The Richmond Indiana palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1854-1855, 1855-04-20

the hearth to the press and from the press TO the
hearth again. filled with cider which disappeared
ia frequent and cOpious draughts, wfn!e the plead
ing tears Of woman fell unheedsd. Often ard
often have we seen that old man ard h:s son sit
ting by the fire 10 the family mansion, around
whose hearthstone many endearnc scenes
should have clustered, with trembling eyes, look
ing so unutteraby worthless and miserable that,
child, as We were we wept for fallen n5an And
time passed on, and with it passed asay the old
mans possessions Cider and its concomitaats
had done their work. That beautiful farm aud aii
the monuments Of their early thrift and Industry
are beautiful still; but they are now the property
Of temperate and thriving farmer The old man
was borne to his grave IN poverty, but not before
he and his aged wife had become charges upon
their relatives And the son, toe, has gone to his
long sleep and the drnnkards grave is his resting
MACE In youth he was handsome and Intelligent,
and was bound to one whom he promised TO love,
cherish and protect; and although she was not his
equal in beauty intelligence, yet she trans
cendanty his superior in the knowledge and prac-
tice of the duties of this life; bat like a summer
flower overtaken by the early frost winds, she
withered aud sunk down into the quiet earth She
had known no quiet home with hiu, and it
chiefly from her ''memorys storehouse," or from
the great future beyond that she derived the little
sunshine rays The present was being launched
upon a troubled sea and vainly reaching for the
shore. But she did and left two than
phaned children, to buffet the adverse waves-to
grow up to manhood to learn the whitening,
blighting truth that the canse of their poverty
ard neglect had its origin in the cider press.
The poor, iufataated father to hide from him.
self the rain he had wroug ught-drank deeper aud
deeper of the -Fn,ddeniag bowl" till deiiram
mems put period 10 his misdirected life; and he.
like his aged size, borne unlameuied away
from the gaze Of his fellow man forever.
Let pity him. for he is brother in eterni.
ty-let rs pity him that he was led on by ii ather's
example and became the victim of u monster all
too strong for his undeveloped powers-et Us pity
MIN that he lived in a community that sanctioned
the self destruction Of its nobesr aud best citizens
let as pity him for very PHYS sase-fsr pity,
love and mercy three great angels sent as he
mediums of Gods hoy power, TO redeem man from
his errors, ani give him. while here foretaste of
that happiness his spirit, freed from the faint of
earth shall experience when he arrives at that
good home where sorrow cannot go. Let us weep
that his sun of glory went down in the dark en-
pre OF that fiery king, whose cradle was the cider
press. And weep for the early blighted one, for
though she is sister spirit, and her '' obes have
been made white yet the morning light of ker
life wrapt in the clouds and storms that dar-
ken the drunkard's dwelling. Aud now their chill
dren are as ours may become, poor and degraded
and prey to vices that unborn generations may
claim as their only inheritance-or bright and sh-
ming lights illumnins the pathway OF happiness
and honor and glory unceasing, now and forever.
L. X. BLACKFAS.