The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-03-28
The Value Of Cyphers.
FROM THE FRENCH.

One day, during the clerks dinner hour, was
seated in my ofilce-parior, in front of table COW
cred with papers, among which was a letter that
had been brought in earlier in the morning, with
visiting card bearing the name-A. Biedmann,
Of Hanabtvgh. had opened this letter, pre-occu-
pied with other matters and finding it TO be OF
those numerous recommendations continually COM
ing before me, had thrown IL aside on the Ia BILE
where, half buried under railway prospoctuses il
lay waiting my further consideration Scarcely
distinguishable in the confused heap crowded togc-
thcr in too narrow a space, nothing more than the
upper edge Of the sheet could be SEEN with the first
two lines Of the writing. They were:
"Mon cher Monsieur-I have the honor 20 recon-
mend TO your especial attention our worthy and
respectable friend, Mons Biedmann of Hamburger
who IL the fortunate possessor of fortune Of -
Here the figures composing the sum were cut of
by an everything sheet Of paper, and left me in a
state Of complete incertitude as 20 the amount of
M. Biedmann's fortune; IL might even have been
supposed, although not very probable, that this
poor gentleman's whole means was not more than
twelve francs-or, If more agreeable, twelve marks
banco. The superstition made me smile. Nothing
certainly could have been easier than for me 10
have satisfied myself as TO how matters stood with
the individual who had been recommended 10 me;
but preferred finding out, little by little, the posi-
ton 10 be assigned 10 him in the world
Helas ! thought, impressed by the feelings of
the moment, man Is esteemed only for what he is
worth. This stranger accredited 20 me- is he
amiabe, Neutrality-suspicious. in any quality or
Qualification Useless queries. Specify the amount
Of his fortune, that IL enough that tells his value
and prescribes the measure of his reception. NY
self, for instance; am ] altogether free from this
ungenerous inhuencel Let us come 10 the test Of
experiment And, in fact, the idea Of finding out
a man by the amount Of bis fortune IL not more
extraordinary than the pretension Of many per-
sons TO arrive at knowledge Of character by the
inspection Of handwriting. Have we not heard
expert professors Of the art declare seriously
there IL an which denotes much greatness of
soul-this upstroke 10 from a frivolous mind
the tail Of that gives reason 20 fear little
NkC 4arN NJ b.
Taking advantage Of the peculiar position in
which lay the letter Of recommendation, slid the
upper sheet little side, 20 AZ 10 expose the
following figure only-.similarly TO gsmester,
who, unwilling 10 reveal his game all at once, un
covers his card by degrees. Az expected, there
came a cypber (0) IL is no longer IL francs, bot
40. The addition, however, modifes my scnti-
ments with regard 20 the possessor but slightly
All my poor Bicdmann, your 100 francs year
have not brought you much further; for il must
be observed, that from benevolent feeling for the
unknown individual, 7 wished 20 consider this sum
the income and not the principal.
With 100 francs year, man travels neither
by diligence railways he goes with dusty Shoes
and coat soon 10 be obliterated at the elbows. A
recommendation for RENTER Of such modest dimen
slons says plainly enough WHAT 10 be done for him
Two or three crowns will settle the business.
But let me Danish thought which deals 20 harsh
ly with the man placed under my protection.
would rather his lot were Ices irksomc-just 80,
1900 francs.
Well what IL a man with twelve hundred france,
A retired grocer A clerk No; a strolling teach
err; professor escaped from some university. Alb
have him now We shall have TO persecutc pa
rents, and find scholars for him. hut mon cher
Biedmann, we were in no want Of your literature
or csligrsphy. We are already abundantly pro.
vided; all the courses arranged for the winter
Must add still more 10 my poor chidrcn's curri
cs,iv and retrench their hours Of recreation Be
sides, this professor may be communist With
1900 france. is a man communist nop ! cannot
say.
Communist No. Teacher Of languaResi No.
Nothing Of the sort-12, 900 francsl All, here's n
man Of the right stamp. DO you know, Monsieur
Biedmann, that with your additional cypbers you
grow in the opinion Of the public and In mine II
u but too certain that the world attaches something
Of vulgarity 10 very small fortune. II is one OF
the errors Of society. True do not mean 10 say
that there not numerous exceptions, and that
very honorable persons are not TO be found among
the twelve hundred, the eight hundred, and even
the four hundred francs. But, after all, my gen
tlemsn has come out Of the somewhat cquivocal
classes. u puts my mind at case. With such a
fortune az that he very well pass the winter at
Geneva will enter him at the Reading Society,
and have him at our next family dinner.
But with his twelve thousand francs what can he
be y wager philanthropist Yes, IL IL mostly
your average people who busy themselves with i'm
proving social institutions. figure less is not
enough; figure more is too much for working at
the reorganization OF society Mons. Biedmann
appears TO me hewn from the same block those
who write upon different prison systems. And
here he will find no lack OF people ready 10 enter
into discussion with him upon penitentiary rcgu-
lstions. Admirable vocation, when one has the