Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1867-03-04
''On 1Bcing ~ w mslsim g aOm Clerk -

ssOn Being - w Ms mg tom lc RI ~
We are indebted to the Washington cor.
respondent Of the Nae cheek Press for the
following graphic sketch OF the career, trials
aud ,ripuIstlons OF Washington .ierx. -
Many will recognize and fully appreciate its
lights and shadows:
sir, Washington is the dcvll>iish dcs-
orhvd by Visitor Hugo, have been four,
teen years struggling in lis embrace IL
sucks your blood with its mvriad paralyz>
my mouths of lsu6loncs, erocers. bakers
aud butchers-i,s wood-venders and Goals
dealers. When | came here first, fresh
from Miami Valley, had blood in my veins
| was Young, sir, and felt the mphscs Of
youth My coming here WAS the tir.t yield.
ing to temptation Ny purpose, As held
II thon, was to get y little pecuniary capital
TO begin l,is. Ali as Bu,ns has said, the
one false step is never retrieved The sap
has gone out OF me, sir; | am no longer
young am in the grip Of the terrible
vice. and the iron has entered nv soul-and
/, 10 not tonic. Sir. this office holding is
indeed y vice. vice like that described by
Pope, such
.'As 10 be hated needs but to be seen,
But aecn too of. familiar with its face,
We first eadnrs, thes pity, then embrace.
We do not see the vice at frat: il il
the tempting masque Ne see-the rouRsd
face Of the terrible syren--soon We detect
the Wretchcd features underneath, Nhich We
endure from . certain force Of incipiens
habit then comes feeling OF pity indes.
cribsblc-is 10 partly self pity then We
embrace il fos good-ia fact. Ne have been
oil the while embracing il Gene to Wash
ingson for . clsrkships 10 p the devil, sir,
1t once! l have been here, sir. a. said
before, for - years-l en- 40 years cd. =
The heats Of youth cooled on on the ankle.
ties Of . small salary the strength Of man.
hood hes sbbed in the pinchine trials Of
caring for large family. Never the cheer.
fal warmth q competency in doore-always
the chilli wind d poverty. prophecy ing star.
vation, out Of doors. For the fact that
there comes . day when the mournera
(mourning the loss Of their officcs) 70 about
the street, il alWsya in your waking first
thought, and always in your last cons cious.
ress before sleeping.
MY flend, you are young-look a. these
gray and palsy shaken fellows; they are
clerk. grown old. Ask any OF them row Il
is w,h him, and he will tell you that he has
been living from year to wear in constant
dread Of hearing the official voice say
9TH reueh the nervous lips II the yellow en-.
velopc) Go CO. whittier will he 60,
The props Of self supp IT are taken away
when you accept an office the longer you
re'naiu the:weaker and more helpless you
become. there Will dawn morning when
the almond Dough shall flourish, aud tn.
erasshupper shall he burden and desire
sha. tall Business and the WAYS Of tn
world have long grown unfamiliar you are
uietrusted br your friends; you will hc so
unhappy thecausc OF so little importnu,el
~ NOT to deserve nm enemy.
luf'Bu'-euprose you get al Office what
then! You come here and go tn boarding
Then after . while, you get married: YOU
60 TO boarding with your wife. That little
paradise where two are met together and
have one life mean home, sir-you viii
never see. have an old friend Who ha,
been here forty years- ssprsssed nv sur
prise one day that, with bis family he should
never have taken house. oh you know
Henry. have only bsen livisg here ten.
porsrily.' vas his answer. Temporarily I
That 10 it-evsrything is temporarily here,
sir. There 10 wind in Daute's hell that.
by fts and stasts. sweep certain lovers
away,-thsy canaot pause and rest. That
dreadful wind blows IN Washington. air
and lock ct these treasury clerks. men
and women; how soon they feel tina, breath
~hither taad whsn) il hs.sth. Tcmporari>
ly. air =,