Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1876-04-14
Letter from Medley's District.

/ PooLEsvILLE, April IL, 1876.
! Mn. EDiToR: am very sorry indeed that
have been the cause of a 'waste of ink" print
ers ink-but am sure the SeatiRei will not
object TO another slight waste of ink in join
ing m old friend 10 his rcjoicings over glo-
rious burst of fame that has unexpectedly fall
en- upon him, Amer long years OF labor aud
waiting he has snddenly made the conspcu-
Gus marks Of exalted genins, and attained the
coveted boon Of rcnown and glory Like the
plant which wnhcred aud shriveled by the
froSs Of winter, springs alolt under the hrsi
generous sunshine of early spring, the writer,
after long wears Of toll aud obsonrity, by The
mvigoraiing bursts Of genius, is suddenly en-
ablcd TO look alofi aud rejoice. The words Of
wisdom have been uttered aud he has been
pronounced ''hafwise --he has been credited
with "halfwit'' w hen making half-at-
Tempt at it, O, what would have been his
success If he had made whole attempt a
WIFI
The words OF wisdom, coming as they do
from one who has reached the upper stories in
literature TOR how could anything so brilliant
emanate froE iOC SforY) are too deep and iu-
tricate to be understood by the 'hai-wise''
individual at HON they were leyeled. Who,
oh, who will ''answer fool according 10 his
folly" and explain their meaning? Perhaps
when, like the brilliant critic of GAINESVILLE,
his name and attained degree-of foolish
ness unknown and unhcard-of-he may be
able to see how three or more US in his
name" could effect his age or his wisdom, for
he admits his "hal!- wise condition does not
allow him to perceive the point of that excru-
eating effort at pun upon his nom de plume
which reads: "The writer can't help his
name or his age, unless he should have three
or more Us in his name, when he would be
rise, but as it now stands i. is otherwise"
Your correspondent bad, furthermore, been
led to believe that two negatives were eql!iva-
lent to an affirmative, and that although a
''half-aitempt at half-wit" might prove fail
ure, a full attempt at wit might possibly prove
successful but rs the learned protector of
railroads has given much attention to the
pounding of the mysteries of English gram
mar he no doubt knows all about it, and is
amply qualified 10 ''teach the Young idea how
to shoot
In speaking of the uujusness Of the rail-
road the wise man" perpetrates quotation
which reminds the writer of aphorism by
Longfelow. In searching the mnsty page of
German literature, where the old writer's
''spake in numbers quaint and olden," the
poet has translated a couplet that reads sone-
thing like this
''Tbe mills of God grind slowly, but grind
exceeding small;
| z
with exactuess grinds he all.
The critic says "the mills of the gods grind
| slowly" Now, if after he has exhausted his
physical and mental powers by trying TO get
off a pun on the writer's name he attempts TO
cross the railroad on some dark night when
the west-bound express is passing, he may
have fair represen lation of the "mls of the
gods, - and he will find that they are by no
means slow in their grinding. But if, like
l,,,,t
had the retrbutive hand Of divine justice laid
heavily upon him, he can feel how patiently
| lie stands waiting and how exact is His
''grinding,' and not be willing to stand in
the position of '.haf-h brother to any one but
eager to act the part of full brother when
ever distress and afiliclion implores helping
hand.
/ If my opponent had shared The hospialities
Of the accommodating agent at GAINESVILLE as
often as your correspondent and his friends,
he would not have bad the heart to say that
| the station is not decent one; for il is al
| least as decent aud comfortable as most stations
of its class and travellers are not only made
comfortable at the station, but they are often
entertained in the agents dwelling free Of
charge, while at the other end Of the road
even in the capital of the nation, gentlemen
travellers are not SO mnch rs furnished seats.
| As TO that story about The 'slaugher-pen,
| the writer attended that as nothing more than
a joke, and if the people Of GAINESVILLE need n
road TO The station ~" will never oppose 1t
lie has too much respect for the people of
! GAINESVILLE, ever noble and true, TO do them an
injury and wherever on this wide earth his
lot may be cast-however distant and joyous
his future home may be, The flowers of friend
ship and love, which have sprung up so ahnn-
dainty in his Montgomery home, will never
fade but continue to bloom in the garden of
memory until all the brightest objects of earth
those flowers none will hloom more brightly
than ''Blabber," who has been the first to
shed the brightness of wit upon him. The
SENTINEL which first stimulated him to try the
devious, uncertain walks of literary life, or
Old Montgomery, which contains the home of
his childhood and his youths treasures, to
which the true heart ever clings with the most
enduring constancy. y.