Rutland County herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1848-1850, 1849-05-16
The Open Hand.
BYA J. WHITAKER.

"For the lose Of Heaven, cool friend,
penny" said feeble bcggar one buer nigh,
Soa wealthy merchant in Chestnut street..
but The proud man, VT piping his rich man
ue about hun turned scornllily away aud
the beggar passe1 on
You would scarcely have ro,iccd the
scene, yet there was IN tia whole history Of
life; the calm, unleelns Goodness ofan m
human apathy and The great agony OF
breaking heart. The one went To lis lord
" home, whore music and pIadncss, nud
the bright faces Of his happy children were
around the hearth stone; the other ioucrcd
along with trembling Steps to the wrciehcd
hovnl, where his pale faced wife awaited
his return The light flashed forth from
the rich mans mansion but the bepgrrs
house was dcsolate
Follow now and tell me which Of the two
was blessed above the olhcr She one ~
his wealth, or the other in his racSl
Through tho whole OF that weary night.
did the beggnr and his wife sit muslng over
lbe past, nnd looking Tor some ii,ht Ia the
future Above, around them, on all SIDES,
they beheld nothing but the gloom which
no ray might penetrate; nothing but the
impenclrnbIe obseurity which IS ever rest.
ing upon the wretched and the oulcast
For God knows, II we do not, that at all
times, even al this moment, IN many de.
ISOLATE home, by many cherries hearth,
there nrc strong men bowed beneath the
weight Of an overwhelming despair Iremb
ling women, pinlng away IN their great
dependency and bnght-cycd lUIo child,
Ten growing pale and ghasIly from the want
Of bread
God knows, God knows that even upon
our neighboTs and our friends, possibly upon
the oae nc 1t door, there Is resting the cold,
relentless hand OF poverty, that poverty Of
which we can form no true conre option, until
we shalt find ourselves bending like them
over the last dead ember, and furnishing like
them lor food
God knows that in the crowded city thou.
sands die aud are buried without an epuaph
whose path Though HE was one OF sorrow,
who struggled on, bfavely perhaps and cheer
folly end yet never cane up from The dark
u0~ about them, and died OF weary heart.
Could We but enter into tie homes SO near
us: 60, like the angels, into every haunt OF
,vo and grief and touch The lips OF the wretch
ed ones gathered there, what tales Of agony
should we hear One would tell US sweet
dtsams e his siness bolho1d tell US how
I've stated ia life, all gladly and g1ly and
with no fear ofthe unknown iuturC how lul
a time the breeze was fair, and The SKY blue
and the ocean calm, and With his Il < thrown
out upon the gale, he sped along brayelV an'
rapidly. until his voyage WIS nearly over
when, Just as he caught sight Of the desired
port, saw lis temples and spires g,uierng
IN the sunlight; heard The music Of the barr
and the voices 81 the singers waited from ~
street Just as the last bliluw was bearing
aim In upon its bosom TO his destined anch
orsge-iust then, alas alas. The stnru
came down and tho billow dashed him bacl
and the rudder gave way, and his gallsn
vessel was carried out again, all Ctushe'
and broken, a Thousand leagues into the an
CRY sea lie would tell Us, perhaps, how
that storm passed by, and the sun shnnC on
rs brightly as before, and the sea hecam
calm again and that once more with tn
blue siv above him he sped along 'owau
the haven. Bot again the storm came do"
and again. and again, until al length hl
brave and beautiful batque was thrown ing
.un upon tho rocky reef, and iel, so,l!ar
hulk to moulder In tho sun.
Another would tell his tale OF love. llo
the sweet being whom ne worshipped, tt
idol to which his hear, gave homage, love
Atm and blessed him tpt many a long an
cheek grew pale, and her eve dim, aud th
now his only solaoe iu life Is 10 80 Al q
twilight hour. and bending above the graz
where she lies sleeping ia denth, hold Goa
munjon with her spfrt, and pray 60 meet h
again in the silent land.
Still another, an cd sud feeble man ieal
ing upon his staff, would tell perhaps %
sadest tale OF aii,--that OF boN hood unblc
sed. at manhood wasted, OF an old a.
comiortltss and wrc,chcd. lie woUl1 Il
that from his youth up, as The DAYS u
weeks and months passed SLOWLY on, q
gloom had deepened and the guiding =,
cone out and that now Ice was only WaIuI
Gods good tins that he might depaH o.
be al rest.
Such suffering ones are al around us
Such tales NJ wo have come Sd u.lcn 90 q
esta hA-God forgive u,--we pass them
UNDECIDED, and leave the starving 10 iheit q
sold agony, even as The iich man oid.
Through the whole OF that long and dr
~ night as we have sad. tho bolra' a
haWDis -, musing lhoughdullv iomeliu
cheering each other with words of ho
thCn giving way 10 tears Al one ume los
fu'o f1rgstfuness Of the sorrow, a, snoyh
utterly desoats rs the fall sense Of th
situation burst upon them. A VISION Of {
rau came over them, and 10 ne light IN
looked sesin upon the pleasant mcmor
q Old and beard again The loVeleRrnt
lheir native valley Once more tLo roIs 81
shedding around t' rich Fragrance, aod
meek lty bOWed 10 the summers hree.
aad as he s. bowed without, an1 ,he 10,