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I did not proportion my religious things aright. The laird of Brea does not say in as many words that he was wise in the penny and foolish in the pound, but that is exactly what he means. Then, again, the narrowness, the partiality, the sickliness, and the squeamishness of our consciences, all that makes us to be too often penny-wise and pound-foolish in our religious life.
His habits were those of an aristocrat, not that he was expensive upon any particular point, for he dined and laughed over the pint of porter and the plate of beef from the cook's shop with perfect content and good appetite, but he could not adopt the penny-wise precautions of life.
'Never put off till to-morrow what you can do to-day' agrees ill with 'Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof'; and it is somewhat difficult to reconcile 'Take care of the pence, and the pounds will take care of themselves' with the equally familiar 'Penny-wise, pound-foolish. Yet the sayings are equally untrue; any maxim is, perforce, a general statement, and therefore fallacious, and therefore universally accepted.
But then that plaguy, jealous, suspicious, old vinegar-faced Honour, and her partner Pride as penny-wise and pound-foolish a she-skinflint as herself have the monopoly of the article. Aristophanes, in his comedy of "Peace," insinuates a beautiful allegory by only suffering that goddess, though in fact she is his heroine, to appear as a mute. She takes care never to open her lips.
Certainly they did their best to annex themselves to England, and to become loyal subjects of England's Elizabeth. But the Queen, besides other objections to the course proposed by the Provinces, thought that she could do a better thing in the way of mortgages. In this, perhaps, there was something of the penny-wise policy, which sprang from one great defect in her character.
But while those who treat literature in this penny-wise and virtue-foolish spirit are themselves truly in possession of a better light, it does not follow that the treatment is decent or improving, whether for themselves or others. To treat all subjects in the highest, the most honourable, and the pluckiest spirit, consistent with the fact, is the first duty of a writer.
Not a little, too, of Sir George's economy was of "the penny-wise and pound-foolish" kind.
Such spots form a sort of museum, only Nature does these things with a royal hand, and not in a penny-wise, showman fashion. A repulsive-looking creature which is made a source of profit abounds on this shore, a flat slug, five or six inches long. Next to the edible bird's nests, it is considered to be one of the greatest luxuries in their country.
For every great fire unearths the fact that there are always companies who will gladly accept premiums, often at surprisingly low rates, although they are only mildly addicted to the payment of losses. And every conflagration also uncovers the fact that there are many penny-wise citizens who purchase this class of indemnity.
But then that plaguy, jealous, suspicious, old vinegar-faced Honour, and her partner Pride as penny-wise and pound-foolish a she-skinflint as herself have the monopoly of the article. Aristophanes, in his comedy of "Peace," insinuates a beautiful allegory by only suffering that goddess, though in fact she is his heroine, to appear as a mute. She takes care never to open her lips.
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