THE INTELLIGENT YOUNG PLANTER. 
I did.” Although at the same time it must be added, 
he was evidently convinced his opinion was right and 
unasailable, and expected you to act upon it ; if you 
did n’t, but did otherwise, and still did not get out 
of your trouble, be ould look wisely, while talking 
with a friend, cutting! up his cavendish tobacco, and 
rubbing it up slov/ly between the palms of his hands, 
muttering bet een his teeth, clinched on his tobacco 
ihpe, “Just as I expected.” “I told him so.” ‘‘He 
would not take my advice.” But whether his advice 
was takm or not, it was perfectly evident he was fond 
of being consulted. It may be, that, although he would 
not admit it, he could not help feeling that he was 
getting into the quiet eddy, that the crowd was pass- 
ing him, and he was made light or little thought of ; 
in fact, that he began to feel himself “small,” and 
not the big man and great authority of the da37-s gone 
by. And a little consultation or deference paid to his 
opinion, whether acted upon or not, tended to please 
him, and lessen the feeling of smallness that was 
graduaily creeping over him. Old planters, don't be 
offended. The writer is an old planter too, and 
knov/s all about it. This sort of feeling is not 
con lined to old planters : it is to be found in the 
seniors of every profession. Not always, however. 
There are many exceptions, of which the Editors 
of the Observer are notable ones. They l?avealw£iys 
gone on with the stream and tide of improvements. 
More than gone on, they have led, or shown the way, 
-and sometimes even diverted the stream into a different 
channel, which turned out a better and shorter one 
than the original course ! This somewhat ludicrous 
sketch of the old planter may also serve as a warning 
to the younger ones. You can’t be alwa,ys young. 
If you remain in Ceylon either from choice or necessity, 
in course of time you wdll become an old planter also, 
but this does not involve the necessity of retaining 
old habits and customs, merely because they are old 
ones. The intelligent young planter has the prospect 
before him, if he has the power, of superseding old 
habits and customs by new ones, provided they are 
better, and can be proved to be better. No doubt, 
in all times and ages, every novelty or innovation 
which is or is supposed to be an improvement has 
had, and ever will have, much to contend against, 
but these very contentions which will engage it, if 
the improvement is a sound and correct one in prin- 
ciple, will tend to expose, confirm and consolidate 
the fact that this said improvement is an improve- 
ment. It is no use saying, as many do, that there 
can be no further improvement on an act, it is per- 
