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THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



[November 



latter could have no existence, and life would 

 be without some of its choicest blessings — 

 the sweet sympaties of mutual love, and the 

 warm and t appreciating grasp of the hand 

 of friendship. 



A tree cannot flourish in an unfavorable 

 soil, however healthy the germ which the 

 seed encloses. So a man may be richly en- 

 dowed with natural talent, and yet. that tal- 

 ent will continue rudimentary, and ultimate- 

 ly become abortive through the long con- 

 tinuance of unfavorable circumstances. 

 These facts ought ever to be borne in mind, 

 if we would form a just appreciation of 

 others. The first duty which a man owes 

 to himself is to develop himself. Circum- 

 stances form character. "He that walketh 

 with wise men shall be wise, but a compan- 

 ion of fools shall be destroyed." There 

 must be an affinity for what is true and no- 

 ble, and then there will be progress. We 

 may extricate ourselves from an unfavorable 

 position. By honorable, right-angled or up- 

 right behaviour, we may awaken sympathy 

 in the bosom of the wise, the just and the 

 benevolent. We may impress them favora- 

 bly, and they will necessarily become our 

 friends. It is a law of Nature, that virtue 

 and integrity shall have their reward. Is 

 not this a plain indication of that pathway 

 through life over which men ought to tra- 

 vel? 



And let us never forget that we mutually 

 impress each other by every action of our 

 lives. If we violate a contract made with 

 another, we produce a bad impression, and 

 we injure not only the man but the commu- 

 nity. That unfavorable impression is re- 

 tained, and it may be a generous and confi- 

 ding man has been rendered, for life, penu- 

 rious and distrustful. But, if we keep our 

 contract, we produce a good impression, 

 which is quite as permanent, — the man has 

 confidence in us, and we impel him to in- 

 creased confidence in his species. He meets 

 us with a bright smile because we have done 

 well. If men only reflected thoroughly on 

 the power of external circumstances and in- 

 dividual laws of organization, they would 

 act with greater wisdom and justice toward 

 each other. : 



Far be it from me to insinuate in these 

 pages that man is ever carried to any line 

 of conduct by physical impulse or necessity. 

 If we suppose this, then man becomes a 

 mere machine; and no longer responsible 

 for his conduct, he is unworthy of either 



praise or blame. Virtue becomes a figment. 

 Every action of his life is the result of 

 choice, and that choice connects itself with 

 a degree of moral responsibility proportioned 

 to the extent of which he has a clear and 

 adequate perception of his obligations. The 

 very idea of virtue implies resistance to 

 temptation, and an enlightened and willing 

 fulfilment of duty. 



A Difficult Question Answered. 



" Can any reader of this paper," says an 

 exchange, " tell why, when Eve was manufac- 

 tured from one of Adam's ribs, a hired girl 

 wasn't made at the same time to wait on her ?" 



Fanny Fern says in reply : * 



" We can answer the question easily ! Be- 

 cause Adam never came whining to Eve with 

 a ragged stocking to be darned, a collar string 

 to be sewed on,, or a glove to be mended, 

 ' right away, quick now !" Because he never 

 read the newspapers until the sun got down 

 behind the palm trees, and then stretched him- 

 self, yawning out, 'Ain't supper most ready, 

 my dear ? Not he. He made the fire and 

 hung over the teakettle himself, we'll venture, 

 and pulled the radishes, and peeled the pota- 

 toes, and every thieg else that he'd ought to ! 

 He milked the cows, and fed the chickens, 

 and looked after the pigs himself. He never 

 brought home half a dozen friends to dinner, 

 when Eve had'nt any thing for dinner, and 

 the mango season was over ! He never staid 

 out until eleven o'clock to a ' ward meeting,' 

 hurrahing for the out and-out-candidate, and 

 then scolding because poor Eve was sitting 

 up and crying inside the gate. To be sure he 

 acted rather cowardly about the apple gather- 

 ing, but then that don't depreciate his general 

 usefulness about the garden ! He never played 

 billiards, nor drove fast horses, nor choked 

 Eve with cigar smoke ! He never loafed around 

 corner groceries while solitary Eve was rock- 

 ing little Cain's cradle at home. In short, he 

 did'nt think she was especially created for the 

 purpose of waiting on him, and wasn't under 

 the impression that it disgraced a man to 

 lighten his wife's care's a little. 



"That's the reason that Eve did not need a 

 hired girl, and we wish it was the reason that 

 none of her fair descendants did ! 



Lemon Pies. — Beat, with the yolk of 

 four eggs, two tablespoonsful of melted but- 

 ter, four of white sugar, the juice and 

 grated rind of two lemons. Put into a rich 

 paste and bake. Then beat the whites to a 

 froth, adding two tablespoonsful of grated 

 sugar. Spread on the pies when done, put 

 them in the oven and bake again for three 

 minutes. The above is for two pies. 



