Evening journal., 1902-08-09
BilIParSOn's 'sCOIumn
Published Now and Then.
The eoods-box Philosopher


Last week had something TO say of
the goods-box philosopher, ana one or
two of my friends have taken pains to
express their appreciation and to sug-
gest that he be given a little fuller
treatment.
l know of one society of these phi
losophers that used to furnish consid-
cradle entertainment for me in my
youthful days, and / can remember
yet how impressed l used TO be with
their stories of frugality, anG of how
they had made what appeared TO them
and me as colossal fortunes.
One tenet of their faith was that one
who wished to succeed, and who had
no assistance in the beginning Of his
career should eschew underclothing and
overcoats. Stress was laid on this. not
altogether because these were looked
upon as costly luxuries, but it was
help that they encouraged other van
ities and led to naughty and osten-
tatious spirit. So, certain of these old
fellows would sit and shiver in bleak
March weather in order that their
/ lebllh uiShN hob 10 uhuVi AhAhNh ~ NHSAA
acts.
I remember one of the number who
always protested that underclothes
were a needless luxury and that he
needed no overcoat to keep him warm.
He lived right up to his theory, too,
land could be seen in the cOldest
weather walking or driving while the
wind swept around his scantily clad
form. One day his friends. the phi.
! losophers, were invited to his nunera
and the doctor attributed his demis'
to pneumonia. But this didn't jar the
philosophers a bit, they were down on
lovercoats and underclothing as be-
fore. If one goes through the rural
cemeteries and reads the ages on the
stones he will be able to guess how
lmany lives in the olden days we're sac
rifced to this moloch.
Il . g 9
These genial old fellows, too, were
lexperts in the matter Of rearing chill.
ldren. and the little fellows who used
to listen open eyed to their discourses
all thanked heaven in their hearts thaf
they were the offspring Of less thrifty
but more humane parents. Ihei
Ideal boy was a bare legged, bare foot
ed urchin with a cheap straw hat OF
his head and a cotton shirt and trous
ers,. the latter held up by piece o
Irvine for a "gallus." They wanted
: little boys to be humble, and at thu
same time to add to the family stor
of wealth by self-denial that some
times verged onto suffering. Thes'
gray-bearded old gentlemen used to re
late that they never wore shoes unit
the corn had been housed in the fall
and a common experience was to g
about their work over frozen groun'
and through the long grass white will
frost. The consensus of opinion wa
that it was good for the boys, for II
certain instances they grew into usefu
men. although they were silent abou
Y 1.-THE less hardy little fellows who wer
I called hence at tender age by
I "mysterious Providence"
d g @ @
= Day after day these old fellow
n droned on. and from time to time tn
= subject Of education would come u
d for discussion. They were all in favo
J. of it. of course-up to a certain poinf
but they agreed that beyond this
was fraught with danger. The thre
= IRIS were enough. They were willin
y Ito admit that in exceptional cases, ,whe
ella bright boy wished to teach schoo
| his studies might be carried a littl
: further. but that was their ultimatun
) One Of these philosophers used TO say
''The trouble is that most OF the boy
are to well eddicated. They don
- lamount to nuthin Now look at m
"A lboys; they've got along, and they ca
/ only read and write and figger."
is True his boys had gotten along
a lthey were tenant farmers who worke