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Brier-Patch Philosophy
Excerpt from Brier-Patch Philosophy
Why thou wert there, 0 rival of the rose? I never thought to ask. I never knew; But, in my simple ignorance, suppose The selfsame Power that brought me there brought you.
If we find some of these views at variance or even in direct contrast with our own, that is prob ably because we learn chiefly from life itself, and the Rabbit's life is more simple and artless than ours. As he says himself, he prefers going bare foot to wearing uncomfortable shoes; to get quickly at the crisp heart of a carrot, rather than rasp his tongue over the dry husk or the peppery top; and to be in harmony with the brier patch as it is, rather than be perpetually fretted because he cannot understand why it should not be otherwise.
He has learned in the brier patch that a mercy may be none the less merciful because it happens to be pointed and to require careful handling. If he sometimes amuses himself with the scientists and psychologists who think they know all about his mental processes, and pokes fun at our cher ished habits, and finds entertainment even in the mighty hunters who kill a little thing with a big gun and then discourse earnestly of the manly virtuous quality of their recreation, that is because he has made the curious discovery that men are often most amusing when they take themselves most seriously. With humor a rabbit may hope to investigate even human society and' keep his men tal balance; without it he tumbles into the depths with Schopenhauer and finds no good in anything. It is a rule, in the brier patch, to smile when tears or impotent curses are the only possible alterna tive; and any woman who has passed thirty, if you can ever again get her '0 say what she thinks, will tell you that this is excellent philosophy.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
Why thou wert there, 0 rival of the rose? I never thought to ask. I never knew; But, in my simple ignorance, suppose The selfsame Power that brought me there brought you.
If we find some of these views at variance or even in direct contrast with our own, that is prob ably because we learn chiefly from life itself, and the Rabbit's life is more simple and artless than ours. As he says himself, he prefers going bare foot to wearing uncomfortable shoes; to get quickly at the crisp heart of a carrot, rather than rasp his tongue over the dry husk or the peppery top; and to be in harmony with the brier patch as it is, rather than be perpetually fretted because he cannot understand why it should not be otherwise.
He has learned in the brier patch that a mercy may be none the less merciful because it happens to be pointed and to require careful handling. If he sometimes amuses himself with the scientists and psychologists who think they know all about his mental processes, and pokes fun at our cher ished habits, and finds entertainment even in the mighty hunters who kill a little thing with a big gun and then discourse earnestly of the manly virtuous quality of their recreation, that is because he has made the curious discovery that men are often most amusing when they take themselves most seriously. With humor a rabbit may hope to investigate even human society and' keep his men tal balance; without it he tumbles into the depths with Schopenhauer and finds no good in anything. It is a rule, in the brier patch, to smile when tears or impotent curses are the only possible alterna tive; and any woman who has passed thirty, if you can ever again get her '0 say what she thinks, will tell you that this is excellent philosophy.
About the Publisher
Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.
320 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1906
5 people want to read
About the author
William Joseph Long
73 books10 followersWilliam Joseph Long (1867-1952) was an American writer, naturalist and minister. He lived and worked in Stamford, Connecticut as a minister of the First Congregationalist Church.
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