Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1863-02-06
mx war CONTRIBUTION.


free from It's blank companions, with fond re-
luctant eyes, ere passing it to other hands; get
l was not the grudgiug giver this little besi-
tation implied. My heart was in the cause Of
( national honor aud national safety and in sac
rifcing something for my country L was but
discharging patriotic duty This was my
contribution to a fInd our citizens were rails
ing for hospital aud sanitary needs. II double
the sum had been required Of me, double
would have been given.
so mnch for my country p said in thought
with a feeling Of self approval. l felt that
/ | was better aud truer man for the act. III
every one would do as well accordingto their
circumstances ~ There came slight chill to
my enthusiasm, consequent on the thought
/ that was doing so much more, according TO
my ability, than other people. / had seen
the subscription paper. 1t bore the record Of
no larger contribution than mine. Two cit
liens had only put down their names for five
! hundred dollars.
'To have given equally said to myself,
Mr.. Harland should have made his contribu
tion one thousand dollars instead of five hun-
/ dred and Grant should at least have come
up to my figures. dollar for dollar; be
is quite as well off as l am. Then, as for
| Tompkins | can't see how he had courage to
write down fifty in the face of half dozen
poorer men, who each gave their hundred
But We have a test of patriotism in this, and
| knew where to put men. Love of country II
fine thing TO talk about, but when sacrifice
is asked, how rarely do we find word and deed
in harmony"
T. =, 4Io s., h.. 10,
let our speech betray our thoughts As moved
among my friends and acquaintances, word
dropped here a sentence there revealed the
secret ofmy selfapproval; and 1 doubt not
that nearly every one of them understood what
was going on in MY mind-how l considered
my contribution to the war fund, taking mca Us
into account, as the largest made by any man
| in town. For me, five hundred dollars was
large sum to give away! Tens, twenties, and
an occasional fifty. under the pressure of public
calls for Church or charitable needs, bad pass
| ed on through the careessly loosened purse
strings, that drew back again with increasing
| tghtness Oh the diminished gold; but Civ
ing after This liberal and eXhausting style was
altogether q rev experience. l felt something
poorer on account thereof and began to med
| itate on economies. When paid thousand
dollars for pair of horses, no impression ike
this was perceived; not even when one of the
horses got injured by fall, and l parted with
him for one hundred and fifty dollars, Here
was dead loss Of three hundred and fifty
dol'a 'ars; but i face of it nothing so ike sense
OF poverty touched me as in the face of my
contribution to the hospital and sanitary fund.
| did not feel poorer for the FIVE hundred dol
lars expended in preparing and stocking my
fish pond, though the money paid therefor
was sunk investment every dollar; nor for the
six or seven buudrel paid for summer-h houses,
garden stataary, and fancy work about my
grounds and dwelling. All this being for my
own qualification, 1 could afford. The expense
was calculated. and taken as thing Of course.
| But this Eve hundred dollar gift 10 our coun-
try in her time Of pressing need, freely as it
was bestowed, left me with feeling of exhaus-
tion, us if weakened by an effort greater than
my strength.
No wonder, such being the case, that
| talked rather mere perhaps, than was sccuIly
of what had done. We have in town an
excellent but plain spoken man, who, his life
being one of integrity. docs not stand il fear OF
any boiys opinion. lie is not rough or Oh
/ strusive man, but, as have said, plain-spokcn
and free from guile and aattery. You can hard
! ly converse with him ten minutes without
kuowi4~ yoarsclfa little better than when you
| began me conversation. His name is Pres
| ton.
We have done our part" said to him, as
we stood together in the strSet one day. We
| had beeu speaking of the war, and the necessi-
| ty of supporting the Government to the full
| extent Of its needs. l referred, in saying "our
part" to the various contributions in men and
money which the people in our particular To-
cality had made, and especially to the late
subscription, which footed up three thousand
dollars. Three thousand dollars, Of which
had given a sixth part, could not fail in re-
membrance.
''Yes, and nobly,' he answered, with a glow
oc enthusiasm not often seen blooming Oh his
quiet face. Our people have done nobly, not
keeping back their most precious things"
"Three thousand dollars is q liberal sum-
l said.
Yes" His voice drooped a little.
"And of this sum two men gave third.
II pressed for uttcranco and was weak enough
to let it forth
Mr.. Preston did not answer, "And are you
one of then?"-nO, but said, in a voice that
still fell lower and lower, until it expressed
sentiment of reverence, There is Que in our
midst who has given more than those two men
hundred fold. But the name is not down on
any subscription paper"
Mere precious than silver and gold! Yes
there are things more precious than silver and
gold; and l understand Mr. Preston to refer
to human life and human love. Shame touch
ed me; l stood silent and rebuked.
Come" said he, walk with me into the
next street a little way. 1t is well for us to
comprehend these questions OF sacrifice and
patriotism in all their bearings The danger
with US all is, that we magnify our own bur-
dens and loyalty, and in doing so fail to award
the honor that is due to Others
l did not answer, but in silence went with
Mr.. Preston into the next street. 1t was one
IN which the poor dweIt. Small houses, a !
few with neat and tasteful srubbery about the
doors, but most of them miserlbly neglected
and forlorn, stood on each side for distance
Of three or four squares. My visits TO this
part of the town were of rare occurrence. III
was not pleasant to look upon, and avoided it
All looked poor and means now, as my eyes
ranged along the street, and l questioned with
myself as TO whittier L was going, and to what
end.
"The widow who cast in all her living gave
more than those who, of their abundance, pour
ed gold and silver into the treasury" NV
companion broke the silence with these words
as We paused at the door of small story and
| half cottage, around which everything was