Ellsworth American., 1877-11-22
Little by Little.
From "The Kings Ferry-Boat."

10 me your Things uon iOOk rs wen MS tney
might" They were in the garden, and
1.-THE things" the boy had his eye on were
the currsnt bushes.
II don't expect they do" replied his un-
Gle; "rm no great hand at garden.
Well, sir, what can you improvey'
IL can try on the currents" said Tom.
'sThey want to be trimmed out and the
wood cut of, and the right suckers trained.
Don't you never dig around them. and put
ashes on the roots?"
His uncle had never done these things;
did not know that they ought to be done.
He thought, he said, "currants took care
of themselves
But they can be cared for" said Tom,
land do all the better"
suppose you try, boy" said his uncle.
His uncle did not believe much would
Come OF it, but he had reason to change his
mind. Much did come Of It. All it once,
it seemed to him, for time goes fast to an
old man. his bushes were loaded with fruit.
fne large currants, such as his garden had
not seen for many day II ever before.
People when they walked into the garden,
exclaimed, What splendid currents you
have!''
That boy knows how to take care OF his
gold dust" said his uncle to himself, and
metimes aloud.
Tom went to college, and every account
they heard of him he was going ahead.
laying a solid foundation for the future.
Certainly" said his uncle certainly.
That boy, | tell you, knows how to take
care of his gold-dust."
"Gold-dust." Where did he get gold
dust3 He was a poor boy. He had not
been to California. He never was a miner
Where did he get gold-dust? All he has
seconds and minutes. and these are the
gold dust of time-specks and particles OF
time, which boys and girls and grown-up
people are apt to waste and throw away.
Tom knew their value. His father, or
minister. had taught him that every speck
and particle of time was worth its weight
10 gold; and his son took care OF them as
il they were. He never spent them fool
ishly, but only in good bargains; "for
value received" were stamped on all .he
passed away. Take care OF your gold
dust.
gaining knowledge.
very busy man who had very little
time for reading, or study, was asked by n
friend how II happened that he knew so
much more than other people 90 said
he, Il never had time to lay in a regular
stock OF learning, so save all the bits that
come in my way and they count up in the
course of year"
One sometimes observes an intelligent
boy, who Is always on the lookout to learn
what he can. While waiting in news.
paper office for a package, he will notice
how mailing machine Is made to do its
work, and II he Is sent to the florists he
will be able to tell you many things which
he noticed there. In these and hundred
other ways, such lads are educating them
selves.
The same rule OF ''little BY little" /.
equally true in the accumulation OF for
tune. Rome was built of single bricks,
piled up one by one. The little coral in
sect seems too small and weak to accom-
plish much. ani yet II !abors on, and at
last rears those great reefs, which serve aS
break-waters against the mighty ocean.
Not only are all good things secured to us
little by little, but people accomplish their
ruIR, in the same way. IL Is bp small con-
ces~ions TO evil. and slight indulgences,
that the final destruction OF life is accom-
plished. The child who steals Jumps OF
sugar, and spples, will 20 on 10 steal big
ger things.
la one OF Gulliver's tales OF his fabu- |
lous travels, he tells US OF being pinned
down to the earth by pigmes no bigger
than his thumb. But they came upon him |
by thousands. They bound him finger by
finger with tiny ropes no thicker than a
HAIR Each one he could have broken in !
an instant, but altogether they bound him |
as fast as IL he had been tied with cables,
and ietteIed with iron.
In a Carolina forest of thousand acres |
you csn scarcely nnd a tree that is not /
dead and crumblug to decay. No fire has I
swept over it, no lightning scathed those |
naked, bleaching pines. This ruin was
~ 10 l., 1,rt L.
ger than grains of rice. What hundred |
axe-men could not accomplish by years OF
hard labor, this seemingly Insignificant in
sect sent lts feeble offspring to perform.
One alone could have little power, it is
true. But millions were marshalied and |
al the skill Of man could not stay their /
course.
such is the power OF little sins. BY per |
forming the same act. for even two or |
three times 10 succession. the habit l. |
formed. from thsdomnion oil which 1t is |
hard to deliver one's self again.
Little by little" an acorn said,
As it slowly sank in its mossy bed;
Il am improving every day,
Hidden deep In the earth away"
Little BY little each day II grew;
Little by little II slipped the dew;
Downward it sent out thread-like root;
Up In the air sprung tiny shoot.
Day after day, and year after year,
Little by little the leaves appear;
A nd the slender branches presd far and wide, !
Til the mighty osk is the forests pride.
Little by iittle." said a thoughtful boy,
moment BY moment, Pll well employ
Learning Il little every day,
A nd not spending all my time In play.
And still this rule in my mind shall dwell
Whatever do, III do it WE'LL
Little by little. I'll learn to know
The treasured wisdom of long ago:
And oue Of these days perhaps We'll see
That the world will be the better for me.''
And do you not think that this simple plan
Male him q wise and useful man?
MANNERS. Men succeed in their profes- |
sions quite as much by complaissnce and
kindliness OF manner as by taleat. Demos
themes, in giving his well known advice TO
an orator-tnat eloQuence consisted In |
three things, the first faction" the second |
action" and the third "action"-is sup
posed to have intended manner only. A |
telling preacher 10 his opening remarks |
gains the goodwill of his hearers, and
makes them feel both that he has some
thing 10 say and that he can say it-by his |
manner. The successful medical man. on |
entering a sick room inspires into his pa
tients belief In himself. and that hope
which is so favorable 70 longevity-by his
SOoSfoSi"6 shes hCh al
scarcely personificstiOns of pure reason
unmixed with passion or prejudice, a bar
rister cannot afford to neglect manner II
he would bring twelve men Ohe after an-
other TO his way OF thinking. Again. has
the business man any stock In trade that |
pays him better than good address? And
IS regards the Survival of the fittest" In |
tournaments for q lady's hand. Is 1t not
'natural selection" when the old motto
"Manners makyth man" decides the con-
test? At least Wilkes. the best hammered
but ugliest man of his day, thought so.-
Il am" he said, the ugiiest man in the
three kingdoms; but II you give me
quarter of an hours start, will gain the
love of any woman before the handsom-
est" II kindliness Of disposition be the
essence Of good manners, our subject is
seen at once to shade off into the great
one OF Christianity itself. Ii Is the heart
that makes both the true gentleman and
the great theolOgian. The Apostle Paul.
(see speech delivered on Mars HilD al
ways endesvored to conciliafe his audience
when he commenced addressing them
4. Al