The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1866-03-19

,,-.,,n Fair agricultural wages were
wv. -. ,,ance = day with food, or eight pence
,,.,ant food As four-ffths oil the coihuioh
.'on,,,e were then employed in agriculture we
"a, form, some idea from this oil thei coho''
ton. The manufacturing worlmen were no.
mpch better off One Of the ballads they USED
to chaunt at that period describes the eoou
old times when every artisan hNeo ~ "e''
10 , farmer but six pence u day was now MI
that they could earn. The great MAJORITY Vi
tho nation lived almost entirely on rye, harleS'
and oats.
1t is an equally deceptive illusion tha' 49,
Ms 10 form n favorable estimate oil the hoi"'
ity of past generations IN other fesP'''c 80.
pared 10 our own The intemrerance Oh parry
spirit, savage as it now Is, was iai ,s
nv tho ferocity of that period members VI
opposite political parties a''nai's hoo,'" ,'''
nthar ON their way to the gallows Inc me-
80. ,o, ~ th,t day were fendish rs The
,,,,i,icians 1t has been said that the Judges
aud Sberins could not shed blood - tast rs thc
! ,oots cried for it. In fact, the whole h'er"-
tur, of the country Was II fountain oi cru
div. crime, and corruption Virgin purity
and con iugal fidelity were made Jest ana 'he
moral degradation Of woman was the MODE vi
vers,l There was no church, either Cathohc
or Reformed, which did not imhK 1t VIZ"
10 torture and put to death members oil Il ol-
| ferent creed Good old times ! Excellent oio
times, What a luxury it must have been 10
| live in those days
| A truly philosophical writer Observes
."may at first sight seem strange that society,"
| "whilc constantly moving forward with eager
! 90 speed should be constantly looking PENN"
"with tender regret But these TWO prol'oh
:. stiles, inconsistent rs they may appear, can
| "easily be resolved into the same prlhelpl''
:. Both spring from an mpatience OF The state
| Gin which we are. That impotence, whlie IL
| stimulates lis TO surpaSs preceding genera
:" tons, dispoScs Us 10 overrate their haPpl-
| unpss II is in some sense, unreasonable ana
| "ungratcful in us 10 he constantly dlscoh-
| "tented with condition which is constantly
improving. But, in truth, there is constant
Improvement precisely because there Is con-
" slant discomfort. five We're perfectly satls-
fled with the present, we should cease 10
| " contriye, to labor, and save with view 10
.1he future. And it is natural that, being
dissatisfied with the present, we should form
ga too favorable estimate of the past
We have no doubt the time will come, mere
dible though it seems, when we shall be looked
back upon as a very primitive, patriotic, ana
innocent generation, ard that If we are per
mitted to hear what posterity says OF us we
| shall feel as much like laughing as our de-
| parted predecessors do if they listen 10 the
! compliments now bestowed upon their golden
age Alive ask is, that our immaculate ances-
| try will lie perfectly still, and never rcappear
upon this earth i'll spirit or person We are
willing that any amount of Mandatory pane
gvric shall be fired off over their graves, 50 they
never come back in their ideas, institutions, or
/ practices, to impede the valuable work which
posterity is performing in undoing the mis-
| chief they have done.