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About Hesperian student / (Lincoln [Neb.]) 1872-1885 | View Entire Issue (March 1, 1876)
8 THE HESPERIAN STUDENT. ki Soil' Control. " All tlio wurlil Ik n lnjis. Anil nil I liu iiiuii nuil w union mn bill plnyorn." This thought cmunnlcd from the mind of one who litis long lulu in his grave, yet tlio truth ol tho assertion still clings to his never dying words. If then the world is a stage and wc tiro nil players, this quos. (Inn must present ilsclflo every one; what part ut' the gloat drama of life is initio to art, and what aro llioqiiiiliHcutionsicq. uisito to a sueecsful porlriyal of tho ohm actor I represent? It would probably ho a difficult task to nrruiigu in iufulliblo ordor tho requisites for a successful life. Hut in an attempt to do so, next to one's own ability and an un tlinching devotion to one's life work, self control, probably demands its position; at least, it is evident, that, the power of eon trolling one's self pluys un important part in forming u successful or iulluenlitd ea- j rcer. Hut those specimens of mankind, who are able to exercise, even in a comparative degree, a ligid control over every nit, are so scarce that tho value of this attainment is scarcely rcoognizd; and tho direful j consenuences of its hick are so prevalent and common place that they fail to draw attention to the true cause. Yet this cause presents us with nine cases out of ten of the melancholy spectacles of shattered and unhapp" families, hopeless Inebriates, loathsome criminnls and pitiable maniacs. Tho bloody "t riles that have marked near- ly every epoch of tho past have had either their immediate or remote cnu-o in Hie ' u;w mtrolled passions of those in miihori ' My; and millions of live-, havo been sacri ficed in settle petty diliicullics. engender ed in a Hi of anger that might liuve been ' amicably and eqiiilnbly adjusted by a few moments of ealm deliberation. Hut h.ip pily such things are of le- ficqtient oeeur lcnco 1 1 1 . i : in days pnt While some pro liiuL'tili' ilir theoiy lh.it the present i!a is pregnant with inure ! rii-dun-in. elu mi nee ami unronlrollrd restlessness- tbati any tinii' previous, .'-till lite but thai at present tic it l cory dilllcully is Milled by civil diiiunals Mini many national af fairs submitted to arbiirution, certain speaks a coinnn'iidrtbl" word to the eon-' trary. The lack if the power to preserve one's equipoise has been the banc of until in all mental labor. It lias prevented the public speaker from giving to their hearers the; best thoughts of his mind, and turned the key of success against many a business by their not having the self possesion to car ry their plans into execution, when plac ed in contact with others, and in enibar-ns-ing positions. Hut what makes it of the greatest importance that we should pay an early and careful attention lo sell govern men I, is the strife and infelicity oc casionoil by ungovcrncd and ungovcrnu Lie tempers. There is probably nothing that makes life more disagreeable, or Mould cause people to plunge into the depths of desperation quicker than ussoci. ntion with petulant and ill-uaturcd asscci ntes, who allow every little obstacle and perverse occurrhme lo throw them from their equanimity and pour forth n volley of disagreeable and harrowing epithets, accompanied by an equally disagreeable demeanor. Life presents obstacles and difficulties enough at every turn to keep one in a fu ror continually if wc ullow such tilings to govern us. It is only by self direction of one's powers and self control over one's passions that we aro able to attain to the greatest degree of excellence, happiness and prosperity And only until all shall so govern themselves, as to bo able to gov ern every thought and direct every act, unhindered by passions and unonibaruss od by surrounding conditions, can true manhood bonsl of a natal day. X ilBainiiurs. The high and the low, the rich and the poor, the good and the bad, till are players in I He's grand diniiin. The way in which each performs his part, plays his role and moves in the scene constitutes what we call niannois. If all were but true to their character, we should have no dillleulty in selecting and arranging men in thoir prop er clasc.; Hut dissimulation mid doocp lin mark almost every move in the act. Pretence is made lo great virtue; its manner.-, its attributes, its ways are as sumed; and where you have been cotilid ing and trusting, giving your friendship and nllect.ions, lie hidden the deadly ser pent which will turn upon you and blast the iiohlcslnud highest aspirations ofyour life, leaking your future a dark, dreary, monotonous waste, destitute of till pleas ure and happiness. -Manners! when you think of it in a certain light what a loath ing takes possession ofyour very soul. The hypocrie in till his business moves forth with ways as refilled, as polished, as captivating as the noblest player in the scene before us. Equal, din I say Go look at tin- fast young in in, or the brilliant belle, neither perhaps with any real worth or nobility of chti.a. Ut, and then turn to lln-ivai, Hue young m.ui m l.a.l;. a. id what conclusion must you draw ? The lormer is c.ire-sfil, llatiered, law led upiii; the latter pi ih.ips irgaideii t- lt b mr, an uwk .ard gn ciihorn, and lell to find his en er laiiiuieiit and pleasure as best lie. na. Tiiis i- tin- result of tin popular U a of iii.inii.r-, or peril ips more properly eti quette. JJut llii-t is not all nor indeed the viri phase of manner.s, for it makes us all bow more or le&s to its c mniands. We dure not act liu' to ourselves; we tnusi yield our individuality, and pretend to ways and act that .tic entirely foreign to lis. It is iialuial lor us all lo desire propri'ly, and when wo see those who feign all tlio little HalleiieB and arts ol manners sought, and their society cultiva ted, we tend toward tlio same ways no mat ter how distasteful to our nature, or how much opposed to our principles. In this, we take the llrst step on the downward road. Hut tliis is entirely the dark side of the picture, and dark, dark it is in reality. But thanks! there is some light. There is a kind of manners that is worth cherish, ing and cultivating. It is such as is the outgrowth of a real, true nature. The kind act, the gentle word, tho pleasaut smile aro its fruit. And though they may not bo accompanied by as graceful u bow or as neat a speech or even as winning u way (externally) us if they came from the other cluss, yet they are far truer, for they come from the heart. The soul epeuks through them and shows (hut there is sometimes true nobility. And if people would encourage this kilid of manners, how much truer would men be, how much loftier tlieir patriotism how much grander tlieir Christianity, how much nobler their every act! For one moment ere I close I wish to call attention to an article in the last issue, from the pen of Miss S. V. The picture there is foo true. The one sex do not seek the a iciety ofthe oilier on account of their true worth, menially or inoru'ly, but in proportion its iltey are capable of saying nice and pleading thing, in other word", as they are capable of acting out manners. However pleasant it may be to say "our manners indicate characters," commonly it seems to be untrue. I). L. THE LOCAL AT WOHK AMONG OUH EXCHANGES. Professor in Chemistry, speaking of a place in Siberia having a peculiar mag netic inllueuce, n Senior gravely inquires, " Is that the South Pole?" Vary urn. Englishman (reciting), Join C and I), and produce EG until it meets the line UK In (hell) J. Professor: That, as I take it, sir, would be tit an infinite distance. Ex. A certain Junior has written on tlio flyleaf of his Bible: It N not rank, nor wealth, nor t-tnte, lint "git up nail git" Unit innkos moil grunt Ex. "What branches of learning have you been pursuing at school to-day V" said a fa titer to his son. "None in particular, sir; but a birch branch has been pursuing mo." Ex. A Junior was asked to describe the course of the Mississippi nod he answered "I I rises in Minnesota and sets in the Gulf of Mexico." That nettled it. Niag ara Imi&r. A Cornell University profciraor says: "Ifyou gel choked drop down on all fours and cough." Tint's nice advice to h man with a pair of fifteen dollar lavender pants on. Ex. Dr. John Hall intend this unhlen sen. tinient in one of his Yale lectures: "The best way for man lo gel out of a lowly posi:iou is to be conspicuously ulll-clivo in it," The truth of (he adage "One touch of nature make the whole world kin," was charmingly brought out that slippery morning, when a blue.eyed school-girl sat down hard among her books, and re marked "d n it." Ex. " I never did seo such a wind and such a storm," said n man in a coffee room. "Ami, pmj sir," inquired a would be wit, "since you smv tlio wind and the storm, what might their color bo?" The wind blew and tho storm rose" was the rejoinder. Ex. An Englishman was boasting to a Yankee thai they hud a book in tho Brit ish Museum which was once owned by Cicero. "O, Hint isn't notbiu'," replied 'the Yankee; "in the museum in Busting they've got the lead pencil that Noah used to check off the animals thutjwontinlo the ark." Ex. It looks bad to see u dog proceeding his master down the street, and calmly turn down the stairs to the first saloon lie approaches. It shows that there is some thing wrong, something lucking, a doplor able tendency on the part ofthe dog. Ex. Prof, in Logic: "Gentlemen, you must learn these lessons not for recitation, but for time and eternity." Senior: "Will we need Logic in oterni- Prof: "Oh, yes! God says, Come, let us reason together." Small buy un back tsaiit: "Not according to Boweu, though " Ex. Belter even than the best salve! Try the phut for raising u moustache reccom. mended lo one of tlio seniors by a lndy friend: "Salt well the upper lip, then holding a cup of water underneath catch tlio lillle fellows as they come mn 0 drink." W Mia ma Atienwum. -A gentleman driving up to a country inn accosted a youth thusly; "My 1ml, ex tricate my quadruped from the vehicle stabulale him, donate to him a siilllcicnt supply of nutriclotts aliment, and whoa the aurora of morning shall ngtiiu illuminate the oriental horizon, I will award you s pecuniary compensation for your ntnlnlile hospitality. Ex. There's nothing lo exceed (lie ilisdjol. icnl satisfaction a man will laue in an nouncing to his wife, afler ho has got his shirt on. that there is a button missing; and the keen delight he feels in seeing her dance around the room alter a needle nml thread while she listens to a lecture on infernal carelessness, approaches ecstasy. But look out when she gels that button un, bites the thread oil' with a snap anil com. mences "There now " Ex. Two countrymen went into a hatter's to buy one of them a hat. They were do lighted with a sample, inside tlio crown of which was inserted a looking glass. i-'Wlmi ; tiir. iriuc.. r.,,. v" c...:,i ..,.. ,.r u.. .. .i..v .- i.. r...- ...I . rrii,i will; in uir men. The other, impatient at such a dis play of rural ignorance, exclaimed "Wli.it for! "Why, for the man who buys the 1ml to see bow it tits him!"' Ex- -A promising young shaver of five or l six years was reading his lesions at school in thai deliberate manner for which ur chins of that age are somewhat remarka ble. As he proceeded with the text he came upon the pufwige' "Keep thy tongue from evil and thy lips from guile." Mau ler Hopeful drawled out, "Keep thy tongue fiom ovil and thy lips from girlh." Ex. Firtt Freshman . "O, won't it bo splendid this vocation if there is good .sleighing. Nobby cutter fat lmrr stars shining brightly jingling bells 'snow sparkling she beside me aim around waist. UblH" tsecnnil rrmhman. "Sleigh-rides may go lo thunder. What's the fun in being half-fiozen and hugging eighteen or twenty shawls just be cnuso ym think there's a girl somewhere within V Give me the back parlor with tho lights turned down and the enfant Ut rtbk tucked away in bed." Ex j Shaki'Studkxt. The llov. Dr. Bitch jie, of Edinburgh, though a very clever j man, has met with his match. When ex i ftinining a student as to the classes he had attended, he said, "And you attended the class for mathematics J" "Yes." " How many sides has a circle i" "Two," said the student. "Whut are they V "What a laugh in tlio class the student's answer produced when he said, "An in side and an outside I" But this was nothing compared with what followed. The doctor having said to tliis student, "And you attended the moral philosophy class also?" "Yes." " Does an effect ever go'beforo a cause J" "Yob." ' A man wheeling a barrow." The doctor then sat down, and proposed no more questions. Ex.