Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1890-01-09
HIS r
BY KATE THORN.
New York Weekly.

Did you ever notice the antics of a boy
with his first watch? 1t may be a Water
bury, perhaps, and it will take him half a
day to wind it up; but he doesn't mind
that. A boy never b~egrudges the time
spent in winding his watch.
He can well afford to lose his time for
the sake of the honor and dignity which
the possession of a watch ~confers.
He feels like a man. He is several years
older than his father. He is as big as any
body, if not bigger. He exhibits his watch
to all his envious and admiring young COM
panions. He shows the movement on
every OCCASION, and talks learnedly about
the inside anatomy of the thing, and
points out the good features about the par
ticular make of watch with a patronizing
| air, which seems to convey the idea that he
owns the most of the watch factory, if not
all of it.
On every possible and impossible occa-
sion. out comes that watch. He compares
it with the town clocks, with the clocks in
the depots, with steam whistles, and tells
lis friends that THAT train is ten minutes
behind time, if his watch is correct. and he
has never known it to lose time. No, sir
not that watch!'
Other watches may be incorrect-prob-
ably they are-but not this one.
He fondles the chain constantly, and
likes to see it dangling as he walks. He
likes to have charms attached to 1t which
iangle, and act as a continual reminder to
him, and to the general public, of the fact
that he has got a watch.
How he pities the boy who has not got
a watch. but only a promise of one when
he is older. From what an infinite height
| e 1,-u,,,N l,o l0o1-, lo--, 90, H. 10, IL
says he would rather have a dog than
that brass thing" He has no words
with which to express his contempt of
him.
He sleeps with that watch beneath his
pillow. He likes to hear it tick. He
wants to feel sure that no masked and dar-
ing burglar can carry it off in the night
without his knowledge.
The world is a good place to live in, new
that he has a watch.
He times himself in everything he does.
So many minutes walking to school. He
knows just how long it takes, for he looks
at his watch when he leaves home, and
when he arrives at the school-house.
How proud he feels when some stranger
on the street asks him the time of day!
How he laughs at the idea of buttoning up
his coat on a cold day; for if he does that,
nobody will know that he has a watch!
Let him be happy while he can. It
would be better for us if all along the path
of life we could be like the boy with his
first watch. 1t would be better if we
could be pleased with the goods the gods
provide-pleased all through, just as that
hoy is and satisfied that there couldnot pos
sibly be any thing nicer than the things
we have.
Those people are happiest who are con-
tented with what they have. "A content
ed mind is a continual feast"
And the general tendency of the age is
toward dissatisfaction and discomfort. We
! ali wish things were different. We think
If we could have the arranging of events
we could manage them better than they are
managed. Now it is useless for some one
to rise up and say: ''Oh, no, | never
thought any such thing as that" for you
know you have.
Every time you have wished you had
this, or that, like Mr.. and Mrs. S~o-and-so,
you have assumed that you could run the
world better than it is run. Did you ever
think of that?
There are a great many inexplicable
things In this mysterious state of ours
which we call life, and it is little
use to trouble about what we cannot help;
and if we want to see an example of what
perfect content can do toward happiness
we must look at the boy with his first
watch.