The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1871-12-13

ton, Jim lSh, us ne Is Gale
may have his foibles--and heav,
knows that his personal affairs ha,
e been ventilated by the Jenkinscs
the press down to the very creakir
in his books-he may have orerat,
5 boldly in Wall street; run . the Er
Railway to suit himself, or done
score of questionable acts character
D tic of the strong individuality of IL
j man; but all these have their offset
. and when the ledger of our lives
Z opened, l fancy there will be foun
standing to his credit a balance
S greater good than evil. AS he ":
Passing the Grand Stand of the Con
=, mi;tee and It's families, at the head ,
, his fine regiment, on the day of tn
Reception Parade, the few parvenu
gathered there had the bad taste t
vent their speen at him in the pre-.
+ ence Of the Duke-a curious exhibi
ton of borrowed manners-but else
where along the entire route, from tn
throngs upon the sidewalks and tn
crowds in the windows, the wavin.
handkerchiefs of the ladies and til,
cheers Of the men, testified that til
people of New York had not forgot
ten the nan who, in twelve hours af
ter the destruction of Chicago wa.
dispatching lightning trains to tina
City, freighted with the means of re
lief, and himself driving from door t.
door to receive the contributions from
the public. They had not forgotten
the enterprise that had given to the
metropolis the two most elegant steam
ships in the world hat he re-organ-
lied and created a ''crack" regiment
of volunteer soldiery with a band OF
one hundred and fifty musicians; that
had built an Opera House; and in
short done a thousand good things
which lend such brightness to a mans
character that his faults are seen only
in the shadow. The Naval gentlemen
admitted to their ball a great many
individuals worse than James Fisk,
and the true manhood of New York
to-day, has nc sympathy with the
snobbishness which made flesh of one
and fish of the other.
In wandering around New York,
N occasionally sees strange charac-
tiers who illustrate in a melancholy
manner the cups and dcwns"- the
.vibratory vicissitudes of city life
Taking an avenue car the other even
ing l finished a cigar on the front
platform. There was an expression
on the face of the driver, as the fitful
flashes of the gas lamps rested on it,
so sad. so intelligent, so full of man.
hood far above that which is ordinari
ly written on the physiognomy of his
class, that L felt fmpelled 10 become
for the nonce a sort of interrogation
point. he met my advances kindly,
and after 4 little while told ME with a
voice full of gentle tones, the story of
his life. Years ago he was clerk in a
establishment. Town town, and as
a commercial traveller, visited most OF
the prominent cities in the United
States. Eventually he became a part
ner, made money, and was prosperous
in the relations OF business. A wife
and three daughters were the jewels Of
home, and they lived in a style
becoming their means. The firm was
overtaken by the panic of 1857, and
unable to stem the current went
down. Private property was absorbed
in the payments of debts, and a few
months found him penniless. He be-
came a clerk, supported himself on a
mere pittance, went into the army in
was disabled his wife and
meanwhile died, and he le-
turned to a desolate household almost
broken-hearted. Bad luck seemed to
follow his footsteps, and all of his eff
forts to get out of the mire proved fu-
tile. AT least made desperate by the
of want which had already
crossed his threshold he secured his
present humble position, and for the
last two years, through winters cold
and summers heat, has held the reins
a pair of horses who, with all
toll, doubtless enjoy infinitely
more of the solid comforts of exist
ance than their unfortunate driver.
But such is life. Rascals enjoy the
rosewood and velvet while intelligent
worth too often "walks the earth with
bleeding feet"
The weather has become intensely
cold, and in twenty four hours every
rink anG park in these lati-
.udes will blossom into its fantastic
display of circliEg forms and
iirtations Oh ice. The water begins
o stick in the half-frozen pipes Ike
he Amens in Macbeth's throat, and
he public fountains are covered with
he frosty beard of the dying year.
THANKSGIVING, for the first time was
celebrated as a national anniversary,
md the people, having their bone to
lick with the annual turkey, picked
t clean. Millions of the patron saint
we're martyrised. The stores were
lcsed business was hid under a bush
!, and the few wayfares on the streets,
urrying homewards, looked as if they
7ere taking Il lingering meal with
heir eyes, on defunct gobblings. The
nfortunates in the Public Institutions
ere treated to an extra dinner ;e and
generally drifted from its
mornings, and for the nonce Travelled
round loose.
The theatres are in full blast, and
resent unusual attractions Nilsson,
Wachtel in opera; Edwin
Doth in Hamlet; John E. Owens in y
Dion Single, Anne in Opera Baufe; :,
othern as Lord Dundreary, besides
dozen lesser lights are drawing fine
ldiences.
The partial panic resulting from ,
lie suspension of the Bowling Green; :
lie Guardian, and Stuyvesant Banks .
IS abated. All of the institutions :
AXE a better showing than was anti
pated, and the depositors are re-
and honaful Ii L. tLor-L+