St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1888-05-10
, Persons of Sense Act Like Fools
Atlantic Monthly.

by Persons of Sense Act Like Fools.
Atlantic Monthly.
s Meditating on the fact that many a
rsOn who is not Il fool is neverthe-
5 found on occasion to act like one,
IN led to inquire into the causes of
phenomenon. These appear to
CUP themselves under certain heads,
Itch will herewith set forth in or
b, as Old-fa> hiOned preachers did
cir hOur-lOng discOurses.
And first, | need only briefly note
e of the cOmmOnest causes of foolish
EiOn and speech, since it is so we'll
apwn and 10 simple of apprehension
to call for little comment. Anger
ing a short madness, it follows that
D subject thereof does not see things
persons as they really are. He has
%, for the time, that power of god
e reasO which distinguishes nan
On the brute.
Secondly, Il less obvious cause of fol-
is the lack in man or woman of
Dat | will com prehensively term SEN
bility, by which | mean the capacity
the more generous emotions of the
MI. | shall best illustrate my can
q by an example. Let us imagine a
m, a, to be thrown into pretty close
alton with another, and let us
oppose hat in this relation the latter
$splays toward the former an affec-
On and kindness testified to by word
ad deed. Later on, clouds come over
BeiT intercourse, chiefly caused by
rs self-regarding cautiOusness, and
liability to comprehend BIS disinter-
kted attitude toward himself. Feel
hg in his own colder nature no glow
regard answering to that bestowed
u b, he also experiences but a slight
notion of gratitude for the same he
ills to interpret magnanimOusly BIS
BIRDS, misjudges his conduct, ungen-
rOusly repels his efforts at explana-
Pm, and throws away the friendship
a man worth himself ten times over.
hn any folly be more self-retributive
AN to refuse such a jewel, when Of
bred Z
Thirdly, impulsiveness is the cause
many an unwise speech and action,
Adly regretted, perhaps, when refec-
Dn follows; and with some persons
affection is apt to come close upon the
aeels of impulse. If only the impetu-
rs person could have put the curb
Don himself, and for II little half
BUR taken time to think This is
0mmOnly supposed to belong to youth,
sat it is in truth more a question of
s%inperament than of years, and there
Re men and women who retain the
esh force of impulse to the last of
fe.
FOurthly, a fertile cause of blunder-
hg is the habit of being guided by
<ppular formulas and wise saws, in
head of trusting to ones own reason
I'D tn the unbiased Instincts of the
4 BART. This is a sort of folly which
sfDne would furnish matter for lengthy
iscOurse, and is wildly and album
antly illustrated in the world of every
Day. People will follow words, words;
nd if once they begin doing so, as it
IEas been said, they never can tell
II here they will end. "The eyes, the
Smpathies, ven the appetites, know
thing or two" that have never been
Sht into syllOgism, nor into those
blIrases of convention and sage max
ms whose "narrOw truth is out broad
hlsity." Never to think and to judge
sbr ones self is to give away ones
HrthrigLt for nothing, and the fatal
Iesult thereof to make a man into a
Dol, when nature did not intend him
81 be one.
Filthy, a form of foOlishness which
bme very acute persons are guilty Of
) the striving too hard for certain
khings they want, or grasping to get
kpO much of them, whereby they fail tC
ecuTe any. The INSCRIPTIONS selfish
less that wastes energy in Overreach-
&bg its mark is so analogous to another
pecies of folly that the two may come
ander the same head. If a man is
boil who plays the rogue more active
than is necessary, he is a fool of like
Alality who sets out to be a knave
and cannot decide to be a thorough.
laced one. Who wills the end mus
s i'll the means he must not lack whai
may be called immoral courage.
Sixthly, a sagaciOus person vii
Ometimes behave like a fool by being
D ritated into arguing with one
~Seventhly, and lastly, people, other
Use sensible enough, but wanting ii
he sense of humOr, may be guilty o
zbsurdIty at any M of the TWEEN
y-fOur hours. They will put idea
together without a suspicion of thei
AncOngruity, gravely place t~hemselvei
|and other people in ridiculous situa
and never be a~ are that the.
have done anything amiss.