Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1855-12-12
From the Home Journal.
OUR FRIENDS.
BY EBENEzER sPROUr.
"Sdve as from ar triendsi'

We meet them up town, we meet them
down town, we meet them in Broadway,
and on che Avenue and bow to them,
or talk to them, or laugh at them in
short, We do just as everybody else does.
John Jones is genius, philosopher;
|, an ordinary, common place individu
al. He. like many other eccentric peo
pie, land not very eccentric either, }
thinks We are living too fast now a days,
and wishing TO reform society, he often
expa,iaies largely on the subject; aud
talk with him, not that be ieve that his
wishes wi ever be consummated, but
rely for the sake Of argument And
yet, l was so deeply interested, 10y few
remarks of his some time since, that
remember them, even now.
Having some business at Albany that
required our personal attendance. We
took passage in The Aida, at the close OF
a splendid day IN the middle of August.
and when the tea-bell rang, we were gil
ding past the Palisades, ploughing the
waters of the 'lorlIy HUDSON / was
after tea, and while seated on the for
ward deck, ENJOYING our cigars. and ga
zing at the last rays OF the sun which
had just disappeared behind the High
lands, that Jones exclaimed:--
do you know, Eb, that we have no
friends?'
'What!' said 1; mo friends? Why,
there are the Smiths, the Browns, the
There they are repeated Jones, ex-
tending his left hand towards the reced-
ing spires of TIE city. There they are,
sure enough; and yet, 1 say. We have
no friends A true friend is the same
always, in prosperity or a'Iversity. wheth
er high or low, rich or poor. None of
your tag 3-rag-and-bOb-tail acquainlances
whose friendship can be bought with
good dinners or good wine. A true
friend is ways ready to assist you in
any way that lies in his power. without
the expectancy of a consideration. Now,
Ed, think of these things, and tell me,
have We one solitary friend?'
l glanced at the walking beam-that
monoJonous piece of machinery-and it
still wen p-and down. Ny eyes wan
dered t) the smoke pipe; tLen to the
s.reamer that floaLed over our heads
then skipped across the river, and glided
along the verdant banks, over pasture
fields, over houses, over herds of cattle,
over the tree-tops, made still more beau
liful by The last rays of the setting un,
over hill and valley. up the country for
miles away; then over a new landscape,
and back ,ain 10 the busy scene around
US. While my eyes wandered, my
thoughts were not idle, but the effort was
vain; and though heartily wishing to
answer in the aft native, yet, taking in
to consideration JOAN Jones ideas of
true friend. could not So. after long
pause. answered:
No, Jones; not one. But continued !
I. you say that this is a progressive
age, that these are fast times; that ev
erythins has Undergone change in the
past twenty years; then may we not sup |
pose that friendship has changed also?
erhaps the warm hearted disinterested |
friendship of old, is moi necessary to com
plete the happiness of our best eociely'
in these later days; then why should it
exiSi?'
Very true. Eb; there is no reason why
it should exist because true happiness is
unknown 10 cur best society," Every
thing connected with il, is false, ar if
cial, m de to order Even we, who
move in The first circles of the best So !
cieIy, when we smile or laugh, and, to
all outward appearances, are jovial and
merry, we are not happy; our gayety is
a mask, to be put on whenever we ap-
pear before our so called friends, (who
are, in reality, our greatest enemies. -
We laugh when joke is told, not that
we can detect the least particle of wit i'll
it, but because it is fashionable; because
it is considered polite. l am warm ad-
vocate Of friendship and love universal;
true happiness cannot exist in society
where there is no friendship, no love-
You may laugh as you will, neyeIthe
less l advocate love in a cottage and
not only there. bu; love in the city, love
in The country. in the farmhouse, in the
on the mountain-top, in the
valley wherever the human family ex
isis, there would l have friendship and
love. Yes, even in our bess society, if
it can reach so IA. Consider The Smiths
who live in a brown stone palace, full
thirty feet front. on the Avenue Why !
do We frequently receive finely enamel
led, splendidiy engraved, elegant gill;
edged cards, together with the eompii
menis Of Mrs. Augustus Cesar Hannibal
Smith. informing Us that she is al home
on such and such evenings, at No
Avenue? There are three rea. !