and winter seasons -- he wouldn't have lived to waltz, or
toboggen, or suffer other civilized agonies. No, he would have
been a dead patriark. And better off so, I almost think.

Not but what I realize that civilization has its advantages. Not
but what I know that if Mr. Abraham wanted Miss Abraham to part
his hair straight, or clean off his phylackrity when she happened
to be out a pickin' up manny, he couldn't stand on one side of his
tent and telephone to bring her back, but had to yell at her.

And I realize fully that if one of his herd got strayed off into
another county, they hadn't no telegraf to head it off, but the
old man had to poke off through rain or sun, and hunt it up
himself. And he couldn't set down cross-legged in front of his
tent in the mornin', and read what happened on the other side of
the world, the evenin' before.

And I know that if he wanted to set down some news, they had to
kill a sheep, and spend several years a dressin' off the hide into
parchment -- and kill a goose, or chase it up till they wuz beat
out, for a goose-quill.

And then after about 20 years or so, they could put it down that
Miss Isaac had got a boy -- the boy, probably bein' a married man
himself and a father when the news of his birth wuz set down.

I realize this, and also the great fundimental fact that underlies
all philosophies, that you can't set down and stand up at the same
time -- and that no man, however pure and lofty his motives may
be, can't lean up against a barn door, and walk off simultanious.