Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1861-07-09

after supplying his own humble needs, the
rupemake had five dcllars every week left
over his investment. He did not put this
in the Saving Bank nor buy tumble down
houses for the poor to live in at rent of
barren lots to hold for advance in price,
consequent on neighboring improvements.
No his Investments were made in differ
ent spirit, as you shall see.
First. he paid. regularly, every week,
to poor woman in his neighborhood, who
had two children to support, and who
could not leave them to go out to work in
families, the sum of three dollars, as teach
er of little boys and girls, whose parents
were unable to send them to school. Two
hours in the morning, and two in the after
noon, these poor children received instruc
tions. He was their benefactors. and hers
also for it was one Of his saying, that we
must make the right hand help the left
hand. His means of doing good were
small, and so he made them go as far as
possible"
Gle was a noble fellow i' said ], in ad-
miration Of this poor ropemaker. :.
Tom Peters-yes there was fine stuff
in his composition, if his hands were dark
anu UOuN, anu IL MS ClOlueS Utu smell OF
pitch and rosin."
"He has left tender and fragrant memo-
ries."
ale has, sir. That long line of funeral
attendants are all true mourners There is
no sham there |"
"And what else did he do with his mon
ey2" | asked, growing interested in the
ropemaker. "He had two dollars week,
still, for dispensation.
"Yes, let me see! For one thing, he
paid boy half dollar a week TO read
two hours every evening to poor blind
woman and in order that this reading
might not be given to a single pair of ears
alone, he took care to have the fact known,
that as many as choose might come and
listen. The consequence was that more
than dozen persons met, every evening in
the blind woman's room, to hear what was
read. This suggested to Tom the way in
which another half dollar might be useful
ly invested. The men in the rope-walk
were mostly in the habit of spending their
evenings in taverns. Tom found another
lad who was a tolerably good reader, and
paid him half dollar weekly to read
aloud two hours each evening, for such oil
his fellow workmen as he could induce tc
assemble for the purpose. He began with
three soon increased to ten and when
last heard of the matter, over twenty mer
met nightly to hear the boy read"
Admirable !" said |, with enthusiasm
Admirable! never heard of wise,
investment. And he had only one dollar
left 2"
Eyes"
Glow was that disposed Off"
lin ways lnnumerable. | cannot re-
count them. The good Tom Peters man
ged to do with that dollar is almost fohr
lous not, of course, as to magnitude bnt
as to variety. 1t seemed to duplicate itself
like the widows oil and meal. wbenave,
drawn upon, You were ALWAYS hearing n
some good acts in which dispensation n
money was involved. OF moor woman
helped IN making up her rent of dainty
sent 10 SICK neighbor of pair of shoe.
to barefoot boy in the winter or of +
book to child. Why, sir, Tom Peters ba,
left behind hlm enough good deeds to en-.
dow whole calandar of saints %
$50 | should think, after what you have
! said of him"
"And yet, sir, remember, he only earned
nine dollars a week! !"
"l remember that, very distinctly"
| answered. Eyes, sir, his death is indeed
a public calamity. 1t is no figure of sreecl
to say that his grave will be watered b,
! tears"
"NUue, sir, none. He will be sorroweG
! for by hundreds, and his memory will h,
| greener and more fragrant as the year
pass by. He built his own monument be-
! fore he left us-of good deeds"
| parted from the stranger: and as
walked from the cemetry, | said to anothe
! man VINO stood by my side while looked
at fine piece of emblematic statuarv.
"They have been buryipg a rich man p
Yes" coldly responded.
"What did he leave?"
Nothing but money"
They have been burying a poor man
also"
tom Peters" A light broke over tn
mans face
But he had not even money to leave,
! said l.
"But something far better" answers
the man, in tone of rebuke.
"What"
"Good acts, which, like good seed, vii
reproduce themselves thousand fold
Tenn Peters earned just nine dollars
week; Edward Ellis, Esq there wa
cuttingiy contempt in his tones-"wa
worth, it is said, million of dollars: We
the humble ropemaker did, while living,
hundred times the most good with hi
money, and leaves an estate that shall o
on increasing in value through counties
years. But the estate of old Ellis will ne
pass to the third generation. Tom Pete,
had the true riches, sir, that are inperish
able. People ask, when man like Ell!
dies, What property has he left benin
him p But when one, like our good rope
maker, passes away, the angels ask, 'Whi
good deeds he has sent before him? Tht
is the difference, sir q! the immeasurabI
difference between the two men, One, i
giving, made himself rich the other, b
withholding, became miserably poor
poor, that his memory is green in no man
heart"
turned from the cemetry with SON
, new impressions stirring in nv mind, an
the question, "What kind of legacy wi
you leave !" pressing itself home to m
thoughts.
"Let it be good deeds rather than NOR
ey !" l said half aloud, in the GLOW
earnest feeling, and went back again IN
, the living, busy, stirring world. to take U
the laboring oar which had laid down,
WEAKNESS, for brief season, and bend
my work with serener spirit and, trus
a nobler life purpose.
PoKING FUN.-The Southerners n,
pokiDg fun at Cairo. Just hear the Nj
bile Mercury:
A marketman at Cairo, few DAYS sine
was swindled out of his vegetables and a
tlcles, which had tendency to excite b
ira to considerable extent. He told Il