Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1874-04-16
about small matters but find myself
repeating it. Shall ! repeat it ?"

repeating 1t. Shall repeat IL
"Certainly," we all exclaimed.
cit is only a single verse; she con
tinued, "and 1t is this
Either grief will not come; Or, if it must,
Do not forecast,
And while it cometh it Il almost past.
Away distrust
My God hath promised He is just
"You know" added Johns wife
"that if one gets in the habit Of fret
ting it is not only the positive troubles
of life which we fret about, but fret is
a most prolific monster, end when the
supply on hand fails there are imagi-
nary evils and prospective mishaps
which feed the mind. Why, if you
will believe it, fretted three weeks
thinking what | should do if some
body should bring John home dead in
a cart"
81 guess that's true" cjaculated
John, "for | know she once had a
nervous attack because | bought Il
blue necLtie and insisted upon wear
ing it,
"Didn't your husband ever fret p
inquired Mrs. Smilax.
look at him. shouted his wife,
"and tell me if you think he ever fret
ted much, Why, he was always say
ing that a pound of fretment won't
pay an ounce of debtment,' and other
wise saws. Oh, no, John takes life
too easy to fret
''But we ought to fret little for
our own good" l remarked, 'for if
we all took life as easily as John,
things would slide along without any
trouble being made, and the world
would soon 60 into chaos for the mere
want of somebody to fret about keep
ing it right"
"There's where you are wrong"
SAID John. II don't fret, because it
don't do any good. l do my best
to keep things moving smoothly. If
I max" business loss | don't rush
home and tell my wife, for it would
trouble her, and then she would talk
about it and that would trouble me.
l make up my mind to be more care
full next time. What's the use of
kicking up a big row about something
that all the fret that man could in
dulge in would not remedy. Don't
imagine that do net regret some
things which happen, but fret and re-
gret are not Synonymous
had no idea that John was so
much of a philosopher.
ooh, | tell you, Mr.. Smilax," said
the plucky little wife, "John amt any
body's fool. He has his ideas of life,
and keeps his eyes open Besides, he
knows one important thing, and that
is. he knows what he can't do
"Then he is the wisest of men, |
added, ''for in that one particular nine
men in ten are failures. Most men
have an idea their versatility is so
great that they can do everything
from criticising q work of art to milk
ing COWS. 1t is an American falling
Every true," added Johns wife.
II was reading an article the other
day about overwork, and the number
of men who were obliged to 60 abroad
because they were used up. ! thought
then that | would like to talk to the
writer and tell him that, in my opin-
ion, men are not so much overwOrked
as overtasked. Half of the men over
task themselves. They undertake to
DO more than God ever intended them
to perform, and so they break down.
"Your views may be very correct
and very plausible, said Mrs. Smilax,
"but life is a very serious thing, and
the trial and tribulations of human
existence are not without purpose
That's it, Mrs. Smilax," remarked
johns wife, very eager for the attack,
sand that's the whole of it. | admit
all you say, but the trouble is that
men, and women too, do not distin
guish between what are trials and
tribulations of life and what are petty
annoyances of our own creation.
When real trouble comes to any one
the petty cares of life, which produce
much irritation at other times, are not
thought Of for moment. fla tum-
bier should be broken at funeral
would any one think or care about it?
But have known women who started
{. day of unhappiness upon broken
goblet. Everything goes wrong the
whole day. Then there are men who
will INSIST upon looking into the ash
barrel to see if smashed crockerv is