Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1872-09-04
ALEXA. GAZETTE & VIRGINIA ADVERTISER.
FOR TIE COUNTRY
Life Thoughts.

lUT Iilt t1cAduuIld
1t is often said it is no matter what man
believes if he is only sincere. This is true of
all miuor truths, but false of all truths whose
nature it is to fashion man S life. 1t will make
no difference in man 5 harvest whether he thinks
corn is better than wheat; but let the man sin
ccrey believe that seed planted without
ploughing is as good as WITH and that cookie
seed will produce as good harvest as wheat,
and will it make no difference?
A lie always needs truth for handle to it,
else the hand would cut itself which sought to
drive it home upon another. The worst lies,
therefore, are those whose blade is false, but
whose hadle is true
In this world, full often, our joys are only
the tender shadows which our sorrows cast.
If you wind up the weights of clock and
point the hands to the proper figures, and go
away, you will find them in the same place an
hour later. Set it again, and an hour later it
will be as you left it. What does it need? 1t
needs to have the pendulum swing, and then
it will keep time-swng the pendulum OF ac-
tive duties and life expression of thoughts and
feelings Your hearts must be always ticking
ifyou would have them keep time with the Sun
of righteousness.
Half the trouble for which men 60 slouching
in prayer to God are caused by their intolerable
pride Many of our cases are but morbid way
of looking at our privileges. We let our bless
ings get mouldy, and then call them curses:
The man who carries lantern in dark
night can have friends all around him, walking
safely by the help of its rays and be not de-
frauded So he who has the God-given light
Of hope III his breast can help on many others
in this worlds darkness, not to his own loss
but to their precious gain.
A helping word to one in trouble is often
like switch on a railroad track-but one inch
between wreck and smooth-rolllng prosperity.
The mother heart is the child school-r room.
We say man is ruined" Are his wife aud
children dead? 0, no. Have they had quar-
rel, and are they separated from him? y, no.
Has he lost his reputation through crime? No.
Is his reason gone? No. Is he struck through
with disease? No He has lost his property,
and he is ruined. The man ruined When
shall we learn that "a man S life CONSISTENT not
in the abundance of the things which he pos
sesseth? Is.
RICHES AND HAPPINESS. Riches, aloue,
will make no one happy. In the first place,
there is no such thing as complete, unailoyed
bliss, in this state Of existence, and even the
nearest approach to it is not attained without
something besides wealth. Of course the pos
session Of property to reasonable extent con-
tributes most essentially to ones enjoyment;
\ house for shelter, fire for warmth, food and
clothing it cannot be reasonably con,
tended that a person without all. or any OF
these, is in condition favorable to happiness.
Diogeues, with nothing but tub, would make
a sorry show in these days, however, he may
figure as character in classics. He would te
taken for the hen pecked husband of sone
washer-Woman who had no more manly occu-
pation than to carry about her washing uten-
sils, and probably fun would be poked at him
for not having clothes wrlnger along with his
tub. But those who rely solely on wealth tor
happiness will be disappointed previously.
Happiness depends mainly on the cultivation
of the mind and heart on the faithful per
formance ofduty, in secret as we'll as openly;
amid reproach and uboquy, as we'll as when
chccrcd by words of encouragement or applause.
1t depends on courage to sustain us ID the trials
of this lite, and the hope which extends to
another. 1t derends upon the love and con-
fdeuce of kindred and friends and acqualn-
tances What wealth and property can DO to-
ward promoting happiness at the same time Is
not inconsderabe. 1t supplies us with means OF
intellectual culture, as we'll as of physical com
fort. 1t has been well remarked that money
is harcd master, but good servant. AS
master it cramps both body and soul, making
its victim detestable miser. As a servant It
is many handed. and in ordinary affairs and
extraordinary emergencies may, to great ex-
tent, be safely relied on. :.
Nor ESoUGu GIRLS TO GO RoUND.-The
complete census returns of the United States
for 1870, reveal the startling fact, that, IN our
whole population, there is an excess OF 42S,S59 s;
of men and boys over women and girls Ihe
figures stand thus:
Men and Boys, 19, 900
Wor,en and Girls l9064 500