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LIFE

AND

LITERATURE

OVER TWO THOUSAND EXTRACTS
FROM ANCIENT AND MODERN WRITERS,
AND CLASSIFIED
IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER

BY

J. PURVER RICHARDSON.

Copyright 1910

By J. PURVER RICHARDSON

PRESS OF
BROWN-MORRISON CO.
LYNCHBURG, VA.

PREFACE

Good sir, or madam, whosoever thou mayest be, to whom this volume shall come, cast it not aside, but read it. Its quaint, curious, and helpful selections have been gathered through many years of careful research on both sides of the Atlantic. They will make thee wiser and better, and will conduce to the growth of thy mind, and the health of thy body. Let this book be to thee a magazine of literary food, of which thou shalt partake, and which thou shalt assimilate and digest to the constant increase of thy well being.

The gathering of this bouquet of literary gems has been a work of pleasure, but the compiler shall say nothing of himself for, "the least that one can say of himself is still too much."

DEDICATED

AFFECTIONATELY

TO

MY CHILDREN

JOHN PURVER AND ANNIE SUE,

AND

"To mine own People: meaning those within
The magic ring of home—my kith and kin;

And those with whom my soul delights to dwell—
Who walk with me as friends, and wish me well;

And lastly, those—a large unnumbered band,
Unknown to me—who read and understand."

CONTENTS

Life and Literature

A

1

Abilities—No man's abilities are so remarkably shining, as not to stand in need of a proper opportunity, a patron, and even the praises of a friend, to recommend them to the notice of the world.

—Pliny.

2

Absence, with all its pains,
Is by this charming moment wip'd away.

3

Abuse is the weapon of the vulgar.

—Goodrich.

4

It is told of Admiral Collingwood that on his travels he carried a bag of acorns, and dropped one wherever there seemed a likely spot for an oak to grow, that England might never lack ships.

—English Newspaper.

5

Acquaintances—It is easy to make acquaintances, but sometimes difficult to shake them off, however irksome and unprofitable they are found, after we have once committed ourselves to them.

6

Acquaintance softens prejudices.

7

Many persons I once thought great, dwindle into very small dimensions, on a short acquaintance.

—Bacon.

8

Speak out in acts, the time for words
Has passed, and deeds alone suffice.

—Shakespeare.

9

All may do what has by Man been done.

—Young.

10

An act, by which we make one friend, and one enemy, is a losing game; because revenge is a much stronger principle than gratitude.

11

All the world practices the art of acting.

—Petronius Arbiter.

12

Do what you can, when you cannot do what you would.

13

A good action performed in this world receives its recompense in the other, just as water poured at the root of a tree appears again above in fruit and flower.

14

If the world were to see our real motives, we should be ashamed of some of our best actions.

15

Our actions are our own; their consequences belong to Heaven.

—Francis.

16

What thou intendest to do, speak not of, before thou doest it.

17

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.

18

Actions—What I must do, is all that concerns me, and not what people think.

—Emerson.

19

An actor, when asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury why actors were more successful in impressing their auditors than preachers, replied, "Actors speak of things imaginary as if they were real, while you preachers too often speak of things real as if they were imaginary."

20

ON LEAVING, AFTER A SHORT VISIT.

She gazed as I slowly withdrew;
My path I could hardly discern;
So sweetly she bade me "adieu,"
I thought that she bade me return.

—W. Shenstone.

21

Adversity is sometimes hard upon a man; but for one man who can stand prosperity, there are a hundred that will stand adversity.

—Carlyle.

22

Adversity does not take from us our true friends; it only disperses those who pretended to be so.

23

Adversity has the effect of eliciting talents, which, in prosperous circumstances, would have lain dormant.

—Horace.

24

He who never was acquainted with adversity, has seen the world but on one side, and is ignorant of half the scenes of nature.

25

In prosperity the proud man knows nobody; in adversity nobody knows him.

—From Scottish-American.

26

The finest friendships have been formed in mutual adversity.

—Latin.

27

It is a disingenuous thing to ask for advice, when you mean assistance; and it will be a just punishment if you get that which you pretended to want.

—Sir A. Helps.

28

Before giving advice we must have secured its acceptance, or rather, have made it desired.

—Amiel.

29

There is nothing more difficult than the art of making advice agreeable.

30

Every man, however wise, sometimes requires the advice of a friend in the affairs of life.

—Plautus.

31

He who gives advice to a self-conceited man, stands himself in need of counsel.

32

Pouring water on a duck's back. (Fruitless counsel or advice).

—Chinese.

33

Most people, when they come to you for advice, come to have their own opinions strengthened, not corrected.

34

CLERICAL AFFECTATION.

In man or woman, but far most in man,
And most of all in man that ministers
And serves the altar, in my soul I loathe
All affectation. 'Tis my perfect scorn;
Object of my implacable disgust.
What! Will a man play tricks, will he indulge
A silly fond conceit of his fair form
And just proportion, fashionable mien,
And pretty face, in presence of his God?
Or will he seek to dazzle me with tropes,
As with the diamond on his lily hand,
And play his brilliant parts before my eyes
When I am hungry for the bread of life?
He mocks his Maker, prostitutes and shames
His noble office, and, instead of truth,
Displaying his own beauty, starves his flock.

—Cowper.

35

The Cure of Affectation—Is to follow nature. If every one would do this, affectation would be almost unknown.

—J. Beaumont.

36

Affectation of any kind, is lighting up a candle to our defects.

—Locke.

37

Affectation is the vain and ridiculous attempt of poverty to appear rich.

—Lavater.

38

How sad to notice in one—changed affections,
A cold averted eye.

—Observer.

39

AFFLICTION.

Be still, sad heart, and cease repining,
Behind the clouds the sun is shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all;
Into each life some rain must fall—,
Some days must be dark and dreary.

—Longfellow.

40

Affliction—For every sort of suffering there is sleep provided by a gracious Providence, save that of sin.

—J. Wilson.

41

Affliction's sons are brothers in distress;
A brother to relieve, how exquisite the bliss!

—Burns.

42

Affronts—Young men soon give, and soon forget affronts; old age is slow in both.

—Addison.

43

Old age is a joy, when youth has been well spent.

44

THE APPROACH OF AGE.

Six years had passed, and forty ere the six,
When time began to play his usual tricks;
The locks once comely in a virgin's sight,
Locks of pure brown, displayed the encroaching white;
The blood, once fervid, now to cool began,
And Time's strong pressure to subdue the man.
I rode or walked as I was wont before,
But now the bounding spirit was no more;
A moderate pace would now my body heat,
A walk of moderate length distress my feet.
I showed my stranger guest those hills sublime,
But said, "The view is poor, we need not climb."
At a friend's mansion I began to dread
The cold neat parlor and gay glazed bed;
At home I felt a more decided taste,
And must have all things in my order placed.
I ceased to hunt; my horses pleased me less—
My dinner more; I learned to play at chess.
I took my dog and gun, but saw the brute
Was disappointed that I did not shoot.
My morning walks I now could bear to lose,
And blessed the shower that gave me not to choose.
In fact, I felt a languor stealing on;
The active arm, the agile hand, were gone;
Small daily actions into habits grew,
And new dislike to forms and fashions new.
I loved my trees in order to dispose;
I numbered peaches, looked how stocks arose;
Told the same story oft—in short, began to prose.

—George Crabbe.

45

Age is a matter of feeling, not of years.

G. W. Curtis.

46

Men are as old as they feel, and women as they look.

Italian.

47

May you all be as old as I,
And see your sons to manhood grow;
And many a time before you die,
Be just as pleased as I am now.

—Bloomfield.

48

Old age and faded flowers, no remedies can revive.

—Chinese.

49

'Twas impious then (so much was age rever'd)
For youth to keep their seats when an old man appear'd.

50

Goethe said: "It is only necessary to grow old to become more indulgent. I see no fault committed that I have not committed myself."

51

The young are fond of novelty,
The old of custom.

52

Speak gently to the aged one,
Grieve not the care-worn heart;
The sands of life are nearly run—
Let such in peace depart!

53

Elderly people look back upon the friends, relatives and acquaintances of thirty, forty or fifty years ago, and say, "There are no friends now-a-days like the old friends of long ago." It is natural for them to think this way, particularly when most of the old friends are dead; but the fact is, that there are friends as true now as ever.

54

These are the effects of doting age,
Vain doubts, and idle cares, and over-caution.

—Dryden.

55

Do you seek Alcides' equal? There is none but himself.

—Seneca.

56

EVIDENTLY UNSATISFACTORY.

"When I look at my congregation," said a London preacher, "I say, 'Where are the poor?' When I count the offertory in the vestry I say, 'Where are the rich?'"

57

ALMSGIVING.

At table, discussing with some friends the subject of raffles, Bishop Wescott said that he objected to them as part of the gambling question, and also on wider grounds. He objected to all the "side means" which were sometimes combined with sales of work for "getting money out of people." Such money, he thought, as distinct from that which is given, was not wanted nor acceptable.

—The Contemporary Review.

58

What stamps the wrinkles deepest on the brow,
It is to be alone, as I am now!

59

The following Hawaiian alphabet, consisting of twelve letters, was in use, and had been for something like a hundred years, when the compiler visited the Islands in 1886. It was given to the Hawaiians by the missionaries, viz.:

a, e, i, o, u, h, k, l, m, n, p, w.

60

THE AMBITIOUS MAN.

A slave has but one master; the ambitious man has as many masters as there are persons whose aid may contribute to the advancement of his fortune.

—La Bruyere.

61

How easy it is to be amiable in the midst of happiness and success!

—Madame Swetchine.

62

The sea of ambition is tempest—tost,
And your hopes may vanish like—foam.

63

To be happy at home is the ultimate result of all ambition.

64

Amusements—The mind ought sometimes to be amused, that it may the better return to thought, and to itself.

—Phaedrus.

65

Thy father's merit sets thee up to view,
And shows thee in the fairest point of light,
To make thy virtues, or thy faults conspicuous.

—Addison.

66

THE QUEST OF ANCESTORS.

"Of all the notable things on earth,
The queerest one is pride of birth."

A few years ago a well-known Bostonian, the descendant of an honored family, began the ancestral quest with expert assistance. All went merry as a marriage bell for a time, when suddenly he unearthed an unsavory scandal that concerned one of his progenitors. Feeling a responsibility for the misdeeds of his great-grandfather, he ordered all investigation stopped, and the disagreeable data destroyed; but he had delved too far. His genealogist had told a friend, and the secret was out beyond recall.

—D. O. S. Lowell.

67

MERIT FROM ANCESTORS.

Were honor to be scann'd by long descent
From ancestors illustrious, I could vaunt
A lineage of the greatest; and recount,
Among my fathers, names of ancient story,
Heroes and god-like patriots, who subdu'd
The world by arms and virtue.
But that be their own praise;
Nor will I borrow merit from the dead,
Myself an undeserver.

—Rowe.

68

He who constantly boasts of his ancestors, confesses that he has no virtue of his own.

—Charron.

69

Never mind who was your grandfather. What are you?

70

A good man's anger lasts an instant,
A meddling man's for two hours,
A base man's a day and night,
A great sinner's until death.

—Persian.

71

Have nothing to do with men in a passion, for they are not like iron, to be wrought on when they are hot.

72

Anger generally begins with folly, and ends with repentance.

—Pythagoras.

73

He who subdues his anger, conquers his greatest enemy.

74

A fit of anger is as fatal to dignity as a dose of arsenic to life.

—J. G. Holland.

75

It is much better to reprove, than to be angry secretly.

76

Catch not too soon at an offence, nor give too easy way to anger; the one shows a weak judgment, the other a perverse nature.

77

He who can suppress a moment's anger, may prevent a day of sorrows.

78

Nothing can be more unjust, or ridiculous, than to be angry with others because they are not of our opinion.

79

When a man grows angry, his reason flies out.

—Spanish.

80

Animals are such agreeable friends—they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms.

—George Eliot.

81

HIS CREATURES.

The daughter of an army officer, whose life had been spent in the far west, told the following anecdote: "Indians, when they accept Christianity, very often hold its truths with peculiar simplicity.

"There was near our fort an old chief called Tassorah. One day, when I was an impulsive girl, I was in a rage at my pony, and dismounting, beat him severely. The old man stood by, silent for a moment.

"'What words have I heard from Jesus?' he said, sternly. 'If you love not your brother whom you have seen, how can you love God whom you have not seen?'

"'This horse is not my brother!' I said scornfully.

"The old man laid his hand on the brute's head and turned it toward me. The eyes were full of terror.

"'Is not God his creator? Must He not care for him?' he said. 'Not a sparrow falls to the ground without His notice.'

"I never forgot the lesson. It flashed on me then for the first time that the dog that ran beside me, the birds, the very worms were His, and I, too, was one of His great family."

82

Kindness to animals is no unworthy exercise of benevolence. We hold that the life of brutes perishes with their breath, and that they are never to be clothed again with consciousness. The inevitable shortness then of their existence should plead for them touchingly. The insects on the surface of the water, poor ephemeral things, who would needlessly abridge their dancing pleasure of to-day? Such feelings we should have towards the whole animate creation.

—Sir Arthur Helps.

83

THE GRACIOUS ANSWER.

(The first half of each stanza should be subdued; the last half confident and full of assurance.)

The way is dark, my Father! Cloud on cloud
Is gathering thickly o'er my head, and loud
The thunders roar above me. See, I stand
Like one bewildered! Father, take my hand,
And through the gloom
Lead safely home
Thy child!
The way is dark, my child! But leads to light.
I would not always have thee walk by sight.
My dealings now thou canst not understand.
I meant it so; but I will take thy hand,
And through the gloom
Lead safely home
My child!
The day goes fast, my Father! And the night
Is growing darkly down. My faithless sight
Sees ghostly visions. Fears, a spectral band,
Encompass me. O Father! Take my hand,
And from the night
Lead up to light
Thy child!
The day goes fast, my child! But is the night
Darker to me than Day? In me is light!
Keep close to me, and every spectral band
Of fears shall vanish. I will take thy hand,
And through the night
Lead up to light
My child!
The way is long, my Father! And my soul
Longs for the rest and quiet of the goal;
While yet I journey through this weary land,
Keep me from wandering. Father, take my hand;
Quickly and straight
Lead to Heaven's gate
Thy child!
The way is long, my child! But it shall be
Not one step longer than is best for thee;
And thou shalt know, at last, when thou shalt stand
Safe at the goal, how I did take thy hand,
And quick and straight
Lead to Heaven's gate
My child!
The path is rough, my Father! Many a thorn
Has pierced me; and my weary feet, all torn
And bleeding, mark the way. Yet Thy command
Bids me press forward. Father, take my hand;
Then, safe and blest,
Lead up to rest
Thy child!
The path is rough, my child! But oh! how sweet
Will be the rest, for weary pilgrims meet,
When thou shalt reach the borders of that land
To which I lead thee, as I take thy hand;
And safe and blest
With me shall rest
My child!
The throng is great, my Father! Many a doubt,
And fear and danger, compass me about;
And foes oppress me sore. I can not stand
Or go alone. O Father! take my hand,
And through the throng
Lead safe along
Thy child!
The throng is great, my child! But at thy side
Thy Father walks; then be not terrified,
For I am with thee; will thy foes command
To let thee freely pass;—will take thy hand,
And through the throng
Lead safe along
My child!
The cross is heavy, Father! I have borne
It long, and still do bear it. Let my worn
And fainting spirit rise to that blest land
Where crowns are given. Father, take my hand;
And reaching down
Lead to the crown
Thy child!
The cross is heavy, child! Yet there was One
Who bore a heavier cross for thee; my Son,
My well-beloved. For Him bear thine; and stand
With Him at last; and from thy Father's hand,
Thy cross laid down,
Receive a crown,
My child!

—Henry N. Cobb.

84

Anxiety is the poison of human life.

85

Beware, as long as you live, of judging men by their outward appearance.

—La Fontaine.

86

Appearance—Thou art after all what thou art. Deck thyself in a wig with a thousand locks; ensconce thy legs in buskins an ell high; thou still remainest just what thou art.

—Goethe.

87

A man's reception depends very much upon his coat.

88