Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1853-09-24
FLOR the wheeling 1ntellisencer.l
Notes on Passing Events.
1RoMFaE ~ AnouF TowN.

= o. j
The usual Fall excitement has commit no ID with
the Dry Goods Clerks, arising in an effort to ins
duce their employers TO shut their stores atan ear
iier hour, in order to give these young ''bucks''
better opportunity to read and improve their
minds, and to enrolthsir names in the literary b00k
of fame. This is regular Fall mania OF that
class, and the newspapers do, or at least pretena
to, sympathise and condole with these over-work-
ed and oppressed, honest yirtuous, and deserving
young gentlemen. Now, as / love to see honest
merit rewarded, and labor dignifed, and employ
ees elevatedin The scale Of refinement and lnteil-
gence, i wish them Godspeed in the accomplish
Inent of their very reasonable demands; end do
SO from no sympathy whatever, but merely from y
universal principle of right, that in this country
at least, must finally triumph. AS intimated,
Ihave no sympathy with them--and all sympas
thy extended in their case is, at best but mack
ish sentimeutGLsus got up for very opposite pur-
pose Than that pretended, and calculated to'de-
grade and debase actual and beneficial labor
The shop. keepers, OF all the employees in this
city, are more free from drudging toll and have
more time to spend in the pursuit of pleasures or
the improvement Of mind, than any other class,
and how does the oppression oftheir situation COM
pare with our mechanical employees, class
equally as respectable, and probably better edu-
Gated and more intelligent Here it is that one
can see labor dignifed by mind and not by broad
cloth. In our Stops, our glass houses founder
les and rolling seen the sweat of honest
labor believing the forehead of intelligence, and
calls forth our liyelies sympathies for this is that
labor, assisted by education and intelligence
which has made our city what it is, aud which
will, If we foster and sympathse with it, increase
us in wealth, population and Importance, and
without which, our future will be to retTograde.
From the nature otmy employment1 pass along
our streets at most all hours of the night and
probably have better opportunity TO observe the
different classes of employees at night thanl have
during the day, and although do not wish to
dwell upon my Night observations, still you must
permit me to express a passing SORROW that the
nights of manyare not spent in the reading room,
the library nor in the social circle at home. Many
an honest father and mother, who sleep peaceful
" in the undisturbed conviction of the amiability
and integrity of their sons, would turn pale with
remorse and self-upbraidings of their eniency did
they stand on the street at midnight, and witness,
as heve done, the moral delinquency OF those
who, in daylight, would wish TO be looked upon
as leaders of the ''ton," and as moral, deserving
Young men, But mention the fact of my noe
tu1nal walks, for the purpose of drawing COM
parison between the shop-keepers and othe1
employees of the city. The stores shut up al
from dark to half past nine, and and those which
keep open the latest, having sevetal employees
two thirds at least ofthe force is off duty, and the
nights are spent as the whim siezes them; Will.
the hammer of the artizan is heard at all hours o
the night, and the unpleasant sound of escapes
steam, and the consequent clatter of machinery, il
heard alikein the stiffness of the night as in th'
hustle ofday, and there is no respite-no, moi
even, in many cases, on the Lords Holy Sabbath
And many times, when business called me or
Water street. and up Monroe street, at 1, 2, 3, ant
even O'Clock in the morning, have Istopped and
gazed through the windows at the curious motions
of the type-sette1s, and sometimes in the stilnes
of the morning, could hear the quick click-clicl
click, of the types as they were forming thoS
words that on the morrow, would convey tidings
10y sorrow to the then sleeping world; that woul
make rich the trader, OF scatter to the winds tn
anticipated gains of the Spectator. How doe
5 shop-kecping compare with these employments
more noble and digni6ed as they really are, ant
il where should the sympathy of discerning publ
be placed. If the shop keepers are dissatisier
with their occupation, let them seek more nGnt
one, and p IS the salesof silks and the measuring
of tapes and ribbons over TO their sisters ant
daughters, where it properly belongs.