The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1865-02-21
A Lecture TO Loafers.

Stand up here, my lazy rascals and
let us reason about your daily voca-
tons. Hold up your sheepish heads
and say why sentence Of the most un-
qualified condemnation should not be
passed upon your conduct. How can
you possibly have impudence to stretch
bones on store boxes or block up the
post Office door with your carcasses, to
the small annoyance of busy working
people who are engaged in some useful
occupation? How can you be content
to "pass away the time" in lounging
around the streets, only shifting around
to avoid the rays of the sun--in cqm-
pany with your equally lazy and useless
e9mpanion, the dogs, Rcrchance once
in while setting your canine friends
to fight for the sake Of gratifying
Your brutal love for fun, aud how can
you have the mblushing impertinence
to gaze under any lady's bonnet, who
is compelled to pass by, and just before
she is quite out of hearing indulge in
your vulgar propensities by rcmarking
"what gait" what big feet" or
"whata st:iak a.; a., :.i. on " and t"rnins to
one Of your companions, inquire of him
show he'd like to hitch horses with
that feminine for life ?" You poor fools,
don't you know that instead of criti-
cising lady's gait, you ought to be at
home mending your garden gate 1? And
that no sensible feminine will hitch
horses with any Of you, as long as you
pursue your present business, -
DO you suppose that you were made
for no other purpose than to ''loafp
and 20 hinder industrious people by
asking unmeaning questions, or stand
ing in their wayY And do you think
it decidedly sharp when you hail a gen
tlemen who is hurrrying about his bust
ness, and asking him ii he is walking
for wages, which you will get some day
if you don't mend your ways, i. G., free
boarding in the poor house; or you may
be promoted to the highrank of private
in the pcnitcntiary. Time may hang
heavily in time, if you do not bestir
yourselves and be useful.
Do you imagine that you were Gre
ated to do nothing, and that brains
were put into your great pumpkin
heads for the poor use you make Of
them? Do you think it honorablc to
do nothing because your fathers have
enough to support you, when you know
what they have got by honest industry?
And do you suppose your mother and
sisters were sent into this world to
cook meals and wash shirts for such
worthless beings as you?
And when night comes where do we
see You at? Why, about the groceries
and liquor stores, OF course. There
you post yourself, and making it rule
to ask any working men who may
chance to come in, and who has earned
a few shillings in the course of the day
to ''treat," at the same time urging as
reason that he is the only man in the
croHd thatis making any money. And
then after you have sponged enough
off cleger fellow TO make night hid
eous with your beastly shouts, you final
iy lay down in some gutter with your
equally respectable companions--the
hogs.
Now, amt you a beautiful set of fel-
lows? FeloIs we ought to call you.
Your brazen faces oughtsto be covered
with shame with the idea of degrading
your poor human nature in this manner,
especially when you acknowledg that
it is an awful burden TO do so.
Then go to work like men, or else
take arsenic and make yourselves of
some use, by giving the printers q
chance to publish your departure under
the head of suicide. That's so.