THE KALEIDOSCOPE. 1. MYSTIC trifle, whose perfection 2. 3. All things men so dearly prize, Trifle! let us from thy store Guess the gems within that glow? Cased within its mortal shrine ! Once again-the miser views Thy sparkling gems-thy golden hues; Of gorgeous jewels rich and rare; To be the owner of the whole, He breaks thee ope, and views within Such are the illusions men pursue! MEMORABILIA.* HURRY AND BUSTLE. No two things differ more than hurry and despatch. Hurry. is the mark of a weak mind, despatch of a strong one. A weak man in office, like a squirrel in a cage, is laboring eternally, but to no purpose, and in constant motion, without getting on a jot; like a turnstile he is in everybody's way but stops nobody; he talks a great deal, but says very little; looks into everything, but sees into nothing; and has a hundred irons in the fire, but very few of them are hot, and with those few that are, he only burns his fingers.-Lacon. CURIOSITY. To be without curiosity, is nothing less than to be a confirmed hopeless dunce. There is a story told of Dr. Johnson, that, as he was once on the Thames, engaged with a friend in discussing some point of fabulous history, he turned round, in a fit of good-humored caprice, to the young boy who happened to be rowing them, and asked him whether he could tell them anything about the Argonauts. "No," said the boy, "but I should like to know about them, if I could get anybody to teach me. This so delighted our good sage that he added a sixpence to the boy's fare, with many words of encouragement, and kind looks into the bargain. TAKING ADVANTAGE OF OPPORTUNITIES. "Few men," says Bucke, "have succeeded well in the higher departments of life, who have not been wakeful at taking advantage of critical opportunities. Many persons, however, respect only one rule of policy-Mount;' and this they apply to every occasion of life. 'Mount!-if possible ten steps at a time!' In attempting this, they sometimes fall so ludicrously, as almost to excite the laughter even of Despair.” *See note, page 58. REALITIES OF LIFE. A person being asked what was meant by "the realities of life," answered:-"Real estate, real money, and real good dinners; none of which," added he can be realized without real hard work." 66 SAY NOTHING OF YOURSELF. Say nothing respecting yourself, either good, bad, or indifferent; nothing good, for that is vanity; nothing bad, for that is affectation; nothing indifferent, for that is silly. DANGEROUS BITES. The philosopher Diogenes being asked of which beast the bite was most dangerous, answered: "If you mean wild beasts, it is the slanderer's; if tame, the flatterer's." SKULL OF A GREAT TALKER. The fox once picked up an actor's mask with its huge mouth-piece. "What a strange skull!" said Reynard, "no brain, and such a monstrous mouth! This must indeed be the skull of some great talker." GOOD BREEDING. The scholar, without good-breeding, is a pedant; the philosopher, a cynic; the soldier, a brute; and every man disagreeable. Chesterfield. WIT AND RICHES. A wealthy person asked the philosopher Sadi, in derision, how it happened that men of wit were so frequently seen at the doors of the rich, and that the rich were never seen at the doors of men of wit? "It is," replied Sadi, "because men of wit know the value of riches; but rich men do not know the value of wit." CIRCUMSTANCES ALTER CASES. A person not very intimate with Santeuil, called him plain Santeuil; "Surely, sir," said the poet, "by you I ought to be called Monsieur Santeuil." "Why, pray," replied the familiar gentleman, "do you ever hear of Monsieur Horace, or Monsieur Pindar ?" "Oh, your most obedient sir!" exclaimed Santeuil. HOW TO SPEAK AND WHEN TO SPEAK. Hecateus, the sophist, being found fault with, because, when admitted to one of the public repasts, he said nothing all the time; Archidemus replied: "He that knows how to speak, knows also when to speak." UNSEASONABLE TALK. King Leonidas said to one who discoursed at an improper time about affairs of some concern: 66 My friend, you should not talk so much to the purpose, of what it is not the purpose to talk of." APPOINTMENTS. Appointments once made, become debts. If I have made an appointment with you, I owe you punctuality; I have no right to throw away your time, if I do my own.-Cecil. A GOOD RULE. "Converse always," said a German author to his daughter, "with your female friends as if a gentleman were of the party, and with young men, as if your female companions were present." A GOOD RESOLUTION. Plato, hearing that some asserted he was a very bad man, said, "I shall take care so to live that nobody will believe them." SLOTH versus INDUSTRY. Sloth makes all things difficult, but industry all easy; and he that riseth late must trot all day, and shall scarcely overtake his business at night; while laziness travels so slowly, that poverty soon overtakes him.-Franklin. NEVER QUIT YOUR HOPES. Never quit your hopes. Hope is often better than enjoyment. Hope is often the cause as well as the effect of youth. It is certainly a very pleasant and healthy passion. A hopeless person is deserted by himself; and he who forsakes himself is soon forsaken by his friends and fortune.-Berkeley. THE INFLUENCE OF DRESS. The medium between a fop and a sloven is what a man of sense would endeavor to keep; yet I remember Mr. Osborn advises his son to appear in his habit rather above than below his fortune; and tells him that he will find a handsome suit of clothes always procures some additional respect. I have, indeed, myself observed that my banker always bows lowest to me when I wear my full-bottomed wig; and writes me "Mr." or "Esq." according as he sees me dressed.-Budgell. WHAT I LOVE. THE farmer's life's the life for me: I love its quiet scenery; I love its shades, its hills and dales; I love its cheerful fireside tales; |