Sentiment and Humour.

Otago Witness, Issue 1418, 25 January 1879, Page 21

Sentiment and Humour.

0 If you would rise in the world, you must not stop to kick at every cur who barks at you as you pass along. If those who are the enemies of innocent amusement had the direction of the world, they would take away spring and youth— the former from the year, and the latter from human life. — Balzac. Father, to sleepy boy — " Come, James, you ought to be up with the lark on such a beautiful morning." Matter-of fact Boy— " That's all right ; how'm I going to get up there ?" " Auntie, did you ever see a little flicky-bird lift up its tail and sin;??" "Yes, dear." "Where!" "In the wood." "What wood?" "Our wood." "Was Mr M'Dermot with you ?" " Silence, you little wretch." " Oh, granny !" cried little Tommy at the top of his voice, " I just seen the biggest ant ! It couldn't begin to git inter that door." Granny was duly excited, but not so much as when Johnny told her it was an eleph-ant. " Oh, mother, I don't want to go to school to day, I've got such a bad pain in my head/ " Very well, you shall stay at home and take some physic." " Oh, it don't matter ; I'll go, then ; I've got the pain, but it doesn't hurt a bit." A lifcble girl who resides on the hill said last night after a swallow of strong catnip tea, and after her parent had vainly importuned her to take some more, " No, mamma ; one svrallow's good as Borne more." There is nothing men are more deficient in than knowing their own characters. We spend a great deal of time in learning useless things, but take no pains in the study of ourselves, and in opening the folds and doubles of the heait. Dreaming ia the holiday of the imagination. By day the volition controls the fancy, but in sleep the imagination is absolutely unfettered, free, owning no master. And thus free it revels in its liberty, an irresponsible libertine, playing strange, fanciful, fantastic tricks — literally infinite in its resources and variety. The New York Sun decides that tho husband ought to get up in the morning and make the fire, and if the Sun is able to make the husband do it, there will be a revolution in society. Nobody will have any breakfast much before noou.