VARIETIES.
A Broad Hint.
A prudent and parsimonious old lady, who lived in one of the Western Isles of Scotland, took the following method to get rid of the visitors and strangers who came to her house. Having set before her guests an ample Highland breakfast, she said, towards the conclusion of the meal:—
“Pray, take a good breakfast; there is no saying where you may get your dinner.”
A Faithful Dog.—The following instance of canine fidelity has seldom if ever been surpassed. When nearing Montreal the engine-driver of a train quite recently saw a dog standing on the track and barking furiously. The driver blew his whistle; yet the hound did not budge, but crouching low was struck by the locomotive and killed. Some pieces of white muslin on the engine attracted the driver’s notice; he stopped the train and went back. Beside the dead dog was a dead child, which it is supposed had wandered on the track and gone to sleep. The poor watchful guardian had given its signal for the train to stop; but unheeded had died at its post, a victim to duty.
Avarice.—Extreme avarice almost always makes mistakes. There is no passion that oftener misses its aim; nor on which the present has so much influence, in prejudice of the future.—Rochefoucauld.
A Good Beginning.
When children first leave their mother’s room they must, according to an old superstition, “goupstairsbefore they godownstairs, otherwise they will never rise in the world.”
Of course it frequently happens that there is no “upstairs,” that the mother’s room is the highest in the house. In this case the difficulty is met by the nurse setting achairand stepping upon that with the child in her arms as she leaves the room.
How to Play at Sight.—To play at sight the following conditions are necessary: First, a good grounding in technical execution; secondly, a regular and systematic knowledge of fingering; thirdly, a cheerful and ready disposition; and fourthly, undivided attention and concentration of the mind on the work in hand.—Ernst Pauer.
Good Counsel Thrown Away.—A draught of milk to serpents does nothing but increase their poison. Good counsel bestowed upon fools does rather provoke than satisfy them.—From the Sanskrit.
In Peril.—Women are safer in perilous situations and emergencies than men, and might be still more so if they trusted themselves more confidingly to the chivalry of manhood.—Hawthorne.
Degrees of Lightness.
Pray, what is lighter than a feather?Dust, my friend, in driest weather.What’s lighter than that dust, I pray?The wind that sweeps it far away.Then what is lighter than the wind?The lightness of a woman’s mind.And what is lighter than the last?Now, now, good friend, you have me fast.
Pray, what is lighter than a feather?Dust, my friend, in driest weather.What’s lighter than that dust, I pray?The wind that sweeps it far away.Then what is lighter than the wind?The lightness of a woman’s mind.And what is lighter than the last?Now, now, good friend, you have me fast.
Pray, what is lighter than a feather?Dust, my friend, in driest weather.What’s lighter than that dust, I pray?The wind that sweeps it far away.Then what is lighter than the wind?The lightness of a woman’s mind.And what is lighter than the last?Now, now, good friend, you have me fast.
Pray, what is lighter than a feather?
Dust, my friend, in driest weather.
What’s lighter than that dust, I pray?
The wind that sweeps it far away.
Then what is lighter than the wind?
The lightness of a woman’s mind.
And what is lighter than the last?
Now, now, good friend, you have me fast.
On a Moonlight Night.—An insane author, once placed in confinement, employed most of his time in writing. One night, being thus engaged by the aid of a bright moon, a slight cloud passed over the luminary. In an impetuous manner the author called out—“Arise, Jupiter, and snuff the moon!” The cloud became thicker, and he exclaimed, “The stupid! he has snuffed it out.”
Be Satisfied.—I say to thee, be thou satisfied. It is recorded of the hares that with a general consent they went to drown themselves, out of a feeling of their misery; but when they saw a company of frogs more fearful than they were, they began to take courage and comfort again. Compare thine estate with that of others.—Robert Burton.
Undeserved Praise.—The shame that arises from praise which we do not deserve often makes us do things we should never otherwise have attempted.—Rochefoucauld.