Daily gazette and comet. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1856-186?, 1860-09-27
eENTEEb POVERTY.

u has been philosophically remark
oil that one half # the world do not
know how the other half live. This
truth arises less from want " curiosity
on the one aide than studied deception
on The other. Poverty, for instance.
ia neither legally nor morally a crime.
and yet, aside from its Inconvenience,
there is n dscredit in every sense of
the world. attached To- II. which rem
ders is possessor very jealous Of ito
discovery. In worldly judgments we
too often find that IL the detection not
the commission. Of an offence. A man
may live in garret, and dine on sta
BILE bread and mouldly cheese, and
yet. with The externals Of independence,
his company will he often solicited NJ
the social meal and festive board. But
let his domicil and his means be once
detected let his coat loose Ito fresh
ness, his hat its smoothness. and his
boots their polish. and the felons
brand would not more certainly e,.
communicate him than the poor mans
garb Men often prefer The suspicion
of crime to the suspicion of penury
Poverty and beggary are very dis
tant relations The beggar never
knows poverty. he only feels rant
To him The mere daily necessities Of
life ara sufficient lie bpgs without
disguise. owns 10 the world his dest.
tuition, eats the rich mans crumbs,
and snores upon the flint How dill
etent ia the condition of The other
In him, The gnawnings Of hunger re-
fleet the blandesi of smiles. he talks Of
dinners he never saw, and fanoies sup
pers that he never knew. lie believes
himself suspected of meanness. be.
cause he declines some picnic or
other pleasure party. where The eX-
penses are so much per head He
never ventures on river excursion
without first secretly searching his
pockets, and de'lucting the cost from
The sum total. IT under sudden
windfall, he asks companion 10 take
an oyster. he trembes lest his whole
fortune may with the oyster. disap-
pear down The throat Of his quondam
friend. Thus the poor bachelor lives.
spending one.half his tims in some
mysterious occupation, where he re-
ceives the means Of keeping mp ap-
pearances tho other half lie dies.
and is forgotten by ALL save by some
intimate friend. who wonders no ia
not appointed executor.
hut II is The married man, tho man
Of family, who most deeply feels the
miseries Of genteel poverty. His
personal suiIerings arc merged in the
thoughts If home. lie would gladly
throw oil the disguise--gladly resign
his fashionable acquaintance, and
seek his happiness, when the days
labors are over. in the bosom Of his
family. Hut the iueNorable world de-
cides otherwise Ito can never escape
tho grlndstone to which he is tied
Country cousins must bs entertained,
reunions given, summer aunts under
taken. lie knows full well. that M
the handspring Of the whole machine.
~. II he once give out. discord aud
destruction are The inevitable result.
and he works on, hopeless and des
perate. Finally, the anticipated crash
comes. lle loses nothing--he had
nothing 90 lose. hut now no may
gain all for which he so long sighed
the play ia over, tho lights are out. and
the gaudy trappings Of assumed wealth
may be replaced by honest homespuu.
hut ia too late-the Intoxicating bowl
Of worldly vanity hns become too nee
essary TO tho dcpraved taste to DO now
resigned. Once il might have been
but not uor. Again he starts upon
the fatal race, again no for moment
hovers above tho horizon. and then
forever disappears from sight, and 1t
il heavens mercy If his memory ia
untainted with guilt,-PhiiadolPhid
Inquirer.
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