Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1841-10-14
From, the " World Of London" IN Btockrood.
CONSOLATION OF POVERTY.

made available for steering successfully
through the rocky channels Of life, he can
not be overwhelmed. In The country, q
virulent lord, or spiteiul commoner, may
put man down; in town, no one man
can destroy another: the blessing here is,
that, let power, influence or authority, be
great as il may, the sphere where it is ex,
ercised is out Of all proportion greater !;
and in every case man of merit will,
sooner or later-we say sooner or later,
for it is altogether question of time-be
measured according TO his deserts. Lon
don is remarkable for setting an exact
value upon every thing; and whether in
brokers' shop, or the senate--whether
at an auction or the bar-whether in the
Prize ring or the pulpit-you will find
every article, animate or inanimate, tick.
eted as near as may be to his or its exact
value for the value OF thing is the mo.
ney it will bring.
To conclude, there is no greater adj
vantage to a man of humble fortune in
London, especially, if at the same time
he be man Of merit or education, than
the apparent equality Of condition desra.
BILE from that obscurity in which each in.
diyidual is enveloped, outwardly at least,
IN the immensely of London. Whatever
may be the differences in our social or
domestic position; whether we repose un-
der the roofs Of palaces, or enjoy slum.
Der broken by the tom cats caterwauling
ontside our garrett tiles; whether our peck.
e, book suffers under plethora Of bank
notes, or it 10 our worse luck to wander
along the street jinglne three half.pence
in the lining Of our breeches; whether we
are engaged to dine with Prince Albert at
the palace. or Duke Humphrey in the
park; whether we walk about in search
Of dinner or an appetite-fore CAD so
long as we are not out at toes or elbows;
so long as we can keep the nap on our
hat, the grease off our collar, and the
gloves on our fingers, we are equally ctl-
zens Of the great republic OF London
streets, and eligible with the frs, man in
town to the highest honors Of the pare.
Well, sir, and pray wha. more would you
have? Can the Duke Of Northumberland
eat more than halfa-pound of beef.steaks
at meal, or imbibe at draught more
than pot Of mild porter! Can Esterhazy
wea more than shirt at time, though
he may have dozens in his wardrobe?
Could D'Orsay himself venture to sport
three hats, one on the top of the other.
like our friend Peter in the Tale of a TUT?
Can Cecil forester put on more than
pair OF primrose kids in the forenoon, and
another in the evening!
Contemplate, then, with the spectacles
of good humored contentment, how arti-
ficlal and extrinsic 10 happiness are the
super1uties Of this life: thanks to q dis.
corning public, we can command, while
Heaven spares Us the use Of this right
arm, as much food as satisfies the cravings
of nature, which is all that the great or
affluent can consume; while we have one
shirt on our back and the other at our
washer woman's, we have no occasion to
make an inventory of our wearables. We
coptrive TO procure, by hook or by crook,
a good suit of clothes every year; and,
unless a man chooses to roll himself in
the kennel, he cannot wear out suit oil
clothes in less time. We surmount our
csput with our hat, (whle D'Orsay does
the same with one of his hnts) and to all
outward appearance, our heads are equal
y furnished. We cannot rival Cecil
Forester in primrose kids; but, while the
Earl OF Wilton wears well fitting blacks,
who shall quarrel with us who follow The
fashion of the Earl of Wilton?
Then again recollect with thankluness
the manifold blessings that await poor
devils like US, who have nothing TO lose,
compared with those who are embarrassed
with luggage on their journey from this
world to the next. How much have they
not to pay for carriage. por!eragc, over
weightsgc, custom-house oflicerage, and
the devil only knows what; how much of
their supernuiiy is lost, how much stolen,
how much destroyed, how much packing
and unpackng for things that, when found,
are not much wanted, or that wanted are
not 10 be found: how much confusion,
embarrassment, and delay, unknown to
us, whose knapsacks are slung on our
shoulders, and WHO pleasantly toddle along
carollng--
"A light hear, and a thin pair of brooches,
viii go through the world, my brave boys
Again, how fresh and vivid are our
sensations; how sweet to us are the sunny
simpses that will cross now and then, the
most gloomy prosPec, of life. lighting up
some distant spot Of the landscape with
the hues Of The land Of the blessed We
have still something to live for, pleasures
are in store for US; hope tells us we are
yet to be happy; and we are willing to
hug the dear deceit; easily are we pleased
who are unaccustomed to make pleasure
our business; necessity impelling US to
labor, and labor giving US the means OF
repose, we groan not under the oppression
of the idle hour, for the idle hours allotted
us are few, and descend upon our souls
like dew upon the flower. Contemplating
both sides of life, we learn to distinguish
between the splendid and happy lot. II
envy of great wealth or greater station,
for moment disturbs our gentleness Of
soul, we turn our regards upon the mise.
rable, and conscience rebukes our impi-
ety. Content with what we are, the end
of our pilgrimage is served by our strug-
giles to be better. We journey pleasantly
on, through smooth anc rough, taking all
things easily, yet not indiflrently. and
tbank;n0 he great God for what he has