The Lambertville press. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1858-1???, 1859-06-09
S(1 vs..
Working Men.

grandeur of our country the idea that to labor
for support is degrading and humiating, is be-
coming too general, and unless something is done
to arrest this downward tendency of the race,
the most lamentable consequences must eventu-
ally ensue Never was greater lie imagined or
warmed into BIRTH than that which attaches
contumely to honorable manual labor, and we
hesitate not to say, that the man who looks upon
the workingman with less respect than upon the
most exalted in the land is wanting in the at
tributes that distinguish men from the animal
race. We feel it to be pleasure, after the la
bors of the day, to leave our office, and look
upon the throng of workingmen, as they pass
along the street, vending their way toward their
peaceful homes. Their manly countenances, in
dexing the feelings Of the soul, depict the limo
cence of their hearts, and betoken the purity of
their conduct toward their fellow men, And
why should it not be so :? They are engaged in
life of daily toll that brings with it a sweet re-
ward such as other men crave to enjoy, but fail
to obtain because through incidence or some
other cause, they do not use the means that re-
suits in such beneficial ends. When their day
of toll is over, they can return to their homes
where they are welcomed by the blithe counter
ances of the partners of their bosoms, and the
innocent prattle of loving children, who " climb
their knees the envied kiss to share" The boun-
teous and healthful food is partaken with relish
and keenness of enjoyment that the richer idler
might justly envy, but Of which he can never
partake until he learns to respect and obey ma
lures laws. Retiring to rest, the working man
stretches his weary limbs on his downy bed, and
sweet, refreshing sleep brings its rewards for the
day of labor, acompensation more abundant than
thousands Of sparkling dollars obtained by sin
and shame There is no twitching of conscience
for wrongs inflicted on his fellow men for unholy
gain, to disturb his mind No tossing to and fro
upon his bed, unable to woo sleep to his aching
eyes, for nature only infics this curse upon those
who disregard her laws, and never refuses the
boon to those who labor When he goes forth,
it is with his head erect conscious of the recti-
tude of his conduct, and the honesty ofhis heart,
and not to encounter the searching glance of his
fellow men, and, therefore, is worthy to rank
among the noblest on earth We would not de-
tract from other callings, for men may and do en-
gage in pursuits that do not involve great bodily
eXertion and yet be honest, and blessing to
their fellows; but to exalt them in the social
scale above the working men of our country, is
gross injustice not warranted by truth or hon
or. The deepest thinkers the close reasoners,
and the most profound mathematicians are to be
found among the working men, and experience
has demonstrated the ablest statesmen have sprung
from the same source. SSH
The beautiful and useful inventions in ma
chinery, and the arts that have given to Ameri-
ca name above every nation on the EARTH are
the result of mind and genius among the work
ing men. In every branch of Industrial pur-
suits, whether it is in the handicraft of the me-
chanic, or in the tiling of he soil by the hardy
farmer, or the wrestling of lightning from hea-
ven by the ingenious printer, they have shed a
lustre on our country, Of which every man ought
to be proud, and which has not been excelled by
any other class of citizens. They stand forth
-eminently as the corner stone of American
greatness, and the very men who at home affect
to despise them, and fear to associate with them,
abroad boast of their skill and ingenuity, and
are glad to rest their claims to responsibility
upon the laurels won by the working men of our
country. Why is it, then, that those who as.
sumo to belong to higher Glass; look down upon
the men who labor in useful occupations for
their livelihood Are they more vulgar than
others? We have seen more vulgarity exhibit
ed by those of the higher classes, than could be
found among working men, and in virtue and
true poteness, they far excel their sef-created
superiors, while in intelligence, they are not a
whit behind the most favored 1t is not that
they lack any Of the requisites that constitute
gentlemen, but because they do not wear broad
cloth coats and dwell in costly palaces, that they
are regarded as belonging to lower class 1t
is not worth or manners that make the gentle
man but the tailor who tastely fits fine coat