The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1871-03-18

stewardship. knew, and felt also, tha
let son do for parent what be will, ht
can never repay a parents love and .
parents care. Who could repay a mother
for her unceasing and anxious Watching
over us in the helplessness Of infancy, O.
father, in providing for all our wants, il
teaching us to know good from evil?
tancied that thirty pounds a year wal
enough and more than enough for all my
wants, and / dwelt with fondness on the
thought of remitting them fifty pounds ou
Of my annual salary. Previous to entering
the counting house Of the merchant, my de
light at the pleasing anticipations befor'
me robbed me of sleep, and for the frs
time caused me to feel the hardness o.
my bed upon the chairs Of the solicitor
chambers.
However, with heart overfowing will
JOY, entered upon my mercantile avoca
tiOns. Then, as hustled along tn,
streets, / felt within my heart as though in
all London there was none greater than l
l was independent as the Lord Mayors
happy as bis Majesty. But there was one
thing, small matter, which / forgot; il
was the proVerb which / have twice quoted
already, that 4" a penny hained is penny
gained" On leaving my occupation as .
copying clerk, almost unconsciously lef
also my cheap and humble diet My fcl-
low clerks in the merchants counting house
dined every day at chop house in Milk
street, and they requested me to join them
l bad no longer an opportunity of eating
my half-loaf in secret, and | companied
them. Each of US had generally a chop,
for which we paid eight pence fried sole,
for which we we're charged shilling, with
a glass Of porter during dinner, and go
of gin, as it was called, and sometimes two,
afterwards.
| did not wish to be singular, neither did
| see how | could avoid doing as others did;
and, moreover, reasoned that, With eighty
pounds year, was justified in living
comfortably. But this was not all. My
associates were in the habit Of having their
crust and cheese and their glass of porter
in the forenoon and / bad 10 join them in
this also. And this, too, ran away with
pence which might have been saved. But
l had not been long amongst them when /
found that they had also evening clubs,
where they met to enjoy pipe and glass,
and bear the news of the day. Unless !
joined one of these clubs, found that |
would be considered as-nobOdy. / ac-
companied comrade to one Of them, and
as the glass, the song, and the merry Jest
went round, L vas as a person ushered into
a new world, delighted with all | saw. /
became a nightly sttender Of the club, and
although | never INDUCED to excess, | bad
completely forgotten the proverb which
enabled me to assist my parents wien /
had but ten shillings week and, there
fore, it forgot me.
My landlady also informed me that it was
the rule of her establishment for her lodg-
ers to breakfast in the house, and With this
proposal, also, deemed it necessary to
comply. bad begun to yield to circum-
stances, and when, in such a case, the head
Is once bent, the whole body impercet IDLY
becomes PROSTATE.
But twelve months passed away, and in
stead Of fifty pounds being sent home to
my parents, | found my entire eighty not
only expended, but that was ten pounds
in debt. called myself fool, madman,
and many other names for conscience
burned within my bosom and the glow Of
shame upon my cheek. But it was fruit
less-a habit was formed, and that habit
was my master. | had involuntary be-
come its slave, and wanted resolution to be-
come its master.
On entering upon my second year, my
who still entertained favorable
opinion Of me, increased my salary to
hundred a year But even when it had
expired, instead of having assisted my
parents, ! still found myself in debt. ]
had left my twenty pOu IDS of additional
salary to take care of themselves, and at
the same time | had forgotten to take care
not only Of the shillings which compO~~4
them, but Of the pence which made up my
whole income. forgot that hundred
pounds quickly disappears in free hand
and leaves its owner wondering whittier it
has gone.
AT this period, the letters which re-
ceived from my parents sometimes indirectly
hnted at the privatiOns which they were
enduring; but they never requested or
seemed to expect assistance from me. The
consciousness of their circumstances, how
ever, stung me to the soul but it did not
reclaim me or turn me from the dark sea
of thOughtless expenditure on which / had
embarked. | experienced that a slight
thread is sufficient to lead man to tempt.
alton, but that it requireth strong cord
and a strong hand to drag bin again to re-
pentance.
| seldom laid my head upon my pillow
but resolved that, on the following day,
would reform my course of life aud again
practice economy. But alas i resolved
and re resolved, and lived the same. At
this period, however, my own conscience
was my only accuser and tOrmentUr. For
although in country town my habit of
spending every evening with club, at a
tavern, might nave been registered against
me as a vice, In London it did not SO mill
tate, and was neither noted nor regarded.
| was punctual in my attendance at the
counting hOuse-always clean and rather
particular in my person; and | must say
that do not know a town on the face OF
the babitable globe where the certificate Of
dandyism, or o. something approaching to
it, will be of greater service to young man
than in London. 1t has struck me a hun
dred times that the two chief recommends
tions for obtaining a situation there are
dresS and address,
was not exactly what could be called a
good natured person, but there was a free
and easy something about my disposition
which rendered me favorite with my fell
low clerks. | was also pleased with their
society, and it was seldom that | could re-
sist the temptation of accompanying them
wheresoever they went, when solicited, and