The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1871-02-08
Riches VS.. Poverty.

klCheS VS.. F0}ertS.
There is no denying that there are
uroval roads" through existence fer
the upper CLASSES; for them, at least.
the highways are nacadamized, swept,
and watered. They are surrounded
met only BY lrXmies, but by pleasures.
which, at all events to tie young, must
have the zest of novelty. 1t seems to
be the veiiest taliacy to say that the
lots in life are weighed ont in equal
balances: The difference is very great
to the examiners and very bitter
to the sufferer. Before we talk of tue
equality of pain, which is Ill nine cases
out of ten only selfish and ind"icnt
excuse for neglect. let us contrast u
high and low position together. On
one side is protection, instruction, and
pleasure; on the other is neg}ect, ignor
ance and hardship. Here, wants are
Invented to become luXuries; there,
"hunger swailowsa in one low want"
Among the rich, body and mind are
cultivated with equal watchfulness;
among the poor. the body is left TO
disease and to decrepitHde. and the
destruction. We speak of tie two eX
tremes, but it is the worst i'll of social
existence that there shnula he snch cx-
sleeps in the silken cradle, his little
lies arc hushed by the nurse, whose
that tiny fame The least Illness. and
the phi, stefan bestows on the infant
heir the knowledge of life; for every
single patient benefits hy al! his ptede-
ccssors. The child becomes q boy;
Eton or Westminster, Oxford or Cam
bridge, have garneyed for his sake thu.
wisdom of centuries; he is launcied
into public life, aud there are frieud>
and connections, on either hand, as
stepping stones in his way. He arrives
at old a@e; the arm chair is ready. and
the old port has been long in
the &c lars of his country
h o II e t o share tie strength with
its master. He dies his very coffin is
comfortable, the very vault of his an
cestors is sheltered, funeral sermon
is preached in his honor; and escut-
cheon and marble tablet do their best
to preserve his memory Take the
reverse of the picture. The infancy
of the poor child is one of cries, too
often of blows; natural affection has
given way before the iron presence of
want. The old proverb, "when pov-
ty comes in at the door, love flies out
at the window is true in far more
general sense than the one in which il
is generally applied. They have the
floor for bed, the scant and moulding
remnant of food for dinner, the cold
hearth where the wind blows in the
smoke their physical sufferings react
on the moral world they deaden and
embitter the sweetest of orr feelings.
The parent half loves, half loathes the
child that takes the bread from his
own mouth, and the child looks on
that as tyranny, which is only misery.
1t learns to fear before it learns TO love.
Suppose such childhood past: it has
escaped disease; no chance chill has
distorted the youthful limbs; they have
at least, health to begin life. The
poor man has nothing more than his
stronghold Is best gifts lie dormant
within him; the chances in some coun-
tries are that he cannot read the holy
page that ut least holds out the hope
of a less miserable world. He has not
that mental cultivation which alone
teaches us what are our resources and
how to husband or to exert them. He
knows only how to labor, and that not
in the most serviceable manner to
himself. Too often he does not. even
when he can, which is rare enough.
lay, up for the future, because he has
never, been accustomed to reflect.
-[Excllange.