The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1872-01-18
The Poor You have always with

--e-~ ~ al AANS~A9 NANIA
ed.
The Peer You have always with
YOH.
When the thermometer falls below
zero, when the beautiful snow is
knee-deep in the roadway. and still
falling, the rich and the well-to-do
peep from their warm domicils out
on the forms hurryiLg TO and fro
Their eyes rest with a glitter on the
gayly caparisoned sleigh horses, with
their jinging. silvery bells and fur
wrapped load, gliding along at light
ming speed. Sleigh after sleigh, and
the naturalization becomes nonot-
onous and the eye turns away to en-
JOY the tranquil luxury of the
salon within. Now, fair young lady
Of the costly robe and maiden heart;
good, prudent mother of the world;
or you, young Cresus OF our "gol-
den youth" or you, stout paterfam-
iIias, of solid wealth and kindly sonl,
before you turn your eyes from the
enlivening scene without, try if you
cannot see other forms than those
who rcyel in the carnival Of snow
III clad and shivering, they hurry
along with misery on their faces,
despair at their hearts and the weird
brightness of hunger in their eyes
What cynicism is conveyed to them
in the jingling Of the grelOfs, in the
ringing laugh Of the driver, in the
prancing of the glossy well fed steeds
that pass them as in scorn of their
poyertyl Think, then, that they
are but units who stand for thous-
ands in this great Gotham of ours.
Follow them, with us, of the noisy
thoroughfare, slipping and stumbling
over the snow, into the byways Of the
city. Stand before tenement house,
with its hundred families, where that
shivering, storm beaten form enters
and climbs the rickcty stairs. Sec
that man enter his narrow, squalid,
freless room, where an ill-clad tear
ful wife has been yainly trying to
stop the clamor Of the little ones for
bread with the promise that they will
have some "when father comes
home" He knows that they are
waiIIing for food, and the bitterness
of the thought, that he has nothing
for them chokes his voice in his
throat, and he sits down to think
of what? It is not his fault. His
miserable pittance of wages made it
impossible 10 save a cent when the
sun was shining; now that
the bitter wind has frozen up his
chance of toll, and the snow has laid
its winding sheet over it, he finds
himself and little ones fircless and
foOdless; and still he thinks. How
the honest heart struggles between
the thought Of going forth to steal
or staying at home to die We can tell
only when a man is dragged to pris-
on for some desperate theft, or 4 wo-
man and a child or two are found
dead Of hunger and cold ia the place
miscalled their home.
This is not fancy, fair ladies anu
gallant gentlemen. II has happen
ed before and is happening now,
while you, forgetful rather than
needless OF the groan from that dun
geon or the dying cry from that mis-
erable room, pass from your luxuri-
Gus pariors to the brilliant sale
Bsghger.
Think Of II, then, and not pause
before you scatter something from
your goodly store to Tighten the woes
Of the all bat vanquished in the
struggle Of life. How much more
serene your joy, when you can see
the wild light of famine replaced in
fellow human beings face by the
smile Of gratitude, and the terrible
temptation Of crime removed! Our
Savior, in the sublime pity of Ills
heart, when in this world loved the
poor, and viii not sc, o Christians,
follow in the humble footsteps Of
Christ?