New Orleans Republican., 1873-03-26
LEAVING OFF.

| Almost everything nowadays IS pro-
longed beyond necessity, use or pleasure
People do not seem to know when to
leave off; do not seem to appreciate that
there may be too much of good thing.
Concerts are too long, SO are theatrical
performances, especially operate. Ser
mons are too long, and Sunday school ex-
hibitions. Men who are good story tell
ers. stretch their anecdotes until the fun
is attenuated to insigniticance and
women wear their dresses trailing under
the heels Of impatient by-standers News
papers think their leading articles
must be of certain length. re-
gardless of the amount of what
they have to say. and committees of
Two Hundred make such lengthy reports
that the reading of them through is
thought greater hardship than any they
specify. People in society go ont too
late and stay out too late. The young
ladies are not satisfied unless they dance
all the freshness out Of their faces. and all
the crispiness out of their clothes. They
do not know when to leave off. Young
men are as bad. They carry their amuse-
ments to the extent of fatigue. The elders
set the example OF this excess 10 their
Juniors. Papa does not know when to
leave off making money. nor mama
when to leave of spending it. Even
at church the virtue Of moderation
is not practiced, for not only the sermons
but the other exercises are prolonged uSu-
ally to weariness. Especially is this the
case when the preacher is endowed with
the gift of extemporaneous prayer. He
goes on and on, enunerating all sorts of
blessings for which his hearers have TO be
thankful until they secretly pray tina. his
coming 60 close may be added thereto.
This difficulty of leaving off sometimes
attacks individuals in their social capacity
so violently and affects them so thorough
ly that their advent as visitor is the sig
nal for every member of the threatened
family circle 90 get out of the way. eX-
cept that smiable one Ito be found in
every family who is willing to sacrifice
himself 20 social duty. All: those dread
full people who do not know when to go.
Social tyfants who compel the weak to
listen TO them hour after hour and hour
after hour. until no consolation is left ex-
cept the certainty that in the course of
nature time must come when they will
be gone.
lnpolitics. as in every other pursuit. this
difficulty of leaving off at the appropriate
time is constantly observed. Men who
at one time were enabled to do the State
,that is, their party some service. never
leave off expecting continuance Of their
pay for it-never learn that a constant re-
neWai of usefulness is the memorable
demand Of politics. and that a
man must not look for second pay
ment for even the most signal SER
vice. Political gratitude. indeed. may
be not inaptly defined a. gratitude
IN general has been by the cynic "a
lively sense of benefits to come and so
at least we arrive at something which
comes quickly to an end political graft
tude. The temptation to digress here to
the recent illustration of political ingrati-
tude furnished by the course of the
Fusion party toward a distinguished re-
cruit from Republicanism, is so great that
we can only withstand it by the recollec-
ton that in yielding to it we should in
falliblv .all into the error We are decyying.