Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1883-12-26

of it, and insisted on seeing the limits
tion. He was not offended at it. an
gave Coulon fine diamond pin: Cou
Ion looks at the pin, and says: Comm
to me this ought to be paste; but CON
ing from Your Majesty, it is natural
a diamond" Is the element Of wi
extinguished here by the good nature
| trow not.
Frederick the Great disbeieved il
physicians, and said that invalids di
oftener of their remedies than Of thei
maladies; and, as the lancet was rife il
his day, probably he was not yer.
wrong. However, he fell sick, and tn
weakness of his body, I supposs' affect
ed his mind, so he sent for physician
Dr. Zimmerman, but at sight of hin
his theory revived, and his habitua
good manners led him to say to Zim-
mermann, by way of greeting Nov
doctor, I'll be bound to say you have
sent many a fellow underground.
zimmerman repliedj without hGsita
tion, "Not so many as Your Majesty, -
nor with so much credit to myself
Isn't that wit, if you please? Aye
ana of very high order. But it i:
even possible to convert tile practical
joke to amiability, and to substitute the
milk of human kindness, where hith
erto men have dealt in alulterated vim
egar. And Of this / beg to offer an
example.
A certain German nobleman provid.
ed his son with tutor; who was tc
attend closely to him at all hours and
improve his mind. This tutor, it seems,
took for his example d certain pred
ecessor of his, who used TO coach young
Cyrus indoors and out. And both
these tutors, each in his own country
and his own generation, had the brains
to see that to educate young fellow
you must not merely set him tasks to
learn indoors, and then let him run
wild in the open air, bit must accom-
pany him wherever he goes, and guide
him with yotir greater experience, in
his Judgment of the various events that
pass before his eyes. For how shall
he learn to apply an experience which
he does not possess, What boy learns
by rote is not knowledge but knowl-
edges shadow.
One day these two came to the side
of "A wood, ana there they found a tree
half felled, and pair of wooden
shoes. The woodman was cooling his
hot feet in Il neighboring stream. The
young nobleman took up a couple of
pebbles and said to Ills tutor,--
an put these in that old fellows
shoes, and we'll see his grimaces."
"lIum.." says the tutor, 81 don't
think yOu'll get much fun out of that.
You see he's poor man, and probably
thinks his lot hard enough without his
having stones put into his shoes. Ican't
help thinking that if you were to put
a little money in, instead, and you
have plenty of that, You know, more
than | should allow You If | were your
tather-the old fellow would be far
more llabbereasted, and his grimaces
would be far more entertaining"
The generous youth caught fire at the
idea, and put double dollar into each
shoe. Then the con(edcrates hid be-
hind a hedge, and watched the result
of their trick. They had not lone to
wait. An elderly man came back to
his hard work, work a little beyond
his years, and slipped his right foot
INTO his right shoe. Feeling something
hard IN 1t, he took it off again and dis
covered double dollar. His grave
face wore a look Of amazement, and
he spies behind the hedge chuckled.
He laid the coin in the palm of his
,and, still gazing at it with wonder;
10 mechanically slipped his foot into
he other sahot. There he found anoth-
,r coin. lie took it up, and holding
)ut both his hands. stared with aston
shment at them. Then he suddenly
'lasped his hands together, and fell up
N his knees; and he cried out, in
oud voice 80, God. this is your do
ng. Nobody but You knows the state
ne are in at home, my wife in her bed,
ny children starving, and | hardly
lble to earn a crust with these old
land5, 1t is you who have sent me
hese blessed coins, or one of your an
,els.'
Then he paused, and another idea
truck him. perhaps it is not an
nigel from heaven. There are human
Ingels even in this orld. Kind hearts
hat love to feed the hungry and succor
he poor. One Of these has passed by,
ike sunshine in winter, and as seen
he poor old mans shoes, and has
Iroppel all this money into them, and
las then gone on again, and not even
waited to be thanked. Bnt a poor
mans blessing flies fast, and shall over
AXE him, and be with him to the end Of
he world, and to the end of his own
ime. May God and his angels 60 with
ou, keep you from poverty, protect
ou from sickness, and may you feel in
our own heart a little of the warmth
nd the Joy you have brought to me
nd mine. I'll do no more work to-
ay. III 90 home to my wife and |