New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-06-27
THE CHILDREN OF THE PUBLIC.
Ey EDWARD EVERETT HALE.
my LIFE TO ITS CR!.l

my LIFE TO ITS CRISIS.
New Workers OF to day see so many prs
SESSIONS. and live through 80 many sense
tions. and hurrah for so many heroes !
every year. that it is only the oldest q
fOgies who tells You Of the triumphant pro
cessi0n Ut steamboats, which. III the yea
1924. welcomed General Latal cite on hi
arrival from his tour through the countr,
!ie had SO nobly served. But. if the reade
wishes 10 leDgthen ont this story. ne ma,
button the next silver-:I friend he meets
und ask him to tell of the broken Englisl
and the broken French of the Marquis. o
:4avasseur. and the rest of them: o; the en-
thusasm of the people and the ieadin mesa .
she visitors, aut he will please bear in mine
shat of all Of that am l.
For it SO happened thai on the morning
@hen. for want of better lions to SHOW. the
mayor and Governor and the rest Ut then
:ook the Marquis and his secretary and the
Sest of them 10 sec the orphan asylum IN
Deering street--as they passed into the
first ward. after having had "a little re-
freshmen in the managers room. Sally
Eaton. the head nurse. dropped the frs,
courtesy to them. and Sailie Eaton, as il
happened. held me screamin. Ia her arms
had been sent to the asylum tina: morn
'ng with paper pinned to my bio. which
eaid my name was Felix Carter.
'Eet ees vera tne.' said the Marquis.
amiling blandly.
dropped q five franc into Saliie Ea'On'a
hand. And so the procession Of exhibiting
managers talking bad French. AMI of ex.
;ibited Fsenchmen talking bad English.
passed IN: all but good old Ekansh Og-
den--GOa bless him--whO happened 10
have come here witt. the Governors party.
and who loi'crei a minute ~ talk with
Sally Eaton about me.
Years afterward she I'D me how tho old
man kissed NE. how his eyes watered when
he asked my story. how she told agaiB VI
the moment when ! was heard screaming
on the doorstep. and how she ctio.ed - go
End bring the paper wiica was pinned TO
thy bib. Bu, the Old man .aid 1t was no
jnatter--''uuly We should have called him
Ma,quis." said he. ''he shall grow up a.
farmers lad. and NOT i little eockney." And
so instead ot going the grand round Of In.
;irmaries. kitchens. bakeries and dc:mitNries
with the rest: the good old soul went back
into the managers room and wrote at the
moment letter to John Myers. who took
care Of his wild land in s.. Lawrence
county for him, to ask him ii Mrs. Myers
would not bring up an orphan baby by hand
Cor him: and il. both together, they would
not train this baby till he said ''StOp." it on
the other hand he allowed them. in the
yearly account. $lou each yeae for the
charge.
Anybody who knows how far hundred
dollars goes in the backwoods. in st Law.
renee county. will know that any settler
would be glad 10 take ward SO recon.
:nended. ANY body who knew Betsy
Myers as we'll as old Eikanah Ogden did.
would know she would have taken any
orphan brought to her door. even if he were
not recommended at all.
SO It happened, thanks TO Lafayette and
the city council. that had been a Child OF
the Public" u day. before. in it's clumsy.
liberal way. it had provided for me. lowed
my health and happy home Of the next
fourteen years in tho wilderness to those
!naryelous habits. which should else call
absurd. with which we lioniz. strangers.
because our hospitals and poOrhouses are
the largest buildings We have. we entertain
she Prince OF Wales and Jenny Lind alike.
by showing them crazy people ANA paupers.
Easy enough 10 laugh al is the display: but.
II. dear public. it happen tina. by such a
habit you yentiatc your B'i!eweH or your
Bedlam. is not the yentila J.on. perhaps, a
compensation for the absurdIJ,. 1 do nor
know IL Lafayette was any 'h" better for
his seeing the Deering Street Asylum: but l
40 know ] was.
This is no iistorp Of ms life. II is only
al illustration Ut one of its principles.
have no anecdotes of wilderness iite to tell, |
and no sketch OF the lovely rugged traits OF |
John and Betsy Myers-my real father and |
mother. have no quest tor the pretended |
parents Who threw me away IN my baby. |
hood, 70 record. They closed accounts with |
ire when the left HE on the asylum steps. |
and ! with them. ! grew up with such |
schooling as the public gave--ten weeks in |
The winter always. ana ten IN the summer. |
TIL | was big enough TO work on the farm I
better periods OF schools. ! hold. than on /
the modern systems. Mr.. Ogden ! never |
saw. Regularly he allowed for me the |
hundred year till was nine years old. and !
then sudde;ly he died. as she reader per |
haps knows. But John Meyers kept me as |
his son. none the less. ! knew no change /
until. when was fourteen. h. though. 1t |
time for me 10 see the world. ana sent me
to what in ihi g. days was called Manual
Labor School.
There was a theory coming up in those
DAYS, wholly unfounue: IN philosophy. that
il man worked five hours with his hands. !
he could study better in :he next tive. II is
all nonsense. Exhaustion Is exhaustion;
and il You exhaust Il yesse. by one stop
cock. uo.hin. ~ gained or saved by closing
that and opening another. The old up
country theory is the true one. Study ten
weeks and chop wood fifteen: study ten /
more and harves; fifteen. Blu! the Manual
labor School" offered itself fov really no
,ay, only John Myers and carried over,
remember, q dozen barrels OF potatoes
when wen, there with my books. The
chooi was kept at Roscius. and ii would
york in the carpenters shop and on the
chooi farm five hours. they would reach
Ill they knew in wha: had oI the day be-
ide.
felix" said John as he left me. Il do
lot suppose this is the best school in the
World. unless you make it so. But ] do ,
uppose. YOU can make il so. If you and |
rent whining about. looking for the best !
chool iu the world. and for somebody to {
ay your way through it. should die. and
GU would lose your voice with whining. .
nd we should not find one after all. This
what the public happens to provide for I
on and me. We won't look gift horse in | Q
10 mouth. Get on his back, Felix. groom L
N ss vel. Is you can when you stop. feed ] q