Georgetown weekly news., 1854-12-07
The World Owes He a living


"The world owes me a 6yinp and tn
have it., says some blackleg, as he finishes
a luxurious repast; ''here, landlord, another
bottle ofprime Madeirar'
Half dozen empty-headed fops. who sit
gazing on him by stealth in silent admira-
tion hail the sentiment with rapturous ap-
plause:-+Tbat's it; the world owes us a liy
ing, and we'll have it! Landlord, more wine
here! we won't go home till morning! Let's
go it while we are young. Who cares for
eXpense?"
The consequence Of this is, the pilfering
of money drawers the igncminious loss Of
employment, genteel lcaferism &c, &C.. un-
til one enterprising gentleman. in eager pur-
suit Of the good living the world owes him."
puts the wrong mans name to his check, or
in some way gets a ticket for the marble
palace at Sing Sing, where the State pro-
vides "living' for those it considers dcser-
wing, but not such an one as consorts with
their own estimate of their exalted merits
The great error in this case is the origi-
nal maxim. 1t is false and detestable. The
world owes you living! How owes? Have
you earned it by good service? IF you have
whether on the anvil, or in the pulpit, or as
teacher, you have required a Just liveli-
hood. But if you have earned nothing, or.
worse still, done little or no good, the world
owes you nothing. Y ou may be worth mil
lions, and able to enjoy every imaginable
luxury without care or effort, but if you
have done nothing to increase the sum of
human comforts, instead Of the world owing
you anything, as fools have babbled. you
are morally bankrupt and beggar.
Mankind are Just awakening to con-
sciousness of duty resting on every man to
be active and useful in every day and sphere.
All are called to dig, or hew, or plow, or
plane-but every man has sphere of use
fulness allotted to him by Providence and
is unfaithful to his trust if he deserts it for
idle pomp or needless luxury
One may be fitted by nature and inclina-
tion for an artisan, another for sailor but
no one ever born is fitted for an idler and a
drOne. Those who become so are the vic
tins of perverse circumstances and deplo-
rably false education.
But has not the rich man the right to en-
joy his wealth? Most certainly. We would
be the last to deprive him of it. He has a
natural and legal right o.possess it and en-
joy it in any manner not in furious to others;
but he has no moral right to be useless. be-
cause he has superior means of being useful.
Let him surround himself with all the true
comforts and luxuries of life; let the master
pieces ofart smile upon him in his galleries
and the mighty minds of all ages speak to
him from his library. Let plenty deck his
board, and the faces of those he loves gather
joyously around. Let him possess in abun-
dance the means of satisfying every pure
and just desire of his nature. and become
wiser, nobler, larger in soul than the less
fortunate neighbor. But let him never for
get, and if he is properly trained he never
can. that it is his solemn duty to be useful
to his fellow creatures, especially to the de-
pressed and suffering-to labor for their
benefit, and. suffer, if need be, for their ele-
vation.
The servile idolatry with which ignorance
and yulgarity have looked to power and
wealth, the hosannahs which the trampled
millions have sung before the cars of con-
querors and other scourges of the earth
are fading, fitting, forever. In the twilight
which succeeds this gross darkness. there
comes a season Of moral anarchy. when men
having lost faith in the juggles which once
blinded and bound them, resolve to believe
nothing-tO decry and PROSTATE all that ri
ses.above its lowest level.
n. Y. Tribune.