The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1838-03-13
HaESCEFlLANsl0U$.
FL ON the .Ncao Yogh Daily .4deortiser ana
LIFE IN NEW YORK.

man unused 10 / large CITY Is, now so large Il
hubnber OF inhabitants can manage to pick up
Nkving existing, as many OF them appear to-
by eating each other up, somewhat after the
manner of the Kilkenny cats OF the whole
ten thousand eXpedemts rcsorted to, one motive
seems to govern all actions, and that isto en- Joy
as many benefits as possible by contributing the
smallest degree of labor. While it is the easiest
thngin the world for men of peculiar capacities
10 get rich, to others it is the most difficult
thing to get bread. The former dashes through
all obstacles, srrlnounts every difficulty, and
overwhems al! opposition, till he has attained
his object while the other only grubs, as it were,
through life, content with any mode of livelihood
that will satisfy his animal passions. Or, as Byron
has happily described the existence Of man. it is
ga fierce contest betwixt
Base wants and lofty will"
The population Of this city is not much short
of 100000 souls, or 10000 families, the heads of
which, with the exception ola very few individu-
ais have recourse to their aptS for the daily sus-
tenance of their dependents. Every man, high
or low, other than the cultvators Of the earth,
lives by his wits, and every other means resorted
to for II livelihood are mere eXpedients or substi-
tutes rendered necessary, it is very true, by the
usages of society," and requiring generally de-
gree of labor equal to that of the husbandman
and often surprising it. But 20 live by ones wits
one must have something of stock in trade to
set up upon and where a0itS are the stock in
trade, it is very natural that business should be
divided into great many branches, rs it is in
city. Some taking to merchandise some TO
l0Gtng, some 10 writing, some to begging, some
10 "going out to days work done here" and
others TO courts and couring,-to the Eie3p
Fdcids, and Cdpios sati$Eaciendum
Itis notunprofab!e now and then to cast ones
horoscope abroad over ones city, and TO see how
many people cyist,--fur which purpose we have
prepared the following article pom life in circles
but little known even TO New Workers them
selves.
Pat Waters was landed at the foot Of Rector
Just after the late war, destitute aud penniless,
withouta tarthug in his pocket or friend in the
country.
lie commenced by picking up ali manner of
bones and pieces Of meat around the markets
and in the streets which he boiled out The fat
extracted in this way he sold to the soap boilers,
and the bones TO the button makers, until he rails
cd the means of buying litter of pigs, which
he fed upon The liquor in which the bones had
been boiled, with the addition OF such articles
of garbage he could fall in with among tue
huXters in the market. BY the proceeds Of his
bones, tat, and pigs, he became enabled in time
to purchase cart with which he monopolzed
all the swl Of large borhood-eXtended
his pork factory, shipped his bones to Europe,
where he met with ready sale--but Il large
establishment out Of town, where he carried on
his business, and in the course of few years
anlassed an Independent fortune. Thousands
since his time have followed the same pursuit,
but competition has unfortunately divided the
profits into too many hands to enable his success
sors to retire with the same success.
Store sWeepings and street 2eanings of every
description if they have not founded many for
tunes, have been the means of feeding many Il
hungry mouth. An observer would be surprised
at the large amount Of rubbish, seemingly of no
value, that is picked up, assorted, and systematic
cally disposed Of by the various degrees oc chif-
JonierS, and kennel scrapers, who arc constantly
on the alert with their bags and baskets parlictI-
in no in n oil
paper, metals, broken glass, bones, coal cinders |
&c. for all of which they find ready purchasers
IN the variousjunk shops, and factories, in the city
But by far the most numerous and at the same
slime most interchangeable oilers are the various
glasses of mendicants. From the squalid street
Deggar up to the fashionable borrower not one
OF them solicits for the mere necessities Of nature
hut all, more or less make mendcity matter of
trade or speculation.
Cold victuas, which is frequently implored
from the charitable housekeeper in accents of
the deepest dependency, and accepted with de-
monsraons ofthe most profound humility and
gratitude, are also converted into merclantabe |
ortcles-the fat pieces are selected out TO under
80 The process of the try kettle the vegetables
are culled out to feed hogs, and the daintier bits
OF fish, flesh and fowl, are sold to the keepers of
boarding houses, and cook shops ut the Five
FONTS, at the foot Of Dover street, up to the Hook
ana other places Of similar reputation. The |
amount thus disposed of is incalculable. The
persons who traffic in this way prepare their
chlldreh IKE actors for the various parts they
have to play. The smallest with baskets and
bags, dressed in tattered garments are despatched
to solicit broken viands from door to door: the
big boys prowl about the wharves, samping cof
fee bags, sugar h0gsheads, tea boxes cotton bales,
Nc; the girls each take an infant by the hand !;
the mother borrows sick baby to excite The
Sympathies Of the humane, and scattering them
selves around the most frequentod parts Of the
city, with the most dooful expressions and the
most pitifu lamentations solicit charity from ev-
cry passenger The father of this interesting
ness or blindness or nf1licts His limbs viii, frti.
.lous ulcers to excite pity and oxort a charitable
Tloute from the way-iuircr; and after having
disposed of the products accumulated in their