St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-11-18

plays the part of a coward, and has no
courage in him. When a passenger
stretches his legs across horse-car, or
sits sideways with his feet in his neigh
boris way, and looks like thunder
cloud at any one who stumbles over
him, he is simply nuisance and in
tensely disagreeable.
The false notions that work for an
employer is incompatible with indie
pendence and service incompatible
with pIide, have made unreasonable
mischief in the world. 1t is evident
that the old-fashiOned doctrines of
humility and self sacrifice are of little
account among men, excepting as
pleasant theories to be preached from
the pnlpit and moralized about in con-
ference meetings. "In honor prefer
ring one another" "ministering instead
of being ministered unto" are not the
ordinary rules of life. Yet everybody
is bound to some kind of service !;
everybody is dependent upon his fell
lows; the veriest recluse must have
food, clothes, and shelter and if he
can make these himself he is still de-
pendent upon the courtesy of his neigh
Dor to let him alone. 1t is impossible
to be wholly independent, and the at
tempt might as well be abandoned.
But it is possible to be reasonable that
is within the reach of every one. Sine
cures and perquisites are sweet to the
faithless and lazy of both sexes and all
classes, from politicians and the hang
ers-on of parties all along the line to
ignorant cooks and over dress walters
they are all alike undeserving the
name of servant, public or private, and
they should be called, as they are,
shirks and spOnges.
| Here one is inclined to pause and
ask at what point in the social scale
does the word servant become objec-
tionable? A public servant is proud
of the title and when man calls him
self a servant of the people he assumes
title that is finer to the common ear
than that of a servant of God. To be
a servant of the Church is the ambition
of brilliant and learned men; to serve
at the altar means something better
than to officiate there. The measure
of professional and scientific reputation
is the service done. The expression OF
the most graceful courtesy is, "COm-
mand mellow can | serve you ~ The
phrase of formal respect is ''your ODE
dient servant" And yet, unaecOunta-
bly,, the very service that friends do
for each other, that the members of a
family give in common, if they happen
to be poor in money, is absurdly con-
sidered disgraceful, personal dishon-
or, when performed for wages. The
dishonOr cannot come in with the pay,
for the President is paid, aud so are
legislators, honorable and dishonora-
BILE. Ministers are paid, and doctors
and scientists. The fact is that heads
are so full of nonsense about these
things that it is hard to get at the
sound reason which would set them
right. rybOdy-for the exceptions
are so few that it is safe to say every
human beings, his equals, his interiors
and his superiors; if he lives he must
do something, and what he does must
serve or harm himself and other peO-
pie. To be absolutely Independent and
free from service, we repeat, is granted
to no one and even the choice of ser
vice and of fellow workers is very
much limited. To talk of freedom is
in great part sheer boasting. We are
born in harness; and the best we can
do is to keep the harness from chatting,
and to make it a help.
Having tried to find out what they
can do and what they want Others to
do for them, let people give the faith
fulness they require, and let us stop
calling insolence spirit, rudeness inde-
pendence, noisy self assertion manli-
ness, conceit pride, and boOrishness
dignity. Give credit for good work,
whether it is eulogy or pudding, and
confess that success is doing well that
which one undertakes. Duties as well
as rights are to be considered and ii
can do no harm to use as common
every day sense just little of that hu-
manity, just trifie of that confession
of weakness and Dlundering, which is
made so Internationally and on SC
large a scale on Sundays. There would
be smoother days and less careworn
faces in return for it. All this has
nothing to do with social equality, OF
an equal division of property; both are
as impossible as individual independ-
ence is. But decent manners Onght tC
make all intercourse agreeable; and
decent manners will never prevail
while bad ones are baptized in all class
es by false and misleading names.-
Boston Advertiser.