Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1866-07-27

a by "BR1cK' poMERoy.

l.
lam there when the seven o'clock bell speaks
] am not wanted.
But I'll rest-nay--snoozc here as I rest,
and waken for few moments.
That noise az the Kitchen?
That is my wife preparing the breakfast
Good woman--she did not 90 to bed till an
hour or more after I did, and she is always
up an hour before me- Her work is never
done--mine is never DONE I hear her step
in another room. | hear the dishes as they
are placed ON the table, This pillow is not
us large as some pillows, so III double it up
and rest my head on it, And this bed is not
such as rich people have, but it's good enough
for poor man The feather bed is thin-the
clothes are none too nice but then we are
better off than thousands | know.
Why not haze better ones
Simply because I cannot afford it.
Do you see these hands? Do you see the
calloused palms the little labor cracks-the
half stifened blunt fingers? WE'LL sir, they
are marks of industry I go to shop early
I work late. I take my dinner in that lit
tie tin-pail. I work till my back aches I
save my money. My wife helps me at home
she is prudent, saving, industrious and
hopeful My children are not dressed as
well as my neighbours children are, but they
wear the [ best Lean get for them.
| have no money for Injuries, my family
must live, even if my bed be hard, my pill
low snlall-the feathers few and the bed
clothes worn-the floors uncarpeted.
Hu7d Work.
OF course have work, and [ have pay
for it. But money does not go SO far now
as it is used to. Two dollars to-day are. not
as good as one dollar six years ago. My
wages SO for -four meat, potatoes, butter
when we can afford it, eggs, tea, coffee, su-
gar, cloth, medicines and taxes.
Why purchase tea, eofee, butter, etc2
Why live? I am tired at night and want
something I can relish and cup of tea gives
me strength and new life. And bread is
dry without butter And in the morning,
with the labors Of the day staring me in the
face as they lead me along to the grave, |
have but little appetite, q cup Of coffee with
sugar in it and perhaps an egg on my plate
tempts the worn out appetite and thus gain
strength for my toll.
! BE more soulngY
[ am saving. Ny wife is saving. I have
hardly a decent suit of clothes. My wife
does not have more than two dresses year.
/ She mends and turns, and patches and saves,
SM pieces; and she uses our worn out gar
ments to make clothes for the children And
we have no luxuries in the pantry or cellar
simply plain food. A dollar does not go
far in market now do not complain, but
I do get discouraged at times, and wonder
why poor man was born--what use there
is III living Everything costs SO much.
Cotton costs five times much now as six years
ago. Wooden goods ditto. Tea, coffee,
flour, meat sugar, rice, butter, eggs, tobac-
co, spices, medicines, g., &C., cost from three
to FIVE times as much as they once did. And
my wages are not increased in proportion.
And then the war. All had saved for years
went for war expenses. 1t was fifty dollars
hcre--ffty dollars there-ffty dollars then
twenty dollars more for the last call-ffty
dollars more for the next last call and so on
[ had to sell my COW and silver watch te
raise bounty money
Wig Didn't I emlist2
Why didn't you ? My son. my brother
my cousin, enlisted and they died or came
home crippled | was drafted mortgage(
my house and lot to raise money to send ,
man in my place.
What made ne9
! 10 save the Union. They told me TIL
South wanted to get out of the Union, ant
that we must whip them back. | did no
quite understand the matter. | wanted tn
Union restored, and joined with the Re
publican party. But all this for nothing
We went to war--we lost half million mel
we ruined the South, so it is worth moth
ing to the Union--thcy submitted-we. dis
banded our armies, the South laid down he
arms and has gone to work, and now thes'
same Republicans say the South is out Of th
Union, and they are going to keep her out
for fear she will vote against them. can
see what we gained by war. And | find tina
the Democrats were right, and that the Dem
ocratic times were the best for the poor PEG
pie. And the taxes-why | am now taxe'
and taxed and taxed. | must supper
myself my family-my poorer relatives
II my crippled relatives who came back from
the war; pay ten times the city, State
town and county taxesI did before an
taxed to help support free negroes who once
4 worked, as have to, and supported them
selves-and, worse than all, am taxed t
pay interest money to rich Bond Holders
who live in ease, whose hands are soft, VIII
pay no taxes, yet live on what earn, ant
what all of us poor men earn Now wha
chance has poor man under such a Repub
lican government? A chance to work har,
and die poor. # @
BUTTER MAKING. A machine for maxim!
butter Just announced among the new in
) ventions in the English Patent Office, con
sists of movable metal cylinder suspended
from small cast-iron frame. The bottom
) of the cylinder is a loose piece of galvanize'
iron, and above this it is perforated by
: number of small holes. This cylinder is
suspended in bowl Of water, and the cream
&c x,l,ood IN tho ovIinGnr and nraSSnd nv