The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1853-03-30
THI DAILY DISPATCH
"a N Ms A MAN FOR A, THAT,

ION nth u journey man painter Wuo
makes iwenty-three shillings week. He has
awife and four lille children. They live 10 q
mean garrett room, are poorly clad and fed, and
sickness is seldom absent from the house.
Tom feels the degraded style of his life. but
cannot remedy il; the public house prevents
him. Yet Tom has certain hardy spirit Oh
eeit.asser,ion about him, and thinks himself
and others OF his class entitled to something Tar
better than they get in this world. his tavof'
lite expression Is, "A mans man tor q thai'
well, Tom, man is a man at all times ana
in all circumstances; but you pretend to thihS
taat you are a capital man, first.rate man, or
even respectable man, you are ~ great h''s'
take. You saw, what is there in poverty 10
make man less than man Ihat was
Burns question, and certainly nothing can De
clearer than that poverty IN atseg can unHako
no man. A mans q man I; that Is TO say, man
entitled TO some regard, Notwithstanding Mdt'
But, my dear Tom, you are not simply poor
man in the sense that Burns contemplated !;
that is, a virtuous man depressed by Indulgence
You are cor man, made so by fOllies on
your own part that deprive you OF all title to
respect. Therefore, that grand assertion OF
Burns which we all sympathise in because ii
proc.aims so stoutly the inherent greatness OF
worthy man irrespective OF external circum.
stances, does not apply TO you. You are In
delusion about it, my friend and as there IS
perhaps something good in you after al, will
endeavor TO show you how the matter really
stands
"A mans man for a. that agoin cries Tom,
looking round to his companions, as calling
them TO make chorus OF it. But they all SIT
silent 10 hear the per contra.
TO 60 no further than your externais, Tom
II think modesty calls you to let Burns song
alone. You are dirty all over your person
you are ragged and you are contened 10 sll
in q very nasty place, which you are every
minute making nasiier. Ii is not Ike a mar 10
be and 10 do this, but more like>one OF the low
er animals. lfyou were TO sing: "A pig 5
pig for g. ,hal'' | would have nothing 10 say
but really as one of the race wnch oou mas
put over the world must protest against your
taking the naue of man atali. however tnis
is not ihe worst OF it. You nave "iie aho III
tie ones at home, and, instead OF Deing Eihu
and beaeicent towards them, as the beet teel-
;nos of humanity call you TO be, you keep them
in misery. You are harsh TO themi you spend
ON ,our own basest appettes what should give
then, comfort; you leave them in neglect, when
ever you have any enjoyment OF your own IN
view. How can you be man for a that, think
you? Butsse the irratonaity of il all. Your
wages are sufficient, if we'll applied, TO keep
yourself and your family in comfort. You de-
Hbera,ely prefer misapplying them, although
the result is so di.asirous. Conduct so con-
trarv 10 reason is not manlike, for man is pre-
eminenily reasonable creature therefore,
again, you are net entitled to use Burns max.
i'm. In short, there being neither humane feel
ing nor nationality in your daily life, | am
afraid you are hardly entitled to consider your
self as man al all.
Stop, now-I am not done with you, Tom.
You often boast Of your importance as work
er, in contrast with the other classes of society.
1Whal would they all be without US? YOU
ft'ruo IN the Ciacs nf UnrE
body denies it. But consider your own par,i-
cuiar conduct as member of that respectable
body. BY reason Of your low indulgeDces,
your family are in such circumstances as to be
glad TO take food, clothing, education, and
medical aid, from those very people of whum
you speak SO defyingly. Were you yourself
Ill win fever, you would have to 60 to one CT
their hospitals. Were you cut off. as you
may be any day, your family would be wholly
dependent on The charity of the middle classes,
for you have not saved penny to leave them.
You man in spite of "a that" What delu.
sion! You are q slave, with only the right to
do Yourself indefinite harm Lord of thysclf,
that heritage of wo.' A real slave would be in
more respectable position; for what he re-
ceives from the hands of his superiors, is only
part OF the arrangement understood 10 exist
between him and them, while you at once take
the priv ileges OF The independent worker and
accept the charities that mark and are appro.
pirate to bondage.
Stop, again say, and let me tell you all
think OF you, after which you may speak if
you choose. | know, in fact, what you are
thinking of, and will meet it. You consider
yourself clever fellow, a fellow of some
nous, and that your word should go as far as
anybody else's. A pretty story, truly '! Why,
you can hardly read or sign your name. All
the spare hours which so many other working.
men have devoted TO the cultivation of their
minds, you have spent in debasing pleasures.
You know hardly anything beyond your own
trade. You can sing foolish song toierab.y
we'll over pot OF aie, with a set of nasty fel-
lows like yourself, but you have not the
slightest acquaintance either with the laws of
the ply slcal world, or with those sciences of
experience and reflection by which the inte.
rests OF great bodies of men are governed
Moreo'ef, you have no refined or elevated
feelings-nO self control TO enable you to Join
or deal with other men in any kind Of affairs
no ASPIRATIONS Tor general good, lifting you
out OF the slough Of your own narrow interests
and prejudices. l do not say that, in your cir.
cumstances, you were to be expected TO turn
out anything very profound, or wise, or digni.
he'd; but you NIL ut have been something
nearer 10 all these than you are, and, being so
utterly remote from them, what are we to saw
OF you! Why, that, having taken no trouble,
and exercised 40 settdeDial TO make yourself
anything more than an ignorant and reckless
animal. We must, in the meantime, Just hold
you for such. l am sorry for il, my dear
Tom; but the fact is, that, taking you in the
best light possible, you are not Il fellow of any
mons al all, but very short sig hted mortal.
"fou are as good al your neighbors,' you
say; but that | entirely deny. A man like
you who does nothing for his family or so.
ciety, but misguides the one, and is half bur
dea 10 the other, is not nearly so good as most
other people in the world are. Most happy
am 10 think that there is nothing in the
work ing-man's position TO degrade MIN, and
that so many of them are, in the relation of
their circumstances, as respectable as any
people on earth. But you, my pot-house
haunting friend, singing out, "A mans a man
Ior a tnat' il is not true of you or of any like
you. You must permit me to tell you, that
you aie great deal worse than your neigh.
Dors. Alas. what would this world have been
~, ali mad been like you hitherto and all were
IKE you now7 In the first place, everything
maze during a week being spent and CON.
sumed before Saturday night, there would No,
nave been house built; not road or br;5g,s
formed no provision in Sumner for w;nrss
nothlng but the meanest. direst poverty ever.
where. La the second piece, not a s;nsls =.
stituton for The benefit of society conld S..a