Democratic banner., 1848-05-01
HUMILITY AND PRIDE; or,
CnANcEs ~ LIFE.
'Wherc peace andleve are canl;ered by the
worm c. EIDE"

A friend called upon rs a day or Two
since, and was not a lItto annoyed at what
he described as an ilS al that lie he'd jnSt
received. 'IIQ said that he passed down
Chestnut street. and had met all individual
with whom, Same years before, he was on
terms of close intimacy; and, on bowling to
him in a polite and friendly way, the other
took no notice of Inn, whatever. "And
he ,.idea, ":.-.is S"Coad time within
"a eek. H. t.r y. Sf~TttsGHart,ay. l"s 10
say indig.itv, las bee" ,'rsttiCed" w"
made some inquiries, AID asrcrt"ined that
while orr friend had, through, misfortune
and the failure OF others. nrrn getting be-
hand hand in business, position and prcunI-
igIy resources, lis old acquaintance had
been among the favored SOILS OF fortune,
and had grown quite iicir. And here was
tie true secret of his unworthy conduct
lie IS Of that class of men who. when in
power are t~Trants, and when seeking power
are sycopElants and parasites. On friend
had been able in early lille, 70 assist and ad-
vantage, and Mru the ether lavishrd every
species Of courtesy and attention. lie
Iauded, complimented and battered. But
circumstances having changed, the one
having gone down and the other up in the
scale OF worldly Importance, the hollow
t,nr-scrver at unce abandoned lis old
friend. turned from him coldly when he met
him. and at last passed Linn by without
speaking. What a base woIshipper Of the
things OF this world! What a paltry aud
unworthy spirit! And yet similar cases
are constantly occurring.
! 1t is really sicknening TO hear the adula-
ton which many intelligent persons shower
upon individuals WHO are regarded as veal
ittv, powerful or fashionable. They speak
as if t:le standard of all human perfection
could he found in money only, as if II were
idisgraeefui TO minclc vii, the poor, kowev-
er virtaou>; honorable and en,iabie 10 be
privileged 10 interchange visits, caids, or
other hollow mockeries wih tie anluent and
the influential. h0wrvcf Eciaus. 1t rarely
h.rn,nr hnrrr:r, ta.ttlSIc i"istal'n Yc'-
pie do n"i experience some S",ric aIr;nrI-
ton. Their weakness AMI ltcir VANITY are
discovered by the artful and the kna,ish.
are often played upon, a,.n with Success
There are few, we are aware, who can
withstand the temptations Of power and
wenlth-few. however humble tl,ir conGi-
ton. who. if they prosper in the world. are
willing 70 turn 10 their juvenile hnunts and
associates. take by the baud the companions
Of their childhood and the friends Of their
youth. The world has many bitter lessons.
We recently heard OF a case in which a
poor girl was discovered by a PHILADELPHIA
an. in a neiehboring village. assisted, cdu-
Gated, placed in a highly reputable position,
and finally married her patron. lie was
quite younS at the time he Gyt saw her. and
she was coy, ~ariIess, LAT sirilinsiy bcauti-
full. AtGr<t she WIS aHgrat,tude, was will
ing TO dedicate her lifSm payment Of such
generosity. But with altered circumstan-
ces came an altered heart. The f~ascina-
tons, the Temptations Of city life were too
much for her. She was grateful 10 he' lns-
hand, bat She lever loved him. A pIausi-
Bile and polished villain became acquainted
with her, tempted, aud finally induced her
to abandon the home of ono who dotted up
on her, who had rescued herfrom compare
tive poverty al Il want, and placed her in a
position not only of c~cnfeit, but Of luxury.
But her penalty was fearful. In less than
three years after size abandoned her hus-
band she was in tuin, abandoned hy her be-
trayer. And willie she repcnted in bitter
ness of spirit tie false .sieP she had taken,
she found. when too late, that the affection
which had overlooked so much, md had
fingered so long, had at last yielded TO the
force of her own vile conduct, and disap-
peared from the breast Of ppc TO whom she
was under so many obligations. 1t is pos
sible that if she had remained in her early
and obscure position, her character would
have undergone no change. In humble lifr,
she would have been humble, but she pros
pered beyond her hopes, became selfish, I'M
grateful, false, and vile. Alas! for erring
humanity. Alas! for the miserable spirit
which in poverty is GsNching and yielding,
and in prosperity is hafsh and ~tyrsnnical.
Look through society, and watch the
changes Of fortrne. Select out Of the proud,
the naughty, the insolent among the sons of
men-the Individuals who seem to TIL
that they are made of better mat. r.,u;Io"
the masses, are entitled tarIIsoI L,noas are
ten to one, thst~~he vast majority OF ca
cas- tbsv W. De found among the mere
mnsh..5ms Of the hour-that large and