Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1845-10-09
THE CHANGES or LIFE.

are 50 regular they may be almost post
ed in ledger and so expressed in numer.
ais TO others there is constant success.
sion OF events which arc curious, strange,
and romantic. From our own brief ex-
perience we could produce a series Of pic
lures that would be full OF light and shade;
OF sunshine and OF darkness OF brilliant
skies and gloomy horizons. We know
men who were constantly unfortunate in
business, though possessing great tact aud
high integrity, until they reached the
meridian Of life. Their indomitable cour
age and good character al last enabled
them 10 stem the adverse tide and they
are enrolled among the most wealthy OF
our citizens. On tho other hand, we
have seen the heads of houses whose ope-
rations extended over the world, whose
residences were palaces and whose equip
ages were princely, afterwards living IN
poverty and seclnslon, and receiving the
relonctanlly doled p,ttance of some veal
thy connection, as their only means OF
subsistence. Families of the highest in.
liueDce and wealth have entirely disap.
peared from public observation, while
those originally in the very meaness OF
employments now attract the public eye
by the gotgeousness of their equipsges,
aud the stylish character oil their residen-
css.
There is among the upper ten thousand
Of New York a very handsome aud fash
lonabe parsonage, who has associated
and lived abroad with he English nobili-
,y on terms of friendship, and whose hus-
band has been honored with some high
trusts Of an official character, by the Brit.
ish Government, who was some years
ago a mlllner IN this city.
There is on the other hand virtuous
and excellent lady who in youth was the
charm of the gayest circles 10 New York,
and yet now maintains herself by her
needle, and by the skllful use Of her pen
IA lady whose society was courted by
the rich and the great, and whose rela-
tons {some of them at least) are now re-
marked for their show and habitua dis
play.
There are merchants 10 this city who a
few years ago could not get credit for If
ty cents, ard ore now rich others who
recovered themselves mantully from their
embarrasSmeDts and yet whose paper was
often thrust under their noses before it had
natured, at protieted discount OF most
alarming amount. There are cashiers
not thousand miles off from us, who
swept out and made the fires in abe frs,
banks they were ever inside of. There
are others who have welded millions OF
capital That are now barely able to exist.
TIE former wife Of steamboat steward
is now living in spIendor with husband
worth half million Of dollars.
We know person who but few years
since, was clerk in a small day goods
store, who is now reputed to be worth
500, 600, all of which he has made by a
series OF successful specuations, and by
advances OF persons who were not his
match IN business.
There are others again who were in
the possession Of large fortunes, who by
panlcs, pressures, and the general de.
rangemeCt of business few years since,
saw their property swept away in a few
weeks.
There are men of splendid talents whom
we meet daily, unable with all their ef.
forts to obtain more than the salaries OF
clerks OF agents; and Oh the other hand,
every one has observed # he would but
look, the stupldest Of mortal men rolling
up their thousands apparently withou: an
effort. In short, HE is a scene ofextraor-
binary contrasts, and it appears TO the
eyes Of most rejecting people like an I'M
substantial pageant, IN which the charac-
lers wno make up its show are constant
ly changing the "order of their going"
What s the moral Of all this, aud what
should be the deductions from such curl
Gus facts as these?
One unquestionably is, never to des-
pair. There are some people who have
high moral and constitutional courage,
and act OK the principle that while there
is life. there is hope. These look at the
scenes before them, and know they are
forever changing. They are determined,
therefore, 10 play their part out, though
sometimes they have been at fault, aud
needed the prompter. There are thous-
ands aud tens of thousands Of these per.
sons N the world who seems ITO conquer
their fate" They make in the end the
most useful eltzens, having gained that
experience, the want of which, perhaps,
caused their pas; difficulties.
Then agan, there are those, who after
the shock OF misfortune, seems never to
recover themselves. The changed char
acter OF their relations with then former
friends, the GOODNESS Of The world, the de
sefhon Of those on whom they had con.
lerrtd benefits, the reproaches of those
who have suffered by their misforlunes,
oyerwhem them with grief aud morlica.
ton, Shatier their energies, Supply their
lntellects, and break their hearts. They
retire into obscuriiy, the shadows and
the gloom Of a darkenng day thicken
around them, and they suddenly sink un-
der the complication Of their difficulties,
INTO the quiet of the grave.
No advice, no encouragement, had
power to reinvigorale these persons---the
very desire of action was paralysed aud
no plan seemed to hold out the probablIi-