The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-02-19
JUVENILE COLUMN.
STOPPING TO THINK.

@AAAs~~s
When Chief Justice Salmon p. Chase
was little boy, eight or ten years old, he
was told by his fathers hired man, that he
could catch birds by putting salt on their
tails. 1t was in the autumn, when birds
were gathering in f1ocks before taking
their flight to q warmer climate and Sal
mon thought it was q capital opportunity to
make a trial. So he tried the experiment
upon flock of birds that were unusually
tame, not far from his fathers house. He
chased them about from one spot to anoth-
or, with his pocket full Of salt, with which
he had taken good care to provide himself /;
but he failed to lodge a single grain of it
threw handful at the scared creatures,
but when the salt fell where the bird was,
the bird wasn't there. Salmon became inn
patient over his ill-luck. If his heart
could have been turned inside out, some
bad temper would have been discovered
therein. just then, however, bright
thought struck him.
at isn't true" he exclaimed; "can't put
salt on birds tail. If 1 could get near
enough to them to do that l could catch
them without SALT"
Why did he not think of that before Z
The hired man was testing. Perhaps he
did not think that Salmon would be SO silly
as to chase the birds with salt; but he did,
as we have seen and all because he did
not stop to think. AS soon as he reflected
for one moment, and inquired whether the
statement of the hired man was true or not,
he saw what a simpletOn he was making of
himself. He never forgot the lesson of
that day. He stopped to think-and the
result has been to make him one of the
great men of the age.
A teacher wanted to test some of her
scholars one day, and SO she asked, eff you
fill tub level full of water, and drop into
it stone as large as your head, why will
A.. 10 + A.
not one boy or girl stopped to think they
took it for granted that the water would
not overflow the tub. Jennie and Thomas
and Jane, and others, answered, giving
such reasons as occurred to them. At
length, however, little jamie Lincoln, one
of the smallest boys in the class, who had
been thinking, cried out:
"The water ,ciU run out of the tub"
Our little readers ought to understand
this matter. Tho most important thing
they do is to think. Without it, it is inn
possible for them to become very good or
great. If they believe everything they
hear, they will be chasing birds with salt
they will never know that tub cannot
hold more after it is full. Thinking makes
good scholars, as we'll as good men and wo-
men. Thoughtlessness is the mother of ills
and misfortunes.
Stop a moment and see how much there
is to think about. All around yon are sub
iects and objects to task the power of
Thought. No one can exhaust them. 1t is
raining now-how much there is in rain
drop to think about. AS they patter on
the window pane, drop after drop, driven
by the stormy wind, how much alike they
are. w. III
Whey does the rain fall in dropsi Why
does it always descend in that form Z
Why does it rain more at one season of the
year than at another. When it begins to
rain, why does it stopf When it stops
raining, why does it begin again Why
does it not rain instead Of snow in winter 2
Is q snowflake made out of what makes a
rain -dropf You see how many inquiries
can be raised about drop of rain, that
scarcely makes you look up when it falls
pat on your nose. Not only children, but
grave philosophers can tax their thoughts
a great while on the why's and wherefores
of drop of rain. Soon the ponds will be
through the frosty air. Have you ever
stopped to think about the ice 7 How won
derful it is! 1t looks almost as if the
great God had caused the water to freeze
in winter on purpose for skating-that
boys, and girls may spend happy hours in
the pastime. Why does not the sheet of
ice that forms on the surface of the water
sink to the bottoms Is not ice heavier
than water7 Why does not all the water
in every pond freeze and become one solid
mass7 How cold must it be to freeze wa
teri Is there any country where masses
of ice are always found Is there any
where ice is unknownf Thus a
great many inquiries can be raised about
ice, that some boys value as they can use
it for skating. And these inquiries relate
to the most Interesting things to be known
about it. Thought alone can bring them
out. And SO it is of a multitude of things |
that we have neither time nor space to
speak about.
of attention are really not worth thinking
about. How many persons begin when
dress, and study to follow the fashions, and
to make a show, as if dress were the most
In manhood and womanhood they pride !
themselves on a fine wardrobe, and splea- |
did furniture and a costly house, their |
shoughts dwelling upon these as moro i'm
portant than knowledge and virtue. With
out any of this display person can be
useful, happy and good. Indeed, he can
be more useful, happy and good without
them than he can with them. They often |
belittle the soul and dwarf the mind, SO
kbot -hot God meant ShOul0 he value6 \