Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1891-03-07
sLE- oGEss OF GIVING
Philosophy of Making Gifts and W..
Doing SO Gives One PleaSur.

bbthS 81 1iNts bnG Ileasurk.
There must be sonctl :ny verv roo3t.
human nature or people would not a.
perience so much pleasure in piyine
there must be something verv lad =
human nature or lore people wouId -,
the experiment Of giving. Those VII,
do try it become enGrlcred Of it and "a,
their chief pleasure in life out of it. IA
so evident is this that there is some ba~,
for the idea that it is ignorance ratbss
than badness which keeps so many peo.
pie from being generous. OF course /,
may become a sort of dissipation. a,
more than that, a devastation. as MANI
men who have what are called "poo3
wives" have reason to know, in the grad.
ual disappearance of their wardrobe Il
they chance to lay aside any of it tenn.
porarily.
The amount that a good woman can
give away is only measured by her on
pCr'unity Her mind becomes so trained
in the mystery Of this pleasure that sbs
experiences no thrill Of delight in giving
away only the things her husband does
not want Her Office in life is to teach
him the JOY Of self sacrifice. She and
Ill other habitual and irreclaimabls
yiyers soon find out that there Is next to
40 pleasure in a gift unless it involve,
ZONE self denial.
Let one consider seriously whether be
ever gets as much satisfaction out Of 4
gift received as out of one given. n
pleases him for the moment, and, it il
useful, for p long time; he turns it over
and admires it; he may value it as a
token Of affection, and it fatters his sell
esteem that he is the object of it. But
1t is a transient feeling compared with
that he has when he has made a gift
That substantially ministers to his self
esteem. He follows the gift; he dwelh
upon the delight of the receiver; his
imagination plays about it; it viii never
wear out or become stale; having parted
with it, t is for him a lasting possession.
1t is an investment as lasting as that
in the debt Of England. Like a good
deed, it grows, and is continually salts
factory it is something to think OF
when he first wakes in the morning-a
time when most people are badly put to
it for want Of something pleasant to
think Of This fact about giving is 80
incontestbly true that it is wonder
that enlightened people do not mo-s
freely indulge in giving for their own
comfort. 1t is, above all else, amazing
that so many imagine they arc going to
get any satisfaction out of what they
leave by viii. They may be in state
where they VIII enjoy it if the win !,
not fought over; but it is shocking hov
little gratitude there is accorded to a de
parted giyer compared to a living giver
He couldn't take the property with him
it is said; he was obliged to leave it Il
somebody.
BY this thought his generosity is al
ways reduced TO a minimum. He MAJ
build a monument to himself in some in
stitution, but we do not know enough 0
the world to which he has gone to know
whether tiny monument on this cart
is any satisfaction to person who
free Of the universe, Whereas even
giving or deed of real humanity done
while he was living would have entered
into his character, and would be of last
ing service to him-that is, in any future
which we can conceive.-Charles Dudley
Warner in Harper's.