Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1867-08-23
One of the Lost Arts.

One of the Lost Arts.
There is scarcely a day passes that aman
of observation or woman with any pow
er Of perception fails TO notice the errors
which are committed and the trouble which
is created by class of people who are ig-
norant of the art Of not doing certain
things. 1t is so easy, apparently, to omit
unimportant acts that one can but wonder
that so much pains are taken to act, which
mastery inactivity would prevent SO much
difficulty. The Presidential chair has
| slipped away from the grasp of men who
would have adorned it, because they could
not resist the temptation of writing letters.
Men of great business tact have been
ruined on account of their inability to re-
fuse to write their names on the back of
other mems notes. Whole families have
been thrown into commotion because some
member could not withhold some simple
remark, and popular excitement in this
eo"a"y IL WI hSIuchbJ CiCatCu ueCauSc
some public man will not omit the golden
opportunity Of not saying something which
nine cases in ten he lives 10 regret that he
ever uttered.
The possession of this art of not speak
ing untimely, or Of emitting to perform an
action which it were better never had been
contemplated, involves, we are aware, the
possession of many virtues. Ii will be ar
gued, perhaps, that it is better TO do some
thing, and commit mistakes, than to do
nothing and have nothing to show as the
result of life lime. This must be ad-
mtted but it cannot be denied that the
greatest blunders committed by public men
are those blunders which appear easiest to
avoid. We have a living illustration to-
day in the person of man who possesses
tie art Of not doing things or saying things,
whose popularity is second TO that Of no
living American. In the time Of war he
was all action. In times of peace he per-
forms his ofiieial duties thoroughly, and is
content to rest there. He has no doubt
been sorely tempted 70 do and to say, but
he is master of the art Of not doing it. He
is also equally master Of the art of strik-
ing when the iron is hot, and his official
dispatches and his brief but emphatic or
ders to his soldiers show that he is not lack
ing in those great qualities which constitute
true craftsmanship. The generals who lost
their popularity during the war were those
who were restless and impatient, and in
stead of waiting for the laurels to follow
the accomplishment of great deeds, they
established headquarters in The saddle and
rode into oblivion.
The recent act of another widely known
citizen is an illustration to the point. How
easily he could have avoided that trip 70
Richmond; bow easily he could haxe kept
his hand from appending that signature TO
the bail bond of a man who gave form to
the greatest crime against natlon that one
man ever committed. There was no sig
nifcance in the ac:, it represented no prin-
ciple, it was productive of no good. A
string of other men, whose signatures were
equally acceptable to the government, were
ready TO perform an act which was consis-
tent with their previous lives. How easy
i, would have been for the gentleman not
10 have done it.
If people generally ever acquire this
lost art, it will be blessing TO The world,
The petty animosities of private life will
be decreased. The idle word or the silly
remark, the unc.,lIed for letter or the I'M
asked opinion will be more rare. Even the
wordy politician win boil over less FREE
Guently, and business men will be spared
he trouble of spending half their lives in
repairing the errors committed by them
through want of knowledge regarding the
art of no. doing ii.-Bosfon Journal.