Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1871-05-05
OWES FRIE.vDS.


in those-tho things worth most are good
friends, good health, the work one can do
best, trusting, cheerful spirit enjoyment
OF natural beauty, and a relish of good
books and simple pleasures. without these,
speaking deliberately, gold cannot make us
rich, nor famo nor power satisfy or make
us happy. We cannot buy them, nor earn
them by drudging. But we can have most
of them for the taking and holding if we
do not wait too long; and having them ALL
we should be rich beyond desire, and
should need TO fear nothing else in life so
much az losing them.
And of these friendship is certainly not
least. One can hardly conceive of a per-
sons being worth much to himself or 9TH
crss - # any success or honor or reward
being worth a great deal to one who has not
somewhere in the world one or more peo-
pie for whose sake he would gladly work
hard and fare hard, and for whom he would
like to fight. of things most devoutly to
thank Heaven for, second to no other, Is
this luck of having fallen in, on this jour
ney of life, with half n dozen men and
women who are more to you than all the
rest of the world, and of whose equal es-
tecm you hope to be worthy. He must be
poor in friends or poor in spirit who, if he
must choose between his friends and his
will of all the power and splondor of the
world, would not, if he were strong, stand
up and face the tempter, and laugh him to
scorn; or, If he were weak, creep closer to
the dear ones and cling round them for fear
of himself, and beg them to hold him fast
and pray God to save him out of his deadly
peril. Can we think too much of them, or
do too much for their sake? 1t is so lonely,
this walk through the world, and often so
dark for all the brightness of the sun and
stars, and all the beauty of the grass and
the sea! Can you think, without fear, of
going on without them? 1 cannot.
"Without friend" said old Thomas
Kcmpis, "thou could'st not well live"
1t is tho law that each must finally walk
alone. The men l meet every day are as
far away from me as the planets. l wonder
what manner of men they are, and what
they make of me. What do you think of,
and how? What do you make of the world,
and this most strange life of us all? l can
not oven ask you what want to know, nor
could you answer me. Mo- VIC cannot walk
two in a track, side by side, he we ever so
close; there are two paths for our feet, and
a wall botweon-you must keep yours and
mine. But it is all the consolation in the
world to have you that love me so near, and
to know that you will help me if you can,
and TO be able to help you, maybe, once or
twice.
We try to DO brave do we MOTTO stand
up against fate and the flesh, and keep our
feet in the track and our faces to the front.
But now and again something will trip us;
blaCk care looks In at the window or the
door; now and again the old sphinx face
stares mocliingly out of the summer sky,
the cup of flower, a child's face, and
novel or newspaper, or what not. Lot me
como near, my friend, for 1 am cold; the
world is dark, and / shver for fear OIL
know not what. Speak to me; look in my
face; let me hear your loved voice and look
in your kind eyes and hold your hand.
Money can buy many things, good and
evil. All tho wealth of the world could not
buy you friend, nor pay you for the loss
of one. 81 have wanted only one thing to
make me happy" IIazlitt writes; "but
wanting that, have wanted everything"
And again: "My heart, shut up in the
prison-housc of this rude clay, has never
found, nor will it ever find, heart to speak
to-"
We are the weakest of spendthrifts if we
let one friend drop off through inattention,
or let one push away another, or if we hold
aloof from one for petty jealousy, or heed
less slight or roughness. Would you throw
away diamond because it pricked you?
ono good friend is not to be weighed
against all the jewels of the earth. If there
is coolness or unkindness between us, let
us como iaco to faco and have it out. Quick,
before love grows cold. Life is too short
to quarrel in or to carry black thoughts
of friends. If l was wrong, / am sorry;
| If you, then am sOrrier yet, for should /
not grieve for my friends misfortune? and
| the mending of your fault does not lie with
me. But the forgiving it does, and that is
| the happier Office. Give me your hand and
call it even. There! it is gone; and /
thank a kind Heaven l keep my friend
still! A friend is too precious a thing to
be lightly held, but it must be a little heart
that cannot find room for more than one or
two. Tho kindness / feel for You warns
me toward all the rest, makes me long to
do something to make you all happy. 1t is
easy to lose n friend, but new one will not
come for calling, nor make up for the old
ono when he comes.
"After a certain age" says VIM. Round
ais,Tt, "a new friend Is a wonder, like Sa-
rah's child" How, then, should we cling
to tho old ones, doubly dear for the present
and happy past! The most versatile, tax
ing him all in all, perhaps the most gifted
of our mon of lettors-poet, humorist, crit
ic. and what not-has written in the ripe.
ness of his years and powers:
"old friends! Tho writing of those words has borne
MY fancy backward to the gracious past
Tho years between
Have taught me sweet, somo bitter lessons;
Wiser than this-to spend in all things else,
But Of old friends to be most misorly."
We are not likely to have many chances
10 do heroic things for Friendships sake
lot us hope If occasion comes we shall no
be found unworthy. But il is of more i'm
portance that we should show our friendly
feeling in the little klndnosscs which thu
willing hand will not have to seek, which
are nothing in the naming, but great dea
in the intention ard the sum. 1t is NOR
TO you that your friend is plainly pleased
TO sec you and be near you, is happy to dc
YOU service, will not pass near you, If h
can help it, without seeing you, than tha
he would die for you upon some possibl
but not very probable OCCASION and mean
while lets his work or his other ties an
pleasures come between you and him, an
form his excuse for neglecting you. Neg
lect is the death and burial Of friendship.
And for what is all this dressing an
n,rnnnlnm md hnilding and nlnnllng am