The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1873-11-25
A Friend with n Single Fault.

you never formed one OF a little company
all engaged in talking about jest that one
little fault of friend To the rest Of US
it is so apparent. Ii it were not for She
solitary flaw we say, the dear boy, the
dear girl, would be perfect. Sometimes
it is frctfulness; sometimes conceit I;
sometimes morbid sef.abasement I;
sometimes touch of selishness a dis
position to dwell upon The iailings Of
others faculty for interference a lack
of attention to personal appearance
procrastnation--or dear knows what.
Now is it not very much like u ight-
mare-the way we live in the same
house with these people, year in and
year out, and see the petty fault growing
bigger and bigger, and can raise no voice
against it--can do nothing but say Tiff,
if" alas and alas -
40 but We do speak -
Yes sometimes we do and sometimes
the warning voice is enough. But the
tragedy appears in those cases where
either the warning cannot be given, or
where it is unheeded A family might
be described as a succession OF convent.
clcs, composed always Of the same men,
bers, save that each session different
member is absent, aud is by the others
apprehendcd and discussed in way in
which he can neither apprehend nor dis.
cuss himself
1t has come to be considered point of
humor-to be played upon as may happen
that we can see other peoples faults
so much better than our own. Now
while this is very true, it is also very true
that we do generally know our own faults,
have had at least side-glimpses Of them,
and that they grow upon us because We
dread to apply the knife; because to be
honest, we are every one Of US shirks
more or less.
In these slight etchiugs OF character
you know | do not caro- to seize upon
those patent vices-or Qet me call them)
follies-and virtues which flaunt along
the street, and with which every one is
familiar enough; but rather to look up
from my desk at the ordinary man or
woman who goes past the window on the
lawn, or comes in to dust the room, or
spend an evening with me,-with his or
her ordinary faIiugs and attainments.
In other words, my gentle reader, moth.
ing would please me more than to give
you the sensation Of coming unex xpectedly
upon mirror should like you to be
startled at seeing your own face look up
at you from the page.
So my friend Philip hardly answers
my purpose as an example-he who be.
gan oy being very fine in his moral pur.
poses, and very clean in his person, who
gradually neglected his appearance till
he became more than untidy. and ended
in complete personal decentralization and
moral dirt. | saw how it all began he
seirked his duty with regard to soap and
water. He knew he shirked his duty /;
knowing it, he did not cease to do so,-
and ungodlincss followed uncleanlincss 10
natural sequuece.
One Of the signs of advancing age is
our acceptance Of certain loibles, Of which
our friends have told US, and which up to
this year of grace We had been in the
habit Of looking upon as mere accidental
and transient peculiarities. There is
some nope for Us when the joke about
our prospect Of being fifteen minutes late
at the door of Heaven has a certain sharp
freshness; but when we settle down into
the conviction that we are likely to be
lives behindhand all our-wel perhaps
the first gray hair has not been discover.
ed, perhaps the grasshopper is not yet a
burden, but We are "ageing."
The older and wiser | grow the more
am | impressed with the idea ef every
mans personal responsibility. Make
what allowance you will for taint in the
blood, sordid circumstance. and all that
believe moro and more that every soul
has chance. | doubt if there is any
we'll deep and dark and smooth walled
enough to keep poor devil down if he
is determined to get to the top Of it. Ht
will win out if he wants to hard enough
1t is wonderful how good.luck follows tn,
hospitable mind and honest cndeavor
wish my friend the parson would
hurry up that essay OF his on "llow to G
Mad !"--"The aid CaJinet," .Scribner'
for October.