The news & observer., 1900-11-04
BILLARP'SLETTER'
The Philosopher Advises People to be
RecOnciled to What They
Cannot Help.

OUAAV0 A4OANs
"Nil desperandum. "Carpe diem
Don't despair. Enjoy the day. BE re-
conciled 20 what you cannot help.
That's good advice and l wish that we
could all take it. / try to, but some
times it is hard work. When it rain
ed all the month of June and we had
a burning sun all the month of Sep
tember, couldn't "carpe diem.'' When
ponder upon the cruel, useless Phil
ippine war and the Porto Rico steal
and the Chinese muddle and all the
other deyilment that this administra-
ton has brought about, can't be re-
conciled. When / hear these McKin-
ley men shouting prosperity it makes
me not uader the collar. They re-
mind me OF gang of highway rob-
bers who murder helpless travellers
and rob them and then go off and cry
prosperity. Manufacturers OF army
and navy supplies are getting rich on
contracts and army officers in Manila
and Pekin are taking in the loot and
cry prosperity. War always brings a
cost of blood and tears.
But still we live in hope that there
will come change. If Bryan is elect
ed know there will, and if he is not,
We shall be no worse off than we are
now. We can't be worsted, and so
we will try to be reconciled. When
was a young man | was Democrat
because my father was, but / cast my
first vote for w. w. Clayton, who was
a whig. | was a college boy at Ath-
ems, and Mr.. Clayton was kind to us
and we all voted for him for State
Senator. | knew Mr.. Clayton for
many years and always respected him,
for he had kind heart and was a
gentleman. After his election he gave
the college boys party one night and
was especially kind to me, and | have
never forgotten it.
"How far that little candle throws its
beams
So shines a good deed in naughty
world"
Before the war, when / was in my
prime of manhood and had more vi
tallty than sense, / was a strong parti-
san and really believed that if my
party did rot succeed the country
would be ruined. Ny father used to
laugh at my zeal and say: "Oh, no,
my son, the country is safe; don't let
the politicians and the newspapers
alarm you" What pity it<is that
when a man has treasured up lot of
wisdom and experience he is old
enough to diel What q pity it is that
we pass the best portion of our lives
in looking afar off for happiness, when
really it is nearby and within our
grasp. Of course, / get excited now
and then about politics, but i fight it
off, for / realize that Domestic hap
piness is the only bliss that has sur
vived the fall" The best things on
earth are the cheapest and most abun-
dant. The joys and comforts of home
and the fireside, the flowers and fruits,
the air and water and sunshine, the
garden, the birds and the welcome
visits of kind friends and neighbors.
Neither wealth nor fame nor office
will compare with these. In most
cases, office means spoils; rewards
from the public crib. Judge Under
wood said that one time when he was
a candidate and was making a stump
speech and had closed an eloquent
paragraph, and a long, lank
countryman, who was agin
him, exclaimed: Boys, he's
jest sidewipin' around huntin' the
of a little office" The
judge studied politics as a science and
it. One day when we were
the great steal of Boss
Tweed & Co., in New York, a preacher
who was present, remarked: why
all these charges against Tweed must
be political lies and ISLANDERS, for they
are Democrats my innocent
FRIEND" said the judge, "yes Tweed
& Co.. are all Democrats, but my OBJ
servation has been that it is within
the range of possibility for a Demo-
crat to steal" Politics is most de-
moralizing business, and has been so
in all governments. Sheridan said:
"a politician is one who would circum-
vent Gcd." Still, there are some hon.
est politicians, but they don't GO about
in droves. The main reason why / adj
mire Bryan so much is because of his
honesty, his sincerity. His political
enemies admit that, and everybody adj
mts that he is very wonderful man.
both mentally and physically. If all
the people could see him face to face
and hear him he would be elected by
million or two majority. When a
politician speaks he has to be very
careful what he says, but when a
statesman like Bryan speaks, the
truth comes gushing forth spontan-
eously Hurrah for Bryan! I'm getting
excited now. Let me walk about and
cool off. Ny wife is calling me: wants
me to build little house for the Mus
cow ducks. That will cool me off.
Yesterday she kept me busy all the
evening sitting EARN and ashes and
fertilizer for the plants that are to go
in the pit. She has the earth chang
ed every fall, and my back is nearly
broken today. ohe has some of those
sharp-pointed. stickery cactus plants
that Carl sent her from Mexico, and
I got my old hands all stuck up get
ting them out of the pots and tubs.
Oh, my country, is there no rest for
the wicked?
Now here is letter from another
Mississippi girl, giving a poetic an
swer to that scriptural enigma. She
writes as follows:
SHaZ1ehurSt MiSS-I am n school