The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1892-03-25
Wards Words,

There are men in the world whose ideas
of right and wrong run so exactly parallel
and are so nearly of the same depth of
souDdings that they absolutely don't know
whether they are serving the Lord or the
devil or on which side of the fence they are
fighting in all the moral and political ques-
tions of the day. They trot along in the
path of right indefinitely, and first you know
they are over the line running with the
DEVILS fire brigade only to come back and
trOt along right, again, without hair ruff
fled. One of the most pious preachers l
ever knew would swear like an unhung
pirate If anything sprung his ire suddenly.
| know he raised the hair on my juvenile
head once by profanity at balky horse and
still he was a mighty man in prayer. He
seemed to be able to curve his language
either way in marvellous manner, so that
it would answer for prayer or profanity,
seemingly, with slight deviatOns, and after
all he was real good man. | knew another
case in my youth of a good old pillar in the
church who kept his jug of whiskey in the
barn and he would flavor the whole dinner
table with his breath when he said grace,
and still he was a good man, kind father
and an accommodating friend and neighbor,
but he never got drunk or squandered his
money in riOtous living. He didn't have to
pay over twenty or twenty-five cents gal
lon for his tipple and he could keep COM
fortably corned for week on what man
will throw over the bar now for two drinks
and not very big ones either. About once
week he went to town and came home
tritie redder i'm the face than usual, but
always thought that was due to the jolt of
his democrat wagon more than anything
else. He was a good man however and lived
happy and died happy at an advanced age
and | shall always believe that he went
straight to heaven. l hope so anyway, for
though | may have friends in both depart
ments of the hereafter l have a choice in
locating them.
A young man sends from the eastern part
of the county for information how to write
intelligently and correctly. | don't know.
never INDUCED i'm that kind of writing.
This much however you can depend upon:
With fair education you may be able to to
put words in the form of sentences and
though there may be a poverty of thought
suggested by them, still ''glttering generali-
ties" go far towards making it seem as If
you had absolutely said something. Any
thing like precision i'm writing is now rele-
gated to the clerical, legal and religious
element of society, but the writer of today
| the one who catches the readers-writes as
he talks and lets the language take care of
itself.
There is a batch of old proverbs and say
| ings that have stood for trusms so long and
so straight that they lean over little and
ought to be righted up or thrown down.
For instance, Honesty is the best policy"
Now the fact is that honesty isn't policy
at all; it is voltion, deliberate exercise of
will power. Again, "Tel the truth and
| cb tho doxil IIpdnuhtadlu tho dax,,l
is a better Judge of lie than of the truth
and can be shamed more by bungling at
tempts at lying than by solid, hard truth,
which must challenge the admiration of the
universe. Another, early to bed and early
to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and
WISE" That is false. l have known men to
do that way all their lives and die in poor
health, beside being pauperized and nearly
idiotic at the same time. Still, il Is good
thing to mix industry and economy with,
and good deal better than laying IN bed
till noon and then going to business with a
bottle in one hand. keep thy shop and
thy shop Will keep thee" provided you are
not bothered with competition and are
''well up" in your trade; otherwise you may
wear out your pants and your patience re-
peatedly and have to quit the shop at last.
So might go on and tear down these old
traditions, but crude as they are and very
imperfect. they have done a deal of good
no doubt to the mass of mankind and prob
ably will continue to stand while time lasts.
She was delightful, daisy of girl, and
had heard her heels crack the sidewalk
for some time before she bounced into my
Office
"Well," said she as she pushed back the
hairpins she was about to shed and sat down
OIL. the piano stool, 81 am going to work a
motto for our home and | want you to give
me one. Something new, something differ.
ent you know from the common run of every
day notices."
"You couldn't have found better place,