Washington telegraph., 1853-09-21
Life i'm the Gold diggins.

acquaintance in California Hence there is
very general desire to hear the news at all
times from the land of. gold, to learn the
condition of the people. and to know how
they spend their :Suu1ays. Touching these
points, we have hardly seen ANYTHING more
graphic than the following quaint article
from a California paper, which friend has
sent us from the diggins We confess we
do not like to see paraphrases upon the sac
red scriptures. but still we feel inclined to
give our readers this solemn picture of lie
in the diggins. IN. Y. Buaget.
TEN COMMANDMENTS.
A man snake these words and said: I am
a MINER who wandered ''from away down
east, and came to soiourn in strange land
and see the elephant" And behold I saw
him, and bear witness that from the key of
his trunk to the end of his tail, his whole
body has passed before me; and followed
him until his huge feet stood still before
clabbord shanty; then with his trunk extend
ed, he pointed to a candle-card tackled upon
shingle, as though he would say read, and
[ read,
The Miners Ten Commandments
! Thou shalt have no other claim than
one.
! T-Thou shalt not make unto thysef
any false claim, nor any likeness to a mean
man, by jumping one; whatever thou fndest
on the top above. or on the rock beneath, or
in crevice underneath the rock-for am
jealous dog, and viii visit the miners round
with my presence. to invite them on my side;
and when they decide against thee. thou
shalt have to take thy pick and thy pan, thy
shovel and thy blankets. with all thou hast.
and 90 prospecting" both north and south.
to seek good diggings; and thou shalt find
none Then. when thou hast returned. in
sorrow thou shalt find that thine old claim
is worked out, and no pile made thee, to
hide it in the ground, or in an old boot be-
meath thy bunk. or in buckskiu or bottle
underneath thy cabin. but hast paid all that
was in thy purse away, Worn out thy boots
and thy garments, that there is nothing
good about them but .he pockets, and hv
patience he likened unto thy garments. and
at last thou shalt hire thy body out to make
thy board and save thy bacon p
III-Thou shalt not 90 prospecting be-
fore thy claim gives out Thou shalt not
take thy money nor thy gold dust, nor thy
good name, to the gaming house in vain, for
monte, twenty-one. roulette, faro, lansquenet
and poker, viii prove to thee that the more
thou puttcst down the less thou shalt take up:
and when thou thinkest of thy wife and
children, thou shalt not hold thyself guilt
less. but insane
IV.-Thou shalt not remember what thy
friends do at home on the Sabbath day, lest
tl,o
bly, with what thou doest Six days thou
maycst dig or pick all that thy body can
stand under, but the other day is Sunday,
when thou shalt wash all thy dirty shirts,
darn all thy stockings, tap all thy boots,
mend all thy clothing, chop thy whole weeks
fre-wood, make up and bake thy bread and
boil thy pork and beans, that thou wait not
| when thou returnest from thy long tour.
weary. For in six days labor only thou
canst not work enough to wear ont thy body
in two years; but if thou workest hard on
| Sunday also, thou canst do it in six months;
and thou and thy son, and thy daughter,
thy male friend and thy female friend thy
morals and thy conscience be none the bet
ter for it: but reproach thee, shouldst thou
ever return with thy worn-out body to thy
mothers iireside, and thou strive to Justify
thySelf, because the trader and the black
smith. the carpenter and the merchant, the
tailors, Jews, and buccaneers defy God and
civilization, by keeping not the subbath day,
and wish not for day of rest, such as meme
! ry, youth and home made hallowed
V.-Think more of thy gold and how
thou canst make it faster, than how thou wilt
eniey it, after thou hast ridden, rough-shod,
over thy good old parents precepts and ex-
amples, that thou mayest have something to
reproach and sting thee, when thou art left
alone in the land where thy fathers blessing
and thy mothers love hath sent thee.
VI-Thou shalt not kill thine own body
by working in the rain. even though thou
shalt make enough to buy physic and attend
ance with-neither shalt thou kill thy neigh
boris body by shooting him, except he give
thee offence-then upon the principle of
honor; without principle, thou mayest, even
though by keeping cool thou hadst saved
his life and thy conscience.
VII-Thou shalt not grow discouraged,
and think of going home before thou hast
made thy pile because thou hast not struck
lead,' nor found rich crevice, nor sunk
a hole upon pocket lest in going home,
thou shalt leave four dollars day, and 90 to
work, ashamed at fifty cents, and serve thee
right; for here. by staying, thou mghtest
strike lead and fifty dollars day. and thy
manly self-respect, and then go home with
enough to make thyself and others happy.
VIII-Thou shalt rot pick out speci-
mems from the company pan, and put them
in thy mouth or in thy purse Neither shalt
thou take from thy cabinmate his gold dust
to add to thine, lest he find thee out, and
straightway call his fellow-miners together,
and they hang thee, or give thee fifty lashes