The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-03-11
THE PHILOSOPHY oE Cu,pITy

THE PHILOSOPHY OF CHARITY FAIRS.
In his fourteenth letter, as published in the New
York Euening POST Mohammed Pacha writes thus:
Beloved Abel Ben Hassan:-lIow sweet is charity!
lovely as the lilies of Egypt radiant the of
Persia tender the eve of Circassian virgins glo-
rious as the tail of a Bird of Paradise.
The Americans n charitable of men
and women, and will do their inellects the credit
to say that they are very ingenious in their meth
DDS of exercising the divine power.
When was informed that superb banquet
would be eaten at the Gastronomic Hotel in Broad
way, for the benefit of the Widows and Orphans
of Superanuated Peanut Vendors, | begged my
intelligent acquaintance, Tompkns Efendi, to
explain to me the philosophy of the enterprise.
''Precious Pacha," said he, sour professor of
Greek used to call the attention of sophomores to
that curious scrptural phrase commonly translated
bowels Of cOmpassiOn-he considered it expressive.
The people who dine at the Gastronomic propose
to prove that they possess those virtuous viscera
They will eat and drink and get decidedly merry,
and the net profits of the feast will be devoted to
charity. They will feel good and do good contem-
poraneously. They will minge the joys of helping
themselves to viands, and at the same time helping
others. Appetite and conscience will kiss each
other rapturously. There will be salmon and succor
beef and beneticence, partridges and pity oysters
eaten and orphans fed, woodcock dressed and wild
ows clothed, and all without any of that trouble
some, stupid, sef-denial and sacrifice which have
been by some supposed to be involved in the work
of dispensing charity.
am told that in like skiful manner the Amer
cans have charity fairs, whereat the ladies-sweet
seductive creatures-sell many articles of apparent
ly trhng value for large sums, to purchasers who
are likewise sod the proceeds of the double vendue
being appropriated to do good, with a decided en-
phasis on the word do. The youthful Twaddler is
allowed the privilege of paying into the lily hands
of Miss Coupon the of ten dollars. and is graft
fed to receive in exchange pncushion and two
smiles. He returns to his lodgings, hangs his pin
cushion the mantel, and retires with the sweet
consciousness of having done good deed in
pleasant way. He has discharged his duty to the
poor, who are always with society, supplied him
self with pincushOn, and secured the honor of
dancing the tenth redowa with Miss Coupon at the
great charity ball on the following evening. He
goes to the ball in the most humble and unselfish
spirit, and dances with vigor and virtue, knowing
that each effort of his toes will heal the sorrows of
some unfortunate wretch, and feeling, each time he
wipes the perspiration from his fine face that his
delightful satation, while it moistens his own brow
will dry the tears of some weeper.
MAIL ROBBERY AND SUICIDE.-Last week special
mail agent named Finks, and a Deputy Marshal
named Steel, proceeded to the residence of gentle
man named Smith, in Prince William County, Va.
to arrest boy in his employ, named Appleby, on
the charge o. illegally obtaining letter from the
Post-office. The boy was found and appeared to
be deeply penitent, but while the officers were in
the house he slipped into the yard, and drawing a
knife across his throat, instantly inflicted an ugly
wound and would have taken his life had not one
of the daughters of Mr.. Smith seized his arm. The
Petersburg InteHigencer says:
From all that can be ascertained, jealousy on the
part of young Appleby caused him to purloin the
letter Living with Mr. s., and having formed
strong attachment for one of the young ladies of
the household, he became jealous of her every act
and suspected that she preferred some other lad to
himself. Finding that she had written letter to
some and suspecting it was to his rlyai ne o.
tanned the letter from the post-oiice, had 1t read,
and then destroyed it. Without knowing who OBJ
tanned the letter. Mr.. Smith gave information Gifts
abstraction to the Postmaster General, by whom
Mr.. Finks was directed to inquire into the affair,
and have the guilty party punished.
A woman named Susan Davis, ninety years of
age, was turned out of doors in New York, by her
own son, on Thursday last. She was utterly desti-
tute, and applied to an acquaintance, also named
Davis, who provided her with food and gave her
a basement room. Next morning she was found
dead in bed.
An ENGLISH PAPER IN CoNsTANTINoPLE.-We have
before us the second number of The Lcrant Her
add printed at Constantinople, under date of I'd