Life and Literature

Chapter 38

512

Take care to be an economist in prosperity: there is no fear of your being one in adversity.

--_Zimmerman._

513

For age and want, save while you may, No morning sun lasts a whole day.

514

Economy is too late at the bottom of the purse.

515

Spend not when you must save, Spare not when you must spend.

--_Italian._

516

Every man must educate himself. His books and teacher are but helps; the work is his.

--_Webster._

516a

Scottish Education. "A boy was compelled by the poverty of his parents to leave school and take temporary work as an a.s.sistant to Lady Abercombie"s gardener. When his services were no longer required, the lady gave him a guinea and said, "Well, Jack, how are you going to spend your guinea?" "Oh my lady," he replied, "I"ve just made up my mind to tak" a quarter o" Greek, for I hadna got beyond Latin when I left school."

--_Dr. J. Herr._

517

Nearly all things are difficult before they are easy.

--_From the French._

518

There is as much eloquence in the tone of voice, in the eyes, and in the air of a speaker, as in his choice of words.

--_Rochefoucauld._

519

EXTERNAL SIGNS OF EMOTIONS AND Pa.s.sIONS.

One would not imagine who has not given particular attention, that the body should be susceptible to such variety of att.i.tudes and emotions, as readily to accompany every different emotion with a corresponding expression. Humility for example, is expressed naturally by hanging the head; arrogance, by its elevation; and languor or despondence, by reclining it to one side. The expressions of the hands are manifold by different att.i.tudes and motions; they express desire, hope, fear; they a.s.sist us in promising, in inviting, in keeping one at a distance; they are made instruments of threatening, of supplication, of praise, and of horror; they are employed in approving, in refusing, in questioning; in showing our joy, our sorrow, our doubts, our regret, and our admiration.

--_Lord Hames._

520

The evil one does not tempt people whom he finds suitably employed.

--_Jeremy Taylor._

521

To be employed is to be happy.

--_Gray._

522

Do good to thy friend, that he may be more thy friend; and unto thy enemy, that he may become thy friend.

523

He who has a thousand friends, Has never a one to spare, And he who has one enemy, Will be apt to meet him everywhere.

524

_Boswell said of Dr. Johnson_--"Though a stern true-born Englishman, and fully prejudiced against all other nations, he had discernment enough to see, and candour enough to censure, the cold reserve too common among Englishmen towards strangers. "Sir," said he, (Johnson) "two men of any other nation who are shown into a room together, at a house where they are both visitors, will immediately find some conversation. But two Englishmen will probably go each to a different window, and remain in obstinate silence. Sir, we as yet do not enough understand the common rights of humanity.""

525

Rochefoucauld said, "The truest mark of being born with great qualities is being born without envy."

526

If we did but know how little some enjoy the great things they possess, there would not be so much envy in the world.