The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1882-12-09
ADVICE TO 4 YOUNG MAN.

Don't DC mean, my boy; don't 10
mean things and say mean things.
Cultivate Il feeling OF kindness, Il spirit
ofcharity broad and pure for men and
things. Believe the best of everybody,
have faith in humanity, and as you
will be better yourself. You eau, with
some accuracy, measure n mans chac-
acter by the esteem in which he holds
other men. When l hear man re-
peatedly declaring that all other men
are knaves, want a strong endorse.
ment on that mans paper before I'll
lend him money. When man as
sures me that all the Temperance meh
in the town take their drinks on the
sly, wouldn't leave that man and my
private demijohn-if l had one-to-
gether i'll a room five minutes. When
man tells me that he doesn't know
one preacher who isn't Il hypocrite, l
have all the evidence want that man
is Il liar. Nine times in ten, and fre.
quently oftener, you will find that
men endeavor to disfgurc all other
men with their own weaknesses, fail
ings and vices. So do you, my boy,
think well and charitably of people,
tor tho world Is full of good people.
And IL you arc mean, you cannot
conceal it. People will know it. Our
unfortunate, human fonuness for gos-
sip always put us in possession all
the Worser qualities of each other.
Don't you and your ultimate friends,
my boy, discuss the weak aud evil
points in your neighbors' characters:
or course you do; and when you are
the absent one, be assured, Tclema-
chus, that your friends are in like man.
ner dissecting you. Indeed, they are.
They know all about you, and that
which you would have least known,
they know the best.
And, at any rate, my son, you know
II, and that is enough. Sometimes l
wonder what mean man thinks
turns out the light and lies down.
When the darkness closes in about him
and he is alone and compelled to be
honest with himself. And not bright
thought, not generous impule, not a
manly act, not Il word of blessing, not
grateful look, comes to bless him
again. Not penny dropped into the
outstretchcd palm of poverty, nor the
balm of a loving word dropped into an
aching heart; no sunbeam of encour-
agemcnt cast upon Il struggling life !;
no strong right hand of fellowship
reached out to help somo fallen man to
his fCet-Whcn mono of these things
come to him as the HGod bless you" of
the departed day, how he must hate
himself. How he must try to roll away
from himself and sleep on the other
side of the bed. When the only vic
tory he can think of is some mean vic
tory, in which he has wrongcd Il ncigh-
Dor, no wonder he always sneers when
he tries to smile. How pure and fair
and good all the rest of tho world
must look to him, and how chcerlcss
and dusty and dreary must his own
path appear. Why even one lone, iso
lated act of mcanncss is enough to scat
ter cracker crumbs in the bed OF the
average, ordinary man, and what must
be the feelings of Il man whose Whole
life is given up to mean acts ? When
there is so much suffering and heart
ache and misery in tho world, any
how, why should you add one pound
of WickedneSS or sadness to the gene
raj burden: Don't be mean, my boy.
Suffer injustice II thousand times,
rather than commit it ONCE INriiHy-
ton //n"kpYc.