The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1882-05-06

MY DEAR FLoY:
have been thinking all this morning
how delightful it wonld be to talk to you
face to face and heart TO heart, while
we strolled carelessly and conrentedly
through your own lovely groves, and
chatted to the accompaniment of natures
winged choristcrs. Instead, when am
seated at my desk with only inanimate
objects in the room to bear me company,
and make paltry effort to enjoy pleas
ant converse with you through the pas
sionless medium Of pen and paper, it
seems 50 poor substitute that feel al
most tempted to lay them aside and COM
mune with you only in the realm of
thought.
You see, human nature will be human
nature, and there are times when GER
tain perversity inherent i'll US all, is
allowed to manifest itself and make us
10th to accept the humber part in LIES
apportionment. When the best and most
coveted possessions stretch far beyond
our attainment, there are moments when
we fail to prove the adjnstahility of orr
natures by downright refusal or, at
least, thankless acceptance of the
"second best" You remember the iniln-
table portraiture of the lovely, unseltish
."Dame Dnrlen," or Esther Summerson,
in Bleak House," who was described us
"receiving good into her arms without
any hint that it might be better, and
catching light from any little spot of
darkness near her" The resolution she
formed OH one of her early birthdays to
try to be industrious, contented and true
hearted, and to do some good to some
one, aud win some love if she could, was
so nobly fulfilled that we find her e2-
claiming further Oh that g she was almost
ashamed to have done so little, and fe-
ceived SO much." All! gentle Esther,
was it nothing that yon so gained the
victory over self and subdued all selfish
as to live in and for other liyese Was it
so simple a thing after all, that you ac
conlplished without continuous effort
the habit of looking at happiness through
another's eyess That we must all learn
to do sooner or later. 1t may be in life's
morning, or near the close of orr day,
when the shadows lengthen and the light
is growing dim.
1t seems Il pitiful enough necessity
when the effulgent sun of youths morn
ing is darkened by !; great isretrieyable
loss, Or severe calamity. And yet it often
happens that the time when llfc's prom
ises are fairest and its hopes run highest
that occurs which rings the knell to the
quickly persisted joy, and the wondrous
first CLOVIS of a May morning melts int,
the light Of common Gay. This, ever
though the nature may be stron,, to re
sist, strong in suffering, and give no out.
ward sign of despair or pain. Though
the wound be cicatrized, the scar remains
ever, and though the man OF the woman
lit is generally a woman preserve a calm
and cheerful exterior, and fail in never
the slightest part Of the allotted an,
assumed duties, it is clear to those who
closely discern, that when the sun SCI
at noon, there could only be artificial
brightness in that life ever afterwards
All honor to the heroic character tlAt i
brave enough and true enough to refus
to live forever in the blackness of dark
ness, who, when the last rays Of his dw,
sun have faded away, is content to b.
warmed by the reflected heat of another's
and almost insensibly to be thankful 70
the simple yet bountiful gifts we share il
common with all mankind
Did you ever read the beautiful line
of BourdiIlon, which, while an unde
graduate at Oxford, made him famous
They enbody almost truisnl, and We
it is Il trnism which people rarely meas
ure or comprehend.
The night has !; thousand eyes,
The day but one;
Yet the light OF the bright world dies
With the dying sun.
The mind has a thousand eyes,
The heart but one:
Yet the heart of q whole life dies
When love is done.
The races have been largely and fash
ionabiy attended, and rank rs ever amen
the most popular of spring entertain
ments. While it is easy enough of coir
prehension how SO many yield TO tliei
fascination, ana revel ia the cscitcmer
I can not but think that clietly-on TIL
account lies the evil which produces til
dcmoralizirg tendencies that flow frol
them. Those that would scorn to gan
bic, and loudly inyei.h against lotter
systems, do not hesitate to stake none
at the race pools. Is it not strange, til
manner in which people apply salve I
their coasciences, and reconcile in the
own eases. contradictions and inconsis
ences Which they would not be slow I
condemn i'll nnnitigated terms in the
neighbors. For instance, large al
growing number of lis never hesitate
stale small sums, while they consider
exceedingly immoral to gamble on
large scale. Now, wherein lies the di
:inction-eNcept in the larger loss or ga
of the gambler? The principle remain
unchanged. You will be shocked, Florri
TO hear of the excessive betting at Il
races, of yoaag ladies' Now, when IL
women of a community not only con
'enaiice I wong, but become party to
what can be expected of the mens w