The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1861-10-16

~ tnt c0tlager. let happiness is ireside
thing and the sympathies awakened by its
trials and sufferings, tend to condense the
affections, and to strike deep the roots Of
happiness in the sacred soil Of conssnguini.
ty. When wealth is accompanied by a de-
sire to do good, il is glorious and a happy
destiny; when lowly life is virtuous, EASY,
and enlightened, i is happy destiny too
for it is full OF the strong zest Of existence,
and strong affections. But this is not my
present subject.
When we go into the cottage of the work
ing man, how forcibly are we struck with
lhe difference between his mode Of life and
our own. There is tenement of, at most,
one or two rooms. His naked walls; bare
BRICK, stone, or mud floor, as it may be-;
lew wooden, or rush bottomed chairs a deal,
or old oak table; a simple fireplace. with its
oven beside II, or, in many parts of the king
dom, no other fireplace than the hearth a
Few pots and pans-and you have his whole
abode. goods, and chattels. He comes home
weary from his out door work, having eaten
HI, dinner under hedge or tree, and seats
himself fnr few hours with his wife aud
ciildren, then turns into rude bed stand
ing perhaps on the farther side Of his only
room, aud nut again before DAYLIGHT. if il be
winter lie has M one 10 make fire in his
dressing room, 70 lay out his clothes, to as
tllm 10 his toilet I; he filings on his patch
ed garments washes hls face in a wooden or
earthcn dish at the door blows up the fire,
oiten gets ready his own breakfast, and is
gone.
such is the routine Of his life, from week
TO week aud year to year; SUNDAYS, and a
few holidays, are white days in his calen-
dar. On them he shayes, aud puts on clean
SHIRT and better coat, drawn from that old
chest which contains the whole wardrobe Of
himself and children; his wife has generally
some separate drawer or bandbox, in which
t. stow her lighter and more fragile gear.
Then he walks round his little garden, Il he
have IL; goes with his wife and children to
church or meeting; TO sit with neighbor. or
have neighbor look in upon him. There
he sits, his children upon his knee, and tells
them how his father used to talk to him.
This is cottage life in is best estate !; in
its unsophisticated and unpauperised condi-
tion. lie has no carriages, no horses, no
cards of invitation or Of admittance to pla-
ces Of amusement; none of the luxuries,
fascinatIons, or embellishments Of life belong
to him. 1t is existence shorn of all its
spreading and towering branches, but not
pared to the quick. This is supposing the
father Of the family is sober and industrious
that he is neither a pot-house haunter,
gambler at the cockpit. boxer, dog fight
er, poacher, an idle, rackety, andd emor-
alised fellow, as thousands are. This is
surprising that he brings home his weeks
wages aud puts them into the hands Of his
wife, a. their best guardian aud distributor;
-sdying,-" Here, nv lass, this is all that
have earned; thou must lay il out for the
best; have enough TO do to win it,"
And what are these wages, out of which
10 maintain his family, aided by the lesser
Earnings Of his wife, by taking in washing,
helping in harvest fields, charring in more
aiilaent peoples houses, and SO on, and the
earnings Of the children in similar ways, or
in some neghboring factory? His own pro-
baby amount to nine, or at most, twelve
shillings, aud if his family be large, and
there are several workers among them, the
whole united earnings may reach twenty
shillings per week sum which will hardly
find other men Wherewith to pay ll-bars,
or purchase gunpowder; sum which we
throw away repeatedly on some bauble and
vet, On this will whole family maintain
life and credit for a week, az, and on much
less too. Ii this little hut, which we should
hardly think would do for a cowshed or a
haylofl, aud to which the stables Of many
gentlemen are real palaces, is the poor man
packed with all his kindred lives, interests,
and affections !: and so he carries on the war.
tare of humanity, till lie, who is no respect
e. of persons, calls him to stand, side by
side, before his throne with the rich man
WIN !" has Jared sumptuousy every day."
Bli tie cottage life have been speaking
uf. j. that Oi the better class Of cottagers;
the ,nber sud industrious peasaniry; but
lps laf short Of this condition is that OF
milliuns ia this empire! TO say nothing Of
lrtsh cabins, tie examples 1t what state Of
des'ituiiUs, misery, and squalOr men NAV
siak in'u how much below this is the com.
tJrl II / Highland hnti What contrast
j. ihcre often between the cottage Of an
English lahnrer, and the steadiug Of High.
lrnd i4fmrr. There Il stands, in a deep
glen, between high, rocky mountains. Ills
firm i Wild shcep.track among tie hills.
Wheai, he grows none, for il is too cold and
weeping 4 climate. lie has i little patch Of
oats for erowdie and oatcake potatoes he
has. il the torrent has not risen during sud.
den rains SO high in ihe glen o. 70 sweep his
crop away. lie has eontrited little stock
Of hay for his cows, but where il can have
grown you cannot conceive, till some day,
as YOU see woman or boy herding the
cattle among the patches Of culti,atiUn--fcr
there are no fences between the grass and
arabic land--you find one or the other cut.
ting the longer grass from the boggy waste
with sickle. and drying il often in little
ihra,cs al our farmers dry corn. But the
louse itself;-it Is little, low, long build.
ng Of mud. OF rough stones ; the chimney
omposed of four short poles wrapped round
18th hay bands; fat stone laid upon Il to
reyen; the smoke being driven down into
le hut BY the tempestucus winds from the
ills: and another Stnne laid unon that IN