Lexington union. (Lexington, Miss.) 1838-18??, 1843-06-10
From the Sunday Mercury,
THE CONTRAST.

In our daily walks, we meet with men
whose characters are a compound selfish
ness, avarice and ambition. They move
daily in our midst, and are considered by
the mass worthy and respectable. They
are voted honest merchants and good
christians; rather close perhaps, but very
good men as goes the world. Let us
glance at an epitome Of the life and char
acter of one of this class.
A few fleeing years suffice to transform
the laughing boy into the stern man of
business, If he sleep on straw instead of
down, if his drink be water in lieu of nee
tar, bread and cheese his ambrosia, il is
to him of little account, so he attains the
height of his ambition at last. The char
lily of such being is nominal, his benev-
olence visitor, his selhshness proverb.
Ills coat is a lecture on economy, his hat
the desire of the antiquary, and his boots
are non-eXistent-for boots are expensive;
ne wears shoes bought at second hand,
and just bought at that Almshouses are
his detestation, misfortune but another
name torcarelessness, and poverty acrime
his life is course of study, the bust
ness world college, the freshman is he
who has but passed It's threshold, and the
graduate has successfully completed the
course. The result of the knowledge
thus gained is power; in other words,
gold. The hereafter Of such a man is
old age, his heaven has latitude and a |
longitude and is located where he can live
cheapest His bright spirits are eagles
and dollars. Years roll DER his head and
Craze it as they roll, the friction turns it
grey, and finally leaves it bald. The
winds of heaven have pierced his frame
and rheumatism holds there its jubilee;-
he has gazed through life on gold and sill
yer until his eyes are dim, and his ears
become deaf with its chinkIing-and now
he wonders if this indeed is heaven. At
length the undertaken, sad man that he |
is, is seen to smile, for costly |
coffin, linen shroud and silver plate have
been ordered. The grave is opened and
closed Heirs and kind friends afiix to
the memory Of the deceased, ID. d.,
dead, damned fact and fancy, and in
a few days he is forgotten.
It's not pleasant, reader, to study such
a character as we have just attempted to
Suppose we offer the antithe-
sis of such man. The next door neigh
Dor of the miser is our subject. He is
lie very antipode of the other, zenith to
ladir. His heart is hospital where the
sorrows of his fellow men are welcomed
md nursed until their natures are changed
they enter tears and 90 forth smiles
The doctrine Of Diogenese meets with his
ltterdisgust. He is Damon to men,
Plato to women. He is bitterly opposed
0 the dogma of Nautilus, arguing strong
y in favor of a multiplicity of children
Albeit, he is a bachelor without hope or
expectation of being bound in the silken
onds of matrimony, still he affects much
he proceeds arising from such partner I
hip. This is one of the marked traits of {
is character. Whether these little ones
. joyful or fearful, grave or gay, garrulus {
r taciturn, they seem to him connecting /
nks between divinity and humanity, SER {
ing to soften his heart and purify his soul '
The beauty of a child, he AYERS, is freed il
ON the wrinkles of care, its bright eyes !
,e not stated with sight seeing, nor leer- e
g with wicked thoughts. Its lips pout 0
1t with sensuality but court the kiss, its it
ose which ever has heavenward termi- W
ltion is in itself something to admire, its to
mples are the lurking places offun, and
little hands and feet are pleasant to look
ION and mirth-provoking to handle st
Who - no asks chad not rather kiss RI