Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1893-08-03
CHOICE EXCERPTS.

CHOICE EXCERPTS.
THERE cannot live more unhapp.
creature than an ill-natured old man
who is neither capable of receiving
pleasures, nor sensible of doing them t
others.
"LooK." said Lord Chesterfield. sir
the face of the person to whom you arr
speaking if you wish to know his rea
sentiments. for he can command his
words more easily than his countenance.
ALL politeness is owing to liberty
We polish one another, and rub off oul
corners and rough sides by a sort Of
amicable collision. To restrain this is in
evitably to bring rust upon mems un'
derstandings.
THE breath of SANDER may hurt a
mans reputation, but can never affect
his character. If that be upright and
honorable, no one can ever stain its pu
rity or lesson the happiness which flows
from self-respect.
FRIVOLOUS curiosity about trifles and
iaborious attention to little objects
which neither require nor deserve mo-
ment's thought, lower man, who from
thence is thought, and not unjustly, in,
capable of greater matters.
IT is related of the late Bishop Phil
trh in ENGLAND he
was requested to preach before the
Queen, and was jocosely asked if he felt
afraid to do so. He replied: mo;
have preached before my mother"
SCRATCH the green rind of a sapling,
or wantonly twist it in the soil, and
SCARED OF crooked oak will tell the act
for years to come. How forcibly does
this figure show the necessity of giving
right tendencies to the minds and hearts
of the young.
HE who cultivates happiness to him
self and confers it upon others, who ban
ishes needless fears and avoids needless
pain, and who never invents artificial
difficulties or distresses will be in the
best condition to induce real trouble
when it comes to him, and to sympathize
and aid others in times of need.
A CORRECT taste is ever the concomi-
tant of chaste mind. "For," as a clev-
er writer has Justly observed, "our taste
commonly declines with our merit" A
correct taste is the offspring of all that
is delicate in sentiment and just in con
ception; it softens the inf1exibility of
truth and decks reason in the most per-
suasive garments.
ALL friendship is founded on some
kind of sympathy, and, however differ
ent in tastes and temper, in outward
circumstances or inward character, two
friends may be, there must be agreement
in some direction to bind them together.
This agreement, too, must exist in GER
tain things which fill up good part
of the thought and feelings of each, or
the sympathy will be too slight to form a
bond of union.
TIE laborer who wears out all his
powers in the machinery of lIfe's work
and takes no part in its thought and i'm
agination, and the thinker who wears
ont his brain before its lime and has no
part in the practical activity of life, have
each lost much of the pleasure that right
ly belongs to them. They may not be
conscious of it, but it is none the less
true that the health, happiness, and real
effectiveness of every man can be gain
ed onlv by the harmonious union of la
Dor and thought.
SERIOUS annoyance and trouble are
sometimes caused by the carelessness
which LAYS aside an invitation or pro-
posal to Join in some social adventure
until it is too late to arrange it. 1t is
impossible to compute the amount of
vexation, irritation and loss of time that
ensues from postponing these small but
important duties. If there is one ele-
ment which more than all others tends
to make a good correspondent, it is
promptness. Brevity may often be ex
cused- indeed it is often essential but
indefinite postponement, never.
IT is at times necessary to censure
and punish children; but very much
more may be done by encouraging them
when they do well, Be, therefore, more
careful to express your appreciation of
good conduct than disapprobation of
bad. Nothing can more discourage a
child than spirit of incessant fault
finding on the part of its parents; and
hardly anything can exert more inju
rious influence upon the disposition both
of the parent and child. There are two
great motives influencing human action
hope and fear. Both of these are at
times necessary. But what mother would
not prefer to have her child Influenced
to good conduct by desire of pleasing
rather than by the fear of offendingi
If mother never expresses her gratifi-
cation when her children do well, and is
always censuring them when she sees
anything amiss, they are discouraged
and unhappy; their dispositions become
hardened and soured by this ceaseless
fretting; and at last, finding that, wheth.
er they do well or ill, they are equally
found fault with, they relinquish all eff
forts to please, and become needless o
ireproaches.