FURTHER EXPERIENCES OP MR. STALE. 
band’s word for it, you will be graciously receiTed. 
“ Graciously received ! ” some Young Ceylon’^ may 
exclaim ; we had no idea you were such a poor 
spirited fellow.” But just let me tell you, it often 
requires a great deal more spirit and pluck, to over- 
look and forgive “ a slight,” than to avenge one. 
So the result is, neither of you is asked, and you 
iit all that evening in your verandah, in the loung- 
ing chair with your feet up against the verandah post, 
smoking and gazing at the lights in your friend’s 
house, wondering what can be the reason he did not 
ask you, but you will serve him out for this cool 
trick, you won’t ask him any more, you will give 
up visiting him altogether, he has gone over to your 
adversary’s side. 
In every case of these district disputes, few can stand 
boldly up and say, I only am right, and my 
adversary utterly wrong.” Make up your mind ' to 
accept this as a truth, and then examine and find 
out the points on which you are wrong. Do this first, 
before hammering on his wrong point, for, if you are 
not wrong, the extreme probability is that you have 
been misunderstood, misrepresented. Go and call upon 
him; ten minutes’ conversation on the subject is better 
than ten letters. “ Quite true,” you will say, “but who 
is to call first?” That is always the sore point. Go 
yourself, and by this prompt and simple act you will 
afterwards find that, instead of humbling yourself 
before your enemy, it is you who have gained the 
victory, and he himself, although he does not acknowledge 
it, will inwardly feel that you have, because you have 
acted in a rational and reasonable manner, taken the 
first step, and so proved that you wish peace. 
No man can tell of any seed that it will grow, 
but if he sows plenty he may be pretty certain that 
some of it will sprout and come up, and when he 
sows he does not know what will not. Even amongst 
good seed, unknown to himself there may be lots of 
light seeds which will eventually give him trouble 
enough. But what man in his senses would ever sow 
the seeds of “ Spanish needle,” and white weed^’ ? 
And yet this is just what you do when you commence 
to gossip and tattle to the hurt of your neighbour. 
Let them alone : plenty of weeds and tattle will con- 
stantly spring up, without being sown, “ You can’t 
shut your ears, ” but you can keep your mouth shut ; 
if you not only shew no interest in the tale bearer’s 
tales, but tell him your mind on the subject, he will 
go to a more willing hearer. Tell him, if your friend 
got screwed in Kandy, as his friend, instead of 
publishing it throughout, he ought never to have 
mentioned the subject: his turn might come some day, 
