The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1859-03-30
The Best Need Watching.

we lelt our cnd1se stanulhR, u lew iuo-
ments, before the door of friend, in one
of the most busy streets of dwellings, and
when we came out, the whip was gone.
One Of our neighbors, on the same day,
left his front door aiar, while he went up
TO his drcssing-room to get some trihing
article which he had forgotten on going
out and on his return found that val
liable top coat, which had been hanging
quietly on its nail, bad departed. Another.
making his morning visit to his vestibule,
saw that his door-mat had suddenly van
isbcd. A lady friend, on emerging from
an omnibus, felt for her portmonnaie for
the necessary five cent piece, and discov.
cred that, with the considerable sum il
contained, it had mysteriously disap-
peored.
A few DAYS since the door-hell Of
large mansion rang in early calling hours,
and genteelly dressed male visitor, on
inquiry for the lady of the house, was
ushered into the drawing-room, sending up
an elegantly engraved card. The lady
delayed little, to grace herself especially
to meet the distinguished gentleman who
had forwarded his name, wondering, the
while, to what circumstance she owed the
unexpected honor OF visit from one
whom she knew only by reputation. On
entering the parlor, at last, she found how
ever, that the distinguished gentleman,
tired, probably, Of her delay, had depart.
ed and while mourning her loss in not
having shown greater alacrity, and won.
dering little at his extreme ourtness Of
manner, she discovered that several arti.
cles of peytn, together with gold card
case, and other matters Of considerable
value had accompanied the strange visitor
in his abrupt departure, and dscerned
that she had dressed herself to meet
thief, instead Of poet.
Thus the denizens of city live IN
continual conflict with knavery that is
well nigh omnipresent. At best, and un-
der the most vigilant police surveillance,
we can call our daily life little better
than state Of armed neutrality. We
are swindled from our garrets to our eel
lars. Strange Irishmen fatten on the
cream Of our kitchens, whilo we demurely
eat general skim milk in our dinng.rooms.
Grocers sand our sugar, and then charge
us extra for their trouble while our
bakers and our butchers, and all their
kindred, hardly feel that they can afford
to be honest-such is the general habit of
cheating and SO we go on.
Now the practical bearing OF all this is
to the point of the general testimony which
society bears in its face to the fact of
human sinfulness, and the universal need
of labor, TO tho end Of general righteous
poss. No man can 60 about any great
city. and thoroughly scrutiuize all its char
acter, without feeling that, left to itself,
and its inherent tendencies. it would grav-
itate swiftly downward. The best cannot
be best" without religion, and the bad
grow momeptarily worse in its absence
Hence the Gospel is a social necessity
We often think. in this connection oi
the droll remark Of drunken vsgabond
whom we once tout of PITY hired to hauI
certain loads of gravel for our sidewalk
We were to give him a fixed price pei
load. AT nightfall, his work being done
he called for his money. We inquired
the amount. He replied that we had bet
ter count the loads, as they had been
dumped in separate heaps, and were easil,
recognizable.
But says we, haven't you counted
them?"
In course"
"Well, how many are thsre7"
Twelve"
"And that, at one shilling a load
makes precisely two dollars"
Yes"
We handed him the money, when, a
be turned away. be said I" If were yo
I would count 'em.'
Why
cause the best on US need watching
--De1tey'S Street Thoughts.
President Buchanan uses no tobacco
general Cass drinks no Bourbon SepI
tor Douglas uses no peper, Nathaniel I