Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-09-02
EVENING STAR.
W A ID .

With my note. Am not an apt scholar p d
wADs.
A day or two ago 1 heard an unruly Juvenile
addressed As "a young sen Of q gun" IL Wa
not for the first time that hal met with that
expression. dare say have often used IL my
self, but somehow on this last occasion fell 20
thinking what IL could possibly mean. As 4
rondered, II began TO dawn upon me thst there
was a resemblance between q man and . gun,
which became stronger the more / compared
them. In those confident days I have men
toned should have begun this article thus:
an Is Ike gun. His Intellect is the pow
der; his Energy is the shot, Passion t. the deto-
natOr, snd Opportunity the trigger" Avid
should have had "Stop thiefl" slouted after
me the next time / went abroad. The compa-
rison Is too obvious rot 20 ave been made by
some one. IL the sncieDts who did not know
much about IRE arms missed it, 20 be SIRE that
some modern poet has Int IL. The mission OF
the modern poet is 10 discover that everything
u Ike something else. He sends his ideas ont
IN PAIRS, ike the beasts from toy NOsh's Ark.
Whether the charge be in q man gun.
tie amount OF execution IL NAV DO depends
upon the 40 ustment Of wacs. Go 20 Wimhle.
dtn or birmingham, ami observe with what
care those who use muZZle-lOaders select and
place their wsds. These are but worthless lit
tie bits OF felt, or creased cloth, or what not;
but misuse them, and the best weapon that
ever wss turned out will shoot aSkew, or may
be not so of at all. Put them in first OF ali.
ana there il 4 miss fire. Leave them ont alto
Rether, and there is a fzzle. Let them be too
thick or too thin, too tight or too loose, aud the
strongest diamond powder is burned in vain;
the most carefully cast missive goes anywhere
but TO the mark. IL ls the same thing with a
man. With intellect for the powder, energy for
the shot, and passion for the detonator-every-
thing depends upon the loadIng-in other words,
the proper application OF the wsis. Cram
ming II 10 the human subject what bad loading
Il to the gun. The wsds dont tit, get broken In
the rammtng, are let out. Powder aud shot
mix, or the latter trickles out whilst the cram
med Is on his way 10 the firing point, or when
he is getting over the hedge into the ten-acre
Swedts, where that big covey has been marked
down. You can reload your towing piece. my
young friends, easily enough; but how about re-
loading yourselves? A man Is lucky IL he gets
half s-dOzen fair shots at name, AMI tame, and
fortune, in lifetime. III he bring down the
MIST two or three chances, IL by no means fol
lows that he has gained the prize; but III he miss
then he Is done for.
Those who suffer most for neglectiug the
science OF wsds are your geniuses. Every
good sized family has Its genius, who is to be-
come Lord Chancellor or Prime Minister or
something equally exalted, by intuitive talent.
He has pair Of the finest twisted barr els, locks
OF perfect ease aud powder. a light trigger, and
awell-tiIted stock. His gunpowder IL dry aud
strong, bis shot bright, round, and Of the proper
size. Having ali these of the best, he scorns 20
take heed about his wads. Anything will do
for wadding.
Very fine sermons and very good speeches are
sometimes spoiled by like trivial mistakes.
Nothing is more common than for reverend aud
honorable gentlemen, called upon 10 address
special assemblies, such as of sailors, miners,
weavers, &c., &c, TO enicfce their arguments
by some Illustration drawn from the daily oce Il
pations, the perls or pleasures of their hearers.
lfwell done. II is highly effective; but the
slightest blunder il fatal. I was told, years
ago, of right reverend prelate who concluded
an eloquent peroratiOn before a nautical con-
gregaticn, by imrloring the souls sssailed by
Doubt 70 cling to their Bible, even a. the
s'orm-tossed mariner ceilings TO his anchor"
My informant had forgotten the preachers
name, and could tell me nothing about the rest
OF the sermon. All he remembered was, "He
touid us & clingt anchor!" And this was re-
peated in support OF an allegation that "Bish-
ops was nought!" Now this bishop was an ex-
ceptionally brave and earnest one.
There are people who miss ire because they
think of nothing bu the wsds. Their charge
is all wads. They make such elaborate prepare
tons 10 do a thing as they call it) thoroughly,
that the opportunity for doing it passes before
II Is begun. They have always TO consult their
friends about this or that. This and that al
ways require "msture consideration" They
decline going into the water until they have
learned 10 swim. If you were to ask one OF
them 10 make an omelet. he would not ask for
salt and a frying pan, but require information
respecting the birth, parentage, and education
Ct the hens that had laid your eggs! These peO-
pie invent nothing, propose nothing, improve
nothing, hut 60 about finding fault or suggest
Ing Delay, "Hith a view OF serious inycsti>
CATION" and society considers them Every SUI
perior men!" If some hitherto dry subject be
pleasantly treated, the book IL "triyiali; If one
succeeds, by hitting the public taste or being
little in advance of his time in discovering its
wants, be is a cbsrlatan- 60 you forth, my
son, abuse everybody aud everything a. trivial,
ard call those who succeed charlatans, and you
will be ga verv superior man"-of this order.
The all wad class il a nuisance. The one who
Grams cram his life charge anyhow, regardless Of
misses will be marked down and bagged by q
better gun sooner or later. Ii may get away
and rear up fine coyey for next season. But
your all wad man spells the sport, westes time,
discourages bis fellow sportsmen, and contri-
butes q zero TO the bag.
In social Life success depends upon the proper
adjustment of wads. Take dress, for example.
How often do you see the effect of an expensive
and otherwise tasty toilet marred by some slight
defect or anaehronism. Observe the meeting
OF two OF those whom a vile rhymer in these
pages has described as
"Dear woman! who divides our joys,
And trebles our expenses"
quick, pitiless glance from the hem OF her robe
to the topmost twg of her bonnet; and IL that
glance darts upon and fixes at some particular
spot, be sure that there q misplaced wad has
been detected A little hole in glove, an at
tempt 10 disguise last years hat in this seasons
trimming, an interpolated breath in skirt, q
glimpse Of some mystery of underwear that is
not quite as fresh as il might be; some speck
upon the sun which is imperceptible TO male
vision stand revealed to woman's quicker sense,
and up goes a little smile OF triumph on the one
face, and the other assumes an expression which
| sitting upon an ants nest might produce. DO
you not count amongst your acquaintance peO-
pie who give you very good dinner, and yet
spoil il by bad service or inferior accessories?
| have, at a pinch, drunk champagne out OF a
| pomatum pot, but that is no reason why L
when L am within the pale of civilization. In
the science OF dining the wads are all-impor-
| tant. l can make q shrewd guess at the char
acter of a house in this respect by an examina-
ton of the cruel stand. II that give evidence
OF daily attention, be sure that you will be
well, If plainly, treated. You will have the
| best within the means of your host; but IL the
mustard-pot be smeared in brown patches, II
the Worcester sauce be mud. IL there be no
stopper tbut fly) in the ol-castor, and the An
chovy salce be caked round the neck OF its
flask, then, If you be wise, previous engage
ment will deny you the pleasure of dining at
that house. When that house gives q dinner IL
is thing of furry and conf usion, of vanity and
vexation of spirit The first arrival will and
half.dressed child bowling in the hall. The
yiands prepared at home will be alternately
raw or overdone. The lid of the salt or pepper
box viii have fallen OF when the soup was be-
ing seasoned. The things from the confec-
toners will be cold. The man from the green
grocer and the natural male domestic will
quarrel audibly. Your Chateau Margeau will
| be poured into a glass fluffy with the hbre of a
cotton cloth, and you will be lucky il you are