Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1850-07-29
He's managing to keep body and soul to-

He's managing to keep body and soul to-
gether, and hardly that.
He's paying off his old debts.
+ know he is; but blame him for injur.
ing his health and wronging his family, in
order to pay few hundred dollars to men
thousand times better off in the world than
be is. He brought me twenty dollars on
an old debt yesterday, but wouldn't touch
it. His misfortunes had long ago cancel.
led the oblig gation to my eyes. God forbid
that with enough and to spare, should
take the bread out Of the mouths of poor
mans children ost s' s-1taE ..
Is he so very poor? asked Mr.. Petron.
surprised and rebuked at what he heard.
d" He has a family Of six children to feed.
clothe and educate, and has it to do by his
unassisted labor. Since he was broken up
in business some years ago, he has great
difficulties to. contend with, and only by
pinching himself and his family, and de-
priving both of nearly every comfort, he
has been able to reduce the old claims a.
gainst him. But be has shortened his life
ten years thereby, and has deprived his
children of. the benefits of education, except
in an extremely limited degree-wrongs
are irreparable. l honor his stern integrity
of character, but think he has carried his
ideas of honesty too far. God gave him
these children, and they have claims upon
him for earthly comforts and blessings to
the extent Of his ability to provide.
His misfortunes he could not prevent, and
they were sent as much for the chastise-
ment of those who lost by him, as they
were for his own. II, subsequently, his
greater exertions were not sufficient to pro-
vide more than ordinary comfort for the
family still dependent upon him, his first
duty was TO see that they did not want. Ii
be could not pay his old debts without inju-
ry to his health or wrong to his family. be
was under no obligations to pay them; for
it is clear that no claims upon US are so i'm.
perative as to require US to wrong others in
order to satisfy them.
Here was another new doctrine for the
ears of the merchant doctrine strange as
well as new. He did not feel quite so COM
Portable as before about the recovered debt
of fifty dollars. The money still lay upon
his desk. He had not yet entered it upon
the cash book, and be felt now less Inclined
to do so than ever. The claims of human
ity, in the abstract, pressed themselves up
on him for consideration, and be saw that
they were not tobe lightly thrust aside.
In order to pay the fifty dollars which
had been long due to the merchant. Mr..
Moale had, as alleged, denied himself and
ia milv a avarv mi ipt n M ova r-worL al him
self to a degree seriously INJURIOUS to his
health. But his heart felt lighter after the
sense of obligation was removed.
There was little at home, however, to
make him feel cheerful. His wife, not feel
ing able to hire domestic, was worn down
with the care and labor Of her large fami-
ly. The children were, as a necessary con.
sequence, neglected both in mind and bod
les. Alas! there was no sunshine in the
poor mans dwelling. Ha:
Well, Alice, said Mr. Moaie, as his wife
came out and stood by the board upon
which he sat at work, holding her tabe in
her arms, L have paid off another debt,
thank heaven. ~ ~z -s
Whose? -zs-a > --e-r.
Perron's. He believed me a rogue, and
treated me as such. hope he thinks diff
ferently now. =G
wish all men were as honest in their
pretensions as you are.
So do /, Alice. The world would be
much better one than it is, Pm thinking.
And yet, William, said his wife, ] some-
times think We do wrong to sacrifice SO
much to get out of debt. Our children
Alice, said the tailor quickly, would al
most sell my body into slavery to get out
of debt. When think of what still owe,
l feel as if l would suffocate.
l know how bad you feel about it, Will.
lam, but your heart is honest and that re-
Election should bear you up.
What is an honest heart without an hon
est hand, Alice? replied the tailor, bending
still lower to his work.
The honest heart is the main thing, Will
lam, God looks at that. Man judges mere
ly of of the action; but God sees the heart
and its purposes.
But what is tie purpose without the act?
1t is all that is required where no ability
to act given. William! God does not
demand Of any one impossibili'ies.
Though Man often does, said the tailor
bitterly. !
There was pause. broken at length by
the wife, who Said
And you have already determined to put
John and Henry out to tradcs?-T They are
SO young.
l know they are too young to leave home.
Alice, but
The tailor's voice became unsteady. He
broke off in the middle of the sentence.
Necessity requires it, he said, recovering
himself, and it is of no avail to give way to
unmanly weakness. But for this old debt
we might have been comfortable enough
and able to keep our children with us until
they were Of age to 60 from their parents
roof. Oh! what curse is debt.
There is more yet to pay?
+ Yes; several hundred dollars, but if
fail as | have for year past, I will break
down before ! get through.
Let us think of our family, William.