Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1879-01-28
What VIII They Say at Vienna2

The Germans tell q story Of "a travelle
who, on visiting the Springs Of the Dan
ube, and noticing what an insigni6can
rlll trickled at the source of that grea
river, formed the bold resolution Of stop
| ping up the stream. He put his hand
across it, and, as he fancied the various
cities upon its course deprived of theil
supply OF water by his means, he ex-
claimed, in the pride Of his heart, "Wha
will they say at Vienna?"
| Thls simple traveller is type of s
large class of people, who have very in
dIflnlte notions of the relations of cause
and effect. A man conceives q grudge
against neighboring mechanic or mer.
chant, and determines at once to drive
him into irretrievable ruin by-'swith-
drawing his patronage az the phrase
goes. What will they say at Vienna ?'
be chuckles to himself, as he walks stiifiy
by his old friends place, and trades at q
new store. From his bearing, one would
suppose him "big with the fate of en-
pires )" but his enemy survives the loss
of his customer, and laughs at the i'm.
potent attempts of the "holter" to break
up his business,
A newspaper subscriber takes umbrags
at an editor, for daring to express an
opinion counter to his own. Having
nurtured his wrath to the requisite de-
gree of strength, he dashss off few
words on letter sheet, the most promi-
nent of which are, 'stop my paper, and
speeds it on its way to the luckless edi-
tor, imagining "what they will say at
Vienna" when the direful document is
received. The letter arrives, tho name
of the wrathy gentleman is quietly ex-
plunged from the nail book, and the cir
cQmst&noe is never heard or thought of
again.
"What will they say at Vienna ?" ex-
claims Mrs. Grundy, as she resolves to
absent herself from tea party, in the
getting up of which she has not been al
lowed to have her own particular way.
She anticipates nothing less than regu-
lar failure, in consequence, but the par
ty comes of, and nobody misses Mrs:
Grundy.
The cid lady who pulled up the stakes
for the new railroad, probably wonder
ed what they would say at Vienna?"
but the railroad was built in spite of her
opposition. Much of the opposition to
railroads is of the same sort. A disaf-
fected stOckholder turns his dozen shares
into the market, and then very patient
ly and very knowingly watches for the
ruin of the corporation, or,at least gen.
eral panic among the shareholders.-
Alas he never hears "what they say at
Vienna"-for the reason that they said
nothing.
"What will they say at Vienna?" ex-
claims DOisy politician, as he deter
mines to withdraw his support from his
party, and give it to those who will re-
ward him better. His prophecies of po.
litical ruin to his old confederates fall
upon on the ear and are forgotten. The
fierce hugbear which he discovers in the
heavens is nothing more than an ami
malcule begotten in the corrupt humors
of his own eye, and invisible to all but
himself.
The error of these people is, not SO
much in showing their resentment, as
in overrating its effects on the destinies
of mankind. We hold that every man
may lawfully indulge in an occasional
fit of "virtuous Indignation :" but let
him not imagine that he is going to blow
up granite mountain with a pinch of
snuff, or move the world from 1t founda-
ton by the stamping Of his foot. 1t is
poor philosophy to expect great results
merely because the antecedent is small,
though it is some times true that small
causes are connected with momentous
events. The three tailors who held a
meeting in Tooly street, London, had a
right to issue their address to the world,
but when they began it, 1--WE, the peo-
pie of England" they rather over esti-
mated their importance, This comes of
"living in barrel and looking out at
the bung- hole" as Rabelais describes it.
To take eonceit of this kind out of q
man, all that is necessary is little ob
servation, little common sense, and a
little modesty. When these commodi-
ties become more abundant, we shall
hear fewer people inquiring, ON frivolous
occasions, "what will they say at Wen
ma ?"-RQstQp Rambler.