The New Orleans bulletin. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1874-1876, 1874-09-20
THE OLD MAN.

Old men are the a. chest and handsomest Of
mortals. II serene, pure and noble OF heart,
their beauty is far superior to the mere sparkle
Of eve and color OF cheek that make youth
attractive If they are mean and selfish, the
| old mans face is CORFU alton of snakes. The
passions have hardened into permanent ex-
preston.
But of all ugly men, there is not one other
half SO ugly as that one Of whom Paul speaks:
''Lie not one to another; seeing ye have put
off the old man, with his deeds. This old
man was the devil of lying. The swarm Of
| living devils must have been immense, since
there is enough to furnish almost every man
with one And such riders as they are
They ask no saddle, no rein, no seat They
can bestride the back, or sit on the shoulder
or mount the head, and they can ride on the
eyelash, or the smooth lip, without slipping
| or sliding. They nestle in the hair, swing IN
the curls, peep out Of ribbon bows hang by
the girdle sit astride Of the comb; III short,
II circus rider ever was SO ninble, 50 expert,
SO various are these lying devils. Each
man seems as if by nature to own one Al
first the old man is annoying; but he soon
breaks in his subject. and soon rides without
being perceived. If he only rode for his OVID
pleasure kind of parasite sucking bis good
out of men-hs presence would be more
consist in the mischief and wickedness which
E urges his victims to do.
Now and then men get tired Of this old man
and sling him off. This usually happens
after some misadventure into which the ma
liciouI rider has urged his dupe. But he has
been flung off too often to be troubled by it.
In few moments he is quietly up and in the
saddle again. At length men not only get
used to this load, but come to like it. They
do not feel easy without their old man. They
conceive high opinion of his skill and Wis
dom, and they trust him to secure success and
to extrica'e them from difficulties and that
too, though every day he is the cause of dis.
grace to them, and loss and ANNOYANCE.
But now and then one succeeds in putting
off the old man, and it is to be hoped that it
is done 50 as to break his neck This .'old
man deserves no fdvors. 1t is the one that
should receive no mercy.
But all are mol 50 lucky Men often throw
him off Tor Il while, and then take pity and
let him ride while. They often carry him
over difficult places. They keen him Tor
emergencies and think that they have done
well III getting rid OF him for even half their
time.
But, ali how much cas- er is it to 60 single
than double! No one who has not tried it
can conceive how much pieasanter life is with
the "old man off than on Few men can
walk q straight line with HIM on their shoul-
ders. To be rid Of him is to save world OF
anxious thought and calculation. The Span.
iards say-andi if there is nything about living
that they do not know, it is hardly worth tell |
ing that "a liar should have a good mem
Ory." But when once a man has learned to |
"speak the truth, every man with his neigh
Dor, he need not be anxious. Truth always |
takes care of itself. A lie needs two watches, |
tor J,,y, 81,
ared to one out it will be detected.
| dreamed the other night that had power |
to bring things out to the sight, just as they
were. | Shall not tell what sad things | saw. |
nor what transcendently beautiful ones. but
Is was gong down Broadway to Wall street,
t occurred 70 me that | would see how men
ooked. And 50 / commanded the old man on
very one IS shoulders to appear. And appear
hey did. Such sight was never before
imagined out Of Bedlam. All sorts OF spirits
IT COLLINS, OF imps, OF detormed dwarts, OF
5rotesquc and hldeouS faces all sorts of keen
md sharp tacts, all sorts of ugly and demo-
nae faces, grlnned at me from shoulder ana
,ack and head till [ fairly shuddered BY tile
nand,d that every man should see what was
N everybodys back but his own. In an in
tant the whole street was in Juror. Such
'bes and laughter, such pointings Of the
niger, and ridlcue and denunciatIon, neyef
we're heaui. Every man saw an old man on
omebody else's shoulder.
l then commanded that men should see
heir own ugly "old nan" as well as their
eighbors. and in'an instant there vas such
owl rs was never hear l, and men rushed out
ellmell. SIch racing and chasing were
ever seen in Wall street, but not man OF
hem all could run faster than his odd man"
ould ride; some ran into hiding places,
ONE plunged into the East River, and so
MD was thScontusion that it walked me, and
here was nothing OF all the scene before me.
mt only an open Bible, and the simple
lords:
Lie not one to another seeing We have
ut of the old man. with his deeds. - Ifeluy
tdrd Beecher.