Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-06-12

There are men of esprit who are exces- |
sively exhausting to some people. They |
are the takers who have what may be |
called jerky minds. Their thoughts do not |
run in the natural order of sequence. They |
say bright things on all possible subjects,
but their zigzags rack you to death. After |
jolting half hour with one of these jerky |
companions, talking with dull friend af-
fords great relief. 1t is like taking the cat |
in your lap after holding squirrel.
What a comfort a dull but kindly person
is, to be sure, at times ground, glass
shade over gas. lamp does not bring more
solace to our dazzled eyes than such one
to our minds.
sELF-MADE MEN.
Self-made men? Well, yes. VI course
everybody likes and respects self-made
mer. 1t is a great deal better to be made
in that way than not to be made at all.
Are any of you younger people old enough
to remember that Irishman's house on the
marsh at Cambridgeport, which house he
built from drain to chimney.top with his
own hands? 1t took him good many
years to build it, and one could see that it
was little out of plumb, and little wavy
in outline, and little queer and uncertain
in general aspect. A regular hand could
certainly have built better house; but it
was very good house for "self.made
carpenters house, and people praised 1t,
and said how remarkably well the Irish
man had succeeded. They never thought
of praising the fine blocks of houses little
farther on.
Your self-made man, whitfield into shape
with his own jack-knife, deserves more
credit, if that is all, than the regular
engine turned article, shaped by the most
approved pattern, and French-polished by
society and travel. But as to saying that
one is every way the equal OF the other,
that ia another matter. The right of strict
social discrimination of all things and per-
sons, according to their merits, native or
acquired, is one of the most precious re-
| publican privileges. 1 take the liberty to
| exercise it when / say that, other things
| being equal, in most relations of life pre-
fer a man of family.
OLD AGE.
As to giving up, because the almanac or
the family Bible says that it is about time
| to do it, have no intention OF doing any
such thing grant you that | burn less
carbon than some years ago. l see people
of my standing really good for nothing-de-
| CreDlL, cII6Lc, tU ttCTt HUcftct6c Utyu Pefe'
dante, with what little life they have left
mainly concentrated in their epigastrium.
But as the disease of old age is epidemic,
endemic and sporadic, and everybody that
| lives long enough is sure to catch it, am
| going to say, for the encouragement of
such as need it, how treat the malady in
my own case.
First-As l feel that, when have any.
| - IL lasu fnr than
when was younger, find that give my
attention more thoroughly, aud use my
time more economically, than ever before !;
so that can learn anything twice as easily
as in my earlier days. am not, therefore,
afraid to attack new study. took up
difficult language very few years ago
with good success, and think of mathe-
matics and metaphysics by and by.
Secondly have opened my eyes to
good many neglected privileges and pleas.
ures within my reach. and requiring only
a little courage to enjoy them. You may
well suppose it pleased me to find that old
Cato was thinking of learning to play the
in my old age, and satisfied myself that /
could get much comfort, if not much music,
out of it.
| luIuly-l nave lOuuu sOic VI LhOec
active exercises, which are commonly
thought to belong to young folks only, may
be enjoyed at a much later period.
THE RACE OF LIFE.
Nothing strikes one more, in the race of
life, than to see how many give out in the
first half of the course. Commencement
day" always reminds me of the start for
! the Derby" when the beautiful high
bred three.year. olds Of the season are
brought up for trial. That day is the start,
and life is the race. Here we are at Cam
bridge. and class is just graduating"
Poor Harry he was to have been there
too, but he has paid forfeit step out into
the grass back of the church ah there
it is:
"HuSc LAPIDEM r-suERuSr
| Socu MGRENTEs"
But this is the start, and here they are
coats bright as silk, and names as smooth
as eau lustrale can make them. Some of
the best of the colts are pranced round
few minutes each, to show their PAGES.
What is that old gentleman crying about
and the old lady by him, and the three
| girls, what are they all covering their eyes
for? Oh, that is their colt which has just
been trotted upon the stage. Do they
really think those little thin legs can
do anything in such slashing sweepstakes
as is coming off in these next forty years
Oh, this terrible gift of second. sight that
comes to some of us when we begin to look
through the silver rings Of the areas sends
Ten years gone. First turn in the race.
A few broken down two or three bolted.
Several show in advance of the ruck. Cas-.
sock, a black colt, seems to be ahead of the
rest those black colts commonly get the
start, have noticed, of others, in the first
quarter. Meteor has pulled up.
Twenty years. Second corner turned.
Cassock has dropped from the. front. and
Judex, an irou-g has the lead. But
look how they have thinned out Down
fiat -fve-six-how many? They lie still
enough they will not get up again in this
race, be very sure! And the rest of them,
what failing OFF, Anybody can see
who is going to win-perhaps.
Thirty years. Third corner turned.
| Dives, bright sorrel, ridden by the fellow
in yellow jacket, begins to make play
fast is getting to be the favorite with
many. But who is that other one that has
been frightening his stride from the first,
and now shows up to the front :! Don't
you remember. the quiet brown colt Aster-
old, with the star in his forehead. That
is he; he is one of the sort that lasts
look out for him The black colt" as
! we used to call him, is in the background.
taking it easily in gentle trot. There is
one they used to call the Filly-on account
of certain feminine air he had-well up,
you see the Filly is not to be despised, my
boy
Forty years. More dropping off-but
places much as before.
| Fifty years. Race over. All that are
on the course are coming in at walk
| no more running now. Who is
ahead! Ahead? What and the
winning. post a slab of white or gray
stone standing out from that turf where
there is no jockeying or straining for vic.
tory Well, the world marks their places
in its betting. book but be sure that these
matter very little, if they have run as well
as they knew how