THERE IS A HUMOROUS SIDE TO A BOIL
Ellis Parker Butler
WHENEVER I see a man -with a, boil I want to
go right up to him and tell him that honey and
flour mado Into a, poultice and applied to the
boll Is the very best thine to cure that 'boil, but
I cover do it, because there are few things so sensitive
as a man with a boil, except the boil Itself. A boll is the
most haughty and unsociable thing on earth. It just
naturally resents familiarity. It is as proud as a felon
and hurts about as much when it Is rudely Interrupted
In its peaceful business of coming to a head.
But I never knew anything: that cured a boll so nicely
and so sweetly as honey and flour. I know a young
man onee — I remember him well, because be borrowed
$10 of me and never returned it—rand he had per
fectly good habits In everything: but bolls, but he rather
ran the* boil business into- the ground. He was a regular
John I>. Rockefeller in boils; seemed to be. trying to cor
ner, the whole visible supply; never satisfied but when ho
had a neck full of them. And all he would ever do for
them was to. dab the head of them with a drop of diluted
carbolic acid. It killed the boll, but as soon as th« prem
ises on his neck wore seen to be vacant two other bolls
would move in and set up housekeeping 1 there, and then he
would kill them, and four more would move in, and so
they would keep Increasing until ha had a neok full, and
things got overcrowded, and there was too much com
petition, and then the trust would be formed and there
would be one great big boil Instead of a lot of little
ones, and the round of joy would begin all over again.
But he would never take my advice and take honey and
flour.
One of the worst place 3 in th.c world to have a boll
is right at the side of your mouth. Especially If you are
of a happy disposition and like to smile. A man never
knows how good-natured he is and bow often he smiles
until he has a boll on the side of his mouth, and just then
he develops the greatest, grandest sense of humor that
the world has ever known, and every time he smiles the
boil, which likes to be considered a serious affair, gets
offended and gives him a sort of reminder of its presence
that is a cross between the sting of a hornet and a tooth
ache.
That was wfcere I had my last boil — on the side of my
mouth — and it made me laugh out of the other. side, as
the saying is, and I did it. for I have a happy disposition,
&3 a usual thing. That is to say, I laughed out of the
other side while the boil was young and Inexperienced,
but that was only for one day, for the next day the boil
would not let me laugh at all. A good sized healthy boil,
when It is in full operation, is sufficient to absorb all of a
man's attention. He can't seem to get his mind, off the
boil, and there Is nothing in a boll to make a man laugh.
Even the bright and sparkling gems of wit that friends
drop at such a time, such as, "That's a lovely pet you've
got thero," do. not seem , so.funny as they did when you
said them to your friends when they, had boils. \u25a0; *
The boil came as a surprise to ) my friends. Even my
family was surprised. I: had not told them. l was"'int«nd
ing to have anything of that 'kind.' I; had 'not even
thought of having one'myself, -but that shows hpw. travel
broadens one and' enlarges -his opportunities. If I : had
not go to Dcs Moines I . might never have had *\ boll,, at
aIL But . I wenV" to "Ded. Molnes.i ; I _t ; iyas noju-*-^'»*r.' V "f,
trip, anfl4 G jya§_ihir* JiitT-rsr-ffay or two, but 1^ made the
-TM\r<s£-ifty opportunities. If there had 1 been, anft,' souvenir
postcards then I expect * I should have bought a lot of
them In Dcs Moines to send to my dear ones at home, but
there were no souvenir postcards, so I brought home the
boll.
I did not think much of it as a boll while I was in Dcs
Moines. I was much more Impressed by the Stato cap
ltol building, which was much larger, but that was
because the boll was young. By the time I reached home
the boil felt much larger than the State capitol building.
Perhaps this is aa exaggeration. Perhaps it felt only as
large as the capitol, for the lowa State capitol Is a large
building and the pride of the State, but the boil was
nearer to me than the Apitol building when I reached
home,, and was mere sentient, as I might say. And a
thing seems larger when it is on the side of your mouth
than when it Is >et out in the middle of a big plot of
ground. I do not want to exaggerate the boil, but I do
sot want to belittle It, for It was the last boll I have had,
WHAT IS IT THAT'S TO BLAME FOR THE FAILURES IN LIFE?
EACH day checks up Its list of
failures and 'successes..- "'With
every turn of the wheel of fate
there are men who go down aud
out— -men whom the world may have
thought stood a good chants of reach-
Ing the* goal marked with the shining
letters "success." And there ar« other
men who pass through these portals
without tho blare of trumpets, :wbil«
the world stands agape and wonders
what lucky chance got them through.
Is it luck and Is It chance that
makes for success or failure? Is it
training or. is it birth, is it character,
environment or force of circumstances
that enables one man to succeed where
another fails? There have always been
struggles among mankind for supre
macy. They have fought and conquered
or been conquered. A^ first the strong
est man won, then the man who used
his brain to direct his muscle became
the victor. He it was who succeeded
where others, mayhap r* physically
stronger,- failed. . - •,:!,
\u25a0 Bat the conditions under which he
struggled then were far different from
those confronting a man today. Now
success in life docs not depend en
tirely upon physical strength. Some
thing more than brawn makes for vie
torjvand even the combination of mus
cle and brain may finally cpelt. failure
If a man deviates from the path which
is, his road to the longed-for goal.
"When the professional man succeeds
his success brings tho highest honor
and self-gratification,' while it bestows
rich benefits \ upon ": posterity and ' does
not lack pecuniary, advantages to him
self. Judge Tourgee oncey sald/Tin
speaking of the / professional man who
succeeds: ~"I.~ "I. don't knW : about his
failings if he works, \ keeps, sober and
sleeps . at home. . Lawyers, ministers
and .physicians live on the sins iof th«
people, and, of course, grow ; fat . undar,
reasonable exertion, unless competition
is/ too great.: It requi res genius to fail
in any of these ; walks in life."
He maybe right, but there'are men in
every walk Injllfe who make utter, and
miserable failures of their chances and
careers without \ being geniuses, as the
word it understood today, unless they
are geniuses at falling2^||§ii
Suppose they are not. Suppose, on
the contrary, they are In the begin
ning perfectly normal creatures, sound
of mind and body/with every prospect;
of reaching the top" rung In the ladder
they choose to climb,' whether It Is one
that ascends In a business or profes
\u25a0lonal career.' Among: just r such men
the -world counts many failures. And
why? Men themselves must -answer
the question, ttere Is i the opinion of a
man who Knows ijothlnß; but; success.
Victor Herbert, whose reputation as
a musical composer -and leader rank!
him «monffth* great successes of the
day, modestly admits that he haa never
made a faHure' of anythinjr^ he "under
took in his ar^t, therefor* his vlewg are •
worth- something. And; th«n : hi ha*
come In contact with geniuses and with
failure*, and wha would know better
than he If geniuses, ; &r Judge Turgee
said.rare cut out for failures In certain^
walks in life? »
"There ar6;two reasons why I have
not made a failure ;" of life,'! eald \ Mr.
Ilerbert, "and I assume that a' man
who ; makes \u25a0a , good living, .whose ere- "
atlve powers ; bring : him honor, glory
and friends,, is a success/ and these two
reasons are that ' I had an : ; excellent^
education and \ the'; best mother; in ' thai
world. : .With such -an': equipment; any
man 'of Intelligence ought -to- be able ;
to achieve «ucceas" in \anything he -seta \
out /to do^ Good ; ; heart \u25a0straining- do«s
more to start a boy jrighCto'gly^jhinv
high Ideals .and j the strength ; and de-
Bire to live up to" them,^ than : anything :
else ffi;th« 4 world.^l^ls(« ! ar«;m6n' % who^
have succeeded without havlngVenjoyfed \u25a0
thl« ; tralningVr but jif • they { had 7it";
they might ''..bave-.bien":; even^^ "greater?
than .-.they/ ytw<^':i;.\. ', .-'-.-\u25a0 _\u25a0 ,' ." "
VA'good education Is one of the most;
Important foundations for, success. Give;
a boy the | very' best he can "get ; and;
then he will be . able to take^ his place
In any professkm or art he may choose.
With myself I firmly .believe that |
wouidhave succeeded .if I had become
a physician or a lawyer. Speaking can
didly, I never thought of anything else
than success in connection with myself.
I think that people -ire' born with \tne
power to succeed \u25a0\u25a0\u25a0 of; fail, Some have
to "_ work much harder,, than others and
much longer ; ' some have greater obsta
cles to surmount than' many of ' their
fellow men; some attain success fairly
early in life while to "others It \ comes
later;, but^the man who 1» bornwith a
determination /\u25a0 to ;f succeed ': and* . never
looks . upon himself as any \u25a0thin* 1««*
than & success will succeed, •ometiines,
too, despite a lack of, homo [training
and higher education. These men are
rare, however;; inj thlsV **•/ Of } •ducaV.'
tional advantages where It is possible
for everybody jto ; acquire knowledge", ft ,
"A man cannot be a musician of hish
rank or' a painter of •tanding: Just be
cause he has . had good . horn* training
and ' the beat 'education his country
afforded; 'There '\u25a0 i»j something •; within
himself .which determines the art or
profession to which he is Co devote his
llf e, : »nd '( wh'tn^ hi^_ has decided i upon
what career he is to follow nothing but
ill health, perhaps, should stamp him a
failure. /-Character? is avblg factor ; in
the; equation ; of < success. : Weak char*
actersj never get ; beyond the point of
being medlocr*.' \ Only, ,*tronir charac
ters really succeed. ?s A man , rrouts t pbs-
Bess •" p*niev«raiicW,; determination "| and
»"' U"V«1 ! he*4 It h* 'winj ts to b«'£nythin«
tiuVa'faUure'.lThVre ar« •ottie men who
cannot stand success.; I havi ««ea^many,
of them •In ray % time, ; and "they .'havd
eery'ed .<£»; ft warning to ni* )<] One little
success has turned their heads ; so'com
pletily^that t^alr ; future tuu) been^utt
terlyJ^olled^^lnsteadi;6^ri«itingYon«
success ~l.&o'i th_at'. : - a man . should keep
perf ectly : \u25a0 st« Wyjandjipian ', to jmake • that
success ' : but f a*j stepping ; stone to t th»
\u25a0greater After.-; -;"a";i" : succ«ss<ui
striki ;a I man ; cannot afford^ i to
sit back and rest; on -his lau^
rel«. \u25a0:, Competition : today , is too
keen to. allow him to do X that, and,
besides, there are men close at his heels
ready to step Into his shoes; if he sits
down to rest. Look at the novelists,
playwright*?, composers, lawyers,
financier*, physicians or any represen
tative of the arts and professions who
follow; a great success by. a failure. '• ''It
is th« failure that Is remembered -and
heldj^up against them to take . away
BotAaot :the glory of. their success un
til they have achieved another. '/"•_
*'So»you see.'to escape failure in- the
end one must work hard. .;' Bpas"modlc
work does not count for much' in the
lon gj run-; To accomplish teal "rfesults
one must have untiriosr eherffy and ap
plication, and, above all, he; must; not
besatlsfled with the .'well 'enough.*'/ Ha
mu«tb« determined to excel "othersaijd
hittisell! and must bend all his energies
toward th« aocVnipHshment ;of \u25a0 • this.
Tlifto will he do "; hi* best, wbrki and to
him will come euecejfa.^hil^ ; thoia whd
*«^lHn«-tofr^U^th«lr a en^rgleßJb^'
cause other* are]Jpiea«*d
they have accompllßhed will bo classed,
eventually, amohglthe failures^iri' life."
, -V'What about geniuses; are* they suc
cesses or failures rv wai asked.
. "In the musical -.world \u25a0 gfniußes are
rare. 1 They do' not always ' succeed,
In a worldly way, perhaps 'because they
ftr«; »o rare that vitftak'asjtha world
80X ?,* : time to understand • them. v ßee
thovan, Mosartp and . SchubWrt V ';were
geniuses Wagner" was, not^i. genius
*.*.".. * hat *9ns», : the grtatnesii O f h hi»
work*, being th ft f result; of ;an •:extra-:: extra- :
d !?* r y combination" of S intellectual
ftcd^tnußieal train in 'k'X;'H:'/^\ : V; '
There- is another^wan;.;!whb:';is'ad
mlrably qual l fl e a * to^ til k", abb u it; the men
trho^fali and* thi!men;^ho : aucceed: In
'X*- H * l « one who rnlk<^ at business
\u2666« well as a; pieaiure'^f it^Wflgiphysl':.
**L. an . < ? men t ai w r ecks 'b f manhobd and
«ystematioaily an dBC i 6n tlflcallyirestor
ing, them to: good? health, good spirits
and «.eat,i <bal . BjM . l» a word, he en
deayora to prevent- men from making: \
fall urea . ; of \u25a0 their lives. William Mul- .'
dopn, v or \u25a0 "Professor" Muldoon, as his i
patrons call 'him,* has saved* many ,-a "
youth from' starting'on .the. road that,
.ends. In failure, and he has,' rescued ,
older men ' from disaster.' , His •
sanitarium lias seen many a threatened
failure * turned * Into a success. So Mr.
'Muldoon must know the causes of fail
ure In'life.' ' . . * . /'\u25a0'. ' \u25a0 '
•*•\u25a0.'\u25a0• "To - what\do ; Iv attribute failure -In
life?'!- said Mr. Muldoon. "To rum and
. tobacco, Uhough .- j there \u25a0\u25a0, ; are V several ;
other causes ; but ' these/ are the most
-important V and the, hardest .to ? fight
against. -'.The use.of 'rum' and tobacco
has already spoiled . the "future \u25a0;proa^.-V
pects or many bright young men, and
unless/ a- halt r is" called - in; this rapidly
;gVowlng habit "America, will bo 'pro- i
i duclng:- nothing but", failure* .'\u25a0"." Middle- 7
; aged l men : and : men' -who have v already i
reared . families - whose . maid members ;
are now; launched on- th«ir- careers*; do!
.not .belone: to this \u25a0 class of failures. If
these men collapse mentally or physical- ;
.ly for,- find themselves unequal • to 'going '\u25a0(*
; ori \u25a0 with . the , fight : It is from strain" and ;
too close, attention to their, business ?
affairs. Sueh s men are not * failures. '. But {
the youth who , Is, just starting Tout in
llfe-^-not where - his L father, began, ; for
he r began ;at the bottom, and- worked
Ills way up^thls glided ;youth;wh v o be
gins /.the fight -with .(every . advantage:;
that wealth: and poaltlon can i give, nine
; times "out ; of ten yvi^V be i . f orced V\io' give
/up] the -fight ;or will : dojsb voluntarily
'^because 1 : lie: .hajs,;: with rhls.vile\h£iblts,"»
'_ rhad e h I rnsel f •\u25a0' incapab 1 c o tj s ucceed ing:
or because he . has* hot enough" prido "•
and spirit to w;arit" the' honor, and • glory £
and pleasure -that come Jwith - success! .
"Success " means -, having v good :, judg
ment. The generahwho leads^hls arniy
to victory , does .so \% not^ because | he \\s : a i
better ;,; fighter or: a'' stronger jmanj'than^
Lhlsf enemy, but because f he , possesses
< good ? judgment. \u25a0 The business man '.who ;'
iamasse's^ millions and'thellawyertwSof
j mounts u to 'the -\very vtop s of ; the^pro-\;
and while It , lasted if was faithful in Its friendship and
\u25a0\u25a0i* never, left: mo for; a moment'-''.' *'
isWell, I reached liom©,°and iso did the, bbii,l arid the mo'rn
vlnff after. that, the only, solidVfocKl I could cat was mush
;and miik»; and I had^to suck.that throusli a straw. All
-that day the boll kept getting hotter and hotter." I don't
.' know ' how hot it got, "for I ;^was af rWcT to ; put a' thermo
meter to it, for fear the thermometer :would [melt, but it got
so hot that I couldn't^erijoy-the prominence; it gave me in'
tha community. It iwashdt^air through, and red on top,
and'amootn and ilossV. and acl)lnc and ansry and uncom
] f ortablo. ? And \u25a0 It :. kept getting - hotter . and redder and
• smoother and'more full of acho and angrier and more un
comfortable,^ and it <3id not show any morV signs of . ap
proaching a crisis than It had over shown, and at tho'rato
\u25a0It /was crowing I was afraid that by morning it would bo
so big that it would bo just ono- big 'mountain' of boil ami
•that I would. be' only: a- few incidental legs and arms and
: things ; attached/ fl> it. v;. 1 '//:/. '\u25a0\u25a0'\u25a0 "-' •.
So, then, my mother came to the rescue. She said she
knew,. how,. hard tt was; to keep a poultice- on' a boll that Is
/located just where the' sweet smile ; starts to. wander
I blithely fromHhe.«corncr of the mouth,! and that while ;i
•flaxsced' poultice .was & good drawer and' would draw tho
/llfe'out of most any. boll,: it .would be Hard for a person to
breath* when his f ace ,was, buried in a large^warm poultice
of that' kind, but '.thatfshe ;had road that when a person
; had a boll on the face" the best kind of a- poultice was ono
: of honey and floor. r.The flour, would do all the drawhiff
.necessary,: and -rth* honey; would make .the flour stick
-where it belonged. So^she mixed up a poultice of equal
/parts of flour, and ;; honey, > and made a sort of ball of it
: and" put It on "the boiLv It felt cool, and comforting and
she tied an old pillow case 'loosely- around my head, just
; to help the honey, hold' the flour In place, and I went to
bed and to sleep. \ ; .\u25a0; •..' \u25a0 \u25a0-\u25a0 . '-.' \u25a0
.One thing I, hate .about most poultices and plasters is
that about the time you get nicely asleep they begin to Ket
awako and insist that yeni get up and keep them company.
A' mustard plaster Is , that v way.: So .is shoemaker's wax
on a boil, but honey and flour are not that way. They are
.gentle. I kndw that, because I slept all that night liko an
innocent lamb, and It was a hot night, too. I don't remem
ber a hotter night. But I did not even dream "of that
plaster. : ' L \u25a0\u25a0\u25a0 \u25a0 •; " v \u0084 \u25a0- . .- \u25a0 !:\u25a0•'
I imagine it' was a good thing that It was a hot nights
\u25a0If It had been ,rery coW that honey and flour might hay©
got s> hard 'that it would have been necessary to take ft
chisel and mallet and chip them oft In bits.": But it was next
so. .When I. awakened It'was with a dim Idea that I had !
turned into a duck and that I. was webfooted. I could
, not get my toes apart. ' I, sat up in bed with a start and
looked 'at my. toes, and gave a nigh of relief. I was not
a duck.'. !\u25a0 was not webfooted. , It was, nothing^ but honey
and flour that glued ray, toes together. So I pried my
flngeis apart-^they were stuck together with honey and
flour— and 'got out. of ; bed~and the sheet came with me,
but I was glad of that, for when I pulled it off some of
the. honey 'and flour, that; had; worked up around urftler my .
back came ' Off It— and then I sneezed once or twice,
to.'g«tssome.iof the .horiey; and .flour, out of my nose, and
; scraped "some j of , the honey/ and ; flour out of <my eara, so
: that I could : hear. if . any; one answered .when I called down
for hot water, "and while I was waiting for the hot wafer li
\u25a0 combed^a' few. chunks of. ? the honey and flour out of my.
hair, and I "scrap«d'as much off ; my chest as I could with
/thO;back'''ofUhe;Comb}-:7L-^;^^v-5,'/'; : >;,v^",:V'
When, the rat the f 6oor . with the hot
water, Iftriedito;'g6*to;get;it,"tbut?lI f triedito;'g6*to;get;it,"tbut?I had; toi'pry; my feet
. Idoseffrom 'the, matting/flrst," because the honey anj flour
» had/gluedf m« l thcre^ and : ; l \ could \ hardly jmove .'my arms,'
'.becauselsoj much \ honeyj^and* ffpur,J had ' around s
,: there. sjyotf &i*pimau*f*l«raln' «f -wheat ion-*
-." aiui.".what ti,wasn' t Ton • mcl was £ conscientiously, } dlstrijbut ed ;
over^ the - bed. "; For .weeks i after, that I^Kept^ findlngf littlQ>
•~»wrp^»«»«i : tnth©' way of ; honey, and" floury about»;the .roonxrt
.It is;wonderful aotr*«L».»jitUOihox»«yoi»d"nour,wiirgo:on'
iavwarrnvnlghUV: ? : : ,\<y;?.~, \ ; :.Vw«;;:-! \u25a0' \u25a0" '\u25a0-\u25a0;<:'"":."\u25a0 -•\u25a0";'•./ \u25a0\u25a0-•'•'\u25a0• :=.-/
:: \u25a0 ? But; It fixed that -boil all right tf; It couldn't help but ' flxT
that : boll. If ithat \u25a0 boll; had>been\ migratory In! lts ' habits
v and" had ; skipped around :*f rom ; , spot fto I spot it / could > not
' have ; escaped that - honey i and/, flour.. Maybe 'it was V ml-"
- gratory, j and • did skip r . around. ',1 If It * did ;it '\u25a0:. did no good. ;
: fori: the hoiiey : : and. flour^" went farther* ; and faster and
• caught it at laat."- If ; : the i'.bOll' had -, Jumped over to/ my
psychic -entity -.the honey';- and" flour would .have chased it
there. And"; would have \ caught it. ; ' - -
-Honey- and flour is thei-best boll cure. .' l know, for I
have .tested' it. /And ; so ' economical. ' VWhy, less than -a .
I handful of honey ; and , flour 'cured " that boll of mine, and '.
1 {I^ere iwas enough honey and flour : left the next | momlng>
Ito cure a million j other boils. , ; A boll has no chance | against
it. If the. boll. emigrates the poultice will; go right along:
with it.: r And an; amateur " at-, applying . poultices -can use
it as well as a professional,; for If the poultice is^not put
;on the right spot it 'will get up and move around. until it
is on .the* right -spot. ./ : - / : . ' "
"That was ;the last boill had. . I am not sure-— because
\u25a0 ; I /am ' not >a \ medical student and don't pretend . to a • deep
knowledge of such.thlngs-r-but : I think. the reason I have
never -. had ; any more -bolls { Is that the honey/ and : flour
poultice' got so thoroughly spread over me,*; and' so thor
oughly .worked irijto. my system, that* no* boll has. ever had
• the \u25a0 courage to try -to get a", foothold on • me. . - ; ,-" \u25a0 ,
fession do so not because they have
had a better start than som« other men
or because they have been better,"edu
cated, but because they have possessed j
good -judgment and have made good,
use of their accomplishments. 'It ; is
this quality of, good judgment which:
makes for success In life, and the lack
of; which' stands for failure. Without
it no man, however' well he may be
physically and mentally "equipped other
wise, can hope to be anything but a
failure.* V . - \./
. "But good Judgment cannot stand the
strain : of continued use of whisky ; and ;
tobacco. -The man\who starts" out thus ;
equipped must refrain 'from these perf
nlcious habits if he wishes \ to keep his
judgment' unimpaired. ' . He has no
greater foe than whisky and cigarettes. .
I " know ;.\u25a0 the destructive properties \u25a0; of
both, and 1 1 speak with the knowledge
HOW WE CAN AID THE POSTMAN
EVERY civilized person \u25a0: uses "the
!\u25a0 mails; yet it Is safe to say that
; "In no; common every day utility
: ;. are '.more 'mistakes /made. The
amount of ."nixie" matter, at: the" postof-,
flee proves this.? A.little. little i care,' a little at
tention Jto'Jpostali laws i and the use; of
common; sense -.will ," prove ' : beneficial;. In
sending -mail '; matter '•; and v insure 7. its
safety. ;. ;; " Letters IJ-!con tuining V naohe'y;
notrs * mortgages and deeds s should ' al
ways lie :registered;;alsolpackages;conT"
tafninVfJeWclr^^LThocbst^ofiregistra-'
tionl Is height'; cents; in- additlon,;to, i: the
regulai^postagf};r.Tlve , Cjf overnrhen X [ pays
an indemnity; tori loss -of; rcgistcredilet
ters I and t nowaday b\ they,- are i considered
as > safe : as J express.';v',Thirty 5 years? ago
the " registry/! system ; was in X such % bad
repute * that f itjtwas X said ', to 'I register^ a
letter/slmply|Tnea.ntithat:the;post'oflice
clerk^tvasJinvltedVtoltakeht.'. Unfortu
nately,"j thiB"i bad still -lingers
in'some'-lbcallties.^butjasialmatteriof
t 'actHheTsy^temJis.'gd. perfected: that' ab
solute iEafiety.'isVguarariteed."; 'In' casojof
loBsJthe";Post6ffico"!Department > -wiir.pay
an L^indemril ty ;^; f orlg registered letters
mailed (at % and j add ressed ;, to :' a . Uhi ted
States r postofflce not :to^exceed' the. value
jof:£the| i contents-*upVt6 ;; ,S2S; r :- 'J-Ir.-^.V: '.
g^'AdyeftJsing|j cards. ;- maps," calendars
and circulars : Should: be mailed flati and
The Saiu Francisco Sunday Call.
of long and ':. careful study of men of
every age f and condition. Better } men
than I have preached against cigarette
smoking, "a/id apparently wtth no bet
ter . results, for I am convinced that the
habit is growing at an overwhelming
pace, threatening the future of the race.
"The young man of today is so swal
lowed; up In self-conceit that no \u25a0 other
side of his /character has a chance to
develop, lie is 80 per cent self-conceit,
and the remaining 20 per; cent is self
reliance.. llow;can such, an Insignifi
cant, amount <of the stuff ? that makes
men of them hope to count when their
self-conceit is so overwhelming? Self
reliance -is an admirable thing, and
every manly man has plenty; of ; it in
his make-up. But if ho has ( not enough
of ; iit to help him \to avoid constant
smoking and drinking there is lib help
for him." ,',>'
never: rolled,'...unless*. absolutely., neces- ~
sarjv. ItJ;ruiris. pictures, to roll (them, "
but : there : are > other prati tical \ reasons. *
A idetter -carrier : likes to .arrange' his
addresses fall one.wayi in \u25a0 the order of v
his : router,: He can \u25a0, easily .do ,this : if he
has- flat-J packages; but a ; dozen or : a
;hundred> small\rolis , in ' his. pack, will
ihean \ t hat ; he \u25a0 ! mus t; handle I them separ- J,
ately^and [ go through \liis""ibaff. ; to assort
F them? at; every ' place; where ho !; makes \
a(.; delivery. *.'\u25a0 A':, little forethought in
. regard "to : these "; things will) prevent \m- ;
necessary n.work sin ithoYpostal.TserviccJ.
A^case \u25a0 has ijustlieen: sent] to Post-"
office^ Department-j at . .Washington ; for
settleme'nt/AfA^ sh'oe.'inanufacturer in a
! large : place'serit' out T cards ', with" leather,
rmedals> attached bearing his -signature.
~ \u25a0 The c^ medals -,^ere 3." fastened ... to ! the
' cards iby^J means ;bf [;< strings "/arid; '.- when"
the r pbstmeni began >'to;deli\-er 7 thein the
strings so ':. tangled : with the
other y mail:. that they .Cdund It -Vfould
take i hours ; to > extricate' them." ';? In the -
dilemma^ they;' tookft he" cards ,back^to
'.the;postoffice,\wh6feja consultation': wa9 ;
;held.*^TheVsender .luss^-ted theyioufj'^l
! to )i be j% but i. the r matter w-?S^
' settl ed ? by/ an .appeal 'to -Washington; /
where'it'-.was: decreed that asHhe^maiii
'. had Jnot ' been'f serit^ in ; a manner * wHich^
rendered^ it "i easry^ of -delivery,: it -need \u25a0.
not^be "delivered; v^T \u25a0', \u25a0,\u25a0 l[ " -'"'.' i; •