The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1880-08-27
A MATTER or HABIT.


rises at o'clock in the summer and 8
o'clock in the winter, rain or shine, busy
or idle; he invariably puts on his right
and boot first, starts the htch-
en- fire-if he be a real Christian and not
a mere "believer r"-calls nanny" or
the girl, does the "chores, eats the
regulation breakfast at the precise hour
he ordered it fifty years before, and then
proceeds to walk through the rest of the
hours Of the day like a piece of machine
ry, until the old clock strikes 8, when
he puts aside his pipe and paper and
goes to bed like chicken-that is,
venerable rooster-at sundown. So he
jogs through life-tick-tack, tick-tack,
round and round, in the same old track
until he dies, at ripe old age, and
has the distinction Of mention in the
obituary notices Of his local paper as
gentleman noted for his regular hab-
its. !"
Well, such life has its advantages
and compensation, and if the highest
aim Of our life on earth were to see how
long we can stay on the top Of it the
success might make the mode more uni
versal. But one may pay too much even
for long life, and regular habits that
shut man out from that large liberty
Of choice and action necessary to self
development and great achievements are
an expensive necessity. We hear great
deal about costly Injuries, and there are
some so-called necessities that are vastly
more extravagant, if life be considered
as doing no less than being. When one
is robbed or hampered harmfully by
self-imposed conditions Of living, it is
we'll to consider whether the life is no
more than meat, and the spirit superior
to red-tape letters. A good share Of the
failures in life come from the attempt to
feed without changing postorlength-
ening the tethers. Men walk mechan-
ically in circle when they should
mount with wings like eagles. They
realize the low aspiration Of DR.. Holmes
convict, and have !" a tread-mill Of their
own"
For certain physical functions and
habits Of life, regularity is Of prime i'm
portance but the conditions Of society
and affairs are such that there must be
considerable pliancy and adaptability in
manyof our modes and customs. Few
busy lives, closely connected with others,
can be so well ordered as to take SO many
and sueh-and-such meals each day-sc
many miles walk or ride-and Just SC
much sleep, i'll a set portion Of the
twenty-four hours. The turtle doesn'
beat the hare in the race, except IL
fables. There are spurts in all swift pro
eression. Even nature is regular only
IN a large way. She will do more tow
ard her grand spring opening in tn
second week Of May than for the thre
weeks previous to that time. Within
the week when the opening bud become
a leaf. new sun and wind and rain, an
. the silent, unseen earth-forces combin
70 "push things" Nature rests. Sh
; is the pattern saint in patience. Sh
gets ready, and then moves-slows W
and comes down the home stretch like
thoroughbred The sun has not yet bee
! brought to shine by rule, even by th
weather bureau. The rain does not com
every day like a street-sprinkler. II
? wind continues to blow where it listetl
though observation and the telegrar
" wire enable us to know its course.
The regularmanisapt to be too metho
. ical. 1t never occurs to him that the
!, = are days when he may get up early, al
: others when he should lie late-tim
= when he needs three hearty meals, Al
others when he should eat scantily,
Z fast-occasions when he must work Ii
:, a steam-engine, and times when
: !, should cultivate and encourage geni
:. for repose.
r. A FELLOW in Chico; CAL, went up
u l. AZ. I1a.o..,J oeeoa - a1ao,, ont tha {