American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1880-04-17

strong conscientious desire to do the
right, all the more because it was pain
ful-how twice, three times, she seemed
to feel some invisible hand restraining
her own, how she looked helplessly up
to the silent sunset sky; then with 8
sort of desperation dropped the letter
into the box-and repented it to heI
dying day.
But these difficult crises seldom hap
pen. On the whole, far more harm is
done by irresolution than by rashness.
Even, as / have heard it said, and
agree thereto, weakness is worse than
wickedness-at any rate, it is more
dangerous. The man who never can
make up his mind, who lets chance aft
er chance slip rast him, is always a
little too late for everything, and never
knows that kindly Fortune has touched
him till he catches the LAST sad sweep
of her garment as she goes by him, and
on to others: the misery which this man
creates and inflicts-for it is fallacy
that any one can be nobody's enemy
but his owns in the aggregate much
greater than that-caused by the strong
bad man, whom one recognizes at once,
and against whom one can protect ones
self little. Against the other, one
never can. Our very pity takes up
arms against our judgment: for we
know the certain end
He that will not when he may,
When he would he shall have nay"
Only for single hopeful minute il the
tide on the turn; when once it has turn
ed. it has turned forever, and
"Leaves him at eve on the bleak shore alone"
All thorough business men and wom-
en-for women are required to be good
"men of business" too, in this our day
= know that the aptitude for seeing the
right moment to do a thing. and doing
1t, without rashness. but also without
delay, is one of the vital necessities of
success-success in anything. He who
puts off till tomorrow what can be done
-or ought to be done-to-day, is hope
less as a clerk, servant, or in any po-
sition in which regular systematic work
is required. Most fatal is such quail
ty in master or mistress, for the real
heart of family is always the mistress.
II she can not stake the tide at the
turn" judge the fittest moment for do
nestle decisions of all kinds, and carry
them out, woe betide her! There may
be no actual shipwreck, but her house.
hold bark will be very helmless vessel
at best.
This habit Of dilatoriness and indie
cision is SO much of it mere habit that
children can not be too early taught,
first the necessity of making up ones
mind. and then Of acting upon it. The
trick Of changing about" of wasting
minute after minute, hour after hour,
in work as in play-for idlers never
even play conscienfiously--is often &C
quired in mere infancy, too often. alas!
in imitation of elders and betters, and
never got rid of to the end of life.
What is in the boy or girl mere careless
ness, becomes in the man and woman q
confirmed peculiarly. which haunts
them like q curse, causing no end of
misery to themselves and all belonging
to them.
We know our gains and achieve
ments; our losses, our failures, we never
fully know. We may dimly guess at
them. by our despair over some appli-
cation thrown aside and neglected, till
the lost chance of benefiting ourselves
Or our neighbor can never be recalled;
Dur remorse over an unanswered letter,
when the writer has suddenly gone
whittier no kindly word can reach him
any more; our regret over welcome
visits left unpaid. and pleasant meet
ings let slip, till friendship, worn out,
dies q natural death, or burns itself to
ashes like fire without fresh Goals.
Then we may lay tie blame on Provi-
hence, luck, circumstances; anything or
except the true sinners-our-
,elves. John Halifar, Gentleman" in
HosDeT's Bazaar.