Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1877-05-09
False Pride as TO Work.

PRACTICAL HINTS
Many of us see great deal of the dis
tress which is so much talked Of this year.
and we feel fired with zeal to help this one
or that one out of his difficulties. You hear
of poor man who has family to support,
and who has not earned cent for the last
week. You go from place to place seeking
work for him, and at last, not where You are
looking for it, but among the sufferers from
the hard times, you accidentally hear of
lady who is quite willing to hire man to do
some work which she is anxious to have
done, but she cannot afford to pay much.
You directly think of your poor proiege, and
are sure he will jump at the chance of max
ing fifty cents by days work, besides get
ting good meal. At great trouble and in
convenience to yourself you find him. He
is glad to hear of job" but at the mention
of fifty cents day draws himself up with /:
81 niver did days wurruk under wan dol
lar, and ginerally it was two" In vain you
tell him that the fifty cents is better than
nothing, and even the good dinner is worth
working for. You go home fairly discour.
aged and feeling as if you can never take
such an interest in a "case again.
note awaits your arrival. Your dear
friend Mrs. Caritas, wishes to interest you
III IL very sweet young WIuOW. me young
woman is left with two children to support
She is not homeless, as she has nice little
house, but is quite penniess. Can you think
of anything for her to do, or interest any
ladies in her -? Your chilled heart warns a.
you think of the young widow ready to do
anything" as your friend says. Yes, you
will work for her; she has no. settled sum
that she must earn. You go from house to
house and talk of nothing but "work for
young widow" till, if you did but know it.
"Kate's widow is the bugbear of all YOU
friends. But your zeal is rewarded. A
lady wishes to find some one who will tax,
the entire charge of her children's ward.
robe, cut and make both underclothes and
dresses. 1t is a case little out of the com.
mon run. The lady is willing to pay well.
but stipulates that whoever takes the matter
in hand shall come every Friday from tel
to four, to mend for her. The pay is really
good, for the lady feels interested in your
widow, and you write to Mrs. - to com
to your house at her earliest convenience.
You tell the whole plan to her. She listens
carefully, and to your astonishment, instead
of saying, "When can | begin ?" she asks,
" Do go to her house every Friday on the
footing of seamstress ?"
You are taken aback, as it strikes you that
her children's " footing ought to be the
chief matter of anxiety to her. You try to
answer patiently, The lady is very kind.
There has been nothing particularly ar
ranged, only she wished to have YOU there to
mend, and she said there might be some
stains to take out of dresses or any such
little Matters - She must be looking for
a kind of ladys maid, and don't think"
And so it ends. The last you heard of
the widow she was struggling along, making
bonnets in cery private way for few
friends, and being helped by one and another.
You are discouraged, but you have by no
means exhausted the number of people who
"can't do this" because it "might seem
such and such thing. There are gentle
men who have earned their thousands, and
because they can't earn them now, will not
earn anything. am worth at least twenty
five hundred year" one of them said to
me; "yet might go for twelve hundred"
great come-down, but in the meanwhile,
waiting for the twelve hundred, he will not
earn dollar or two day, so he lets his wife
teach or sew to earn a pittance till his tai
ents are appreciated.
Look on the other side. There are men
to-day working for six hundred dollars a
year, that are really worth twelve hundred; !;
but they say nothing. They work on and
on. A chance comes of making an extra
five dollars by extra work. Mr.. Dooless,
who is waiting for the twelve hundred dollar
salary, wouldn't think it worth while to
make that five dollars but the other works
at night and earns the extra money. Grad
ually people get to know him as a man who
is always ready for work, who never refuses
because the pay is light; and one aud
another who have an uneasy feeling that
driven by the hard times, they have not paid
him as well as they ought, introduce him to
better paying people, and gradually he gets
more and more.
There are women who, having children to
support or husbands to help, put their pride
in the dust and stand on it-their foolish
pride, mean, not their good, honest pride
of independence. That foolish pride squirm,
and twists, and sometimes almost gets up
but--how the brave woman stamps on it !
She will sew or read, write, or keep boarders
II you ask such one what she considers
her work worth, her answer comes promptly
"What it will bring" She sets no value on
herself, as far as money is concerned, nor
does she feel bound to pursue one beaten
track One week she corrects proof il
happened proof-reader was sick, and some
body knowing she would ump at any
chance of work, let her know OF the opening,
| The next week she is at her sewing ina
chine friends eyes are weak, aud she
happened to say she was looking for Il
seauistress. At once our heroine (for are
not such heroines y stamped on her pride,
which squirmed horribly and said Z" Re-
member she was your bridesmaid, aud
doesn't know how very poor you are; you'd
better pretend you knoo of Sedmsiress.'
| flaa tt.a. gtgla
spoken bravely If make take the work
home, | will be very glad to doit." Another
time there is sudden sickness, and nurse is
required. She goes and so gradually she
acquires reputation for intense earnestness
in fulfilling her duty-that of earning
money for her children-and one thing lead
ing TO another she learns how to support
her family comfortably and with ease.
Oh that | could get our best ministers, our
most accomplished orators, to take up this
subject and preach the doctrine of taking
the work that comes" Poor people should
never ask Win il pay me ? They should
remember how the man escaped from the
tower. His wife sent a beetle climbing up
the tower wall and TO one of the legs OF the
beetle was tied a fine silk thread The pris.
oner seized the beetle and pulled and pulled
on the silk by-and-by the silk changed to
twine. He pulled harder and harder, and
then came a cord, More vigorous pulling
and at last came the heavy rope which could
bear his weight. What ii he had spuned
the beetle, or weared of pulling in the silken
thread Let us, men and women, when we
are shut in the prisoHof pecuniary distress
pull on any thread that we can reach; it will
grow thicker and stronger in our grasp, till at
last it "bears," and we are out Of the prison
and on the high road of prosperity, all from
never once thinking, 81 am worth more
than that" My dear friend, ii you are worth
more you can get it but you are not worth
more to the one who makes you the offer OF
payment Think of this Churchmdn
Integrity OF Character.