The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1883-09-27
LAZY MIR. ANYTIME.


hitting that the thing ought to be done,
but his first instructive impulse in re-
gard to almost everything in life is to
put it off little.
IL you demonstrate with him, he has
a most exasperating proverb on his
tongues end, and he is never tired of
quoting it: ssThere is luck in leisure
Do what you will you can't make
him see that this proverb is aimed at
people who hurry unwisely; not in the
least at people who are simply prompt.
As if headlong haste and quiet, ener-
getic promptitude were in the least
like each other. s.
We call Mr.. Anytime the Spaniard,
because it is well known that the Span
iard's rule of life is: Never do to-day
that which can be put off till to-nlor-
row. Even into the form of histor-
zeal proYerb, the record of ,this national
trait of the Spanish people had crys-
tallized many years ago. Even the
Spanish people themselves say sarcastic
cally: "Suecors of Spain; late or
neyer.A5 @8E
But says Mr.. Anytime; "What is
the use of being in such hurryp Oh,
do be quiet, can't youP Let's takea
little comfort" and then he settles back
Ia his chair and looks at you with such
twinkle in his eyes that you half for
give him for his laziness. That is one
thing to be said for lazy people They
are almost always good-natured.
Then we preach a little sermon to
him, and the. sermon has four heads;
four good reasons why we ought to do
things promptly. s4d
Firstly, we say to him: s'How dost
thou know, O lazy Spaniard, that thou
canst do this thing at any other time
than the present? Many things may
prevent - sickness, thine own or
thy friends business, forgetfulness,
weather, climate; there is no counting
up all the things which happen and
which hinder our doing the things we
have planned to do, but have put off
doing.sa s
Secondly: "There is another truth, O
lazy Mr.. Anytime, each day, each
hour, each minute, has its own thing to
be done-its own duty If one single
thing is put off, that thing will have to
be crowded into the day, or the hour, or
the minute which belonged tosomething
else; and then neither thing viii be well
| done. aaA
Thirdly: " III it can be done now; that
alone is reason enough for doing it now;
that alone is enough to prove that now
is the natural time. the proper time for
| it. Everything has its own natural
time to be done, just as flowers have
their natural timeto blossom, and fruits
| have their natural time to ripe and fall.
just suppose for minute that such
things should get into the way of say
ing, Any timer' That the grains
/ should say: g Oh, we can get ripe any
day." and should 90 on, putting it off
| all through July and August, and Sep
TENDER, and October; for when people
once begin to put off, there is no know
/ ing what will step them until, all of q
sudden, some day q sharp frost should
come and kill every grass-blade through
out the country. What would we do
for hay, then, I wonder! Why, half the
! poor horses and cows would starve, and
all because the lazy grains said they
could get ripe any time. = asa9
Suppose strawberries or apples should
take it into their heads to say the same
thing. Wouldn't we get out of patience
going day after day looking for some
ripe enough to eatp And wouldn't the
| summer be gone before they knew 1T?
and all the time be wasted that the
vines and the trees had spent putting
| out their leaves and blossoms, which
| had not come to fruit? And wouldn't
the whole world and everybody's plan
| of living be thrown into confusion il
such things were to happenp
Luckily no such thing is possible in
this orderly EARTH. which God has made
with fixed time for everything; even
| for the poisoning of the tiniest little
flower, and for the ripening of the
smallest berry thai was ever seen. No
body ever heard the. words g any
tim" from anything in this world ex-
cept human beings. n ss snq7
! Fourthly, we say to our dear Span
lard: Things which are put of are
very likely never to be done atalL The
chances are that they will, be at last
forgotten, overlooked, crowded out.
| Il Any time is no time; Just as e any
bodys work is nobody's work, and
never gets attended to, or il it ii done
at all. ism half done. III ~
And after we have preached through
our little sermon with IT'S four heads,
then we sum it all uns and add that the
best of all reasons for never saying q
thing can be done 8 any time IS that,
besides being shiftless and lazy phrase,
| it is a disgraceful one. 1t is the badge
Of a thief; the name and badge of the
worst thief that there is in the world: q
thief that never has been caught yet
and never win be; thief that IS Older
than the Wandering jew, and has beer
| robbing everybody since the world be-
gan; thief that scogns to steal money
or goods which money could buy; I
thief that steals only one thing, but thai
the most precious thing that was ever
made.
1t is aaeustom to have photograph
taken of all the notorious thieves thai
are caught; these photographs are KEEP
in books at the headquarters of the po
lice, in the great cities, and when any
suspicious character is arrested the po
lice officers look III this book to see i
his face is among the photographs
I thnrn MAN, =. an.,r.lx% -