The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1869-12-02
LETTER FROM BOsfON
Correspondence of the journal.
Rev. Mr.. Milburn---Robert ColIyer---Pere
Hyacnthe- it costs Working Girls tc
Live - Filling Of Charles River Flats :
lnman Steamers---Fashions.
: Blind! blind! blind!

Blind. blind! blind
Oh, sitting i'll the dark for cvcrmore.
And doing nothing
What terrible thing it must be to have
Gods fair sunlight suddenly stricken from
your gaze To have the blue sky, the green
fields, and all Of earth's pleasant places only
a remembered dream. Frequently chance
TO see persons thus afflicted going to OF from
the Blind Asylum at South Boston, And
what has struck me as q remarkable pecul-
iarty is their universal and constant cheer
fulness. | do not recall upon the faces of one
OF these persons q hopeless or respondent
| expression. As gay q party as | ever saw
entered Il car in which was riding not long
since They were all young, not over eight
cen, pretty and stylishly dressed They had
been upon some pleasure excursion. and
were so happy, merry and joyous that one
could scarcely credit that they were totally
| and hopelessly blind.
Among the pleasant and entertaining lee
lures that we have had this week, is one by
the 50 called ''Blind preacher" Rev. Mr..
NIilburn, entitled ''What blind man saw in
Paris.n 1t was certainly y difficult subject
for any man to select, when every American
knows about as much of Paris us of Boston
or New York. And yet Mr.. Mlburn, with
out saying anything strikmgly original, told
his story in so vivid, interesting, and agree
able 4 manner, and with such rich, full
melodious voice, that everything seemed new
and delightful. He is a man of rather more
than the average height, with full and we'll
rounded form. His face, which is partially
covered with u full beard, is unusually IN
telllgcnt and interesting, and in his bearing
he is so graceful and gentlemanly that he at
once attracts your attention. He spoke al
length of the different objects of interest in
Paris, and alluded to Louis Napoleon rs the
best ruler France had ever hal, and classed
him rs the greatest living ruler of any Ma
ton. After referring to the Empress, he
spoke Of Cora Pearl, the queen Courtezan,
whom he slid he had heard American ladies'
speak of in terms Of admiration when they
would spurn her sisters in Washington street
After touching upon the Atheism of France
Mr. Milburn concluded his lecture by stating
that he was glad to get back to America,
where God was loved and worshipped, where
| woman was respected for her truth and noble
ness and where home is thou ght Of and loved
| Boston has rather taken to ministers this
week, doubtless in repentance for having
been over Jolly week before last. 1t is we'll
| known that Satan and the Saints are always
struggling for the possess on Of Bostonians.
| And on Tuesday evening we had one Of the
spiciest lectures of the season by Rev. Robert
| Collyer of Chicago. "Clcar Grit was the
subject. Mr.. Colyer, with his broad, good
humorcd face, genial, viVacious manner, and
Welch accent, puts his hearers at once in the
best possible spirits, and they feel sure that
| they will like him before he has said a dozen
words. With q fresh story, sparkling with
humor, we'll told, in every paragraph, he
had not the least difficulty in holding the at
tcnti6n Of the vast audience, or in bringing
them out in frequent bursts of laughter, and
rounds of applause. He is a stout, broad
shouldered man, with hair we'll silvcred by
age and talks to you rs if he enjoyed it.
The lecture was commenced with q detini-
ton something like this: ''In the threcfold
sense of austerity, urscllshncss, and cnthusi-
assn. clear grit is the best | am blossomino
into the best can do rs naturally rs 4 rose
blooms or a bird sings. 1t is that stern man
hood and womanhood that is always true tc
the true, no matter what may bcfall, rs the
diamond is diamond all the same whether
il blazcs on the brow Of an emperor OF lies
hid in the sunless boullers Of the mountains. ,
lie quoted Byron and Burr, as examples that
there was nothing so near splendid anee
as splendid devil: paid IN eloquent tribut,
to Robert Burns, and adduccd George Fara
day as better specimen of clear crit thar
George Peabody-inasmuch as Peabody oayt
his money whilst Faraday gave his life
Pere llyacinthe visited the city the first OF
the week and was the guest of Robert G.
Winthrop. He has, of course, been taken &c
the State House and other places of interest
Your Connecticut correspondent has so fully
and accurately described the .sbaretootcd
Carmelltc" that it is unnecessary for me 1c
attempt anything Of the sort suppose Mr.
Collyer would say that the spunlly priest had
clear grit.
| Perhaps it will be Of interest to some OF
the readers Of the Journal especially the
girls who long to go TO the city in search of
cmployment-to know something of the
prices paid working girls and what il costs
to live. My information is from the most
reliable sources, though it may surprise Won
to know that the most experienced Sales-wo-
men in the city cannot command over seven
dollars per week new hands of course being
| paid less. A good seamstrcss, milincr,
drcssmaker, or tailoress can, by working
early and late, clear about six dollars in the
same length of time, whilst most other kinds
OF work are more poorly rcrompensed. A
merchant on Washington street informed me
that he paid his cashier ten dollars per week
because she had been long in his employ and
thoroughly understood the business A lady
friend OF mine who is an accomplished book
keeper commands Il salary OF $1,000 year.
But these are exceptional cases, from four to
seven dollars being the general rule This