The Penn's Grove record., 1921-07-15
THE WHISTLE
Ben Franklin Tells Many Cost Too
Much

| received my dear friends two let
ter's, one for Wednesday, one for
Saturday. This is again Wednesday.
! do not deserve one for today, be-
cause | have not answered the former.
But, idolent as | am, and averse to
writing, the fear of having no more
of your epistles if | do not contribute
to the correspondence obliges me TO
take up my pen; and as Mr.. B. has
kindly sent me word that he sets out
tomorrow to see YOU, instead of
spending this Wednesday evening, as
| have done it's namesakes, in your
delightful company, | sit down 10
spend it in thinking of you, in writing
TO you and in thinking over and over
again your letters.
| am charmed with your description
of Paradise and with your plan of liv-
ing there, and | approve much of your
conclusion that in the mean time we
should draw all the good we can from
this world. In my opinion, we might
all draw more good from it than we
do and suffer less evils if We would
take care not to give too much for
whistles. For to me it seems that
most of the unhappy people We meet
with are become so by neglect Of that
caution.
You ask what | mean? You love
stories and | will excuse my telling
one of myself.
When | was a child of seven years
and my friends on a holiday filled my
pocket with coppers. | went directly
to a shop where they sold toys for
children, and being charmed with the
sound of a whistle that | met by way
in the hands of another boy, | volun-
tarily offered and gave all my money
for one. | then came home and went
whistling all over the house, much
pleased with my whistle, but distrub-
ing all the family. My brothers and
sisters and cousins, understanding the
bargain | had made, told me | had
given four times as much for it as it
was worth, put me in mind of good
things l might have bought with the
rest of the money, and laughed at me
so much for my folly that | cried with
vexatoin; and the reflection gave me
more chagrin than the whistle gave
me pleasure.
This, however, was afterWard Of use
to me, the impression continuing on
lily Illlllu, 81 llldG O1bCh NiNCA 1 was
tempted to buy some unnecessary
thing | said to myself, don't give too
much for the whistle: and | saved my
money.
As | grew up, came into the world,
and observed the actions of men, |
thought | met with many, very many,
who gave too much for the whistle.
When | saw one too ambitious to
--A 49,, oa.;ea;ao, H. +iN,o ~ Of
tendance on %levees, his repose, his lib
erty, his virtue, and perhaps his
friends, to attain it, | have said to my
self, this man gives too much for his
whistle.
When saw another fond of popu-
larity constantly employing himself IN
political bustles, neglecting his
affairs and running them by that ne
glect, he pays, indeed, | said, too
much for his whistle.
If | knew of a miser who gave up
any kind of a comfortable living, all the
pleasure of doing good to others, all
the esteem of his fellow-citizens and
the Joys of benevolent friendship for
the sake of accumulatang wealth, poor
man, said |, you pay too much for your
whistle.
When I met with a mar of pleasure
sacrificing every laudable improve
ment of the mind or of his fortune
to mere corporal sensations, and rum
ing his health in their pursuit, mis-
taken man, said |, you are providing
pain for yourself instead of pleasure;
YOU give too much for your whistle.
If | see one fond of appearance or
fine clothes, fine house, or fine furnl-
ture. for which he contracts debts and
ends his career in a prison, alas! say |,
he has paid dear, very dear for his
whistle!
When I see a beautiful sweet-tem-
pered girl married to an i~ll-natured
brute of a husband, what a pity, say l,
that she should pay so much for a
whistle!
In short, l conceive that great part
of the miseries of mankind are brought
upon them by the false estimates they
have made of the value of things, and
by their giving too much for their
whistles.
Yet | ought to have charity for
these unhappy people when consider
that with all this wisdom OF when
am boasting there are certain things
in the world so tempting, for example
the apples of King John, which hap
pilv are not to be bought; for If they
were put up to sale for auction,
might very easily be led to ruin my
self in the purchase, and find that l
had once more given too much Tor the
whistle.-B. Franklin.
Teach children how to work. 1t Is
ill.,, ,.;ob+f11 b~eTita ore.