The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1879-02-13

ing people. of whatever condition, were
made-by higher intelligence than
yours, as l poorly understand ito
be in mental refreshment and recreation.
See what we fall into, when we rest
without it. Come! Amuse me harm
lessly, show me something, give me an
escapeP
But here the Bigwig family fell into
a state of uproar absolutely deafening.
When some few voices were family
heard, proposing to show him the won
ders of the world, the greatness of crea-
tion the mighty changes of time, the
workings of nature and the beauties of
art-to show him these things, that is
to say, at any period Of his life when he
could look upon them-there arose
among the Bigwigs such roaring and
raving, such pulpiting and petitioning,
and maundering and memorializing,
such name calling and dirt throwing,
such a shrill wind of parliamentary
question and feeble replying-where 1
dare not" waited on "I would that
the poor fellow stood aghast, staring
wildly around.
"Have / provoked all this" said he
with his hands to his afrighted ears, "by
what was meant to be an innocent re-
quest plainly arising out of my familiar
experience, and the common knowledge
of all men who choose to open their
eyes? l don't understand, and / am not
understood. What is to come of such
thingsp
He was bending over his work, often
asking himself the question, when the
news began to spread that pestilence
had appeared among the laborers, and
was Staying them by thousands. Going
forth to look about him, he soon found
this to be true. The dying and the dead
were mingled in the close and tainted
houses among which his life was passed.
New poison was distilled in the always
murky, always sickening air. The ro-
bust and the weak, old age and infancy,
the father and the mother all were
stricken down alike.
What rleans of flight had he? He
remained where he was and saw those
who were dearest to him die. A kind
preacher came to him, and would have
said some prayers to soften his heart in
his gloom, but he replied:
40, what avails it, missionary, to
come to me, a man condemned to resi-
dence in this fetid place where every
sense becomes torment, and where
every minute of my numbered days is
mire added to the heap under which /
lie oppressed But give me my first
glimpse of Heaven through little of
its light and air; give me pure water;
help me to be clean; Tighten this heavy
atmosphere and heavy life, in which
our spirits sink, and we become the in
different and callous creatures you so
often see us; gently and kindly take
the bodies of those who die among US
out of the small room where we grow to
be so familiar with the awful change
that even its sanctity is lost to us; and,
Teacher, then I will hear-none know
better than you how willingly-of Him
whose thoughts we're so much with the
poor, and who had compassion for all
human SORROW"
He was at his work again, solitary
and sad, when his master came in and
stood near to him, dressed in black. He
also had suffered heavily. His young
wife, his beautiful and good young wife,
was dead so, too, his only child.
"Master, tits hard to bear-I know
it-but he comforted. would give
you comfort if 1 could"
The Master thanked him from his
heart, but said he: go, you laboring
menl The calamity began among you.
If you had lived but more healthily
and decently, 1 should not be the
widowed and bereft mourner that am
this day."
Master" returned the other, shak-
ing his head, 4" have begun to under
stand little that most calamities will
come from us, as this one did, and that
none will stop at our poor doors, until
we are united with that great squab-
bling family yonder, to do the things
that are right. We cannot live healthiIy
and decently, unless they who under.
took to manage us provide the means.
| We cannot be instructed, unl-,ss they
will teach us; we cannot be nationally
amused unless they will amuse us; we
cannot but have some false gods of oul
own, while they set up so many of theirs
in all the public places. The evil con.
sequences of imperfect education, the
evil consequences of pernicious neglect
the evil consequences of unnatural re
straint, and the denial of humaniEine
enjoyments, will all come from us, and
none of them will stop with us. They
always do; they always have done
Just like the pestilence. 1 understand
so much, think, at last"
But the master said again: 20, yor
laboring menl how seldom do we eve
hear of you, except in connection witt
some troublep'
"Master," he replied, az am No
body, and little likely to be heard o
(nor yet much wanted to be heard o
perhaps,) except where there is som
trouble. But it never begins with me
and it can never end with me. AS sur
as death it comes down to me, and
goes up from me-"
There was so much reason in what /
said, that the Bigwig family, getting
wind of it, and being horribly fright
ened by the late desolation, resolve,
to unite with him to do the things tina
were right-at all events, as far as th
sad things were associated with the d
rect prevention, humanity speaking, {
another pestilence. But as their fea
wore off, which it soon began to d.
they resumed their falling out anon
themselves and did nothing. Cons
l quently the scourge appeared again
: low down as before, and spread avenl
3 ingly upward as before, and carried @
3 vast numbers of the brawlers. But Iii
| man among them ever admitted,
f the least degree, he ever perceived |
4 had anything to do with it.
!; So Nobody lived and died in the ol
old way, and this, in the main, is tt
e whole of Nobody's story.
s Had he no name, you ask? Perha
}, it was Legion. 1t matters little VIII
:, his name was. Let us call him Legio
" If you were ever in the Belgian V
7, lagos near the field of Waterloo, y
o will have seen, in some quiet lit
7, church, monument erected by faithf
e companions in arms, to the memory
IS Colonel A, Major B, Captains G, D a
g E, Lieutenants F and q, Ensigns 81,
e and J, seven non-commissioned Office
and one hundred and thirty rank a
!" file of the earth. They bear their shs
N e A. boSk1o. +bay 1aoua M nonoa +