The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1853-09-23
THE DOLLAR.

v
Snnin, Years aro, in the dark caves OF d
potosi, the swar,hy Aztec deved from the
unwilling earth the glittering ore which a
was never more to be his own; and smelted,
purified and stamped with the insignia OF
tyranny, it has gone forth from age to age,
and from generation to generation, an en-
tailed curse or bequeathed blessing
The lean and shrivelled miser has toiled for
Il, penny by penny; for it he has wrougod
the widow and the fatherless, and spoiled
the happy home Of the vrtuous; aud to
possess it he has denied himself even the
necessaries of life; and, pnched by hunger
and want, he has hugged it TO his dying
bosom, and relinqushcd it only when the icy
hand of death opened his clutchcd fingers.
And then, what it cost the old man long
lifetime of weary toi! and want to accumulate
was quickly scattered to prolligate heirs, who
in their turn, were bringing upon themselves
the curse Of the mser's ill-gotten wealth.
For this poor bit Of ringing metal has the
seamstress in her dismal garret,
"With eyclids heavy md red,
And fingers weary and worn,
stitched on for dear liie and when the misera-
BILE dole had passed through her toil-worn fin
gers, il was but to be squandered from the
snowy hand of beauty in the marts of
fashionable trade. Rich, dry old man of
business-solid and substantial men of
Boston have fingered it lovingly, as if its
mellow ring were music to their ears; and,
then, again, it has nestled in the hand OF
innocent childhood, and been treasured up
among its hoard of precious things-gazed
at day by day, teaching the little one to learn
too soon, alas! to love the "root of al
evil"
Within this shining silver circle have cen
tered all the ends and aims of the sordid maj
Of the world; who found, when too late, tina
his mighty dollar could not
minister to the mind diseascd
Pluck from the memory, rooted sorrow,
Raze out the written troubles of the brain"
or give the soul passport to that realr
beyond the earth, beyond the skies.
The chubby school-boy, with his CROWN
avarcc, has boarded up the dollar in hi
little pocket book, against the Fourth @
July jolilication; and then how gladly has
gone to the vender of apple tarts and ginge
beer, or gunpowdcr and iire-crackcrs, thong
diverse and terrible, during the long month
OF waiting, were the temptations to volat
its unbrolen repose.
This type of Yankee ambition-thc Al
mighty Dollar-has been the price of tina
patriotism which political sham patriots bu
and sell in the market places--the success fl
bait to tempted virtue and the reward @
crime. Benevolcnce has converted th
heather with it, and stingincss has rewarde
the prcserver of his life with tho sam
identical coin
One day it has been dropped into the fou
till of the low groggery, and the next day
was gone on mission to the Sandwic
Islands, along with some thousand casks @
New England rum, and it only returned
buy the soul OF curbstone broker Once
was dropped into the contribution box, an
the next day twas sold for six per cent. o
State street; and after crossing the Atlantic
and lourishing among the titled puppets O
the Court of st. James, it returned to pur
case the complete works of Williar
Shakespeare, and it hired an independen
editor of the mojer Athens TO hold hi
tongue
But it would be in vain to attempt to follow
this erratic coin in its wanderings up and dow
the earth, doing good one day, and upsettin
it the next; but, oh! friend Of humanity, ad
not another TO its manifold sins, but use it u
not abusing it; and when it shall leave you
hand send it forth upon good mission.
Almighty Dollar go forth upon your way
Pull down and build up; destroy and repair
comfort and succor, and wound, but your pro
prrss around the world shall wear yO
smoother and smoother. and one day you sha
fall to the fate Of our humanity, and shal
die!