St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-02-22

the c1tlZenS was standing there. Ihey
cursed him some insane with drink
threatened to knock him down, but
looking into his face the insanest mad
cap of them all dared not touch him
with finger.
All day long he stood there for the
sake of those who knew not what they
did, for the sake of the town he loved.
"For Christ's sake" he would have said
simply, if you had asked him, and at
night when the polls were closed and
he heard that the day was lost the
manly tears rolled down his face, but
he said-not word.
Oh the day was not lost that had seen
such sight; the town was not lost
that had such man left in it. He is
living there still, working among its
without fear or favor or pecuniary re-
ward. The town is one of historic in
terest and the people are justly proud
Of their soldiers, and their victory over
the British in 1914.
They have more reason to be proud
of their Temperance Union composed
of handful of women, which has fought
and won, and fought and lost, many
battles, but which still ''hangs like Il
gathering storm on the left'' and the
right of the enemy, and will one day,
rs surely as Burgoyne met his fate at
Bennington, deal their enemy his death
blow.
And / know of no man of the past
whose story is told in books more
worthy to be called here than that
one of whose brave, self-denying life |
have given Il single characteristic in
cident.
1t is the times of peace that try mems
souls. The college boys are never tired
of telling us about the old Romans who
conquered all the world, but we're con-
quered themselves at last by luxury,
idleness and sensuality. Do they real
ize that such enemies are even now at
our doors
Burgoyne's flaming proclamations
calling upon the people to give up their
independence and pay allegiance to
Britain's king was light matter COM
pared with the advertisements in broad
type that fill our newspapers, that flame
in our shop windows.
Straws that show which way the wind
blows; eruptions ON the skin which in
dicate too plainly diseased state of
the system. Light work and heavy
pay offered in such variety of tempt
ing ways that we wonder everybody is
not rich-amd lazy enterprises of all
kinds where the honest q? simpleton
may lay down one dollar and take up
one hundred.
Medicines of such wonderful efficacy
that they may almost be considered in
dulgences to sin. Goods of every va
riety ut each place superior to goods
sold at other :'laces, and furnished at
lower rates. Schools, to the shame of
the name be it spoken, where boys and
girls can in Il few months be put in Il
way of making their fortunes.
1t is no matter that most of these ad-
vertisements are lies, and received by
the credulous public ut Il large discount.
II they were true it would he worse for
us. Something for nothing is not the
blessedest thing that can come to any
one. The premium upon Incidence,
dishonesty, selfshness, greed, cannot be
large enough to be profitable in any
way.
And | cannot help Il feeling of faint
ness when hear il woman just returned
from shopping exult over the good bar
gains she has made. For she calls it Il
bargain when she has given Il corner of
her soul for two cents off IL ward of
muslin
Perhaps she has paid the worth of
the muslin-we may trust the dealer
for that ; he may really only have
''come down" on his character, and the
devil may be the only one who is not
cheated in Il bargain that two persons
aIe chuckling over.
In time when such things are too
frequent to excite notice how tall an
honest man seems, how high and grand
Simply an honest man-of medium
height, yet head and shoulders above
the multitude.
| remember one one? | remem-
Der several, but will speak of only
one-who failed in business.
1t was what they call an honorable
failure, whatever that may be and
he compromised with his creditors for
so many cents on dollar and kept his
home and his business, us so many
others have doIie. But he did some
thing else which | think all the others
have not done. He, or they, dismissed
the house servants, disposed of all dis
possible luxuries and lived in the plain
est manner. Wife and daughters though
to .drudgery cheerfully
took upon themselves the service of
house and garden-no new articles of
dress were bought; after while the
children wore plain shaker bOnnets to
Sunday school, and every thing was
with an economy of which
family accustomed to poverty has no
idea. And in few years they had
paid off the debt, dollar for dollar, with
at the legal per cent.
Is it understood Hundreds of dol
sentiment required him to pay hun
dreds of dollars earned and saved bv
hard work and severe self-denial only
that hands might be clean in the sight
Of their Creator, and their owner.
lNelghbors, you know, care little foT
'olled hands If they are glOve-covered.)
have heard it intimated lately by
some Jealous ones that this family are
proud. L think they have right to
De; am very proud to have known
'hem-very glad in these times of dis
graceful failures when all we dare ex-
'ect of even religious man is a le0al
of his affairs, to be able to
ell the boys how one man treated his
allure.
Failure it was day of tlial which
proved him strong and sound-incapa-
lie OF failure. Heaven send us more
uch men.
Yet temperance, honesty, are only pri-
nary virtues. Add to these moral clean
mess, what the Bible calls purity of
edft, and we have the foundation for a
ero. Rough stones, it may be, that
nust he cut and shaped by Intelligent
1t will need courage and self-denial