The Baltimore County union., 1883-01-06
TaE TOO PREVIOUS PERSON.
LAY DISCOURSE.

From PseL's San.
A convict in the Indiana penitentiary
hit the nail on the head when asked how
his downward course began. He said
IL began in trying to beat ,:Io with 4
tbree-minutc horse. Now many people
in all branches of business are trying TO
beat s:4o with three minute business =?
The man who has 4 small business that
is paying him, and goes into debt and
tries to spread himself over too many
eggs, is trying to beat $40 with a three
minute horse. The young man who
gets small salary, and spends more
money for ice cream, perfumcry and
neck-ties than he earns, is trying to beat
$40 with threc-minutc horse. The
girl who is intended by nature TO be the
wife of mechanic and gets above her
business and looks with scorn upon 4
man who earns his living by hard work,
will look At an old maid in the glass
few years from now, and realize that she
has bee; u Eng to-bcat 4owitha three
minute horse. The ordinary, everyday
sort of a man who is elected to i small
office by big majority, on account Of
men voting for him for charity, and who
thereupon aspires 10 4 big Office for
which he is unified, will be nominated
for the big office some day, and be beaten
higher than kite, and will then feel OF
his aching head, examine his empty
pocket-book, look around at tie debts
he has contracted, and the enemies lie
has made, and it will suddenly come to
him that he has leen trying 10 beat ::.,o
with three minute horse. The man
or woman who leaves profession OF
employment to which they are fitted,
and in which they can BE- prosperous
and happy and have friends, goes upon
the stage to compete with men and wo-
men who have been brought up TO it,
and who have made success by life
time OF hard work, will some day realize
to their sorrow that they have failed 10
beat $40 with 4 three. minute horse -
The young man who has been left 4 for
tune by dead father, who has worked
lifetime TO accumulate riches, ard who
changes from beer, iha; was good enough
70. him before, TO champagne, and
plenty OF il, and who can't find places
enough to spend money without sitting
up all night. and who finds old sledge
and penucklc too tame, and adopts draw
poker and faro, and who forgc;s that
his sisters are splendid company. and
gets acquainted with quick girls and
buys them diamonds rs big as pieces of
alum, will in few years be walking on
his uppers. and having fur collars PIN
ned on TO linen ulsters for winter. and
he will wake up some morning with the
almighiiest headache on record and
come 10 the conclusion that trying 10
bca; 2:+o with I threc-minutc horse is
what ails him. The summcr-resort ho-
tel proprietor who fits up an old rookery
and fills it with guests, who are seeking
comfort, and charges them Fifth Avenue
prices for Bowcry accommodations, will
Look AZ his empty house the next year
ana say the season j. backwary, and
when the guests do no; come with the
| dog days. he will suddenly scratch his
head and say he made I fool OF himself
las; year in trying TO bea, ::lo with
three minute horse. The whole-souled.
good fellow, cverybody's friend. gets
todrinking too hard and as he is healthy.
he gets an idea he can beat whisky
game that 80 many have tried and fail
ed. He keeps i; up until his nose isred,
his eyes bleared and his voice shaky,
and he has whisky cough, and his
friends try TO reason with him, ard &C;
him TO let up, bu; he laughs 4; :hem
with his good-naturcd laugh, and tells
them that he has 90; 4 constitution like
4 horse, and that nothing can hurt him,
and he asks them 10 take adrink. Some
day he gets the Jim. jams. and all his
friends say. al told YOU So" and they
sit up nights with him and drive away
snakes, and just before he dies il sud-
denly occurs to him that he has been
trying to beat two forty with three.
minute horse. \ man who is poor and
wants TO live on the FAT of the land.
marries pretty little rich woman, and
begin TO squandcr her money, and when
she tries TO persuade him 10 stop il he
gets to treating her like dog. gets
worse and strikes her, and after awhile
she gets enough OF it and obtains di-
vorcc, and marries man who loves her
and docsen't want her money. and she
is happy, and her former husband be-
comes a dead beat and drunkard and
would tain beg for his refuge tina; drops
from the table of his former wife, and
when he buttons his summer coat around
him on winter night and walks around
block for a wind pudding, and looks
into the windows and sees the light OF
the fire from the crate OF his former
wifc's sitting room. it occurs 10 him
that il he had not attempted TO beat
,:4o with 4 three minute horse, he could
have been in there toasiing his slippers
and drinking cider, and looking into
pair of eyes that would have always
looked their love for him, il he had been
contented with ,hree-minu,e gait, bu;
which eyes will never look upon him
again except in pity. Oh, there are
thousands OF people who make i mis-
take in trying to beat $40 with three
minute horse.
The CoURT's MIsTAEE.--Judge Davis
used to tell some admirable stories of
an old Illinois judge, one of which We
chance particularly to remember. One
of the judges was rather remarkable for
conveying to jurors in his charges to
them his own opinions with regard to
the merits Of the case. In one case he
had done so with great plainncss, but to
his amazcment the jury hung out for
hours without coming to an agreement.
The Judge inquired OF the bailiif what