The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1870-11-05

OUR SATURDAY NIGHT.
Who do we Live For!

One by one the weeks go home
and the night of rest comes. We
have seen them 60 by our windows
tonight with their wages in their
pockets, for Saturday night has
once more marked the expiring eff
fort of the week to reach beyond
its boundary of time.
There went by strong. stout,
earnest men, homely clad, bIt
honest-faced and good. Men who
live by toil-who love their homes
and the ones there waiting their
coming. And glad will the home
ones be this night, when the hus
band and father can be with his
dear ones and find the rest he SO
| needs.
And as these workers passed by,
there were in the crowd idlers clad
in rich apparel. Thieves, in their
bandbox attire, to catch the eye
and bewilder the brain of weak,
silly girls and women, who live
only for style and adventure. Men
of wealth, satisfied with their
profits, and hurrying home to the
banquet table and carousal. And
there were poor girls going home
from work-shops, after earning q
few shillings or a few dollars
| week.
Looking out we saw a crowd OF
people. Each person with an indi-
viduali.y-each one with aims,
hopes, thoughts, desires, passions,
ha.es, loves, appetises, duties,
doubts, fears trials, joys, disap-
pointments, perplexities, specula
tions, surmisings, misgivings. and
! separate tastes. How little one
] person amounts to as he walks the
shore of the ocean-what an inf
Intestinal atom each of us all is, IS
compared to the whole!
We saw forms and faces passing
by we never shall see again +! Men
we look upon but once in a life
time; then they pass on to their
mcrk, as we do to ours. They do
not know who we are-we do not
know who they are. They are go
ing to their life-to their death, as
/ we are. They cannot answer for
; US, nor can we answer for them.
A passing glimpse-a glance-they
are gone from US. We look day
after day to see the thousands
come and go. They appear-,hey
fade away--others do likewise
oil too full of their own cares to
bother with us or ours.
Some of them may like US and
some may not. One may wish US
to do this and another to do that.
And in doing as others wish US to,
with no mind Of our own, our life
would be frittered away till we too
be left a wreck on the wondrous
shore, OF no use in the beautiful
hereafter.
And so we sat and thought. How
many of all who pass care for US !
What sense to bend our ideas and
crawl under bars the passing crowd
puts up for others, not for them
selves ? Suppose we do this Or do
that, as few here or a few there
may suggest or dictate. We have
no right to dictate to others. They
are as we Observation-Disclosures. 1t is
none of our business if he does
that, or if she does this, except in
the general line of honesty and
non interference with the rights of
others. That man has q right to
walk or to ride. To work or to
rest To wear this or wear that.
To like US or dislike u.s. If he
likes us for what we are in aid Of
ourself, we know he is friend
| and so we love him. If he likes
us only for our Willingness to warp
ourself to his ideas, which may be
| right or wrong. then he is not
friend of ours, only to himself.
If he gives US the same right to
think, to act, to live, IS we con cede
the right Of self government to
him, he is indeed our friend, and
we love him with a miration.
What if he likes this person or
that one2 1t is none of our busi
ness, SO long as he likes Us. What
| If he likes no one? None of our
| business. We are not justified in
binding others to our will and say
ing to those who are monarchs
with US, do this, and do that, OF we
separate. no more to be friends.
By the laws of God we are en-
titled to life, to liberty, to happi-
ness. Our duty is to so live AS to
secure the most happiness. and no
other person than ourself is to be