Tense is the distinction of time, and consists of six divisions, namely,
the Present, the Imperfect, the Perfect, the Pluperfect, and the First
and Second Future Tenses.
Time is also distinguished by a fore-lock, scythe, and hour-glass; but
the youthful reader must bear in mind, that these things are not to be
confounded with tenses.
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The {056}Present Tense, as its name implies, represents an action or
event occurring at the present time: as "I lament; rogues prosper; the
mob rules."
The Imperfect Tense represents a past action or event, but which, like a
mutton chop, may be either thoroughly done, or not thoroughly done; were
it _meet_, we should say, _under-done_: as,
"When I was a little boy some fifteen years ago,
My mammy doted on me--Lork! she made me quite a show."
"When our reporter left, the Honorable Gentleman was still on his legs."
The legs of most "Honorable Gentlemen" must be tolerably stout ones;
for the "majority" do not stand on trifles. However, we are not going
to commit ourselves, like some folks, nor to get committed, like other
folks; so we will leave "Honorable Gentlemen" to manage matters their
own way.
The Perfect Tense declares a thing to have been done at some time,
though an indefinite one, antecedent to the present time. That, however,
which the Perfect Tense represents as done, is completely, or, as we
say of a green one, when he is humbugged by the thimble-rig people,
regularly done; as, "I have been out on the river."
"I have caught a crab." Catching a crab is a thing regularly (in another
sense than completely) done, when civic swains pull young ladies up
to Richmond. We beg to inform persons unacquainted with aquatic
phraseology, that "pulling up" young ladies, or others, is a very
different thing from "pulling up" an omnibus conductor or a cabman.
What an equivocal language is ours! How much less agreeable {057}to be
"pulled up" at the Police office than to be "pulled up" in a row-boat!
how wide the discrepancy between "pulling up" radishes and "pulling up"
horses!
The Pluperfect Tense represents a thing as doubly past; that is, as past
previously to some other point of time also past; as, "I fell in love
before I _had arrived_ at years of discretion."
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The First Future Tense represents the action as yet to come, either at
a certain or an uncertain time; as, "The tailor _will send_ my coat home
to-morrow; and when I find it perfectly convenient, I _shall pay_ him."
The Second Future intimates that the action will be completed {058}at
or before the time of another future action or event; as, "I wonder how
many conquests I _shall have made_ by to-morrow morning."
N. B. One ball is often the means of killing a great many people.
The consideration of the tenses suggests various moral reflections to
the thinking mind. A couple of examples will perhaps suffice;--
1. _Present_, though moderate fruition, is preferable to splendid, but
contingent futurity; i. e. A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
2. _Imperfect_ nutrition is less to be deprecated than privation of
aliment;--a new way of putting an old proverb, which we need not again
insert, respecting half a loaf.