Wisconsin tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1847-1854, 1851-07-03

CT hdJUEltt d tuSI IItuTaI oppEeScOFS
and their natural prey OF this large
class of vagrants, amounting In this city
to thousands. Theft and for the females
harlotry,) whenever the cost of a loaf OF
bread or a nights lodging could be procu-
red by either. were matter of course re-
sorts for livelihood, as priyateering. cam
paiguing. distilling, or Till recently slave
trading was to many respected and we'll
to-do champions OF Order and Conserva-
tism throughout Christendom And the
outcasts have ten times the excuse for
their moral blindness and their misdeeds
and moral blindness than their well-fed
competitors in iniquity ever had
They have simply regarded the world
as their oyster, and tried TO open its hard
shell as they best could, not indicating
thereby special love of oysters, but a
ravenous appetite for food of some kind
1t was oyster or nothing, with them. And
in the course of life thus forced upon them
the males who survived the period of in
fancy may have averaged twenty-five
years of wrotched, debased, brutal exist
ance, while the females, of more delicate
frame and subjected to additional evils
have usually died much younger But
the gallows, the charity hospitals. the pris-
ons, the workh5uses, refugees denied to the
healthy and unconvicted, with the unfenc-
cd kennels and hiding places of the desti-
tute during inclcmcnt weather, generally
saw the earthly eud OF them all, by the
time that men IN better circumstances at
tain their prime And all this has been
going on uuresisted and almost unnoticed
for countless eenerationsint the very shad-
ows Of hundreds of church steepes, and
in city which pays millions OF dollars
annually for the support Of gospel minis
trat0ns
The chief impression made on me By
the spectacle here represented was one Of
intense sadness and st.f-reproach I deep
Il realized that had hitherto said too lit
tie. done too little, dared too little. sacri-
feed to little, to awaken attention to the
internal wrongs and abuses which are in
herent in the very structure and constitu
ton. the nature and essence Of civilized
society as 1t now exist throughout Christ
endom OF rtat avail are aims giving
and individual 5cuevolence, and even the
offices Of religion. in the presence Of evils
so gigautic and So iuw0ven with the very
framework OF society2 There have been
here in all recent times, charitable men.
good men enough 10 have saved Sodom
but not enough 10 save society from the
condemnation Of driving the outcast race
before it Ike sheep 10 the slaughter, as its
members pressed on in pursuit Of their
several schemes of pleasure, riches or am
bition, looking up to God TOR his approba-
ton on their benevolence, as they tossed
a penny TO some miserable heggar after
they had stolen the earth from under his
feet. How long shall this endurez
The school was dismissed. and every
ore requested TO leave who did not choose
to attend the PRAYER meeting. No effort
was made TO induce any to stay--the con-
trarv rather. I was surprised to see that
three fourths Il think staid though this
was partly explained afterwards by the
fact that thev bad hopes of a nights lodg-
rlnI hlre and r0re elsewhere That pray
er meeting vas the most impressive and
salutarv religious service I have attended
for many wears Four or FIVE PRAYERS
were made by different teachers in sue
cess ior-ail ehaste. appropriate. excellent,
ferveut affecting \ Hymn was sung be-
AOIC di4A dtNCA ti-4 DF LL-G tUii--i ltsl--
and well sung Brief and cogent address
es were made by the Superintendent and
II believe) an American visitor Then
The school was dismissed and the pupils
who had tickets permitting them to sleep
IN the dormitorv below filed Of in regular
order 10 their several berths The resi-
due left the premises We visitors were
next permitted to 60 down ani see those
who staid-of course only the ladies be-
ing permitted TO look into the apartment
for women O. tie sadness of that sight
There in the mems room we're perhaps
a hundred men and boys, sitting up IN
their rags in little compartments of naked
boards. each about half way between
bread tray and hog-trougn, which plant
ed close to each other. were to be their
resting places for the night, as they had
been for several previous nights And
this is very recent and blessed addition
to the school made By the munifcence of
some noble woman who gave $500 express
" 10 Gt up some kind of sleeping room
so that those who had attended the school
should not all be turned out (as part
still necessarily are to wander or lie all
night in the always cold damp streets
There are not many hogs in America who
are not better lodged than these poor hu-
man brethren and sisters, who now united
at the suggestion Of the Superintendent,
in hymn Of praise 10 God for all his
mercies. Doubtless many did 50 with an
eye to the shelter and hope Of food (for
each one who Is permitted 10 stay here
has u bath and six ounces Of bread allott-
ed him il the morning } yet when I con
trasted this with the more formal and
stately worship I had attended at West
minister Abbey in the morning, the pre-
ponderence was decidedly not in favor Of
the latter
It seemed to me profanation-an insult
added on injury-an unjusti6able prying
into the saddest secrets of the great pris
on-house Of human woe-for us visiters to
be standing here and though I apologiz