The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1876-06-29
Selett Stpgg.
The Beggar OF Algiers.


We feel ourselves in this country at
liberty to give or refuse our beneyolence
TO any object that implores our assist
apce, and should Oe apt to treat with con-
tempt the intimation of person who
should caution US against this generous
action, lest we should by that means in
cur a debt we way herealerbe unable to
discharge. And yet this caution, how
ever unnecessary it may appear in this
country, is very different in others. In
all the states of Barbary, present Of lib
erality becomes a debt, which the laws
of that country oblige the giver to pay
a truth which many merchants have eG-
perienced to their cost and veXation.
About the beginning of the present
century, a Greek merchant resided at
Algiers, who used every year to make a
voyage to Tunis or Egypt, to dispose OF
the commodities he had purchased from
the Moors and the trading ships from
Europe. While he continuedto carry on
this branch of commerce, countryinan
of his paid the debt of nature, left him
his executor, and, among his lagacies,
ordered certain sum of money to be
distributed among the INDECENT and dis
tressed, One morning, as the merchant
was passing through the street, he saw a
Moor sitting on piece of mat, lame and
almost blind. Struck with an object that !
seemed an epitome of human miseries,
the Greek listened to his moving tale,
and beheld, with a pleasing satisfaction,
that this deplorable object employed !
himselfin making thread aces, by which,
and the charity of the benevolent he
procured a scanty subsistence, So un-
usual sight, where wretchedness and
industry were so remarkably blended in
the same object, excited the compassion
of the merchant, who, with generous
tear of humanity, dropped him hand
full of aspers. Astonished at so uneX
pected an instance ofkindness, the beggar
followed the merchant on his crutches,
calling upon Heaven to shower down its
choicest blessings on his head. He told
all he met how exceedingly bountiful
that Christian had been to him. Struck
with this instance Of liberdlity, the popu-
lace Joined the cripple in his applauses.
This, said they, is indeed an instance of
universal benevolence, because extended
to a person whose religion is different
from his own.
The beggar followed his patron till he
discovered the house in which he re-
sided, and took his post for the future in
a place where the merchant passed daily
by him. Next day the beggar repeated
his request, and the merchant his charity. |
He was persuaded he could not discharge |
the will of his late friend better than by
giving to this distressed object, as it |
seemed to have tendency to make the
infdels in love with the benevolent in
fluence of the Gospel; he therefore con-
tinued his daily benevolence till the time
of his departure for Egypt
The beggar still kept his post, but miss
ing his beuefaCtor, he made inquiry after
him, and had the modification to be ia
formed that he was not in the kingdom.
Whenever his clerk passed by the beg
gar, he always lifted up his hands to
heaven and prayed for his masters safe
return, which did not happen till near
six months after. The beggar expressed
his Joy at seeing him; but when the mer-
chant, in return for his kind expressions,
WAS going to repeat his usual benevo-
lence, the cripple declined accepting it,
saving it was better to pay him all his
arrears at once. Confounded at so strange |
a refusal, the merchant asked what he
meant by arrears; to which the Moor re-
piled, that, as he had been absent near
Ic htc loi ilNt hnnauOlappa vul inl, |
had been omitted during his voyage,
amounted to lS0 rials, which was the
sum he now owed him. The Greek |
smiled at the impertinent answer of the |
beggar, and was for some time in doubt |
whether it merited contempt or chastise-
ment. But thinking the latter would be
considered as cruel by the people, he
left him without deigning to return him
an answer
The beggar however, laid his COM
plant before the dey, and the merchant
was sent for to make his defence. The
Moor alleged that the merchant, during
a whole month, had daily given him a
rial, but that his charity had not been
thrown away; it had greatly augmented
the number of his customers, and pro ed |
to him an increasing fund of riches; that |
so considerable an increase Lad induced |
him to lay aside his business of making
the thread laces, which was to him a
very painful operation, as he had almost
lost his sight; that the merchant went
away without giving him the least warn
ing that his pension was to cease, and he
had therefore constantly kept his post,
where he had daily offered up his prayers
for his safe return; that, relying on the
payment ofkis pension, he had contract
ed some debts which he was unable to
discharge; and that, when he had de-
manded his arrears, he had laughed at
him, and even threatened to chastise his
insolence. The merchant admitted that
the account given by the Moor was lit.
orally true, but insisted that aims being
voluntary action, its continuance de-
pended wholly on the donor. After a
discussion of the affair in council, the
merchant was condemned to pay the
beggar rial for every day since his de-
parture till the time of tLis decision,
with plaster extraordinary as a recon-
pense for his reproaches. But he was
told he was at liberty that his intention
was not to give him any aims or gratuity
for the time to come. Against this the
merchant many times protested, adding,
that such a sentence would not soon be
forgotten.