The Progress., 1889-01-26
EXCUSE ME. I"
No Excuse Is Better Than q Good
One.
Luke Sharp Gives q Rising Young Man
Some Sound Advice, and Tells
Story In Support of
His Theory.
"Certainly. Pardon me. /"
xcuse me. -

Certainly. Pardon me-
I heard the above snatch of CONVEX
sation the last time Twas in New York.
1t occurred in the evening at the New
York end of Brooklyn Bridge, which,
at that hour, was crowded with men
hurrying home. The snatch of con-
YER rsation reads rather like a polite re-
mark and rejoinder. 1t was any thing
but that. The first speaker was push
ing and elbowing his way forward,
when he trod on another's corns. The
second man swore and glared around,
when the first said, suavely:
'tExcuse me-"
The wounded man like flash struck
out from the shoulder, knocked tie
other in the middle of next week, and
replied:
Certainly. Pardon me-
The striker rapidly disappeared into
the gathering gloom before the struck
recovered himself sufficiently to shout
'.police."
The moral of the incident seemed to
me to be that in some instances ex-
cuse don't 'tgo."
The other day a boy about fifteen
years Of age called up at my room and
said, after introducing himself, that he
wanted advice"
s.About what?n asked.
"About nothing in particular" he
said. as he fimbled somewhat nervously
with his hat. "You see, it's like this:
want to get along in the world and I
would like to know what-well-I
would like some advice.
This was such an unusual request
from a modern American boy that it
quito took my breath away. Most Of
the boys who come up to see me don't
want advice-they want to know
where to get cigarette pictures or tick
cts to some game.
Hooked at the boy who wanted ad-
vice. He had a fresh, honest face,
and felt had no hesitation in setting
him down as a good boy who would
probably make his way in the world.
We'll, my boy [ said, seriously,
"there is one thing I'd advise you to
quit. If [ was you, I'd stop getting
drunk and raising a racket on the
streets at midnight and getting run in.
That's my advice
Il never touched drop of liquor in
my life said the boy, with so panied
an expression that I was sorry 1 had
spoken in this way to him.
1sDon't smoke, supposep'
lsNo, sir.''
"Chew. snuff; any thing of that
kind9''
s.No, sir.'
tsRead flash novels?n
t.No. SIR"
'.Swearp''
'.No. sir.''''
.'Fightp"
mo, SIR
WELL" [ said, that's all very un-
fortunate for me. If you have any
vices it would help me out if you tell
me what they are. If you committed
burglary as a relaxation or sand
bagged friend occasionally it would
make my task as adviser much Easier.
AS you don't do any of these things
III think over the matter, and if you
come up tomorrow I'll, perhaps, see
my way clearer than do now .
Tho boy thanked me, although
knew | did not deserve any thanks.
Next day he called again. In the in
terval | had remembered the incident
on Brooklyn bridge. Now, the man
said Excuse me- and had been knock
ed down.
''Well. my boy" / began, '.my ad-
vice is this: Never make an excuse.
There is a proverb which says: "A
poor excuse is better than none.
That adage is as wrong as most
of them are Even a good ex-
cuse is not better than none.
There are thousands Of people in
this world, my boy, who are magnif-
cent architects of excuses. Some OF
them manage to get along pretty
we'll building up imposing excuses
and letting others do their regu-
lar work, but they never amount to
+ much in the long run. No one ever
depends on man who is good at ex-
cuses.
When.I was in Chicago last summer
the city editor Of one of The papers
there told me this story which will
show tho advantage of not having an
excuse: