The morning star and Catholic messenger., 1878-09-29
Mingled Experiences.

!
landscape.
Three incidents of this varied naturs pre-
sented themselves to our observation lest
| week, and made realzs. by vivid contrast
the many different pbases of the human heart
| 1t seems IL US we might classify these expert
ences under the three heads of Inhumanity
| Philanthropy and Divine Love /; and, as things
that are true impress more forcibly than
| those which are fictitious, we give them to our
readers as examples of the best ard holiest, as
we'll as of the worst and basest feelings of poor
human nature.
ISHUMANITY.
One of our most intelligent and successful
physicians received q note early last week
from o gentleman down town, requesting him
to call at a certain house in the suburb of the
city, as young man was lying there sick with
the fever, and unattended by any human
terog.
The request was Immediately piled with,
and the physician, upon presenting himself at
the place designated, was directed to the room
in which the young man lay.
Now We will state that this poor fever patient
was no connection of the peoples man and
his wife-who occupied the main part of the
house be was only o boarder-thst is, he paid
all, or very nearly all, of his pittul salary as
a printers boy fJr tie accommodations we are
about to describe.
Oar description is true, aston! siing as it
may seem to our readers, viz a small, dark,
dingy closet-room, in which the only furn:tare
was a broken sofa and an empty tumbler I!
The sofa was as old and rickety as time and
long usage could make it, the open side turned
against the wall, the back of ir fconted towards
the door, and there, in that cofhu-lik arrange
meut, without sheet or pillow, lay tee poor
sick boy! Tho object of placing the sofa
against the wall was to keep him from falling
cut when in delirium. The tum6ler
the floor, empty but in o.der to reach it the
poor fellow was obliged to drag himself up in
bed, stretch his arm over the back of the sofa,
and grope for it on the floor And here, in
desolation by day, in darkness at night, the
youth had lain for five long, feverish, fatal
days!
A blanket covered him, and an old corn bag
served as o pillow and thus, in the mdst of
q populous city, with every help and comfort
near at hand, and to be had merely for the
asking, 8 strong young life was allowed to ebb
away! What could doctor do here To
whom prescribe the remedies To whom con-
fide the nursipgi How begin to draw back to
the shore the bark that had slipped 30 far
awayf
But the doctor knew to whom he could ap-
ply-he knew where there were kind hearts
and willing hands: and to these true Samari-
tans, a gentleman and wife, wellkuown to
our citizens, he confided the poor boy whose
life he wished to save.
We will not give all the details of this sad
incident. We only wished to show how it is
! r. opl al
to be inhuman aud batbarous when fear OF
sordid interest sway the heart. Think of a fei
low creature treated as this poor boy wasl Left
actu ally alone, without q cup of water to drink
during the day, or light to cheer his wesr-
ness at night and this for FIVE whole days
Aud yet there were women in that house
Where were their womanly instincts, their
womsnly pity 7 This case swells the list Of
deaths for this woful mont 1 of September, aud
yet who can say that he might not have been
saved had proper care been given from the
beginning of the disease! If afraid to nurse
him themselves, why did they not call upon
the Howards for all that was required
Why not ask others to do what they were not
capable of doing7 We are not able to answer
these questions; but we do know that this is
as plain of iphumanity as any we have
ever neaEo. Anu yetJ on Tue SECOND Q8y OF I 10
fever, the poor boy got up and crawled down
town to his employers cfice to draw his little
pay, in order to give the money those people
beneath whose roof he Hred-where, at least,
he died
This act on his part ought, at least, to have
entitled him to a little pity, little nursing.
Thank God there were kind faces By him
when he died, kind voices whispered comfort
in his agony,-and the noble doctor, who could
n Of save, had at least the consolation of making
bis patients las: moments peaceful and com-
Portable, for the friends he brought to his side
showed all of q fathers care, a mothers love
in miristerirg, although all in vain, to this
bright ) younS life that closed go pitifully few
short days ago.
PHILANTHROPY.
The Howard Association has always been
au houored one in our city; bus this years re-
| "a viii oil 70 -