The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1859-12-23
From tho Providence Journal.
IInrtl Work TO 1.-Two.

In the winter of 81 a man came into my
Office and asked employment. | was writ
ing and without looking up replied that |
had none for him. = Then, sir, can you help
me Ia auy?" ! mast livel" The tone Of
the last words startled me, and looked upj
the man before me was tall and muscular,
the face was not bad, though hard and
weather-beaten, but there were some lines
about the ewes which did not then under
stand so well rs / do now, and the right
hand swung carelessly in the pocket of his
pea jacket, giving me, on the whole an un-
favorable impression of the man. " Why
arc you going about in this way? said
havo you no trade?" Because" he re-
piled, T" / cannot find work to suit me-
"Ohl if YOU are so hard to suit, | can do
nothing for you; and turned again to my
writing.
'Lool1 here, sir, said the man quietly; with
his left hand he carefully lifted tho right out
of the pocket in which it swung, and barred
the arm; the great muscles were knOtted
and twisted, the veins looked white and
bloOGIcss, the wonderful mechanism of the
wrist, completely out of play, hung limp
and hopeless, while the hand was crushed
and hopeless mass. He let down the sleeve,
and continued, "Thats why I'm hard to
suit, sirl l did well enough all my life,
that is, kept my head above water, till
last summer, when got my arm crushed in
a raft. | was laid up long time aud the
doctor isn't paid yet; but there's worse than
that. My wife, poor thing, can't do much,
and ou'tstay here long think; and God
help me and the children when she's gone!
We are beginning already to know what it
is to be hungry, with winter coming on
It's hard work to live, sir; uery hard work
TO live
Hard ,corE 10 lee. l unused. What can
the man mean2 Is not life Gods free and
first gift? Was it not to make that life
beautiful and perfect that he ordained the
sunshine, soHed tho earth with grass and
forest, and the heaven with stars rolled the
great river to the sea, across the desert
plains cast shadows from the lofty noun
tains quickcned the buried grain with sum
mer, and the rain aud south wind Is
there any wall built up between these and
him2 Docs any one seek his life 2 Yes
there is n wall of iron.
Bravely he stormed it, snatchine from be-
tween the bars enough for his own and his
children's need, till his right hand fell use
less by his side. Some one does seek his
life Poverty, " like an armed man." is at
his door. Day after day that gauut, pitiess
facess: has been peering through the wide
CRACKS anu ClitiulCS Vi MS CttDlliy growing
bolder Us the days grew shorter, and the
household stores wasted away, and the wife
grew sicllcr, and friends grew tired, till the
bodng footstep is on the threshold, and the
shattered door swings back to let him in,
who stays not for bolts and bars any moro
than Death. You and never saw that, my
friend!
We hunger, but it is for an appetite; ",
are weary, but it is of idleness we sleep
without rest, for we have not earned it
We are ambitous-so is that poor man-h,
would keep his children from the almshousc
if he could it is hard work - for us t,
find pleasures and excitements enough an,
delicious enough to fill up the false lit
which pals more and more upon us-it /
q hard work " for him to live at all. d.
YOU wonder at the bread riots in our cities
when every manutactory that stops send
out an army without provision trains int
the enemy s country? When the rise Of
penny on a loaf means starvation Do yo
wonder that the poor man grinds his teetl
us your sleek horses rolls the chariot 10y
when he knows that the glitter on thei
harness cost enough TO light his fire fo
many n day when the crest upon tn
panel reminds him of has family arms
their outstretched, baby arms - and h
motto continually wailing from pale, hun
ger-smittcn faces, BREAD"
Do you wonder that when he finds O
his return the clamoc Of the youngest chill
hushed, the lines about the eyes, which di
not lik, grow rigid, as he mutters, " Well