The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-12-13
A Reverie.


cannot pass through too quickly--we no.
ticed strange kind of garden. Upon
a wooden shed, over the sidewalk, were
arranged, along the edges, twenty-six
half barrels, filled with earth and planted
with Morning Glories. These had twined
about perpendicular cords, tied to hori-
zontal wires stretched four or five feet
above. The perpendicular strings were
placed so closely together that the foliage
of the vines formed, as it were, second
story to the rickety old shed. 1t occurred
to us that the poor man who had taken
80 much trouble with his shed-garden
could not be destitute of kindly feeling,
though living in the midst of squalor
and depravity. Perhaps he felt as much
pride, experienced as much pleasure in
these early-morning flowers as do the
wealthy in their costly borders. 1t seems
a wise and just provision on the part of
a benevolent God that it should be so.
And it is soothing to all tepder-hearted
people to believe that happiness, in what
soever degree, is not inseparable from the
luxuries or even from the necessities of
life.
A vast deal of pity is wasted upon the
seemingly hard lot of others. We L ok
at the children of the poor and say, Poor
things!" When they die, we say, at is
better So" The honest laborer, who tolls
hard to support large family, is ever an
object of our commiseration. The man
who, having accumulated an immense
fortune through years of successful bust
ness application, loses it all at once, is
especially to be pitied. "Having tasted
the sweets of riches and luXuries, you
know, it comes hard upon him. There
is little provision in human nature that
renders the manufacture of all this pity
an Intellectual expenditure of moral force.
1t is the power of accommodating itself
to the circumstances in which the indi
vidual is placed. The infant whether
born in atfluence or poverty, is equally
pleased with rag baby until it is educat-
ed to understand the superiority of wax
doll, and the cigar-box upon spools an
swers every purpose of the painted char
lots purchased in toy bazars. The food
of the laborer is not relished according
to its quality or variety, but according to
the appetite which may afford pleasure
to him who eats pork and beans that is
never known to him whose table is al
ways spread with the daintiest of food
OF rich men there are two classes.
One has inherited riches-the other has
made his own fortune by "hard knocks"
or by economy and devotion to some
pursuit. If suddenly deprived of his
wealth, the first will experience span
new sensation. The world is new to him,
and possibly he may find it far from So
ciaole or friendly, and in no wise exer-
cised in the matter of assisting him to
rebuild his fortunes. Here is virgin
field for our. fallen millionaire. Here is
"a chance for the development of energies
and talents he himself may never have
dreamed of. The days of ennui are gone.
He will not be "bored" for the future in
devising new ways of "killing time. y
ANY man with enough to eat and to wear,
his mind all the time intent upon any
pursuit, has no business to be wretched,
and is no worthy Object of peoples SYM
pathy or pity.
The other, who has made his own for
tune and suddenly finds himself at the
bottom Ct tho ladder again, has the sue
cessful experience of years with which TO
aid him in rebuilding his fortune-and
there are few Of this class who do not de-
ny themselves more in the acquisition OF
wealth than the poor laborer who never
aspires to it by his daily toll.
There is but one condition that human
beings cannot accommodate themselves
to and be happy. 1t is a condition Of
actual suffering or helplessncss.
Endowment and luxuries are oftener
enemies than friends. Indeed, any stu
alton in life, which does not provoke men
tai or physical action, is destroyer OF
happiness. Let us, therefore, set higher
value upon sympathy and pity. that we
may bestow them more literally upon
worthy objects. Assist the sufferers OF
your own neighborhood. Look first OF
all to your own household and next to
those who, for one reason or another, have
claims upon your assistance. When that
is done, you may pity the misfortunes OF
all the world besides, if your stock hold
out.
Meantime, let us learn lesson from the
shed garden and Its half barrels of Morn
ing Glories. We need not compassionate
the man who has been ut such pains to
produce what to our pampered eyes seem
trivial results. II we cannot have spa
cious gardens, let us be content with lit
tie ones, and let us bear in mind that
barrel garden, made attractive by ones
own hands and ingenuity, is incompara-
bly, more creditable to the owner than
grand garden that money has purchased.
"For unto whomsoever much is given, OF