Year: 1870

THE words punctuality and punctuation
both come from the Latin word puactup',
point, and the value of both may be said
to consist In placing points exactly in their
proper locality. We all know how nee
essary IL is, in order to understand the
printed or written page, that the comma,
semi-colon and period should mark the
proper divisions, and also the unfortunate
mistakes which the want of these little
points, or their careless displacement,
may produce, Much more essential is IL,
both for our well-being and that of others,
that we learn correctly and exactly to
punctuate our time. The evils Of finish
ing an important letter too late fer the
post, of arriving at the depot Just after
the train has started, of failing 10 meet an
urgent engagement, or to see valued
friend, or to obtain the physician on whose
presence life may depend, are so obvious
that their frequency may we'll be matter
of astonishment. The evils that are the
most manifest are not the only injuries
that result from unpunctuality. Money
is but the representative of labor, and
all labor demands time, there
fcre he who wastes the time of others by
lis tarliness is guilty of positive dishon-
esty, He has detracted by so much from
another's power of labor, thus depriving
the community Of the good that might
have been rendered, and the individual
of the returns he might have received. 1t
may be said that the amount of good thus
squandered is so small as to be unworthy
of notice but the tact is we can never
know how great it is. Ii number of
persons, as in committee or family, are
delayed five minutes by the tardiness of
one member, each one loses that amount
of time, and whole hour is frequently
thus consumed. As none can tell what
might have been effected by some of the
party in that wasted time, so there can be
no estimate of the amount of the loss.
Punctuality is then moral duty, and its
violation may in no wise be regarded as a
light matter, only involving inconvenience
to few, but must be looked upon as q
breach of houesty.


A press of duties is often pleaded as an
excuse for unpunctuality. But we usually
find that the punctual man is he who ac-
complishes the largest amount of business
in the best manner, while it is chiefly the
idlers of society who are addicted to this
fault. There is, indeed, class of buSy
taerS, who, perhaps more than any others
fail in this virtue of punctuality. They
look at their work in the aggregate, and
are frightened at its bulk but, having nc
system, though they may begin 1t with
fervor, they suffer one part to overrun the
time of another, and soon get into con
fusion. Nervously busy, and exhausted
with unnecessary friction, they yet &C
complish far less than others, who, by sys
TEN and regularity, pursue their avoca
tions with comparative ease. System is
indeed, the soul of punctuality. AS th'
arrangement of the authors thoughts
ideas and words into their natural divi
sions is the foundation and cause of hi
ment of time lies at the root and is the chic
source of punctuality. Life is long enougl
for all the proper purposes of life, If the!
are only arranged with forethought


Time is not the only thing in which
punctuality is requisite. In the matter o
| payments that may not be legally entorc
ed, though justly due, the lack of this VII
tue is ever producing grievous Injuries
If the anguish of disappointment that
frequently experienced by the poor whe
their rightful dues are withheld or delay
ed by thoughtlessness or neglect, could b
opened to the view, it would reveal pi'
ture of injury and wrong that would sac
den every heart. And into every duty tn


element of punctuality enters. Ever
known duty faithfully and punctually pc
formed, is means of elevation to the il
dividual and of benefit to the community
while one who suffers himself to procrai
innate duty and put off what is hard or III
pleasant will gradually lose both h


self respect and the esteem of Others


PhIddelphid Ledger.