Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1874-06-06
just then Kipp slid down to him.
"KNoCKING DOWN. :"

|
know what every trip ought to yield
Take fair, cool day, and less people
take cars than in a rainy or hot day Blu
the owner knows just how much money
will get into this car this day, and I re
turn money to that amount. If my re
turn is less than the man who has the
car behind me, go. The averageis ex
act and we make it. You have noticed
how anxious we are to get passengers
That is to make trip over the aver
age"
"And the amount above the ayerage?" ?"
A significant cough was his answer.
"We hate to have new men come on to
the lIne," he continued; because they
turn over for the first week or two all
they collect, and the company growls at
the rest of US. But we make 'em knock
down to the point, or we make it hot
for EN-"
The conversation was interesting to
me, and wanted to continue it, but my
conductor caught sight at this moment
of a fat woman two squares of, who was
making frantic effort to reach the car,
and he stopped for her. Her six cents
was what he wanted to help swell his av-
erage, and he go! it.
But you can see what chance there is
for man to keep honest under a system
that compels him to be thi eff IN order to
retain his place. And speaking of
LABOR,
don't let any young or old men come to get
work ct this time. There is scarcely any
building in progress. Trade is so wretch
edly dull that manufacturers are dis
charging hands daily. This is true of all
the trades and occupations. There are
more than $4,000 men dong nothing IN
New York this moment, and the number
is increasing hourly. Keep away from
New York. Living is fearfully high
labor is scarce, and wages are low. Think
of the case of poor Adolph Leisure, yes
terday. He landed with his wife and two
children four weeks ago. He was skill
ed cabinet maker, but could get no work.
They consumed the little money they had
of course, and Aldolph begged. Finally
last Tuesday he got something to do, and
he went home joyfully to his wife to tell
her at least they had their bread assured.
She asked him what the wages were, and
he told her, and ran away to his newly
found work.
He returned at night and found his
children crying and calling for their
mamma. Half suspecting what had hap
pened, he rushed into their wretched
bedroom and his worst fears were reali-
zed. On their poor bed lay his wife,
dead, a pan of charcoal explaining her
death, and on the stand anote addressed
to him with these words
DEAR ADoLPH The wages will just
feed and clothe you and the children.
go. Farewell. MARIE.
And so itwasl The poor woman low
ing her children better than she loved
herself, deliberately embraced the here
after rather than to shorten their supplies
by the amount that she should consume.
Poor womanl Let US hope that in the
next world the crime of self murder will
be balanced by the motive that led to 1t.
MODERN DRINKING CUSTOMS.
The drinking customs of society form a
curious topic of study. One hundred
years ago people of Anglo-Saxon stock
drank coarse, alcohol drinks to the mcst
beastly excess. The habit was universal,
and practiced openly and without dis
grace. Men of all degrees literally wal
lowed in drunkenness, and the number of
bottles a sound drinker could put under
his belt and live was a matter of proud
boasting.
The refinement, and, it may be added,
the hypocrisy, of modern society has
changed all this, aud made it disreputable
to drink deeply, and. in many parts of
our own country, to drink at all. But, in
fact, is there less consumtion of alcoholic
drinks than went on century agoE
believe the amount consumed VIII De
found to be about the ST me per head anu |
that the various temperance movements |
have not essentially lessened the amount
used. The way of using it has changed |
and what was formally practiced openly |
is now done in secret, and orgies which |
would have set English society blushing
in the time of the Georges, are now oc-
curing under the safe roofs of many
brown stone dwelling along the avenues.
l know lady-and she is not the only
one-of great attractveness and power,
well born, well bred and imparting all
grace to high social station. who goes
to bed with almost nightly regularity in a
situation of inebrity. Her husband and a
few intimate friends know of her misfor-
tune. and all means have failed to check
her secret consumption of wine. If we
could lift off the roof of houses of the
great city, where secrecy is easy and
thick and powerful, we
should be stagg cred at the disclosures
and believe what l think is true tnS'
while society changes and modines VICES
it has as many at one time as another:
And now that think otit, don't De-
lieve that drinking is any more a secret
than II used to be. Walk through Water
or apy other of the low streets in New
York and you will see whole blocks OF
rn,.mills at which liquor is sold openly
and without concealment Go up into
the respectable part of the city, and it is
Just as bad. There is not a block on
Broadway which does not contain do
gen, and on the side streets the number is
A man doing business.on Wall
Street, and living in Fourteenth, will pass
on his way up town, not less than two
hundred drinking places. And they do
business. They pay from $4,000 to s12S-