The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1873-12-06
The Value Of Life

MAN-E GA AAN 1AANA aAAANH " - a. 1l1kA WAS ~
never occurred 70 him that if there be a future he
would know il in time and If there should not
be one. the matter would not bother him much.
In dwelling on this subject the summit Of AbOu-s
physical structure was not horizontal. But al
great men have their weaknesses. The writer
hereof presumes that a critical examination Of
himself would show some trifing faults.
But AbOu's dream Of an entirely quiet day was
not % be realized. lie was Just smoking his
second pipe, when a young man. whose ~intellec-
tual face was oversprcad with deep concern, ap-
peared % him.
What wOuldst thou with me?' said Abou
haughtily. Speak man, speak"
Mighty AbOu, I need thy help. / am dying,
Egypt, dying. l have a cough which II tearing
me 70 pieces, and j have also dyspepsia, liver
complaint. with a few other diseases too tedious
% mention, and they are all growing worse daily
Hast thou tried the regular phys:cians?"
90. have
The irregulars?''
Verify
The patent medicines p"
All Of them
The retired physicians whose sands # life
have nearly run out?'
90 Yes"
Then 20 home in peace. If you have tried
al these and still live, / know Of nothing that can
Kill you
But. mighty Abou, am dying, nevertheless =
Well. why not die, then, without bOthering
me2 | am no balm in GiIead, nor am ] a healing
balsam. have power, it is true
Mighty AbOu, I know you have, and that
power exert for me. / care not 70 live for myself,
but for nv fellows. i am the leading man in nv
native village. / edit the weekly paper-I am
mayor-I run the church, and am president Of
the school board. If j should die New Athens
would 20 as straight to ruin as a pigeon could fly.
IL would not survive me"
Abou had him now. lie had an opportunity to
moralize, and in good square mOralizing Abou
Was equaled by few and excelled by none. Ii was
his best hold, and he neyerinissed an opportunity.
30 he lighted a fresh pipe, and went for the young
man.
NV young friend, you fancy that should you
die New Athens would go % ruin. Listen
d. Long ago, in the dim years before the food, l
was sailing on the Persian Gulf in the staunch \
No. I clipper ship the Mary Ann. Suddenly
there arose a terrific storm. The winds hOwled
like an Irish riot, the lightnings flashed with a
vivldness which was appalling. and the thunders
rolled az though the demons of the air were play
ing continuous games Of ten-pins. 1t was 4 fear
some night. The darkness was so intense that the
lights Of the headlands showed not, and We were
p~lungIng through it, helpless, in the power ofthe
tempest on a pitiless coast. The Captain-Per-
kins was his name-had lost his reckoning, and
the Mary Ann, uncomfortable, was speeding on to
her doom.
Capt. Perkins stood at his post calm and self
possessed. SO long CT we have sea-rOOm,' said
he. IN his marked Affghanistan dialect, so long
q We have sea room, and kin keep shet Of the
pesky rocks, we're all right The Mary Ann
can't be ~swamped, no how. But this is an ugly
coast
And capt Perkins tooka fresh chew of Tobacco,
and pcered anxiously into the darkness.
p. just then the passengers began to learn of the
danger we were in, and came rushing up the aft
binnacic quarter deck, in wild confusion
80 Captain shrieked one. save the vessel,
save her. I am the editor Of the LsDahGH Morn
izg Herald. which has the largest circulation Of
any paper IN Persia. If / perish the Herald per-
ishes with me. Save me, for the sake Of the
LspahaH.
-. Go to- out spoke the bold Captain; you
bet I'll save the vessel for my own sake. Bechesm
On nv head be it. Rest easy
Save the ship - shrieked another. lam the
governor Of a province. If ! perish who shall
rule il? Anarchy and confusion ensue, and wide
spread woe follows. For the sake Of the province,
ave the ship
Save the ship. shrieked a third. L am the
president of the First National Bank of lspahan {;
if / perish. down goes the bank
. Save the ship - yelled a fourth. L am the
president Of the cashmere and Bulbul Railway
Company. If / 90 down, who can manage that
great corporation?
.. save the ship = cried the fifth. Il am the
president of the Everlasting Equal Benefit Remu-
nerative Life and Trust Insurance Company.
Who can run that machine If l am TAKEN?
.. And these excited Orientals howled to the
Captain as to the terrible consequences of the un-
timely taxing on 10 IndL ueIICc lutL llty dCludlly
impressed me. I felt that never a vessel carried
20 much greatness, and that if it should be lost.
with its passengers, Persia would be ruined.
The vessel was lost. The Mary Ann was on
a dangerous coast. Captain Perkins went TO his
.tate-room To sleep she struck, and | was the
onIy one saved, thanks 10 my magic art and n hen
coon. swan ashore safe, but somewhat damp.
I made my way TO ~Ispahan, but | could not stay
there. AZ these men had all persisted, | supposed,
OF course. that ruin. widespread, would ensue. l
supposed the Herald wOuld-tO use a vulgarism
which | detest-peg out that the bank would Ito
rse another) bust that the railroad and insur-
ance company would stop, and that n rebellion
would break out IN the provinces; and 80 before
the news got about | sold my property and came
% New Jersey
90 Nv son. the moral Is coming now, % wake W.
had been here SIX months, when | got letters
rom Isuahan. There wasn't ruin TO any alarming
extent IN Persia y new governor was appointed
and things went on better than ever. There was
los plundering than before. for the new governor
WIS vfciIaut. lie refused 20 let the members Of
the PROVINCIAL legislature vote themselves back
nay. and he squelched two credit mObilieTs. The
.-5ekholders Of the Herqd elected q new editor.
and the pauer was better than ever. The new
nan was the first 70 introduce interviewing into
I-pahau. and organize an expedition to ind LIy-
iucs-Oue. The railroad company elected = new
president. who put on palace and sleeping cars,
and actually made II pay a dividend and rs Tor
the bank. bless you, the drowned president was
dimiuutiye tubers compared with his successor.
lie brought the concern 20 q smash-up IN half the
time it would have taken the old one, which
enabled the stockholders to retire with fortunes IN
middle life. The new insurance president was q
vas- IMPROVEMENT on the old one. He was a man
Z broad views. He devised the brilliant idea Of
a-ning his solicitors with Deringer pistols.
SO YOU see. my friend, things went on the
better for the drowning of these important men.
Indeed. the people of Ispahan swore that if they
could be sure of so great an improvement every
time. they would like more shipwrecks.
Young man, 90 home. If your life is of any
Use 70 yourself, save It but if you are trying 70
save It out Of regard for your fellows, spare your
self the trouble. There were men in New Athens