New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1845-05-15
THE TRIBUNE.
st. Giles and ST. James,

sad ST. jaime > which Will probably be contin-
ned through and closed with the volume. OF
70 merits do not now propose TO speak :
but It's philosophy, It's moral, entite it to rank
among works OF the gravest discussion--we should
ay, Of the most profound and vital instruction.
last. Giles as his cognomen would import TO
lLondsner, IS a child of destitutlon, misery and
shame; st. James the envied heir Of luxury,
ease, honors, and boundless wealth. ST, Giles
becomes vagraAt and felon as inevitably as a
duck takes to water-and by those fault This
touches the great Social problem and Jerrold
writes as though he had observed carefully and
IisI. keenly, if not studed deeply. Let us quote
the opening of his story, introducing ST. Giles,
.n infant Of SIX months, the child of penniless
oucas, loaned TO another vagrant to beg upon
the latter fallen exhausted in the street with the
child sleeping in her arms.
I Our first paragraph shall be confession of ig-
norance. We know not the genealogy of ST Giles
1 All We know Is this Our 81. Giles was born-we
can hardly say first saw the light-in Hampshire
/ Hog Lane. We believe that We are pretty sure of
his father: but at lose ourselves, seeking his
! grdudslre. We are Immediately in a genealogical
( fog, without even Inks end from the Herald's
Office to guide us True it is, we might if we
would, sit contentedy down in the darkness, and
apt TO close their eyes when they would take ii
I bright internal look-mlght In trice discover the
family tree (; now comp acen;ly following lts
branches as they waved towards the court-end OF
| the town, and now avoiding them as they struck
towards Tyburn. We might do this: for II has
been done many a time, and for only so much hard
cash. But eau The family OF ST. Giles fee us for
The labor! No. Then we trust We not so
wholly lost to the decencies of life to lie gratis
| Nevertheless, we owe some explanation TO the
Irtl
precedence 10 ST Giles TO the apparent injury OF
ST James. We think we have just reason for
this. There appears TO us-and sure we The
like opinion burns in the breasts Of many most
respectable people-more OF the original animal
mau in ST. Giles, than in St. James. He seems 10
basenees oil his origin. He stands before us
creature OF the earth or rather of the mud of the
earth lfit be otherwise, then has ST. Giles again
and again been much abused, mistaken.
The very nakedness ii 81. Giles-accordlng TO
our heraldrv-inakes him elder brother of 81 James
As consider him, he is as much the elder, as
the bare skin OF man is older than the silks and
vevets that have eDwrapt II. He may be marked
and branded vagabond hut, nevertheless, he is
the elder brother Contemplating HIM, we behold
in his wanls-in his ferceness, begotten of these
Iwants-the prescribed from the confines of this
worlds Paradise. Consider the history of man.
Your vagabond Is los; IN the shadows OF ntquaran
might now, your gentleman is a commonplace of
yesterday. Upon this philosophical principle do
we place ST Giles before ST. James, and believe
Us, dear reader, for no catchp.nny reason what
ever We do not say that ihree-legged oaken
ro-I, II liucr, more .vii'".~L'o-- -L-prl thc-
Jgilded chair; but, IN the seneaogy oil household
|movables. sure we are II ranks as the elder
brother
$, Giles and St James, Is il possible they can
be brethren Every particle OF their faces, every
atom of their covering cries no: externally as on
feren as the aforesaid reeegged stool and gilt
att tr,Y
iwork-ihe very same. Impossible. Let US see.
What a clumsy thing is this three-legged Stool
What heavy loinery work Surely, it shaped
by an adz-, and put together by some bunglerr,
ignorant Of the craft. What piece OF stark vul-
gdrliy
How very handsome the chair of ceremony
How soft TO the Touchdown pleasant TO the eye!
All damask, carving and gliding. Well, we have
stript away The covering; we have scratched
litle OF the gliding of, and what is there beneath
why oak, mere oak: younger branch OF the
tr-e-a piece OF kindred wood to the lhree-leeged
stool The same material makes stool and chair
but then IN. magical delusion worked by damask,
gold. and dainty carving
In this way IL is cur hope 10 show ST. Giles and
ST James: To prove their hrotherhood-the iden-
uiy ol material. We may here and there scratch
lltlle OF the gliding oil one, but only TO Display
the kindred nature OF both. Thus, ST. James may
sometimes appear 10 be only ST. Giles better stuffed,
and with brighter covering.
The streets were empty. PtilesS cold had
driven all who had the shelter of root 10 their
homes: and the northeast blast seemed 10 howl
In triumph above the untrodden snow. Winter
WAS al the heart OF all things. The wretched,
dumb with excess of misery, suffered, IN stupid
resiguatiou the tyranny OF the season. Human
blood stagna,cd in the breast OF Want; aud Death.
IN that deSpdlns hour losing It's terroTs looked, IN
The eyes OF many wretch a sweet uellVerer. IL
WAS a time when the very poor. barred from the
nj ..arfh fax
with themselves and. IN the deep humility OF uss
tuition, believe they ore the burden and the DIAL
o! the world.
It was a time when the easy, comtortaole
man. touched with finest sense OF human su'leisns'
gives from his abundance and, whist oeSto"lhs'
feels almost a shame that with sncn wlue-spie"u
misery circled round him, he has all things htiine
all things grateful. The smltien spirit asks ~here-
fore ne is not of the multitude OF wfelcneaaeSs
demands tu know for what especial excellence he
il promoted above the thousand, thousand starving
creatures in his very tenderness tor misery, tests
his privilege OF exemption irem woe that "lthers
manhood IN man, bowng hum downward 10 iae
brute And so questioned. this man gives IN
mode,ty of spirit-in very thankfuluess Of soul
HIS aims are not cold, formal charities; but reve-
rem, sacrifices te his suffering brother
IL was a tlme when Selt>hneSS hugs itself in lis
own warmth; with no other thoughts Than OF lis
many pleasant gifts; all made plcasan,er, sweeter,
by the deSo!a,on around. When the msIe world
ling rejoices the more in his warm chamber be-
cause ii Is SO bitter cold without; when he eats
and drinks with wheued appetite, because he heaH
of DeStition. pIowling like wolf around his
we'll barred house; when, IN fine. he bears his
every comfort about him with the pride OF con
queror A time when such man sees IN the
misery OF his fellow beings nothing save his own
victory OF iortunc-hIs own successes IN a suffering
world To such man, the Poor are but the tai
tered slaves that grace his triumph
II WAS time 100. when Human Nature often
shows i,s true divinity. and with Misery, like
garment ciinsing To II, torgetS lis wretchedneSs IN
sympathy with Suffering. time, when IN the
cellars aud garrets of the Poo. are acted scenes
which make the nobest herolsm OF life; which
prove the immortal texture of the human hear,
no, to be wholly scared By the brandinslron OF
the ,orturins hours A lime when IN want, IN
anguish IN throes of mortal agony, some seed is
sown ths; bears flower in heaven
The mendicant child-borrower has been disc0v-
cred in tue stree, by kind woman, who has hnai-
ly summoned posse of watchmen TO her ala Inc
poor v.grau, can hardly be aroused TO conscious
ness, and in fact dies few hours aiterwaro' ou'
the effort to awake her discovers The child ciaspso
10 her breast,
Shifting the story, we will take look ST ota