Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1871-10-14

ton. But besides these physical peeu-
!, lliarities may be observed certain moral
symptoms, which 20 fnrto disprove his
assumed youth He is in the habit OF
falling into reveries, caused | have no
doubt, BY some circumstance which sug-
: gests comparison with his experience
in his remoter. boyhood, or by some Sc
. rious retrospeetion OF the past years.
lie has been detected lying awake, at
times when he should have been asleep,
curiously comparing the bedclothes,
walls and furniture with some recollec-
tons Of his youth. AT such moments
he has beenshesrd 70 sing softly 70 him
self fragments OF some tfnintelliglble
composition, which probably still fingers
in his memory. as the echoes of a music
he has long outgrown. lie has the habit
Of freceiving strangers with the familiarity
: Of one who had met them before and
: to whom their antecedents and peculiar
y tiles were matters of old acquaintance; ;
and so unerring is his Judgment of their
previous character that when he with
: holds his confdencesI am apt to with
hold mine. tits somewhat remarkable
{ that while the maturity Of his years and
the respect due to'ithem are denied by
man, his superiority and venerable age
are never questioned by the brute crea-
ton. The dog treats him with a respect
and consideration accorded to none
others, aud the cat attempts a familiarity
which should shudder to attempt. 1t
may be considered an evidence Of some
: Pantheistic quality in his previous edu-
cation, that he seems TO recognize fel-
hlowship even in artieulate objects; he
has been Ipown( to verbally address
plants, flowers and fruit, and to extend
his confidence TO such inppimate objects
as chairs and tables. There can be lit
tie doubt that, in the remote period of
his youth these objects were endowed
! with not only sentient natures but moral
eapabiiities, aud he is still IN the habit
i of beating tb en- when they collide with
him and Of pardoning them with kiss.
| As he has grown older-rather, let me
say, as we have approximated TO bis
years-he has, in spite of the apparent
paradox, lost much Of his senile gravity
II must be confessed that some of his
actionsof late appear to eqrlfmperfect
comprehension tnconsisteft-with our eHl
4 treme age. A habit of marching up and
Idown with string tied to soda-water
bottle, disposition to ride anything
that could by any exercise Of the live
liest fancy be made to assume equine
| proportions, q propensity TO blackep, his
venerable white hirwithli9k and coal
| dust, and an omniverous appetite which
did not stop at chalk, clay or cinders,
were peculiarities not calculated TO ex-
cite respect In fact, he would seem to
have become demoralized, and when,
after "A prolonged absence the other day,
he was finally discovered standing upon
thes front, steps addressing. o. group Of
delighted children ont of his lhhaed vo-
cabulary, the circumstances could only
be accounted for as the garrulity of age.
| But | lay aside my pen amidst an
ominous silence and the disappearance
llof the venerable head from my place OF
vision. As step TO the Other, side of
thetableI i find that sleep has 0yeri8keh1
him in an overt act Of hoary wickedness.
IlThe very pages | have devoted to an
exposition of his deceit he has quietly
abstracted, and 6pd them covered with
cabalsfic iigares. Aild Wild hierosIspbics
with his forefinger dipped in ink, which
doubtless in his own language conveys so
scathing o commentary on my compost
ton. Bot he sleeps peacefully, aud there
is something in his face which tells me that
he has already wandered away to that
dim region of his youth where ] cannot
follow him And as there comes q 1
strange stirring at my heart whanll con-
template the immeasurabe gulf which |
lies between us, and how slight and feeble
as yet is his grasp on this world and its
strange realities, find too late that |
also am willing victim Of the Venera-
bic lpposteru Lass.a nL4a ~ Il
Family Newspapers.
Few persons have any just conception
Of the extent Of their indebtedness to the |
papers for the information they possess
or the moral sentiwents they cherish.
Compared { With Anyypast age of the J
world this is a remarkably enlightened
period. A large portion of the people
have a considerable share of correct in
formation on almost lall topics Of any
real Importance. Religion, geography,
history the political condition OF the
world, astronomy, the important practi-
cal features of natural philosophy some
thing Of geology, chemistry, % applied
to agriculture and lthe mechgniof arts,
and many other subjects, are familiar
lied to the popular mind. Most presons
can, talk intelligently about them with
out efetepdjng 10 leafning and drescareh.t
But how did they gone by this knowl-
edge2 Not at school, nor from bQoss-
generally speaking picking up, here {
a little, and there little, from tho iam-
lily newspapers, ia imperceptibly small ,
ipstgllpenls, { Lei apy one ask bimselfll
whete hd obtained his knowledge Of my
particular fact. He is probably unable {
TO tell, because it camosiiently, unpre- I
tendingly, in the newspapers.
The same is true in regard 20 our best {
plaral8mprns q md sentiInentsl 0'hay I
have been suggested, reiterated, and fas- {
tened on the mind of the family press |
The pulpit does mycbi epGfsp,at ingtrpc-
ton, in many cases, does much; but the {
press more than either, often more thant !
both Let any ae0hf Of well-con- [
Quoted family paper open its pages and
consider thoHghifpliy' IFS contents There 4
areiiR single pumbeE Eqpealp tnoln | (
one hundred and fifty 70 two bundled I I
sepsrate articles, each one conveying az t
idea, or q fact or q sentiment. and |
stated or illustrated so AS 70 produce an / I
edectln eniarging the readers store Of (
or giving right direction TO I
thought, feeling and aaiicH. Must not =,
oil this have its influence upon tho 4
reader2 We think so.
~ ~ ~ lA-As s.easss z e - 80
eli Keep ont dIfDeiit, Aei, !,
Halt the perpleKity, annoyance and \
trouble that men have in this world is in r
Of getting iu DAFT. Itlo
seems TO be natural for some peolfte % | i
buy and incur obligati0ns without meas \
nre, so long as they can avoid payiug I
ready. cash. Giye one OF this Sort al =
chance to.bny on Lredit, and the question 8
Df price and conditions Of payment are q
matters that he cares but little about. !
But what a crop Of trouble springs up 4
from the seed Of Adebtfi How many a
lleepless nights result fromritl How, a
many gray hairs itbrings, and how often h
i shortens life fel--sometimas leading men r,
20 commit suicide or murder And vpt 4 u