The Washington union., 1857-11-11
FROM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT,
srbsr t.osrsosE. oct. So. is5j


lation These have little claim to our sympathy but
there are thousands OF honest industrious who have
been led TO ruin by example and pcrsuason whose imi
pcity and good nature have yielded TO the seducons of
others and who really objects Of pity Among these
IL an old neighbor of mine whose furnishes Inn.
pressiye lessoI,i >. 49,. 9'tr
The district Ia which residc was originally settled by
emgrants from Holland whose postcrity long retained
the steady sober habits Of their orcathers among which
economy Of the most conspicuous They wese
uniformly sober Discreet and prudent armers4 whoif
anxious to grow rch never riske becoming poor ih the
attempt whose bsrhs wcro arget than their houses
whose lndoof comforts were always greater than their
outward display; whose labor their capital,
and whose riches In the soil they cultivated AT
the period of my first recollection Of them more SOBER
contented and substantially moral community was
where to be found. Their recreation pipe, their
only luxury Christmas banquet, and their only fnery
was displayed in going to church ON Sundays II was
then only the beaver hat and broadcloth coat heir
looms of the family, displayed by the men, and the
chntz gown and colored rband by the young women
Spending money the exception, and saving IL the
rule Yet they were not mises. II they carried their
economy TO excess II only yielding to the common
lot of our nature which stops at the golden
mean - and If they erred at ALL in this respect, it
on the fight side The best of all WAS they truth
full Trustworthy people, and though perhaps not quite SO
integent-or to express 1t better so cunning as their
neghbors down East the present generation OF empty
boasers were with few exceptions emphaticay honest
men, 'he noblest work Of God say the noblest workof
od for whatever may be the genius OF requirements OF
men il they are destitute Of integrity, they only the
more pcitous to society In proportion to the power thy
exercise But my object is MOTTO generalze Example
is better tlan prccept and abstract opinions have little
influence over the actions Of mankind M !"n
Among the descendants of these worthy aud rcfbett
BILE old Dutchmen neghbor of mine, who though he
will never set the North river ON fire. is an amabe we'll
meaning man. and what he has Is ot the right kind
His weak side is amiable sort cf imlecilty which
prompts him to yield not ony his opinions, but his
tons to the direction Of others In short hes oogood
naturcd by half AS the original Of this sketch Is bona
fde living man and my ncghbor shall withhold
his real name and call him Cornelius Van D,ner.
Cornelius had cne Of the best farms in the county
and was an Industrious prudent man He pactiscd on
the true doctrine of improvement for he improved bis
land every year ~ his and his own labor He
was moreover to use ht pcy country phrase nah
well to do in the world and every year doing better
He had married in enly life pceny Of Dutch daml,
whose greatest misfortune was having leen sophisticated
by passing winter or two in New York, Ybere Fine AZ
quircd mschcvons taste for fncry and shopping she
brought him two OF those little fat crooked cheruls such
as we see on the old mossy Dutch tcmb-stonts, and
when saw Cornelius sitting under his little porch,
shaped like cooked hat Of long summer twilight,
smoking his pipc thought him the very picture Of cen
tented happiness
This was almost age ago, and before that pestifer
ous fend atclia progress they call it, which has
put stop all moral progress, got footing among US IN
consequence Of nh inyeteratc habit of initiating John
Bull which has selnccd into system Of policy essen
TALLY injurious 10 young vigorous, and free people
There were no Mr. Jonathan Goacads among at that
time--at least they did business small scale But
since then the world has advanced at railroad pace.
sometimes forwards, sometimes backwards, like crab,
and people feel great contempt for their ignorant an
cestos as postey will probably do for us wiscacrcs, who
have been dancing away great rate, and left them to
pay the piper
One of the first steps towards material progress m ouf
parts was getting up little wild cat bank In village
about ten miles from Pcrsepolis, whose trade principally
consisted in apples and cider There being no employ
ment for the capital which had usual been pad in
or secured to be paid the officers and directors secured
The country in search of customers who somewhat
difficult to find rs borrowing not the fashion at that
time and it was almost hard to catch borrower asa
lender.
One Of these missionaries at length scduccd next
neighbor of Cornelius to get note discounted at Is
bank with the proceeds OF which he built Grceian Ten
pie with portico and door in the corner
instead Of the middle according to New England fashion
The first sight of this gave Mrs Cornelius mn alarming ut
of the fdgcts She forthwith began TO run down the old
stone family mansion of the Van Duzcs ut great rate
II was then for the first time she discovered there was not
room enough in the parlor to spin top; that The roof
leaked like sieve and the wind blew through the old
stone walls like bellows Most especially did she bea-
bor the little cooked hat the little porch, which she
said put her in mind of old Dominic Riclltmeycr, the
Dutch clergy all wearing cooked hats at that time.
Minc vrouw would Cornelius say, in his quiet, good
naturcd way '.how comes il you never found out
this before ~ because was fool " said mine yrouw.
All very likely that accounts for it, quoth Cor
nelius pure simplicity and smoked away like barn
door in frosty morning. Mrs Cornelius did not stop
here She became Disguised with the cares OF domestic
life in such an old rckety barn of house, and left
everything at SKIES and eeyens because ns she said
there was no use in making things decent inside Of
house the outside Of which looked like nm old oven
| than a Christian dwelling.
About this time there along our way an agent OF
pueon of the little wildcat bank, in search or
whom he might devour He proved powerful au1ii
ary of Mrs Cornelius, with whom always suspected
him of acting in concert He took every opportunity OF
making sly hit at the old stone house, and often asked
Cornelius why did not build Grecien Temple Gothic
cottages had not yet in fshion) like his ncighbor
the man from down East Because would honest Cor
neus reply because can't do IL without running IN
debt and that don't choose to do" Running in
\ debit replied the stool lpigeon 'pooh, that u rs
easy as kiss your hand Why, II You want money,
I "A n,,,,