Two promoters once called on Mr. Russell Sage to try to interest him in a certain scheme. They talked to the great financier about an hour. Then they took their leave, having been told that Mr. Sage's decision would be mailed to them in a few days. "I believe we've got him," said the first promoter hopefully, on the way uptown. "I don't know," rejoined the other. "He seems very suspicious." "Suspicious?" said the first. "What makes you think he was suspicious?" "Didn't you notice," was the reply, "how he counted his fingers after I had shaken hands with him?"—New Orleans States.
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The people who make it their chief business in life to see that they are not imposed upon very frequently wrong others in their over-eagerness to maintain their rights. The following incident has a valuable lesson for all impulsive folk who are also a little inclined to suspect the motives of other people.
A countryman, says an exchange, came into a village store with a very angry demeanor. "Look here," he began sharply, "I bought a paper of nutmegs here yesterday, and when I got home I found 'em mor'n half walnuts. And there is the young villain I bought 'em of," he added, pointing to the proprietor's son.
"John," said the father, "did you sell this man walnuts for nutmegs?"
"No, sir," was the ready response.
"You needn't lie about it," exclaimed the farmer, still further enraged by the young man's assurance.
"Now, look here," said John, with a good-natured smile, "if you had taken the trouble to weigh your nutmegs, you would have found that I put walnuts in extra.
"Oh, you gave them to me, did you?" asked the man in a somewhat mollified tone.
"Yes, sir; I threw in a handful for the children."
"Well, if you ain't a good one!" the man remarked, with restored good humor. "An' here I've been making an idiot of myself. Just put me up a pound of tea, will ye. I'll stop and weigh things next time."
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Swearing—See Conscience; Oaths.
SWEARING A WASTE OF CHARACTER
General Washington, in an order issued
August 3, 1776, said: "The general is sorry
to be informed that the foolish and wicked
practise of profane cursing and swearing, a
vice hitherto little known in an American
army, is growing into fashion. He hopes the
officers will, by example as well as influence,
endeavor to check it, and that both they and
the men will reflect that we can have little
hope of the blessing of heaven on our army
if we insult it by our impiety and folly.
Added to this, it is a vice so mean and low,
without any temptation, that every man of
sense and character detests and despises it."
Swearing is a great waste of character!
James says: "But above all things, my brethren (and my Juniors), swear not; neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath; but let your yea be yea, and your nay be nay; lest ye fall into condemnation." Swearing is a great loss of soul! James asks you to be specially watchful against the habit of swearing. "Above all things"—that is, you will find it more difficult to keep from this sin than it is to keep from many other besetting sins.
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If Satan can not get a boy or girl to swear with the tongue, he will try to get a swear through the hands or feet. Slamming a door when you are mad is hand-swearing. When you have been corrected and go out of the room as tho each step would put holes in the floor you are foot-swearing. Sometimes a swear spreads over the face like a cloud across the sky. Swearing is a great loss of happiness!—J. M. Farrar.
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See Self-restraint.
SWEARING A WASTE OF TIME
Swearing is a great waste of time. Stop
the leak in the kettle. This kettle is an hour
with sixty drops of time in it. If there is a
leak in the kettle the little drops of time will
be lost. Sixty drops and the hour-kettle is
empty. Swearing is a bad habit and will
surely wear a hole in the kettle. It is difficult
to swear without getting angry. Sometimes
the kettle is emptied before the hole is
made. How? Anger starts the kettle boiling
and time runs over and is lost. Swearing
is a great waste of time! In sixty minutes
of temper an hour has run over.—J. M.
Farrar.
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Wednesday, April 27, was Grant's birthday. Some one told the following interesting story about him: "While sitting with him at the camp-fire late one night, after every one else had gone to bed, I said to him:
