Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1856-08-29
One Who Died Without Living


M. Paul Legrand died at Dijon Burgundy, receD.
ly, at the age of TO- leaving the following memoir
whereby he proves he has not lived
All that is suffering sorrow, ennui, despair, desire
regret, should be deducted from life, because We
should ourselves have deducted il, had heaven per-
mitted When three years old, | was weaned; at six
could speak but badly at seven split my SKULL at
nine | was cured. l must, therefore, extract nine
years from my existence for surely to drink nurses
sour milk, not to speak, or badly, and to split ones
skull. is not living. AT the age of nine began my
studies. Owing TO my cracked skull, my head was a
hard one, and proved stubborn to tuition. requi
ed two years labor 10 spell the alphabet was in.
debed 10 letter alone for about fourscore hundred
lashes; the other twentythree letters made complete
martyr of me- At the age of twelve could read
but my body was mangled with alphabet scars An
attempt was made to teach me Latin, and | lost my
French in the experiment. At fifteen knew nothing
at all, and forced diet of bread and water had re-
duced me 10 the condition of skeleton. Six years
more had therefore to be deducted. At sixteen my
father made me notary's clerk. There commenced
new species of maltyrdom: got up at Six, swept
the office, lighted the stove, drubbed by the taller
clerks, and my father, overwhelmed with complaints
about me, deprived me of my dinner. This life led
for five years, and from my life will positively deduct
them.
At twenty my father, quite disguised with bis son,
put me on board ship at Cherbourg ] washed the
decks, climbed up the top mast mended the sails and
received thirty lashes day upon my back. This
was endured for four years. AT twenty -four my fa'
Their made me haberdasher. [ married Ma'm'Selle
Ursue Devousins, turner's daughter her portion
consisted of thirty thousand ivres, morgaged upon
a sugar estate at 81. Domingo. The day after The
wedding found that my wife had wooden leg
made by my father. in law, the turner. The poor
woman made a thousand apologies for her infrmity,
and pardoned her out of regard to her marriage pO
ton The st. Domingo blacks rose against the whites
burned the marriage portion, and the wooden leg was
all that was left to me.
At thirty lost my wife in consequence of scroiu.
lous disease spent six years of marriage, repentng
every minute. therefore deduct these six years
from my lite. Having, as everybody else, slept
sleep, and am below the right reckoning, for was
great sleeper. year lost, adding minute to minute
in searching. for the keys of my desk which was
constantly misaying. Does one live when one looks
for key Three years lest in having myself shaved
powdered, &c. five years in suffering with toohache
two inflammations of the chest, with relapseS and
convalescence. Three years lost in saying, "WhatS
o'clock % eve have bad weather to-day chow DO
you do ;" how is your lady 2" 81 have bad cold
" Marlborough sen va-t-en guerre-what mud IN tne
street--what a winter this year % Six months 1851
in having the mud brushed off one, and six in brush
ing ones hat. One year of endurance of the entire
acts of the theatre One year lost in listening to ne
modern dramas, the chef dGuvre Of genius not under
stood. One year LIST in complaining OF salt Shq
tasteess soups, of outlets too much or too undone
indigestion or hard eggs. Total, II years | Deg
leave TO declare that in giving up the ghost 90 n0
give up anything worth keeping.