The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1847-06-03
MISCELLANEOUS.
From the Saturday Rusning PoH.
TREASURE ON EARTH,
AND
TREASURE IN HEAVEN,

TEST men IN the city, sat reading a newspa
per, when three gentlemen entered his
counting room IN The formal manner 10
which committee men usually present them.
selves-especlslly committee men appoint.
ed to raise a subscription for some public
charity. When Mr.. Percival opened hs
newspaper that morolng the irst paragraph
that me. his eye was the tolo~iug:
Atthe town meeting held yesterday, q
committee Of three FROM each ward was ap.
pointed 70 Va,i upon our ciuzrns TO receive /
their subscriptions IN aid Of the sufferers by /
the late destructive FIRE IN our sister city. /
TITS do,y will be entered upon at once
We trust that the gentlemen Who have the
matter ~ charge will meet with hearty !
reception from our liberal minded and be-
nevolen, townsmen. We may lead the
van 10 this noble work IL we will. Lei Us
do It,"
Over this Mr.. Percival pondered for some
/ tine, with his fotefinger upon his Iip and his
eyes Upon the ceiling. A, length Bs If his
action ~ the matter were d. iutely settled,
he resumed the reading of his newspaper,
aud was engaged IN that Agreeable occupa
ton when the committee Of gentlemen al
ludcd 10 above, called 10 at his counting
Z room.
Good morning., Mr.. Perciyal, SAID toe
spokesman.
Good morning, gentlemen" responded
Mr. Ptrc,yal, rlslng.
We need hardly state cur business"
said Inc spokesman. 9 You presided al the
meeting, yesterday, and having assisted 10
the appointment Of the committees for the
several wards, are aware that our duty 10
this one is to ~alt upon our fellow citizens
or their subscriptions. We have called
upon you 10 get your name a; the head Of
The list. Having that 10 lead Off uith, our
task will be an easy one, and the result
equal TO our bes, hopes. ! tour sub.crp.
loo We Of course know will be liberal, and
that will induce other men Of ample means,
Upon HON We shall wall in succession TO
f, put down large sumo. BY this plan we
hope TO make our ward double the atno.,.,
subscribed by aay other ward IN the city"
We can easily do that. returned Mr..
Percivsl, We have wealth enough. But
| must decline heading the list. Let Mr.,
X lead of. He VIII do II handsomely
without doubt. Or MIR. :. will start your
subscription iberallg.o
I The committee men urged Nr. Prrcival
I 10 comply with their ti'.t request but he
sas firm IN declining and Ultimately told
+ hem that he had made up his mind 10
place his name las, upon the subscription
psper.
4 A week alter THE interview, the rich
merchant was agnin waited upon. The
1 Isl only needed bis name to complete il.
( How much have you got be asked.
/ We have not done as we'll as We ex-
pectrd, vas replied. II you had led or we
should no doubt have done much better.
i" Who headed the list =
Mr. R"
" it'll how much y
One hundred dolau.'
&" Hurnph Let me see The paper
It vas handed 10 the merchant. lilo ran
his eye over II, saying, half aloud, as he did
So
Zone hundred-on hundfed-one hon.
dfed--nothng above . hundred what
does It sill amount TOT
Five thousand dollars"
The merchant took up his pen and wrote
his name with flourish. Opposite to It he
placed numerical and three cyphers, With
the dollar mark before them, ,hus-S6 900.
Then, with bow, aud a glow OF sell'satis-
fiction upon his face, he handed The paper
back TO the gentlemen who had ~alteduPon
bun.
:" Nobiy done, Mr. PetcivaI." said the
.pokesmag. " You have saved The credit OF
our ward | have sIrong hopes, now, that
We shall lead any Two OF them put togeth
en-"
Two or three DAYS after this, the news
papers announced the result of The subScfip.
ton raised in the various wards IN the CITY,
The particular instances OF hberalttt we're
named, conspicuous among which stood the
fact that Benedict PetcIyal, E,qs VINO was
ever foremost 10 acts OF benevolence, had
subscribed the handsome sum OF five thou
sand dollars; had IN fact, just doubled the
Of the ward IN which he res.
ded.n
There lived 10 the city where this fact
occurred, poor widow, in feeble health,
who had three children. Her only means
of subsistence lay III her ability to do sew u
ing. Early and late she sat over her work j
often in pain and oppressive weakness, but
he result OF her labor was ever insufficient
or the many wants Of her little family II
|. was in the mldSt of long and hard C
" inter, and the widows greater expense tor 1t
warm clothing for her children aud extra p
uel, consumed all Of her little earnings, v
hus leaving nothing for The rent. She &C. u
,upied two small rooms in retired court u
or which she paid weekly rent OF one C
IoIIar. She was the under tenant oil a man u
no rented all the houses on one side oil the IL
court, and BY Icilng them out again to poor o
amhes, at weekly or monthly rent, not d
,nly saved his own rent, but made IRON Two b
% ,heee hundred dollars year besides - "
Df course, he was hard man, and would n
ave nothing less THAI bis o"n, no matter o
now much others were injured 10 his eliofts j