62 MR. ANY-TIME THE SPANIARD. MR. ANY-TIME THE SPANIARD. By H. H. HAVE a friend whose reply generally is, when you ask him to doa thing: “Oh, yes, that can be done any time.” He is not in the least unwilling to do things. He is not obstinate about admitting that the things ought to be done, but his first instinctive impulse in regard to almost everything in life is to put it off a little. If you remonstrate with him, he has a most exas- perating proverb on his tongue’s end, and he is never tired of quoting it: “There is luck in leisure.” Do what you will, you can’t make him see that this proverb i is aimed at people who hurry unwisely ; not in the least at people who are simply prompt. As if headlong haste and quiet, energetic promptitade were in the least like each other. We call Mr, Any-Time the Spaniard, because it is well known that the Spaniard’s rule of life is, “‘ Never do to-day that which can be put off till to-morrow.” Even into the form of a historical proverb, the record of this national trait of the Spanish people had crys- tallized many years ago. Even the Spanish people themselves say sarcastically, “‘Succors of Spain: late or never.” But says Mr. Any-Time, “ What is the use of being in such a hurry? Oh, do be quiet, can’t you! Let’s take a little comfort ;” and then he settles back in his chair and looks at you with such a twinkle in his eyes that you half forgive him for his laziness. That is one thing to be said for lazy people. They are al- most always good-natured. Then we preach a little sermon to him, and the sermon has four heads; four good reasons why we ought to do things promptly. Firstly, we say to him, “How dost thou know, O lazy Spaniard, that thou canst do this thing at any other time than the present? Many things may pre- vent — sickness, thine own or thy friends’— business, forgetfulness, weather, climate; there is no counting up all the things which happen, and which hinder our doing the things we have planned to do, but have put off doing.” Secondly, “There is another truth, O lazy Mr. Any-Time, each day, each hour, each minute, has its own thing to be done —its own duty. If one single thing is put off, that thing will have to be crowded into the day, or the hour, or the minute which be- longed to something else ; and then neither thing will be well done. Thirdly, “If it can be done now; that alone is reason enough for doing it now; that alone is enough to prove that now is the natural time, the proper time for it. Everything has its own natu- ral time to.be done, just as flowers have their natural time to blossom, and fruits have their natural time to ripe and fall. : Just suppose for a minute that such things should get into the way of saying, “ Any time!” That the grains should say, “Oh, we can get ripe any day,” and should go on, putting it off and putting it off all through July and August, and September, and Ooto- ber; for when people once begin to put off, there ‘is no knowing what will stop them — until, all of a sudden, some day a sharp frost should come and kill every grass-blade throughout the country. What would we do for hay, then, I wonder! Why, half the poor horses and cows would starve, and all because the lazy grains said they could get ripe “ any time.” Suppose strawberries or apples should take it into their heads to say the same thing. Wouldn’t we get out of patience going, day after day, looking for some ripe enough to eat? And wouldn’t the summer be gone before they knew it? and all the time be wasted that the vines and the trees had spent putting out their leaves and blossoms, which had not come to fruit? And wouldn’t the whole world and every- body’s plan of living be thrown into confusion if such things were to happen? ? Luckily no such thing is possible in this orderly earth, which God has made with a fixed time for everything ; even for the blossoming of the tiniest little flower, and for the ripening of the smallest berry that was ever seen. Nobody ever heard the words “any time” from anything in this world except human beings. Fourthly, we say to our dear Spaniard, “ Things which are put off are very likely never to be done at