Norwich bulletin., 1909-05-15
THE MAN WHO TALKS


promote it. If you believe 1t is gift
from God just bear in mind that it is
dependent upon His other gifts, and
that to be unworthy Of the gift of &C
tivity and other things is to lose this
blessing also. If nature abhors vacu-
UNI, and the greatest scientists so de-
clare, 1t also condemns inertia and
laziness, and to the lazy and mentally
negligent go the misfortunes which fit
their self-assumed and unnatural
state Good health waits upon activity
and a good appetite and sound sleep
add to the joy Of living. 1t is ignor-
ance that leads US into every misfor-
tune The observance of the rules of
health-the avoidance of all excuses
is to live nationally and BEAUTIFULLY
and happily.
The plea of a wife of a drunken
husband touched my heart the other
day when she inquired, as climax to
her petition: Must l sit by and see
my children, mere babies. become ner-
vous wrecks through fear of him. or
wait until he, in a drunken mood, does
some treacherous crime? Is there
nothing to prevent it? Must wait un-
til the worst has happened?" 1t is
hard, but that is what our Christian
civilization says that she must do. We
sit and see the conditions mature
which we know must end in horror Or
a tragedy and we act when it has
happened. There is no one to throw
the life line" to prevent a tragedy in
such a home; and the son shoots his
father or an older brother to protect
mother, and we forget our own negli-
gence and send the mother protector
to prison for technical manslaughter.
Yes, every mother and every other
member of the family under such cir
cumstances must wait for the worst
do not know why some people plant
beans at certain stages of the moon
or at certain stages of the tide. Per-
haps it comes from an old conception
with it-that the favor of the unseen
forces is to be gained at periods which
imply recognition. Those who believe
in these things feel that they cannot
afford to disregard them ,as that would
mean unsatisfactory crops; but those
who know nothing about them plant
their seed and win out just the same.
1t is fact that the race has not
broken away from its superstitions yet.
and there is no evidence that it ever
will. We do things in certain way
because our ancestors did it and their
purpose or lack of purpose never both
ers us. We do not believe as they did,
although in many things we initiate
them.
The foster mother of $4,000 boys
told her audience in Boston recently:
If a boy cannot learn what you think
he ought to learn, find out the thing
he can learn and give 1t to him." in
ether words, instead of insisting that
he shall do something that he cannot
do, just find something that he can do.
Develop him on the side that is de-
velopable, and let the other side take
care of itself. Lack of wisdom in this
respect has spoiled a good many boys.
We are not all built alike, neither have
we all equal ability, capacity or COM
prehension. The whole art of teach
ing successfully lies in starting a child
in life for its own benefit at the start
able point-the point which means ev-
ertyhing to the child, never mind how
we regard 1t. Easy sailing Is prefera-
Bile to uphill work-started on the lev
el means satisfactory, straightforward
work.
wake In the night and wonder II It
Is yet daybreak, although 1t is as dark
as Egypt; and in imagination I turn
and look through the darkness toward
the east and there see the coming
light Illuminating little space be-
meath the glittering stars. In the
watches Of the morning daybreak
viewed from the water foreruns the
dawn, and it Is the assuring sign that
a new day is about to flood the earth
with light and to awaken every activ-
ity. The boatmen are abroad, and the
music of the oarlocks and splash of
the phosphorescent water and the
swish of the PROV of the wineries and
the cry of the bittern, come out of the
darkness-the pioneers of the ap-
preaching day are making their way to
the flats and the lobster grounds and
the fisheries. The meadow larks will
soon be singing and the sandpipers
running on the beach and the plover
on the wing. The shimmering
waters, the twinkling stars and the
silences of the night all have a charm
for me.
The wren on the hop pole and my
self are good friends, and when / am
out laying out the garden he just trills
his finest songs. I do not know where
he learned to sing, but the music he
pours out impresses me more than any
vocal song 1 have ever listened to. 1t
is classical music which no human
player can ever perfectly initiate He
charms me. although I'm aware he does
not sing for man-that his beautiful
notes break the silence of many waste
places, and that he would sing for his
mate if there was no person on earth.
He is not conscious of his own artis-
tic merits and cannot be fattered-he
sings because his heart is merry-be-
cause the light Of heaven brings him
cheer and hope. In this we are GER
tainly related.
"Just as soon as see him, I'm going
TO give him q piece of my mind" I
heard a woman saying the other day.
We have all said that in our lives in a
wild and thoughtless way. We were
angry about something, and were go
ing to unload ourselves. Now, I al
ways want to say DON'T" when I
hear anyone saying 1t, for it presages
something mean. In temper we are
going to say something disagreeable
1t is aNbad time to say It, and 1t will
net be SO said as to be beneficial. From
what is said on such occasions there
is no evidence that the excited person
talking has a mind--it is simply bad
humor that they intend to be rid Of
something 1t would be well to forget,
instead OF saying 1t to ones discredit
A few of our citizens remember when
William B. Coffee and a conrade left
Norwich in the early SOS for the far
west, to establish themselves in BUSH
ness and grow up with the country.
They settled in Tacoma, which IS now
spoken of as the future New York Of
the Pacific slope. We have constant
evidence that they know how to do
things at Tacoma, so we were not sur
prised to find in the Tacoma New
Herald Annual for 1909 a picture Of
Mr.. COffee's summer home one of the