavily it hangs on hand with some Of US,
and how we try and vainly try to "k'lI'' the
old gentleman with the scythe and hour'glass.
BY mercifal provision. our minds appear to
b. incapable Of dwelling, save at rare inter-
walls, on the trickling away Of our few hand.
falls of sand, for W. should surely 60 mad If
we watched the seconds click away into eter-
nifty. and our hours slipping from our grasp,
with tho terror and remorss that might be per.
haps expected. But W. yawn and dawdle.
or we chafs and hustle, and wish great frag.
ments of our life away, that it may b. next
month, and quarter day. or next day, or next
week, and the vacation, or next year, aud We
something finer, higher. more happy than at
present. and-presently up comes the old
gentlemen, to turn the hour-glass for others,
and to cut us down with his scythe.
wAsrEoF MATERIAL.
Waste of materials affords a livelihood to
many, though with respect to patient ingenu.
ity in finding use for unconsidered triAes,
the Cslestials beat US at all points. A Chi.
nese can extract a substance from the refuse
Of Western industry, and will not only fatten
on all things edible, without any absurd an.
tipathis to diet Of reptiles or insects, but will
transmute rubbish into glisteuing dollars. 1t
is we'll known that the long.tailed race have a
secret process for separating slight per
centage Of gold from copper ore. and can ship
it to Canton at a profit. It is known, too.
that John Chinaman's long nails will claw out
tiny spscks Of gold from the heaps of "dirt"
that the brawny European digger has flung
contemptuously aside. and that he can thrive
on the very snatchings Of an abandoned claim.
At home, bis wonderful industry ctmjures up
maintenance out Of slender means. He
was tho first gardener. the first breeder of
fish in artificial reservoirs, tue first to find
out how valuable wcre the pig and the silk
worm Ills economy in agriculture equals
his prudence in trade; nothing is wasted
that can enrich the soil. Some countries and
some ages are more frugal than others. We.
ourselves, with all our waste. constantly find
out usss for refuse materials which our ancss-
tori could do nothing with; coal tar. and
black Lethe that used to pour its sullsn foods
from the gas works, poisoning air and water.
was an unmitigated pest till It was found to
be the parent of aniline. Of rosy Magenta.
delicate mauve, oil Of ammondo, and other d.
egant extracts. Horses hoofs were kicked
into the kennel for many year before they
were expected to yield the royal Prussian
blue. Linen rags were scraped to lint or
burned to finder for centuries before IL was
deemed possible to convert them into glossy
cream laid paper, and bones were once Meth.
or valued by the farmer nor tho phosphorus
manufactures. 10 sons eyes every dust heap
is mine of wealth. 1t is wonderful sight
which is presented by the industry Of tho
professional searchers Of such dingy piles.
Every scrap of coke, every cinder, every
bone, rag. or bit Of broken pottery, has Ms
uses. The Fragments Of smashed bottles, the
ashes Of burned wood, tho morsels Of rusty
iron. corroded copper or tarnishsd tin, the
hair, skin. ropes ends, leather. ars sagsrly
scrambled for and set apart. .oaa'
The good city of Paris alone contains some
thousands Of chifonniers, who live literally by
hook. and who take up daily bread from the
cutters Of the city by the help Of their iron
claw and twinkling lantern. by night they
ply this toll. and by day they sleep, or fish