, 1881-01-02
LACONICS.


LACONICS.
Much Wisdom In Small Space.
We follow the world In approving others,
but we go before it in approving ourselves.
Men will wrangle for religion; write for
It: fight for it; die for it; anything but-ltue
for it.
Virtue with !. talent is a coat Of nnil
without s,uord: it may indeed defend the
wearer, but will not enable him to protect
his friend II
None are so fond Of secrets as those who
do not mean to keep them; such persons
covet secrets, as a speidtllrift covets money,
for the purpose Of circulation.
Times Of general calamity and confusion
have ever been productive Of the greatest
minds. The purest ore is produced from
the hottest furnance, and the brightest
thunderbolt is elected from the darkest
storm:
The sun should not set upon our anger,
neither should he rise upon our confidence.
We should forgive freely, but forget rarely.
enemy; butt will remember, and this owe
to myself.
Secrecy Of design, when combined with
rapldlty Of execution, like the column that
guided Israel in the desert, becomes q guard
ian pillar of tight and fire to- our friends, q
cloud of overwhelming aud impenetrable
darkness to cur enemies.
in all societies it is advisable to associate
if possible with the highest: mot that the
highest are always the best, but because, it
diSel1sted there, we can at any time descend; !;
but il we begin with the lowest, to ascend
is difficult. LII the grand theatre of human
life a boI-tic1et takes'us through the house.
Public events Of moment, when deeply
and fnl!y considered, 4; are 9. the fertile womb 9
the very soul of the moral OF history; and
then they are impc1ishable and indestructible,
worthy of being resorted to as Il tower Of
strength in the storm, and spreading their
etfuIgence over the tide Of time, as beacon
in the night :~
-Hypocrits act by virtue, like Nnma by
his shield. They frame many connterfelts
OF her, with which they make an ostentatious
parade in all public assemblies and pro-
cessions; but the original OF what they coun-
terfelt, and which may indeed be said to
have fallen from hcaue7,, they produce SO
seldom that 1T is cankered by the rust Of
sloth and useless from. non-apDlication..
1t is an observation. of the late Lord
Bishop of Landaff, that there are but two
kinds of Inen who succeed as public clilrac-
ters: men OF ITO principle but of great talent,
and men Of no talent but Of one PRINCIPLE
..1A
there will never be deficiency Of this SECOND
class,-persons who, like Doddington, have
no higher ambition than that of sailing in the
wake of man OF first-rate abilities.
Ambition is to the mind what the cap is to
the falcon: it blinds us first, and then conl-
pels us to tower, by reason Of our blindness.
vain ambition. we are also at'the depth of
real misery. We are placed where time can
not improve, but must impair us; where
chance and change cannot befrlend, but may
betray us,-in short, by attaining all we wish
reached a pinnacle where we have nothing
to hope but everything to fear.
We should justly rldicu!e General who,
Just before all action, should suddenly, dis.
arm his men, and. putting into the hands OF
all Of them. a Bible,' should order them
thus equipped, to nlarchagalnst the enemy.
the lH Bible to % support The sword; but IS It not
rs great folly to call, IN the sword to sup
port the Bible? Our Savior divided force
from reason, and let no 1nan presume to JOIN
what God hath put asunder. When we CON-
nent, we err more than those whom we at
tack. 1t ~
Power, like the diamond, dazzles the be-
| holder and also the wearer; it dignities mean
| ness: it magnifes littleneSS; to what is con-
| tenaptible it gives auth1Fity; to what is low,
! exaltatton. To acQuiresit appears not more
difficult than to be tlispassessed OF it 1ohe3.
| nc0lti,rd, since 1t enables the holder to shift
| his own errors OIL dependents, and to take
| their merits to himselfI.F But the miracle OF
| losing it yanisfes when we reflect that we are
a ia9!e n4er to xa1 as to FSe ey e s
guage that has been appropriated exclusively
| to God! IT
| Modern reformers are not fully aware Of
| the difficulty they will find to make converts
| when that period whici.they 50 fondly antlc~ 1
| ipate shall arrive: an era OF universal illo-
| nlination. They will then experience 4 SINH
| lar rebuff with those who now attempt to
| make proselytes among the Jews. These
cunning descendants Of Laban shrewd1y re-
ply, Pray would it not be better for you
Christians, first Of all, to decide among your.
selves what Christianity is? and when that
! important point is fully settled, then we
| think it will be time enough to begin your
attempts OF converting others.
lie that has never suffered extreme ad'
| yersty knows not the full extent OF his own
| deprivation; and he that has never enjoyed
the summit Of prosperity is equally 1gnolant
| our adversely will excite temptations in our
selves, our prosperity in: others. Sir robert
| WalpOIe' observed, it was fortunate that few
men could be Prime Ministers, because 1t was
fortunate that few men could know tne
| Therefore beautiful' woman, If poor,
:: should use double circumspection; for her
beauty will tempt others, her poverty herself.
The wealthy and the noble, when they ex-
pend large sums in decorating their houses
with the rare and costly efforts Of genius,
with busts from the chisel Of Canova,, and
with cartoons from the pencil OF Raphael;
are to be commended if they do not stand
still here, b,it go on I'd bestow some pains
and cost, that the master himself. be not in
| ferior to the mansion, and that the owner be
| not the only thing that is little amid every
| thing else that is great The house may
draw visitors, butt is the possessor alone
| that can dctain them. We cross the Alps
and after short interval VIC are glad to re-
turn; we go to see Italy, not the If1tta7ts.
-"Dcfc,,dit 7l1tn,er,ts" is the maxim OF
the foolish, ''Dcocrtlit qae.'ner1ts" Of the wise.
TAe fact is that an honest man will continue
to be so, though surrounded on an sides BY
rogues.: The whole world is turned upside
down once iii every twenty-four hours; yet
no one thinks OF standing upon his head
! rather than on his heels. lie that can be
| honest only because every one else is honest,
or good only because all around him are
good, might have continued all angel If he
| lad been born one; but being a man, le will
only add to that al1t7abe who go
tn tIelI for the bad things they ]tdDe done aid