Mississippi leader. (Jackson, Miss.) 1892-1895, 1895-05-07
NOTIONS AND CAPRICES.
The Large Number Of People Who
Are Afflicted by Them.
All Glasses and Grades of the Human n
Family Have Representatives. who
Are Rolled by These
Evil 6e8iL
tcoPYRIGHr, 1851

capriccs make up a large majority of
the human race, and it is largely due to
this fact that there are SO many un-
happy people in the world. The many
who deliberately bring upon themselves
perpetual misery and unhappiness by
nursing those things which are born
purely of imagipation would astonish
the philosopher to behold. This class
of the human family seem to be happy
only when they are miserable and can
contribute something to the misery of
others. Many a restless, dissatisfied
son is pulling heavily upon the SYM
pathy and patience of his parents. He
regards fathers counsel and fathers
warning as simple and primitive.
Fathers ways are too slow and his
methods old fogish. He is not up to
date. So thinks every young man who
is filed with delusions of imagination.
Then he sallies forth, and about the
next we hear from him he is disgraced
in some far-off country, or beats his
way home and climbs over the back
fence so he can see his mother and tell
her all about 1t before the "old man"
gets at him.
Many husband spends his life dis
gruntled and out of sorts with every
thing, imagining he is fated to ill-luck
at every turn. His good wife in the
meantime s1ust stay with him and share
his lot patiently and uncomplainingly.
There are very few men who are not
possessed with whims and caprices that
make their lives a burden TO them.
This class of men seem to have a special
grudge against everything that sue
ceeds and are forever criticising the
successful man; never considering that
despite their own views their way is
wrong because it leads to failure and
the other way is right because it leads
to success.
We see this in the moral as well RS IN
the industrial world. Take any worth
less member of the church and he
makes the Salvation Army the butt and
ridicule of the world. lie accuses them
of being ignorant and ill-bred, and yet
they have got more sound sense and are
doing more practical good than half the
churches. When a fellow thinks that
he knows 1t all then is when he plays
the idiot to perfection and Injuries
others as we'll as himself. He does not
seem to realize that results are what
count. Theories and ideas which will
not stand the test of practical applica-
ton be they ever so pretty and nice are
as useless as stream of wind turned
on burning building.
Entering business life we see men
full of whims and caprices. They crit
icise the rich and say: ''Old So and So
got his fortune by saving and working
like slave" that If they had to do as
he has done they had rather stay poor.
OF course they would; and at the very
time they are criticising Old So aud So,
they are probably standing on a street
corner without a cent in their pocket,
wishing they owned the big six-story
building across the way, which for
tunately belongs to the man they are
criticising.
In the moral world these critics say:
IF have to get to Heaven like some
folks do, always reading the Bible and
praying, and never going to theaters
and card parties and never getting any
enjoyment out of life at all, l would
rather stay where l am" OF course
they would. They will stay where
they are until they die and then they
will go to hell while other people are
listening to sweet music in Heaven and
walking the golden streets. People
are afflicted with all sorts of notions,
and if their notions do not amount to
whim it is to them a caprice or
cranky idea, keeping the balance of the
world in contact with their nuisances
and thereby making everybody miser-
able.
1t is really martyrdon for sensible
woman to have crank for husband.
Visionary in youth and middle life and
in old age crotchical and hobbling
around with gout, blaming his good
wife and the balance of the world for
his pains and his aches, and trying to
make everyone around him feel as
mean as he does. Then we have the
egotist. They are full of notions, for
their weakness lies in the very place
where they think they are the strong
est, viz: In the head. They go about
with.a turkey-gobbler strut, and wise
look upon their faces, as much as tc
say: 81 am a smart man, and l want
other people to know it, and but for the
fools and idiots about me would have
made life grand success"
Then we have fellow who is ad-
dicted to meanness. When l see a fell
low like this know his trouble is born
of pure cussedness, and this is really
the worst type we are thrown with.
You can persuade drunkard to quit
drinking and you can stop men from
swearing and telling lies, but the
downright mean man with the idea in
his head that meanness is the best thing
he can exhibit really heads the process
sion of all nuisances. We find the
capricious class in the church filled
with their ideas of piety and religion
without thought of practical righe
living and Christian decency.
In the pulpit, too, is to be found no
tional class of men, who mistake dignity
for doctrine, and pompousness Tor pre-
cept. Men who have never learned the
lesson that fidelity to their work and
the faithful presentation OF the Truth as
1t is in Jesus Christ Is the surest way
20 success, and the only way to Heaven
for any man. The poor wretch VINO
lives in q hovel and the bum who fre-
ouents the dive, and all those who live
in a different world. are no concern OF
theirs. The rich pay their salaries,
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