Northern tribune. [volume] (Cheboygan, Mich.) 1875-1885, 1880-08-28

Ibid Won sweep the corpers?"

Dlu yOu SWttP tuO COlJsClos
''Now, mother, what is the use of be-
ing so particular? The parlor looks
just as nice as it can look. Who's going
to move etageres and tables and poke
behind the piano to see if there's a few
grains Of dust there?"
slave you never swept the corners
since you volunteered TO take entire
charge of the parlor, Amy? You know
] have been shut up in my. room and
have trusted entirely to YOU
Not exactly; Mrs. StrongmOre, who
lectures so delightfully."-, y0u know, says
women waste SO much time in putter-
ing. She says it is great thing to
learn just how much homework and
sewing is necessary to enable one to get
along, and then we shall save the rest of
the time for higher pursuits, and that
is so much gain" Tfs
Perhaps, if it really saves time; let
us see how it is in this case. Move that
stand, dear, and put your broom in that
corner"
"Why motherl there are myriads of
black fuzzy little things crawling away,
and-why, it's too bad they have eaten
all the pattern off of .that.corner of your
pretty carpet"
"Tiat is what feared. 1t is the buff
| falO moth or carpet-bug, and having
once made Judgment, they will run
along eyeryi seam of the carpet; moth
ing can save it but taking it all up and
having it thoroughly cleansed. 1t is too
bad but it never would have happened
had you swept that corner faithfully.
Which way do you think would have
saved the most time?
Mother, was so disgraced to-day. 1
wore my new cambria to the Sunday
school picnic, and was swinging one of the
children, the whole sleeve ripped right
down and left my arm bare. 1t was es-
pecially notifying because had just
been telling the girls how had made
| it all myself on my new machine" st
SOFTLY, my daughter; did you take a
needle and fasten all the threads, as L sug-
gested?"
@Why, no; that would have taken so
much time, and wanted to make the
whole dress in two days, which did,
"Did you save much time by that pro-
ceeding9'
NO, mother, of course not; see what
you mean. It's another case of not
sweeping the corners, suppose"
"My dear child, wish could impress
upon you now the Importance of doing
things thoroughly and not sighting the
parts of work that do not show at first
sight; duty and policy are alike concern
ed i'm faithfulness to the corners. My
gardener made me flower bed on the
lawn once, but | had hardly got it filled
with beautiful flowers when the Quack-
grass came up so thickly between them
that it took more time than 1 had to
spare to pull it out, and when 1 had re-
course to him, he acknowledged that he
had only turned the sod over, not taking
the time to pick it out"
Last spring there was terrible &C.
cident in New York; part of great
building, filled withcpeOple, gave way,
destroying much valuable life and
property. Why? Because somebody
had not been careful of the corners, the
unseen parts of the building, where the
| strain came, and this want of faithful
ness rendered the whole thing unsafe
"Only to two months before that Oc-
Cured the destruction of the Tay bridge
in Scotland, which thrilled the public
with Indignation; a whole train of cars
with their crowd of living freight, were
precipitated at once into the raging
food and disappeared, because of the IN
faithfulness Of contractors, wOrkmen
every one concerned, in those parts of
the work whose uns0undness could not
be detected except by actual experiment
| and failure.
"And when we come to things not tan
gible, the principle is just the same
carelessness about the corners; the out
Of-the-way trivialities of scho0l-bOy les
sons have sometimes cost a man his
standing and success in life. Have you
| forgotten a certain girl graduate whose
percentage was wofully lowered by the
absence of capitals and commas in an
examination in metaphysics? There
are young men and young women to-
day who are deliberately laying the
| foundation of future wretchedness and
| fai lure by neglect of the little corners
of habits of strict honesty, perfect truth
| fitness, making the most of the min
uteS, etc., etc."
Yes mother, see the policy of the
corners, but how about the duty?"
"The artists of antiquity, my child,
and the builders of the early Christian
ages followed their example. put their
best work on the back of their statues,
the sides of capitals, and bases that lay
against the walls. The most delicate
carving of the Miserere seats is found on
the under side; the finest stained glass
in the least frequented hooks of old ca
thedrals. .And why. Because the del
ties, the angels, the saints, were suppOs-
ed by those superstitiOus but honest
hearted wOrkmen to see everywhere.
think, my child, of. the Eye that
never slumbers looking down into the
corners of our rooms, our work, our pur.
suits, our habits, our purposes, OuI
hearts, our lives; remember he has COM
manded us to be faithful in the few
things committed to our care. That he
may find no accumulated dust anywhere
sweep the cOrners."-M. e. Winslow, IA
NcaU York Observer.