The workingman's advocate., 1869-12-04
CORRESPONDENCE CE.
FROM NEW YORK.


(CONTINUED.)
The true means OF happiness, 1t Is
sometimes said, are to be found In our
selves. Nature is thing of such exact
order that for a man to murmur against
its DEGREES seems to be a great wrong.
Hence may say, to take a wanton, or
even a serious oath, is a form ofputting
the blame of things upon the Almighty
though there may be more of US who
swear"-alone or to oursetUss-than
the world is aware Of To malign the
Creator, it may be said, is to reduce
order to chaos. If God is not wrong
on account of the evil in the world las
we know he is not), man must be. or
what we call wrong is not wrong. But
we know the world is full of wrong.
1t can only be evil to cherish disap-
pointment. We can have no right, as
/ have implied, to expectan event out
Of the ordinary course Of nature. IT
we suffer from disappointment, we shall
soon have nothing else to do but to en-
tertain it and be miserable. 1t is nearly
the same thing to say that it may be
questioned whether there is anything
in nature, in its necessary operations,
which should cause the human heart to
mourn. The death of one intimately
connected with us by the ties of blood
is often a severe bereavement. But for
what do we feel the stroke mostly-for
the event, or because of some circum-
stances connected with the lives Of the
loved ones, as that they have not been
fully blessed ? And IS this not the
reason why sorrow at the death of a
friend often has such a chastening in
fiuence upon US, reclaiming us, it may
be, from vicious or misSpent lives
do not believe that elf ignorance
is bliss, it is folly to be wise" To
suffer ourselves to be lulled to repose
over an active volcano, cannot be wise
doing.
The most unpleasant truths may be
said to carry with them their own balm
of healing. Still | would not ruthless
ly disturb the faith of any aged pilgrim
on life's journey, from whose faith
might difer-in whose faith might con-
sist his or her only happiness. Yet it
is in doing away error, and refusing
ready obedience, so far as not to do
what we consider evil, as, allow M to
say, to do military service for govern
mentS in wars which we think are both
wrong and impolitic and by labor
breaking loose from capital, if possible
in or by these, in whole or in part, is
il we are to achieve the success neces-
sary to reform and make happier the
world.
Everything in human society is arti-
fetal to the degree Of sacrificing the
highest happiness. Everything is miser-
ably-I will say sighted. Everything
is done as if the life depended on the
doing it in hurry. Our meals at the
restaurant are but half cooked; for to
cook our food at these places thorough
" would take too much fuel and time
for the business to pay. As what puts
the most money in the pockets of the
lords of business seems to carry with it
the idea Of being, if not the best, the
most fashionable, so is it only in the
style to eat your beefsteak miserably
underdone at the hotels and restaurant.
Once it was the fashion to sleep on a
feather bed, but now, to be in the
fashion, we shiver through the winter
nights on mattrass as hard as board.
/ would like to see enough of fuel,
enough Of food, enough time, enough
comfort in sleeping appointments,
enough of everything that it is reason
able for a man to possess. But there
are those who console US with the re-
mark that we should be thankful for the
little we get of thing-for the crust of
bread, the cup Of cold water, &c. This
is true, but if il means that we may not
have more, innocently and righteousIy,
it implies niggard spirit in him who
says it. There is enough of every
thing in the world, if it is properly dis
tributed, to supply all and make all
happy. True (the Bible says iD if a
man will not work, neither should
(shalD he eat. But if this should be
carried out it would cause to
starve many drone in the human hive,
who at present thinks himself above the
necessity for work, and who is so mere
Iy by reason of his wealth.
There is a class as bad as drones in
who have no sympathy
for their species, but who womeA get all
he good things to themselves, content
ed to leave others not even enough of
.hings the most Indifferent. A man
who has not at heart the veal of his
ellow-man, ,:be he sever so humble" is,
hold, a mere cipher in the world. He
S literally person of "no account.
He is not to be thought of or cared for
lbove the mere brute, or any more than
/ person deceased.
/ cut from the New York San (of
ormer date) the following item: "The
(Mississippi,) Democrat pub
ishes an appeal to young men, closing
IS follows: Even, says it, 'iffwe must
lie, let us die game. Thousands Of our
young men are too proud to work. Let
hem not be too proud to die, if need
be, for their country"
1t is about the working part that II
would speak. Do these kid-gloved
men suppose that others are going to
work for them, that they may dwell in
dleness? Ignoble are their souls, if
hey do! And a corrected public opin-
on should quickly correct such an idea
n their heads-and it will be corrected |
when trades unions are fairly under
las somebody has said) labor
owns capital, instead of capital labor
md, may add, when universal suf-
rage for all classes is obtained.
To be happy, all should work. Va
grants in the street should work. In
iustry, like a sponge, should soak up
dleness wherever it is found. Habits
# thrift should be universally acquired.
There should be, to whittle it down
n hna V,Oipf 1o0ao l.