Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1870-10-04
a Breath Of Fresh Air.

touching story. He lives in a large
airy mansion, located were the breeze
is freshest and purest, and surrounded
by courtyard in which flowers bloom,
green trees wave, and the waters of
a fountain make the sunshine and
shadow glad with sparkling ripples.
One day last week when the air
was sultry and hazy, this gentleman,
coming out OF his house in the morn
ing to 90 to his business, saw sitting
upon his steps poor woman with a
young child in her arms. The woman
was cleanly and tidy, but very meanly
clad. She did not beg, nor in any
way accost the owner of the house as
he passed down his steps. Surprised
at the look and manner of this morn
ing visitor, knowing by that look that
she could not be dishonest. and think
ing that there was some good cause
for her being there, the gentleman,
after walking a short distance, turned,
and approaching the house, said /:
MY good woman, is there anything
| can do for you this morning = what
do you wish ?"
No, sir she replied, "there is
nothing | want, except that you will
permit me to sit here awhile that l
may be able to give my dear babe a
breath Of fresh air for | live" she
went to say, "in a house where every
floor and the cellar even is crowded
with families, and the house stands
in street where the fresh air never
comes, so that it does the child no
good to take it into the streets there,
and, | have come across the town
that my little one might breathe this
sweet air and sit in this pleasant
shade; for, on, sir, it seems like
heaven here! Please let me remain
here little while!''
The gentleman looked down upon
the puny child, with its small. pale
cheeks weary-Iooking eyes, and that
attenuated blue look about the mouth
which every person, old or young
thai is starved for fresh air wears,
and felt all the chords Of his heart
moved with pity. "Sit here all the
morning if you wish,' he replied, as
he turned thoughtfully on his course
down town.
This incident Of a morning viii
epitomize the condition of tens o.
thousands Of human beings, who il
this city, are now stiaed for breathing
room. And this is not computing
the number too highly, when we re
member that the statistic figures il
a recent commemorative meeting
gave the number that are wholly
without a sleeping place at night a
10000 That makes so 600 fee
shoeless and stockingless to curl NJ
under doorways, in miserable pave
ment and dock holes, in rank poison
Gus alleys, somewhere on the bare
earth within the city circumference
of twelve miles; and these $4,000
feet have their complement of heart
made susceptible of happiness, ant
likewise their complement Of soul;
fashioned for Immortality.
But leaving those that sleep in th'
open air, let US consider for a momen
the multitudes that have just such
home as this poor mother and he
babe, whose every breath was so pre-
cious to her, and who was bringin
it out to the broad steps and salubrl
, Gus atmosphere of city garden 70
} a draft of sweet air. This large clas
. of people need the help OF sympath
| and the countenance of hope: it
: this class that is competing with sue
despairing energy the odds of misfol
r tune, sickness and poverty. We wh
? sit in cool, high rooms on the mort
) side of the house, inhaling the oxygeI
> ated air which comes up from row
: Of Towering grape-vines and plats
e blooming flowers, feeling the so
}, zephyrs which have wandered fro
r the highlands along the blue current
s Of the Hudson to blow in upon us
v we can never know how to aid
!. imparting this sympathy and hoE
g unless we behold those foul home
; and climb the rickety stairs tier att
t tier. which shake beneath our weigh
it and grope our way along mario
= passage walls, which are Shiny to tt
| touch, and enter rooms containing
r family in each of the corners and a
l. other in the middle, and go dow
r into dark, damp cellars, crowde
(, with people, promiscuous as to se1
IS unless we see face to face those b
grimed faces, that tangled hair, tho
'e decaying garments; unless we breatl
r, the noxious air penetrated with sicke
@ ing odors, quick with disease, al
as depressing to mind and body
at that permeated with carbonic ga
g, and thus comprehend this depth
misery. 1t is in such inhabitants al
IN among such inmates that many Ii
Up the subject of the above incident liy