St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1876-10-13
Thinking.
What is thinking?

What is thinking?
1t Is the action of the mind upon
some subject. forming ideas in connec-
ton with it, having the mind occupied
with something. Our minds are in
waking hours constantly occupied. If
we are not busy with our books. learn
ing our lessons, our minds will turn to
something else, sometimes to something
that We have thought of before. some
times to some new thing.
There is Il kind of thinking that some
persons indulge which is injurious, both
to themselves, and to others over whom
they have an influence. 1t is. thinking
OF mean and low things, devising evil
/ schemes ns, for instance. some wicked
~ disposed persons try to think of some
means 10y which they may iniure an
others reputation, or. some mischievouS
person endeavorS to think how he NAV
play some trick, and not get caught
These think to do evil. and not good :;
and such thinking Injuries themselves
as well as others. | speak of this,
merely to show the difference between
the few who think in this way. and
those who think, not only, to help and
pare them to meet the eXigenccs aud
responsibilities of life, but also, to help
those around them, to do the world
good. Sometimes it happens, that per
sons think they are going To do IL great
deal of good, when it turns ont they do
Il great deal of harm. simply for this
reason, ''they didn't stop to think. =
There comes to IL persons mind Il Ger
tain project, which seems to bc very
good thing, and perhaps it is. if rightly
undertaken but he rushes headlong
into it, without weighing carefully; in
short. without first sitting down and
counting the cost, and the result is fatal.
Thousands have been ruined in just
this way. Custer was lost and his
whole company. Why Because he
did not really think what he WAS going
to do. | believe that if he had been
compelled to sit down and calmly and
conscientiously think ten minutes. he
would not have acted so rashly. AT
expedition was Il failure. Why? Be
cause when he waS warned of danger
he could not think of what might he,
he WAS too sure every thing was right.
Times like these, are times, it seems To
me, when we should think.
We can think almost any where but
some places are better than others for
certain subjects; this depends upon the
character of the subject III hand. Some
times it is better to select II lonely spot
in the open air. Perhaps some persons
can think better to shut themselves uV
where no sound can reach them. Some
of John Bunyan's best works weIe writ
ten when he WAS in prison, in Il lonely
dungeon. Sometimes | have thought
best, when alone at night, with the rain
pattering outside. We should think il
possible. III Il way to remember. Many
times we may learn lesson Il great
deal quicker and easier, if we endeavor
not to commit the text word for word
but to fix in our minds some character
iStic point, the idea, and remember il
10y that.
| have known persons who would
never think for themselves, if they
could get any one else to think fol
them. All the thinking that others dc
for them does them more harm than
good. If any one is slow and back ward
in writing compositions, so much the
more need of writing. So in answer t,
the question, why should we think,
would say, that it is because it teache.
us to depend upon ourselves, gives lis {
greater capacity of mind, and cause:
those things, which seemed difficult tC
us ut first to become easy.
1t is IL good thing to acquire the habit
of thinking. And, when we lay aside
our books, and put away from oul
minds the thoughts of the day, in order
that evil thoughts may not trouble us
let us think on those things which art
pure, true, lovely, and of good report.
CURIOUS INCIDENT.-At the recent y