Sunbury American and Shamokin journal. [volume] (Sunbury, Northumberland Co., Pa.) 1840-1848, 1841-04-10

From Tie Uaittd States GaSctte.
Vice and Misery.


but little 10 induce him to believe that man is born
70 evil. Hclwho searches the lowest stratum only,
finds nothing but wretchcdness and vice. The truth
lies bet~esd.' Aud he who would Judge Of man as
he is and 81 meas ehrOc ers and exp nee as they
are, must examine closely and personally, not by
classes, aid by inference, but indv daay, and By
sample.
Mr.. Cost, who took the census Of the city Of Gin,
cnnsti, has published. among other interes ng
staments, :unt Of the su i,ion and charac-
Ter Of those whom he saw, aud tho fylowing is an
extract: .-
Few people are aware of the ups and downs in
society beyond the prcscn, moment. We sec the
man rise 10y some fortunate conjuncture of events.
TO honor power, or fortune, whose descendants, per-
hops, whose children, may lie stepped in poverty or
infimy 10 the very lips. Blu, the same generation
in this case, rarely Witnesses the ascent and descent
Of the ladders it is Only by inquiry, recorded his
tory, that we ore called TO contrast the affluence or
the dignity of the past, with the destituion insg
Gcance of the present.
In the course of my census travels, found an old
lady-the widow of distinguished professor in
of our eastern ctes-in such atject poverty, that
broad board stretched across an old barrel all the
table she posesscl the chairs in Keeping with
the table, being sawed billcs Of wood. discovered
man, who had been proprietor in large foundry,
on the river Carron, in Scotland, reduced TO the
condition Of DAY laborer at iron works here. |
found descendant of distinguish ed Governor in one
.T.L. 4 .ocr Lat
| of New Jersey, making their subsistence at washing
by the day. Wha, impressive ,ebukes 10 pride may
be found in such lessons! In all these cases, the
individuals appeared to bear their reversal Of fortune
with a suitable and becoming spirit, and some OF
them with such dignity and philosophy as ccnsman-
dcd not only my sympathy, hut my respect.
Blu. found deeper grades of wretchelncss than
these. The spirit of shall sustain his mfr
mity," hut degradation ard infamy, who can bear !!
Yes, some are far sunk to glory in their shame.
| The daughter of respectable clergyman in -,
and a niece OF member of Congress from New
York, ia public prostitute in this city, whom no re-
monsranccs can rouse, nor recollection shame
The grandson of general officer o! The revolution
ll.,;u guished son o!Fcnnsy'vana, Is now vnga-
bond in our city now, and not for the first time, on
the chain gang, apparently one of the most hopeless
Of the lost assisted to In out of the gutter, If
which he lay drunk, man whom knew years be
fore in Pittsburgh, worth even in those days, wher
mans wealth was counted by only tens Of thou
sands as much in real estate and warehouse as iil
l thousand dollars. found, in another case, a maj
; of my own ngc-I had left Lin in PhilIdelphi
, twenty-five years ago, youth Of the highest pro
mise the pride ard y ofhis parents, and the deligh
and flvorite Of female society; he dlsfigur,
by in,cmperarcc, that not vestge Ivy which | coul
t recall him to memory, remained, and nothing br
certain tones of his once musical voice, and the ma
h ration of early events which stranger could nj
S have known, did at last induce me 10 believe hi
i any thing else than an mposter. He was so con
Is p!c,cy ruined that it was impossible TO render hi
IF my service. lie since has gone down the river
n Texas
,e "rcxas, tie needy ou,cas,'l general home"
in Such is human life.
T. Let ii he remarked that what Cincinnati presen
is by tens Philldelphia possesses by tnausands Al
ne who should descend into the depth of wre'che
ness poverty and vice, (cach alternately the eau
n and The ,E,c,) might present scene of ieaTiI
paiaCul interest tn the phiIan,hrcpst. Let 1t
,s understood that in nine times out of ten this mis-
Is. rs is The consequence Of an unoducated ,cM.