The Union and journal. [volume] (Biddeford, Me.) 1858-1882, 1864-09-23
the light Of tho fire on Ills faco: doing moth.
ing, thinking Of nothing, and quite tranquil
and content. Ono sometimes thinks. would


and content. One sometimes thinks, would
we could do the like That fat stupid old
abbo. had led so idle life, that the muscu.
lar power of the Familiar Spirit was abated
and its craving for work gone. t.t.
When you are wearicd with long work,
my reader, wish. you may have a place like
this to which to como and rest. How good
and pleasant it is for little while! Your
cares and burdens fall of from you. How
Insignificant many things look to one, sitting
on this green grass, or looking over this
bridge down into the green dell, that worried
one in tho midst Of duty! If you were out
in hurricane at sea, and your boat got at
last into little sheltered cove, you would be
glad and thankful. But only for q short
time. In little while, you would be weary
of staying there. Wo are 10 made that we
cannot for any length Of time remain quies.
cent and do nothing. And We cannot live
on the past. The Familiar Spirit will not
chew the cud. 80 to speak: you must give
him fresh proycnder to grind. Perhaps there
have been days in your life which were 30
busy with hard work, SO alive with what
to you were great interests, 80 happy with q
bowildcring bliss, that you fancied you would
be able to look back on them and to live in
them MI your life, and they would bc pos
session farcver. Not SO. 1t is the present
on which We must live. You can no more
satisfy Michael scott's Spirit with the re.
nembrance Of former occupations and enjoy
,nents. than you can allay your present hum
ger with the remembrance Of beefsteaks
brought you by tho plump hcad-waiter at
"The Cock" half dozen years ago. Each
day must bring its work-or the Spirit will
DO at you and stick pins into you.
A power Of falling asleep enables one to
cvadc the Spirit. At night. going to bed,
looking for slccplcss night, how many q
man has said, Oh for forgctfulness! When
you have escaped into that realm, tho Spirit
can trouble you no more. You know the
wish which Hood puts on tho lips OF Eugene
Aram, tortured by an uncomfortable recollcc-
tion: that he could shut his mind and clasp
It with n clasp, as he could close his book
and clasp it. Few men are moro to be cnvicd
than those who have this power. Napoleon
had it. So had the Duke of Wellington.
At any moment either Of these men could
toscapc'into region where they were cnrfrc:
" free from the pressure Of those anxicties
which weighed them down while awake.
Once the duke, with his idcde.camp, came
galloping up to point Of the Britith lines
whence an attack was to be made. Hc was
told the guns would not bo ready to open for
two hours "Then," said he, "wo had bet
ter have sleep" He sat down in trench
leant his back against its side, and was fast
asleep in minute. That great man could
at any time escape from Michael Scott's Spir-
il; could get into country where tho Spir-
it could not follow him. For in drcamlcss
sleep you escape from yourself.
have been told that there is another
means Of lulling that Unsuitable being into q
state in which it ceases to DO troublesome
and importunatc. 1t is tobacco. Some men
say that the smoking Of that fragrant weed
soothes them into u perfect calm, in which
they arc pleasurably conscious Of existing,
but have no wish to do, anything. Let lne
confess, notwithstanding, that ! esteem smok.
Ing as one OF the most offensive and selfish Of
the lesser sins. When scc smoke pouring
out of the window OF railway carriage not
specially allotted to smokers, 60 no farther
for evidence that that carriage is occupied by
selfish snobs.
Young children have Michael Scott's Fa.
miliar Spirit to find employment for, just as
much rs their seniors. Who does not yet
remember the horrible feeling which you ex-
pressed when child by saying you had moth.
ing to do? have just heard little thing
say to his mother, "Ilead me story, to make
the time pass quick" That was bis way Of
saying "to pacify the Familiar Spirit" And
wo talk of killing Time, as though he were
an enemy to be reduced to helplessncss.
There is an offensive phrase which sets oil
the idea more distinctly. There orc silly
felows who ask you what o'clock it is by
saying "How goes The enemy'" This Phrase
indeed suggests thoughts too solemn and aw-
ful for this page. Let mo ask, in word, if
Time bo such, how about Eternity? But in
every such case as those named, the enemy is
not Time. II is Michael SCOTS Familiar
Spirit, demanding occupation. How fast
Time goes, when the Spirit is pleasantly or
laboriously employed! When people talk
Of killing Time, they mean knocking that
strange being on the head, so to speak stun.
ming il for ,he hour. That may be done
but it is soon up again, importunato as ever.
Ono evening Douglas Jcrrold was ut par
ty where several other literary men and pub
lishsm were assembled, and the conversation