Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1868-01-25
HONEST POVERTY.

A late number OF the Lonuoh spec
tator gravely discussed the right OF ma"
to s,arvo himself to death rather than
secure subsistence by applying to the
narish for relief. 1t appears that a Mr..
pri,chard, a cigar maker, having become
security for a friend to the amount Of
three thousand pounds, paid the debt
but, in so doing, ruined himself; and,
finally, having pawned all the articles
in his house on which he could raise
any money, and tried various Intellectual
modes of obtaining a living, starved
himself to death, and his wife and FIVE
children to the verge Of the grave and
actual in~sensibility, rather than apply
for relief to the parish authorities. He
divided the last half loaf Of bread
among the children himself-his wife
being then too sick to eat. On the next
day he suddenly asked for food, but
there was none for him, and he Don
fell forward on his face and died-or,
as his daughter described it, "He was
praying for mother and for US, and then
he fell over on the floor, and has been
sleeping there ever SINCE" The mother
was found insensible, and the children
huddled up in q corner, almost gone.
An hour or two more, and relief would
have como too late. This was clearly
IN affectionate and good family. The
few books left WORTHLESS to pawn were
oil religious books. The n thing the
poor father seemed unable to do was to
ask from the parish authorities the
succor necessary for the family for
whom he struggled with great affection
and tenderness. No man in the parish
had q better claim to demand such aid
as a right, for he had for years paid all
his taxes for the support Of the necessi-
tous. Ii must be confessed that there
was a strange defect in his religious
feelings not to have taken that natural
and manly view Of his duty and his
right. Perhaps it is one of the greatest
blessings Of q family that it inspires the
parents usually with such feelings Of
duty to their children that they will ask
and demand the necessities OF life for
their young so long as they are to be
obtained in the community. To beg is
only wrong and discretitable where a
man can earn a living without.
He who shows a poor, honest and in
dustrious person, overtakcn by poverty,
how to earn a living, does far more good
than if he merely relieved temporary
distress. And yet there is many a man
and roman who, by a little forethought
and exertion, a put q poor person into
the way of being independent. Hap
py are they who consider the poor.
They shall be considered in the time Of
trouble. We believe that in this
try there is o general disposition Of the
rich to help the poor, and people geuer-
ally to help one another, beyond what
there is in most other countries, and
that this has been one great cause Of the
success of the United States. No doubt
there are cases of imposition upon good
nature, that often aust officers of ex-
perience, in dispensing relief, to appear
hard-hearted and unsympathizing to
those who are strangers to such scenes.
But where there is real want and will
ingness to work, let no n be afraid or
ashamed to make their difficulties
known. He who faces adversely with a
bold front has already more than half
surmounted it. He who is resolved to
fight his way through by earnest effort
will make friends by his very exertion.