Mar. 29, Tus piano tuner gave it his unbiassed opinion that the climate in Shanghaj had realy to do with deterioration of Pistnos than the way in which people treated them. "Take this one now", he said, laying his hand on the particular instrument which was engaging his attentions. As good as ever it was. I know one Indy with a piano of the same make but half the ago, and it's already going to pieces. She puts it right on top of the radiators When I told her she ought to move it, she said it would spoil the look of the room. What does she think it is—a piece of furniture? If people would only take a little care of their pianos, we shouldn't have the complaints we get about piano-manufacturers not making instruments like they used to do.
Such is the invariable burden of age's advice to youth—it people would only take care of things. Tt is the foundation of half our proverbs. A. stitch in time; take care of the pence and the, pounds will take care of themselves; si jeunesse savait, And the latter part of the sentence, si vieillesse pouvait—tor tauer really than the first, for youth knows a great deal more than it is usually credited with—shows for how little'the wis, dom of our seniors counts. Even when we do take care of things, it ie usually in the wrong way. What real use to us are the Crown Derby and Dresden that we put in glass cabinets, where we hardly ever look at theta? Our great-grandmothers, to whom they originally ber longed, used them to drink out of daily; but when breakfast of. tea.was finished, the same ladies pat-ona bib and tucker and washed all the china themselves. Plenty of beautiful things are made nowadays, but how many of.them, if they are in daily use, shall we band to our descendants?
Yet taking core of things the least applauded of the virtues. Of course anyone' who buys an expensive piano and, having any respect for music all, puts it where the wood will warp and the tone grow muy", is a lunatic. But pra human and rather repellant quality.' In the parable of the wise and foolish vie-gins, if it be not notunlly the foolish who command our sympathy, "the cold-blooded cavefulness of the wise puts them completely out of court. Anybody who thas earned a decent income since he went to work would probably be, at forty, within sight of a competence, if ho hnd always preferred a bus toa hansom, the pit to the stalls, and had never listened to the voice of the siren nor "look ed upon the bitter when it was brown." But how exceedingly unpopular he would have been youth and how deservedly. disliked in middle age. And there is another thought. Im In Fontaine's fable, it looks as if the grasshopper, "ayant chaute tout l'été,"" while the ant worked, wore in' for a bad time when the cold weather begins. But whet if the ant's savings bank breaks or her trustee skips to. Guatemala? She has not leven a happy summer to look Hback on.
'The: most' conspicuous example of not taking care of things, it might -eppenr, is China, "Phe Great Well, ons of the senders'
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.