Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1888-07-25
BURDETTE'S ADVICE.

The Kind OF Philosophy which Makes
Men Happy, Loving and Contontod.
turn over the leaves of an old note
book, the pages Of which filed half
a score of years ago. On one page I
find this note:
my books are all wrinkled and
filed with crumbs of maple and
sumach leaves, with here and there a
forgotten forest leaf clinging to the
printed one. All. we'll! some time
may kiss the wrinkled pages of nv
choicest book, while think of the dear,
white hands that laid the maple leaves
in history or lexicon. and thank God
that the page is wrinkled and the en-
craving discolored.
And now, whenever l turn TO that
page in the note book, do you know,
my boy, how glad am that l wrote
about tho leaves as didp There was
no shadow of fear or dread over my
little homo then. There was no rea-
son why l should feel so tenderly
toward the leaves and stems that
stained and wrinkled my books. and
ever kept mo from using them for q
week at time, was therep All! in
deed there was. Indeed there was
Because love is better than books, my
boy. Because your books, my son,
though you crowd the literary treas
urcs of the world upon your shelves,
can never creep into your heart as
your wife will, some day, when you
find the girl whom the gods have de-
creed shall crown your home. Be-
cause we should always hold the
hearts that love us nearer to us than
the petty annoyances and little ills of
this life. Because the quick, hasty
word you speak in ill-temper OF I'M
gentleness to-day. my boy, leaves a
sting in your heart to ranklc half a
century away. Because to-day, if !
could, l would burn up every book
there is in all this world just to feel
the little hands that laid those leaves
in the pages where l said they must
not go, clasp themselves about my
neck for one hour Hold your tongue
and your pen, my boy. Every time
you are tempted to say an ungentle
word, or write an unkind line, or say
a mean, ungracious thing about any
body, just stop; look ahead twenty-five
years, and think how it may come
back to you then.
Let me tell you how / write mean
letters and bitter editorials, my boy.
Some time, when q man has pitched
into me and 'cut me up rough" and
I want to pulverizc him. and wear his
CORY scalp at my girdle and hang his
hide on my fence, write the letter or
editorial that is 10 do the business. ]
write something that will drive sleep
from his eyes and peace from his soul
for six weeks. Oh, lido hold him over
a slow fire and roast him. Gall and
aquafortis drip from my blistering
pen. Then, l don't mail tho letter
and 1 don't print the editorial.
There's always plenty of time to
cruelty man. The vilest Grim inal is
entitled to little rcprieve. put the
manuscript away in q drawer. Next
day look at it. The ink is cold;
ICuu ~ ONCt dui Say. uOh hHoW
about this. There's good deal of
bludgcon and bowie-knife journalism
in that I'll hold it over a day
longer" The next day | read il
again. l laugh, and say "Pshaw!"
and / can feel my cheeks getting
a little hot The fact is, / am
ashamed that ever wrote it, and
l hope that nobody has seen it.
and 1 have half forgotten the
article or letter that filed my soul with
rage. haven't been hurt haven't
hurt any body. and the world goes
right along, making twenty-four hours
a day rs usual. and am all the hap
pier Try it, my boy. Put of your
bittcrremarks until tomorrow. Then,
when you try TO say them deliberate
ly you'll find that you have forgotten
them, and ten years later, all! how
glad you will be that you did! Be
good -natured, my boy. Believing and
gentle with the world, and you'll be
amazed to see how dearly and tender
ly the worried. tired. vcxed, harrassed
old world loves you. --Burdette, in
Chicago Journal.