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.
