Spirit of the times. [volume] (Ironton, Ohio) 1853-1858, 1855-12-04

but they are undoubtedly in mistake e. |
There ase many men and women known
Fto-uS who act upon this ansxim OF high |
morslity, and who are, accordingly, safe
from such wringings Of the heart as we
have described. Some will feel little
disposed to sympathize with a sense Of
duty so extremely refined. and which re.
sists such natural impulses. With that
style Of feeling we cannot contend.-l
We must rest content with the convic.
ton, that whatever a sense Of right and
wrong toward others bids 10 be done or
left undone, ought 10 be done or left On.
done accordingly even though it affects
q question Of marriage.
An immense number Of other calami.
ties connected with disease are now
clearly seen to be preventa BILE; all that
is required for this purpose being an oh.
servance Of the conditions and rules OF
health. Pestilence and fever are them.
selves but expressions Of erroneous con.
ditons OF life. Let these conditions be
reformed in accordance with the laws
ordained by Providence for human veal,
and the diseases vanish. The astoun.
ding fact that half the children born in
most communities die under Ave years
Of age, in like manner only exposes ex.
tensive systems or mistreatm,eii of chill.
dren, and the too general subjection OF
the young to influences which work in.
|juriously. If those systems of miStreat.
rnent, and those noxious influences, were
replaced by others OF healthy kind,
the grcans and cries Of m mothers would be
immensely abated. Beholding, sympa.
thetically, the calamity when it comes,
we feel tha, it were kind of cruelty 10
a bereavcd parent 10 point out how the
lost one might have been preserved, or
even to intimate the general fact that
such calamities are preventable. But
we also feel on the other hand, that this
tenderness to those who are afflicted,
ought not TO be carried so far as to keep
knowledge from those who may be so.-
There is duty TO the living as we'll as
the dead.
There is great and a wcllknown
range O. evils which may be comrrehen.
sivcIy grouped under the one bitter word
-Povcrty. They have always been,
and, we may we'll believe they will ever
ia some measure be. But the evils OF
poverty dre no more, in any case, neces.
sary or unavoidable than those Of dis.
ease. Look at the grim evil in any OF
its shapes. thoroughly scan it outside
and in. and you will always find that it
depends on circumstances more or less
&C c idental and liable TO be sltered.-
Mr.. Mayhem and Nh. uojwin have de.
scribed the hosts Of the London poor in
the moststriking manner; scores Of thou.
sands Of people. not regular artisans or
laborers, (they are com parativcly an or.
is.ocrdcy,) but persons gased'in mean
street traffic. and supplying trains ar,i.
cles to those who may need them; biv.
ooacking, rather than lodging in wretch.
ed FURNISHED or unfinished houses,
half. starving upon misersbly small gains,
and often wholly without means flive.
lihood. 1t is the EXTREMIST and most
distressing picture Of poverty we could
see, perhaps, anywhere on earth far be.
yonh anything that ever was presented
in our northern land, once considered so
MISUNDERSTANDING wholly into the
shade any kind of misery that ever oc.
ours among the North American In.
dians. One is apt 10 suppose this pov.
er,y and misery to be past hope. Well,
we do not say that il could be easily
rcmcdied; hut neither can we admit that
it Is necessary or unavoidable. When
a philanthlopic visitor goes into some
un plenished den, ard finds a family Iiv.
ing in wretcheJness. it does not seem
ever 10 occur 10 him to ask'lfow it hap.
pens that the husband and father can do
SO. little good in the world. He has a
brain and hands-wonderful things
when rightly directed and used. Why
does not this poor man turn them 10 &C
count! Most probably he is an utterly
ignorant man, who does not know how
to use his brain and hands to any good
account; who thinks, If he goes out ev,
cry day with few lunches Of radishes
and tries to sell them, he is doing his du
ty--trying to turn an honest penny, al
he calls it--while he is only trifins
away his time end misusing his natura
powers. Perhaps his error consists in
refusing te' move to a place where hi.
exertions, being called for by his fellow
creatures, would be sure TO turn to hi.
profit, instead Of being here misspent in
ascene where they are superffuous, come
into collision with the exertions Of other.
better qualified Than he. Such mi
catnot but be poor, and poor he will b.
| while he conlinues 10 make such 8
WEIGHED use o. the wonderous faculties
for good with which he has been endow
ed. But let this man be instructed, sc
as to see that il is possible to be very
busy with nohing, or TO be trying to dc
something ia a wrong place. and he may
have chance Of succeeding somewhsl
better in the world. -
An immense class of evils, are those
which depend on troubles in worldly al.
fairs. Men soiU spend moro than they
ought TO do. They ,oil1 take no heed fol
to- morrow. And they suffer the well.
known consequences. The proper c curse
for avoiding such evils is plain before US
all---plain to triteness. No one can have
the excuse Of ssyius that he had no sea
con 10 fososee the danger Of q misrelation
between his desires and bis means. II
/ :. H. Il - L