New Orleans Republican., 1877-01-14
POVERTY AND PRESERVED GINGER.
A Glimpse of shIftIessness.
By REV. T. @. DAsH1ELL.

I was requested to visit family on st.
James street. There were three in the
group-husband, wife and babe less
than four months old. They had come
to Richmond on the way North; the man
had neither money nor employment, the
wife no force nor strength, and the child
was seriously i'll. They had not cent to
buy milk or medicine for the child-not
q morsel of bread. nor anything that
could be used to give light The house
was small, with an insufficient supply of
furniture. They had secured it by pay
ing nearly all the money they had brought
with them, the small remainder having
been expended in the purchase of some
smoked salmon, three oranges and a
yellow glass heart to hang around the
baby's neck. A sensible calico gown was
hanging up on closet door, but the
woman wore q silk dress which seemed
covered with the rust of ages. Around
her neck was a gold colored chain, COM
posed of enormous links, and apparently
holding watch in her belt asked her
the time, as my watch was out of order.
She explained that the key was attached
to the key of her trunk. "However lowly,"
said she, 81 may have descended into the
cloudy vale of of-of-I meant to say the
cloudy vale Of woe; no, that's too strong
misfortune, l suggested.
"Thank you, sir; however lowly may
have descended into the cloudy vale of
misfortune, there are ties which cause
memory to be odorous with the light of
days gone by"
''She was brought up to have all that
heart could wish, the man remarked, by
way, probably, of explaining her high
flown language.
'This dress, that / had at boarding
school, wear to remind me of my delight
in soaring over the plains of arithmetic
and geography, and this chain keep as
momentum of my bridal"
Mr.. Rowley was not always so ambitious
as his wife in the use of language, bat
was greatly influenced by her, and list
ened admiringly to her discourse. Mrs.
Rowley was the daughter of a successful
junk dealer, and had nearly ruined her
mind by trashy reading. Mr.. Rowley bad
been before his marriage an amiable, pur-
poseless young man, who had met this
imaginative damsel in rail car, escorted
her home, and shortly afserward clandes-
timely married her, for which he received
and shared with her the curses Of bis
father-in-law, whose door neither Of them
dared darken thereafter. Mr. Rowley lost
one situation after another, through lack
of force and energy, and finally obtained
a situation as overseer of farm. There
he fell into the greatest destitution. He
was totally ignorant OF the work which he
had undertaken, and of course, failed
miserably. They suffered greatly, and
left, considering themselves cruelty
treated, although the owner of the farm
was serious loser by reason of their in
competency.
Their sufferings from cold, hunger and
exposure could not have been experienced
on Virginia farm, excepting as the con-
sequence of that kind of inehiciency best
represented as s'not knowing how to do
anything" In such place people can
hardly be destitute of food and warmth,
unless they are also SO destitute of common
sense that they do not know how to use
the means of comfort which are at hand.
Two more impractical persons I never
saw. Their condition IN no way de.
pressed them. He would talk of s'prop-
erty" and she of society" as blithely as
though they were possessed Of every CON-
fort and had an assured future; they were
as foolish as it is possible for grown up
| people to be.
Before ] saw them again the oranges
and salmon were gone. Rowley had
found no employment, aud nothing was
left but for them to accept charity. They
did this gratefully, and on giving her q
small sum of money ventured to name
to Mrs Rowley one or two stores where il
| might be expended TO advantage. stAi
Mr.. Is store, said, ''you will fine
some excellent herrings."
''Herringsp she said. 81 don't deny
that they are savoFy, but as peer through
the vista Of life-I mean the life that Is 4
come-not eternity, but the shadowy visit
Of this worlds futurity, and see my chile
maiden fulfilling her duties upon TIL
stage Of existence, what would be hel
feelings If she were TO know that hel
mother had eaten herrings."
Il can not imagine, / replied, that i
fact Of which she will be aware whel
she comes 10 maturity, that you ate her
rings when she was four months old.
'sYou see, she reioined, sin my iuve
nile days the family who lived next doc
to as were very unpoetioai In their aspi
rations they etc herzings. Another fam
lily near Us were gFoveling IN theiE ideas
they partook Of the same diet Othe
people Ia sight Of us, who could not ris
to gentility, fed upon herrines; / fame.
they would prevent any rising Of til
mind to the heights it would seek on th
wings Of fancy.
ssIiet me beg you, said, tfor th
sake Of your husband and child, not /
think Of heights and poetry Just now
when common sense g required"
II am sure. she said, tkhat eommo
sense ie my STRONG point. I Try 10 inhai
my husband with burning enthusiasm
the rewards Of glory are before every ma
who will achieve The success which VII
encireie bis name with 4 golden wreath ,
unfadiug laUxof
H0wley now cene Ia, disappointed q
had been hllof q siination, which sem
one had obtained before hIm
sIbis Is mena world, b said, q ta
qcu what Is his wife II naWn dress at
milIln f1l extsen dolfar.. aud ! toWeS
E II fol lie p4see. woala bug that dxe
e a tAie
|s W NAIls H. RQNil
N ea oYc
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