Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-12-17

Il energy is really devoted to some great pur
l. pose have to make the unpleasant discover
o that much of their activity will have to b
t consumed in the routine of petty details
8 So tar as writer makes them conscious O
the more poetical side of daily life, open
) their eyes to the sorrows and Joys of prosa
a people. enables them to widen their sym
: pathies or to be more sensitive to the srea
; issues which lie hidden under the surface o
ordinary affairs, he is rendering them an
essential service. II for time they ven
ture into dreamland under his guidance
something Of the mag coOring may re
|, main when ithey retuin TO ordinary day
+ light Though he pre- ;hes no moral of in-
Simultaneous application, be may modify
their whole conception of life and its issues
But 1t must be Omitted that it is possible
TO make poison or an opiate Of what
ought to be a medicine. The ideal world
into which We 20 for relief from our daily
drudgery, may reflect light upon ordinary
things. or may be an enervatlng region of
periodical lOtus-eating. Some people might
think that their sympathy for Oliver Twist
excused them from caring about any flesh
d-blood sufferer. o hers might be en-
abled to see more wildly sorrows which
they had previously passed over because
embodied in commonplace outsiies. Ii is
impossible to lay down any precise rules
upon such questions everybody has to
learn for himself what is the discipline which
best suits his own case and the wisest
general maxinis are of very little service
Yet, without referring to individual cases.
there are some marks sufficiently character
istlc oi the school which fosters the morbid
| tendency. Art which Is too much divorced
from reference to the actual world shows ts
sickliness by unmistakable symtoms Ii
suffers from the blight of sentimen,alism
or sensationalsm When people begin to
pet and cocker their fne feelings, and to
take delight III weeping for the sake 1i
weeping we may be pretty sure they are
losing proper hold upon world in which
there is always sufficient cause for iueian-
choIy without creating artificial misery
! When they delight III the descriptions of
the horrible Or the nauseous, it j. PLAIN
enough that such trsm drinking implies
deprayed appitite, Or, III other words.
hardening OF the natural emotions When
such tendencies are strongly marked AS l..
generally the case with declining schools,
we cannot doubt that the pleasure is OF AN
enervating tendency. The emotions are
not being refined and strengthened by uc-
caslOnal retreats INTO the ideal world, but
are regarded Us II source OF luxurious en-
Ioyment, instead Ot being used tOr daily
lie. In such cases We have the unfortunate
contrast of men who combine artistic refine
ment with hardness and groSsness in all
other departments OF conduct and, u.
course, the natural result As Il puritan
ioal hatred for all artistic enjoyment what
ever. The history OF art and literature has /
been too often a history OF oscillation be
tween those extremes, and We cannot be |
too jealous of any tendency to promote such |
morbid tendencies by wide divorce be .
tween the worlds OF imagination and reah- /
ty.- Saturday Reu.ac.
4 Fable.
One time there was good old man Of /
such meek and owly disposition that the .
people made him 4 Judge, and they brought /
their disputes to him to decide His le- /
cisions were ever Just. and the people said I
Great IS Aloud FL Bi~hen he Is never |
wrong"
One day stranger came TO the Office ot
this good man and said
"A man owes me iust debt and Will not
pay"
docs he give reasons"
''He give a dozen Of them. lie says my
bill against him is blasted -win1le and
fraud ="
''Aou have a-keI him tor the ducat,? ?'
Il have, and Ar avs he'll knock my head
of il ever ask him again 80
Then the good Judge was puzzled he
cheWed at the end OF three cent penaoller
for a long time, and finally asked
Did you furnish this man food for his
camels or a robe for himself that he l. your
debtor"
Not by iagiul The JiIi is for Job
Of plumbing ;"
Then the meek and pensiye smile which
had covered the face Of Aloud Fl Bishen
faded away like boy sliding over mill
dam, and in lis place came au expression OF
malignant evil.
Then you are plumber 2'' he asked in
a voice as cruel a cross-cut saw
II doth plumb - answered the man
Then the wise indge ehewed up tie iest
OF the penholder. dug his heels into the tioor.
and in low, shrill whisper, he inquired
did you ever know a plumber t. get a
job done within fourteen weeks OF the prom
ised time? ?'
NO, sir, ! never did '' uromutlg reuliei
the plumber "but let me explain. Now
suppose you want a small lob done AT the
house, little soldering, faucet put in, or
something Of that kind You leave your
order, and sag day after tomorrow.
send the Oldest apprentice to your house.
and when he gets there he sits down and
takes look at the Job Then he stands up
and looks al il. Then be suints his ewes
and looks at it Then he walks all over the
house and comes back and looks at it. Then
he figures on how much the house cost.
wonders it there is a mortgage on it. sits
down and talks with the hired girl Tor a
couple Of hours, and comes back and re
ports. Day after tomorrow comes, and |
can I send man up there because they are
finishing another Job which ought to have
been done month before. Something hap
peus the next day and the next, and It's two
weeks before | ean send a man
''Or two months. - puts in the wise Judge
We'll, split the difference and call it SIX
weeks, replied the plumber. II send two
Of the boys up. They walk around the Job,
20 down cellar and upstairs, sit down and
figure on the cost Of the front steps, and 90 ,
home to dinner. " hen they return they
another look at the job, and Thomas
comes to the shop alter some solder. lie
gets it, and then Henry comes alter hi
tobacco box, and then Thomas comes, and
wants to know II it's gaS pipe or water /
pipe. They knock of then for the dav, and O
about noon next day get around there aud .
iig hole IN the pipe to put IN the faucet. i
The next day they get the faucet in, and I
some time during the week that l5b Is n.ce 4
" finished.
Aud you charge $50 for it cxclaimsl t
the enraged Judge |
Just about that figure, o vie Judge :
But itsn't my fault. The oldest appren- y
ice says he had to take cut $50 feet Of n
pipe, and the youngest apprentice says he a
Iad to put in 200 feet and between them A
hey mix me up. and have to average it, l.
It ism Us plumbers-its these apprentice Il
Who are to blame. 4
But don't you know they are lying to +
lOu - Ii
II sometimes suspect them but how it 8
would look Tor me to say unto Thomas
Thomas, thou art liarl' How that boy v
would feel go :,
Don't people ever stop at your shop AMI h
all you liar and cormorant?" "
They do-some one coming almost every Il
lay-bnt they shouldn't do it, When the t
'ldest apprentice says that the job is worth p
500, and the youngest apprentice agrees 2
with him | have to make out my bills ac, =
| desire, o Judge, that my debt !"
n may be forced to pay me my honest !
lue,"
Then the meek and pensive Abond ii
3ishen bobbed up and down in his chair Us
f he were on red-hot springs. His face
rev black, his eyes became bloodshot, and
le yelled out :
The guard The guard ~
And when two cross-eyed constables en-
cred in response to the yell he continued II
Cut of the mans head, and let it be G
,orne around the city ON staff, while the