Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1870-09-15
John Ploughman's Talk.
TO THE IDLE.

| 1t is of no more use to give adj
vice to the idle than to pour water
into a sieve; and as to improving
them, one might as well try to fat
ten greyhound. Yet, as The Old
Book tells us to ''cast our bread
upon the waters,' we will cast a
hard crust or two upon these stag
nant ponds; for there will be this
comfort about it, if lazy fellows
grow no better, we shall be none the
worse for having warned them; for
when we SOW good sense, the bas-
ket gets none the emptier. We
have stiff bit of soil to plough
when We chide with sluggards, and
the crop will be of the smallest; but
If none but good land were farmed.
ploughmen would be out of work,
SO we'll put the plough into the fur
row. Idle men are common enough,
and grow without planting, but the
quantity of wit among seven acres
of them would never pay for raking:
nothing is needed to prove this but
their name and their character; if
they were not fools they would not
be idlers; and though Solomon SAYS,
''The sluggard is wiser in his own
conceit than seven men that can
render reason" yet in the eyes of
every one else his folly is as plain
as the sun in the sky. If hit hard
while speaking to them, it is because
know they can bear it; for if l
had them down on the floor of the
old barn, Knight thresh many day
before l could get them out of the
straw, and even the steam thresher
could not do it, it would kill them
first; for laziness is in some peoples
bones, and will show itself in their
idle flesh, do what you will with
them.
Well, then, first and foremost, it
strikes me that lazy people ought to
have a large looking glass hung up,
where they are bound to see them
selves in it; for sure, if their eyes
are at all like mine, they would new
er bear to look at themselves long
or often. The ugliest sight in the
world is one of those thorough bred
loafers, who would hardly hold up
his basin if it were to rain porridge;
and for certain would never hold up
a bigger pot than he wanted filled
for himself. Perhaps, if the shower
should turn to beer, he might wake
himself up bit; but he would make
up for it afterwards. This is the
slothful man in the Proverbs, who
''hideth his hand in his bosom; it
grieveth him to bring it again to his
mouth" l say that men the like of
this ought to be served like the
drones which the bees drive ont Of
the hives. Every man ought to nave
patience and pity for poverty; but
for laziness, a long whip; or a turn
at the treadmill might be, better
This would be healthy physic for all
sluggards; but there is no chance of
some of them getting their full dose
iof this medicine, for they were
born with silver spoons in their
mouths, and, like spoons, they will
scarce stir their own tea unless
somebody lends them a hand. They
are, as the old proverb says, aas Ia
zy as Ludham's dog, that leaned his
head against the wall to BARK and
like lazy sheep, it is too much
trouble for them to carry their own
wool. If they could see themselves,
it might by chance do them world
of good; but perhaps it would be
too much trouble for them to open
their, eyes even if the glass were
hung for them.
Everything in the world is of
some use; but it would puzzle a
doctor of divinity, or a philosopher
or the wisest owl in our steeple, to
tell the good of idleness; that seems
to me to be an i'll wind which blows
nobody any good--a sort of mud
which breeds no eels, dirty ditch
which would not feed frog. Sift
sluggard grain by grain, and you'll
find him all chaff. / have heard men
say, ''Better do nothing than do mis-
chief" butt am not even sure of
that; that saying glitters well, but
i don't believe it's gold; / grudge
laziness even that pinch of praise,
/ say it is bad and bad altogether;
for look We, man doing mischief is
a sparrow picking the corn-but a
lazy men is sparrow sitting on a
nest full of eggs, which will all turn
to sparrows before long, and do a
world of hurt. Don't tell me, I'm
sure of it, that the rankest weeds
on earth don't grow in the minds of