Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-07-09

The first lesson that the child learns
when he first runs in the fields is to avoid
certain brilliant berries, flashing in orange
and crimson, and Turing him by grace and
beauty. At the same time he is taught
/ that the common brown berries that grow
on branches and are somewhat hard to
obtain and may wound him cruelty if he
handles them roughly, are both luscious TO
the taste and wholesome. 1t would be a
happy thing for him in after life if he
could be taught as easily to avoid danger
| Gus errors In his career. Bitter berries lie
around him, temptations of every kind: he
is warned that ne cannot be controlled:
that 1t is left to him alone to choose the
brilliant berry or the brown. How many
of our brightest and best, who should be
proudly enrolled in the cause of all that is
good and noble, are poisoned early in their
lives, their moral natures dwarfed and
stunted, so that they become shame
rather than blessing to those who love
them best? Who has not seen the brill
liant boy, at TIE head of his class, leading
his males In all the daring adventures of
the playground, possessed of that danger
Gus and powerful force over his compan-
IONS called magnetlsm-yet with all this
brllilancy hOpelessly lacking the moral
force to resist temptation? The grudging
lad who worked beside him, not unlikely
the butt OF his class, plods steadily on. He
is possessed of that rarest of all character |
lstlcs, good common sense and Judgment. |
He slowly and surely discriminates be-
tween evil and good, and in the long run
comes out ahead of his more brilliant
compeer. The bright boy was the better |
fruit. bow many girl is fascinated by |
the brilliant manners and persuasive
tongue of some snowy man of the world. |
and refuses to listen to all reports
OF his questionable career The rude, |
rough farmer boy whom she has always |
known seems common and unattractive |
beside him, and yet in all that makes UP |
the noblest attributes of mankind he is the
snowy mans superior. No Weakening will |
be more bitter than hers if she chooses the
brilliant bitter fruit. How seldom it is in |
life that that which is externally most at
tractive is genuine and best! All around |
lie bitter and sweet fruit. Sometimes it |
is not our fault that we choose the
''worser part" Not the wisdom of all |
the sages could have told US the difference.
But there are temptations that lie around |
us which it requires only ordinary judy
ment to resist temptation to debt, dis
honor, treachery, or falsehood. We can
be true to a friend and true to ourselves.
Strange it is, having once tasted the bitter
fruit, we may become accustomed to the
flavor and so poison our moral natures
that we cannot distinguish between good
or bad
The desire to be brilliant conversation
alist and to be popular among ones
friends has tempted many woman into
dangerous gossip, and how quickly she
finds that she has eaten bitter fruit. The
arises to say sharp, cutting
thing of neighbor, which shall give rise
to hearty laugh, yet before she is aware
she is classed as ba ,kbiter. 1t would
have been better if she had avoided the
brilliant fruit of dangerous gossip.