The Portland daily press., 1879-02-15

1
a-visiting We must learn piquet because
the Duchess of Yarmouth played it With
Harry Warrington at Tunbrdge Wells. Fox
bunting, too, we should know in order to
understand the English novel, and back
CANNON In order to understand the English
curate. AS backgammon has been super
ceded In the affections of the clergy by the
much-derided croquet, croquet must be in
| cluded in our scheme of liberal education. As
| that gives us the chance to see aud talk with
| nice women it will not prove an onerous task.
| But there seems to be no limit to the studies
| that must be pursued. Whittier will our
thesis carry US? Must we acquire poker in
order to understand Bret Harte and the
| American newspaper? How else can we
| catch the point of the latest joke of the West
| ern paragrapher ?-that which tells how a
| man with rusty beard that ran down to
peak and rusty hat that ran up to peak
boarded western train the other day, fell
a-dozing, and when awakened by the brake
man who shouted "Queensr reused himself
long enough to sleeply mutter "The pots
your'n; staid in on jacks" Poker is not
in all respects commendable game. nor one
we should care to teach our childrel;-
though its wickedness has been exaggerated
by men who affect mysterious crimes in or
der to dazzle and impress very young girls
| who delight in the corsair style of hero.
However, we shall probably have to dispense
with poker. In order to enjoy Horace 1t is
not necessary to have practical acquaintance
with all the things he describes.
The fact is general information" and
''liberal education" are not synonymous
terms. He who knows just enough Latin
| and Greek to understand the common liter
ary illusions is not necessarily scholar.
Nor is 1t worth while to devote the time of
our children to the acquisition of smatter-
ing of the ancient tongues in order that they
may understand what Scott means when he
calls Gurth the swineherd a second Eumeus,
any more than it is worth while to acquire
crbbage in order to understand what Dick
ems means by scoring zone for his heels"
A genuine knowledge of classical literature is
quite another affair, and very fine to have
That men are like sheep has been said
many times, perhaps oftenest by those who
consider themselves bell-wethers, but who are
quite as frequently at the rear as at the from t
of the flock. Like laggard sportsmen the
hunt is far ahead and out of sight when they
take the fence, but they delude themselves
with the idea that the others are far behind.
This propensity Of mankind to go in droves,
to follow whittier the quickest to decide and
act makes the way, is very noticeable in the
race of newspaper paragraphists though
only more noticeable there than elsewhere
because they are more exposed to observa-
ton. For that matter all mankind is tarred
with the same stick. As example of the
paragrapaers: No sooner did one wearer of
the cap and bells make his pun on the name
of the new President of the French Republic
than the others opened in full cry, hunting
the pun to its death. They all looked a, M.
Grevy from cannibalistic standpoint and
joyousy speculated as to how he should be
served at suppositive table, Many years
ago, when our grandfalhers were in their
cradles, some one was moved to make fun of
gum-chewing BY schoolgirls. The joke, worn
by much use and underweighted now, is still
current, though the mint-mark is effaced.
We have forgotten tho point of the jest but |
still cling to it, perhaps out of reverent re-
gard for old things; and take it out for an
airing occasionally as we do our grandmoth
ers' brocade gowns. As was said in the
PRESS sometime since of details of govern
ment once angriy quarrelled over, now gen.
nrolI aE
erations are of the same belief as their aDces- |
tors, but have forgotten why" We still |
laugh at gum-cbewing, but have forgotten |
why. A later Illustration of the initiative |
faculty is found in the jest concerning the |
decoration of earthern ware with paper pic
lures. That went the roupds of the new
world and was printed under some of its |
various forms, as an original joke, in country
villages where blacking-pot or bit of decal- |
comania had never bean seen. But people |
knew it was quite the proper thing to jest
about, and SO the game went on. Some para
grapher few years ago compared public
maa to turkey-cock, and hundreds OF men
who have never seen him are daily repeating
the comparison-as other hundreds quite as
ignorant of the man look upon him as that
other bped with feathers-an angel.
The sheep-t-ait is not at all peculiar to
journalists-though it is more conspicuous in
them because it gets the publicity of print.
Non is 1t greatly, if at all to be censured in
any man. In truth, he who stands out
against the general opinion is apt to be very
dsagreeable. He may be a genius-he is
more likely to be an opinionated and dispu-
derstand, and so latest to jump the wall.
The old proverb that all men are wiser than
one man, is the expression Of general expe-
rience. An opinion quickly adopted by
community must have at least good show
of reason, and considerable merit if it stands
must have wit enough to keep it sweet, Or it
will not tickle the pilates of men. In the
rage for the antique what reason is tn are
WY il alone should be neglected? Indeed,
sohe of the jokes OF the Queen Anne and
Lous Quinze styles are still handsome fur
nishlrgs for discourse We can laugh this
day at he wit though we condemn the in
justice Volt&re's 'Ideas are like beard'--
men only get then when they grow up and
women rsver have any," And we must
smile at Swft's sill company is like dog,
who dirts those most whom he loves best"
Some jests live only because Of theif malice,
as great crimes are remembered while hum
drum virtues are forgotten. OF these IS |
Swift's Infamous, ''About the age of forty, |
men grow tired of being honest and women
of being vrtuous." Swift has said many
other things witter aud far worthier of re-
membrance. For example: SIT is a misers-
BILE thing to live in suspense, it is the life of
spider;" "The stoical scheme of supplying
our wants by looping off our desires, is liks
cutting off our feet when we want shoes;
''The power of fortune is confessed only By
the miserable, for the happy impute all Their
success to prudence and merit" sold men
and comets have been re verenced for the
Same reason their long boards and pretences