The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1864-03-22

BORROWING MISERY.sy q.
A writer 10 tbs Weslsyaa, Mayaxiss Hives
the following IlluslrGtons Of the manner in
which misery is often borrowed. siulo1qa i
I. ANTICIPATING EVE. sliaU I
Perhaps the first illustration OF this mistake
should bs taken from that tendency in men to
"keep on tho windy side Of care" by aniicipa
ting the future, by trying to peer into what
may happen, thus do they picture 10 them
selves terrible disasters, and failures Of plaus
Expecting trouble, they go out TO- meet IL;
and whether it would come or not, they seize
! il, and lash Themselves with il so much cam.
estness, that il the worst came to pass they
could not suffer more They pain themselves
! foolishly, because, if ibe anticipated disaster
should occur, they have ret only to endure its
actual existence, but they have had, in addi-
ton, the distress of living it over and over, day
after day, for long time, and all the anlicipa-
ton was borrowed misery. For example,
sickness is in the house; the loved one is
watched affectiouately; to SEQ sutIeripgs that
we cannot assuage is grief enough; to supply
the kindly attentions demanded now is care
sufficient, and that is the trcuble Of TO day, the
only trouble God sends But we arc prone to
tread further into darkness, to bend our backs
for heavier load and while the Lord sends
only sickness, our minds dwell on death while
really our beloved lives and lies in bed, we are
shudderipg at The thought ofcoffin and shroud,
aud hearse and grave. And yet how many
times, when morths have rolled away, have
we seen the groundessness OF our sorrow; our
beloved recovered, and instead Of the stroud
IL st,o H. al oc IL
funeral kuell there wss the joyous peaipg Of
the wedd ng bel's.
Doubtless sometimes The expected calamity
comes, but even then il bears with il no com.
hendation for our long and paia!ll realiza-
tion of il beforehand. When it comes, true
sorrow Is its attendant; but whilo il delays its
approach there is no wisdom in borrowing the
misery itmigM occasion. W
II. FRETFULNEss. ito'
Frelfulness is great lender Of misery. 1t
begins It's loans to very yonng borrowers, and
tLe.e is great danger that if its debtors draw
on it carly they will become sad spendlhrifts
Of misery, aud scarcely ever be able TO free
Themselves trorp tho clutches of their hard
lask-master and creditor.
There is nothing more successful in making
people unnecessarily miserable than fretful,
discontented spirit. 1t works i'll in two ways :.
il causes its victims TO think badly Of thcm-
selves, aud (what is worse) to think badly of
other people loo.
Let US Try TO say something that may bene-
fit these who so uselessly borrow misery.
Freilulncss and peevishncss are very much
under our own control. Men can choose to
villa; extent they will permit circumstances to
cEert iuilucuce ever them, aud the character
Of that influence. An eccentric person Of the
Johnsonian school has made cort of fable on
this subject H. maintains that all kinds CT
weather may be Tade charming to a man if
ho so will; that il he will 60 out 10 the rain
vii bout any defence, and pretend TO know
uolEing about tho showers, tho rain will cease
for him, each drop exclaimI G, " 1t is no use
raining upon that man, be does not mind it,
Thce ia a moral to that fable; and we may
be cure that IT, instead of allowing every slight
incident in peroona, social, or family life to
ruffle our tempers CT make us wrciched, we
perc determined to regard fewer Of them, the
wear and tear Of life would be much less, and
days and hours would pass more pleasantly.
10 cvery house, every day, there are trivial
circumstances which, ifdwelt upon, ill cause
trouble for a long time, bot which are 60
small that they Should never be noticed
Said Cervantes. (" Hast thou q mind TO quar-
rel with thy wIfei Bid her bring water to
thee in the sunshine; "a very fair quarrel may
be picked about the NOTES in the clearest wa.
ter" Yes, great miscry-all borrowed, mono
Of it necessary--is brought to families by the
fetful, cap,ious, qucrulous seedlings that oc.
cur every day; by The ri.icuo prosecuting,
vexIpg. yixonsh notice taken of patry things
at home. 1i
theirs aud mothers! brothers and sisters |!
il our homes arc TO 70 happy, joyous places,
hunt cut mere fre,ful, ess, and make the love
borne by one 10 the other as consderate TO
mutual weakness as is the courtesy that is paid
10y and to strangers. 'Duo t
a h" III QUARRELsoMESEss. ~
a pugnacious, quarrelsomo disposition, al
ways forces its possessor 10 borrow misery. Ii
he finds victim he has to smart as well as 10
make smart; if he does not fud vic inns
enough, then indeed has h !. misery. His ex
pericEceI is like tEat of a well known historic
Scotch terrier Of great pluck, who was always
much more solemn than the other dogs A
Highland gamekeepcr was asked tho reason
and replied, 30, sir, lfes full o seriousness
to him: he just mover can get enough o fetch
in" Now like that very amiable dog arc
many men; they like to fight; fghtinr, they
are not happy; not fighting, "lifs's fall o
sairiousness" 10 them.
Q of how much joy do quarrelsome men
deprive themselves! Like hedgshogs, ell
bIistles, no one love TO touch them; il is "a
pain to taikto them; they therefore lose the
pleasure free, intelligent, frequent conversa
ton, Like savage animals, ever ready TO
bite, all who can give them wide raug-, and
those who are compelled to associate with them
dcvoutly wish hat, like Robinson Crusoe, they
we're cast on some desert isand, and cast there
alone. But even there they would quarrel, /,
for, lacking other company, they would quar-
rel with themselves. Like as was said Of one,
whom we will for convenience and sure dis
gpise name "John Smith," ihit il he were
alone in this wido world yet would be quar-
rel for having none elss TO fall out with John
would quarrel with Smith,, and Smith with
Joho, and John Smith would quarrel both