Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1879-04-08
The Wit and Wisdom m Lord
Chesterfield.
FIFTH PAPER.

|. Women, from Eve downwards.
havcdone great deal of mischief; and
since her time history will inform you
that men have done much more mis-
chief than women; and to say the truth.
| would not advise you to trust either
more than Is absolutely necessary.
2. II is necessary to get AS much ae-
quaintaince as you can, in order to OBJ
serve the characters snd manners OF peo-
pie; for though human nature is In
truth the.same through the whole hu-
man species, yet 1t is 80 differently mod
flied and varied by education, habit and
different customs, that one should, upon
a slight and superficial observation, al
most think it different.
3. Your figure is like other peoples,
and you should take care that your
dress shall be so too, and to avoid amy
singularity.
d. Vice and ignorance are the only
things know of which one ought to be
ashamed of. Keep but clear Of them,
and you may 20 anywhere without fear
or concern.
8. AS the generality Of people are
weak enough TO be pleased with little
things, those who refuse to please them
60 cheap, are, in my mind, weaker than
they.
9. This principle will lay down
that the desire OF pleasing Is, at least,
half the art of doing it; the rest depends
only upon the manner, which attention,
observation, and frequenting good COM
pany, will teach. But II you are lazy,
careless, and Indifferent whether you
please or not, depend upon II you will
never please.
4. | have often, Of late, reflected
what an unhappy man must now have
have been, II | had not acquired In my
youth some fund and taste of learning
What could have done with myself al
that age, without thcmp ! must, as
many ignorant people do, have destroyed
my health and faculties by sotting away
the evening; or, by wasting them friv'
olously In the tattle Of womens compa'
ny; must have exposed myself to thu
ridicule and contempt Of those very wo
men; or, lastly, ! must have hanged
as man once did, for WEAKNESS Of put
ting on aud pulling Of his shoes ant
stockings every night. My books, ant
only my books, are left to me.
s. What Ia called smattering of ev
erything infallibly constitutes cox
comb.
0. Conversation Is very great an'
very rational pleasure at all ages, bu
the conversation Of the Ignorant Is M
conversation, and gives even them M
pleasure they tire oftheir own sterility
and have not matter enough to furnisl
them with words to keep up a converse
ton.
10. Let me most earnestly recon-
mend you to hord up, while you can
great stock Of knowledge; for though
during the dissipation Of your youth
you may not have occasion to spent
much of II, yet you may depend upon !
that time will come when you vii
want Il TO maintain you. Public gran
aries are filled In plentiful years; no
that Il IL known that the next, or seconC
or third year will prove q scarce one
but because II Ia known, that sooner o
lator, such year will come, In whicl
the grain will be wanted.
IL. A young man should be ambi
tlous 10 shine and excel; alert. activ
aud interchangeable In the means OF doini
II; and like CGsar, nil dctwm r,puldns, 8
Quid snpsnnessed dgendum.
IL. Take great care always to h
dressed like the reasonable people o
your own age In the place where yo'
are, whose dress Is never spoken Of on
way or another ~ either too ncgligcn
or too much studied.
II. What IL commonly called nm ab
sent mnn, IL commonly either weak o
very effected man; but be he which h
will, he Il, am sure, n very disagreed
bic man In company. Sir Isaac New
ton, Mr. locke, aud (lt may bc) five o
ak more, since the creator Of the world
may have had right TO absence, from
the intense thought which the thing
they were investigating required. Bu
liza young man, and man Of the world
who has no such avocntlous to plead
will claim and exercise that right Of alb
pencc IN company, his pretended righ
iahould, IN my mind, he turned into NJ
involuntary absence by his pcrpetua
exclusion ont of company.
II. There IA nothing that people bcal
more patiently, or forgive less. thar
o ntempt, and an injury Is much soonel
forgotten than an insult,
10. with regard TO women, the mos
polite attentions arc necessary, aud by
the custom Of The world, IN some meas
ure due, according to the laws Of goot
breeding.
10 Many young people adopt pleas.