Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1904-11-19
THE MEDDLESOME HABIT.
= Little heart to Heart Talk on a
Common Failing Among
Best of People.

One OF the easily besetting sins
against which the best people need
20 be on their guard, is meddlesome-
ness. No Christian should he what
St Paul calls "a busybody in other
men matters. But how hard it is
not ito be- Going into church the
other Sunday, we noticed that nearly
every devout Christian mother stopped
her little flock upon the steps of the
sanctuary and gave one last savage
twtst to braid and bow, one vigorous
pat to the carefully parted hair. and
one final tilt &c her own protruding
headgear. She might have spent hours
upon the seme tolls and cares before
- =. me, bu, "~- y
Was q moment lett ia which TO add
another touch. nothing could be con-
sidered complete. At the inner door
OF the sanctuary we heard little
group discussing the "horrid" ar
rangement of the flowers upon the
communion table. and we noted that
one or the grave and reverend dea-
cons before ne took his seat looked
carefully up and down the row Of
windows. and 1T last tip-toed up to
one and closed it; while upon the OPP
posite side Of the church an usher
ran up one curtain and down an
other without any other reason that
We could see than sheer force of
habit. The first thing the minister
did when he entered was to- twist the
pulpit all ways for Sunday" ana
the elder who handed up a pulpit no.
uce stopped 4 moment 10 retouch It,
All of which is due to pure force Of
habit. the habit Of meddling with
things as We find them. under the
foolish impression that nothing Is cor
rect until We have given il our Pc
culiar and personal twist Indeed, we
found ourselves before The sermon was
concluded thinking over a half-dozen
better ways in which the dominic
might have laid out his discourse: and
the first book We opened on our re-
turn TO the home was, as we discGv-
cred. by some new critic who had
written 500 pnces 20 show how Moses
ought to have rearranged the Penta-
teuch. In fac everyone appears to
be Of the opinion oc Hamlet:
The time Is out o. Joint: o cursed spite.
That was ever born TO set II risht"
Now there is Just where you, and 1.
and all of us (falN down." SAYS a
writer in the Chicago Interior The
time IS well enough if we would only
Oct it alone. The chances are that
by our meddlesomeness we mar more
than We mend The probability is
that the cook broiled the breakfast
bacon better than we could have done
II. the tailor cut the coat better than
as II he followed our directions, and
the minister's sermon was more log
Zeal and forcaful as he laid IL out.
than it would have been could we
have logged his elbow
No one can ever be happy in this
world who tancies himself or herself
born to set il right" IL would do
us all good at times TO sit with the
pupils. instead Of taking, unlimited
the seat of the master and critic One
OF the most useful lessons any man
can learn is to let things alone Let
the chair stand where the maid placed
II Let the dinner be served without
protest as the good wife ordered 1t.
And remember that the world will
have to get along without US some
day; that If we Keep hands OF from
At Tor little while Il may be- learn
sng. as 1t must learn, TO eventually get
along without our suggestion or In
reference.