Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1879-05-23
The GOOd-Natured Man.

amt.
I am aware that the closing sentence
isn't grammatical. But I don't care.
1 have Joined the ranks of the progress
sive people. l have gone in with the
metric system lunatics and phonetic
spoilers, and while they hammer away
to make a,.ee.p2 people say "Gne duodeeide.
they mean - one pint Of molasses ;" and
while they spell programme" will,
seven letters and trough" with three,
am going to do what I can to make
grammar easy.
saw the good .natured man on the
train, to-day. and envied him. His
wife was sick, her mother, who accom-
panied them, was tired and rather sar-
castle, not to say peremptory the chill
dren all looked worried and draggled,
their faces were dirty and the baby
howled every time the train started and
walled every time it stopped, and fret
ted while it stood still and cried all the
time it was in motion. But that man,
big round shonldered giant with old
clothes on and hands as big as the
hands of fate, never fused or fretted
nor once looked black or discouraged.
He told the quarreling children stories,
he petted his tired, sick wife, he cajoled
her mother and sang -merciful heavens,
such singing-to the baby, until en-
We'd him. He was the first good-na-
tured man I had seen for eleven years,
and he was going, he told me, to Ian
caster, Pennsylvania. I wasn't sur
trised at it. Lancaster is just the kind
of place to develop such masculine
angels. It is itself one of the happiest,
best. Datured places I know.
Did you ever think what rarity the
good-Datured man is? You don't often
meet him. Think. now, if you know
one of him. Think over your list of
acquaintances, and see if you can find
him.
The funny man, he is common
enough. Every newspaper has one of
him. There are plenty of funny men.
The droll man, he Turks on every street
corner, and whites on every dry goods
box. You find the witty at every social
gathering you meet him great many
times when you don't want to zee him.
But q real, thoroughly good-natured
manufacturer, he is a rarity. When
l hear of a good. natured man, want
to put him on trial and it ism enough
that he says droli things down town,
and makes every body in the store
laugh ut his funny stories. All, no.
This is terribly thin testimony to bring
into court to support a reputation for
being good-natured. Everybody is
good natured down town. I want to
| see him travel forty eight hours in a
crowded day-coach with his family. II
is easy for him to be good. natured with
a crowd Of happy fellows over hand
full of good cigars and cluster of new
stories in the smoking car. Before l
pass on the mans character for good
nature,,I would like to see the deposit
tions of his wife and children. I would
like to cross.examine his mother and
sisters. l would like to hear the evil
dences of his dog.
You can't tell the good. natured man
by any national characteristics. From
rise to set Of sun, Ireland is famous for
it's ready wit and its rollicking humor.
But when the police court opens in the
morning, it is Patrick who brings the
assortment of black eyes and broken
heads into court; it is Bridget whose
husband has been given her a IS bit av
batting" and there is nothing pecul-
iarly good-natured about that. Pcs l.
How merry and vivaciousi is laughing
France But it is not good natured to
jam rapier through your friend mere
| ly because he accidently misplaces the
accent on your name. ... ...
Italy dances and sings under the
shadow OF classical centuries, but alas,
she also stands under your distracted
window for hours, with a hand-organ
and monkey, or calmly cuts your
throat by moonlight in the coliseum.
Germany lifts its scholarly head from
amid the mists of philosophy to mingle
its light.hearted jests and merry gaiety
with the melodious chorus Of drinking
songs, and then dejectedly hangs or
shoots itself into eternity because it
can't fathom the mysterious problem o
human existence, or because a suspend
er button gives way. .
America, we happy people OF free
America, who SO happy and full OF
laughter as We? We laugh at death it.
self, when it happens in another mans
family, and fling mud and lies and hate
| "AN oA"uNOA 0AA PoA1UAS"A AAsA 0AA OVoA
our own brother, if he happens to run
for Congress on the opposition ticket.
Clearly, no nation has any monopoly
on the good. man. He isn't
necessarily funny, sometimes he is stu.
pid. Often he is ignorant. But always,
he is domestic blessing. Young man,
if you have any photographic aspirations,
if you want to do good in the world, if
you want to be blessing to mankind
and your family, don't try to be funny.
Don'ttry to be witty. Don't cultivate
sarcasm. Be Notwithstanding
ton Hapk. Eye. :.atat -|'f l 15
r AFoHANs.--The Afghans have per-
feet horror of water, and never bring it
in contact with their bodies. Being
Mohammedans they are bound to do
certain additions by their faith, but
they find substitutes which are allowed
instead of the water. There is one
tribe who are said to get three new gar
ments only in their lifetime, the gar
ment being in each case alblanket. The
first is given at birth, the second when
they are married, and the third when