The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1879-07-02


She could have had very good time
1 suppose, if she had been contenteG
to stay at home, but she found how
dreadfullv the insane people were
treated in the hospitals and aims
houses, and just think how she trav
eled about i'll She went to the places
and saw for herself how they were
pnt into horrid cells, that they were
chained, starved and bealen, and she
didn't go home, and say what a
shame it was, and somebody ought
to see that things were made better
Not she! She went rightto the peo
pie who had the power to make ii
better, and she told them how things
were, and not off in Poland, either
but under their very nose, and she
told them that they were the people
to make it better.p
"Yes,D and Bellies eyes lighted mp
"and when they said Il wasn't their
fault, but the laws, she vent to the
Legislature and told themen there.
| think it must have been very hard
for first she had to interest them and
prove it all, and then get them to
work to alter the laws"
"And such men, said Bob scornful-
ly, mere politicians
"There, now!" said Jim, "there is
one of the things that could be done!
| remember once that papa was com
planning about some man who was
to Congress, and grandpa said: Now
Robert, thee make it thy business to
see that good man goes the next
time. Thee didn't take any pains to
keep this one from going, and thee
has no right to eom1lains- l never
forgot that.
"Well !" said Belle with an air OF
much experience, l don't see why
politicians should be such aorrid peo-
Pile. l am sure Mr.. Graham is a very
nice man.
"Ot course he is, said Bob; but you
don't think all the men Miss Dix had
to speak to were like him."
"She didn't care for men, Bob, re.
piled Belle; all she thought about
was the crazy people, aud even if the
men she had to convince were not
like Mr. Graham, they had hearts"
"What l would like to do" jim
said, reflec,ively, "would be my own
work. l wouldn't want to make
speeches, and persuade, and all that
| would like to sit at home and write
great books, or paint wonderful pic
lures; and I'd send them one. l
would stay at home and .aat he both,
ereu win people. ~
"You are lazy, Jim; that Is what's
the matter with you, and Bob walked
to the other window. You think
that would be easy, but you would
have to work just as hard, and you
would care just as much what the
world would say"
Maybe l would, answered Jim,
but | wouldn' have to push myself;
my picture or my book wouldn't
care.
l tell you who 1 think was hero,
said Belle, Beethoven-for he could
not know what his work was like
If you painted picture you could
see it, and if you wrote book you
could rea3 it; but he went on com
posing music, busy all day; thinking
of flutes and violins, and singing
voices, and he could never hear one
tune. And, then he knew it was
good. There was no use in neglect
ing him, he never gave up; he felt it
was his business to write music and
he did it.
/ would have given up, said Jim.
1 don't see why he didn't. There
would have been enough excuse for
him.
"Excusel" cried Belle in scorn, as
if he wanted to be excusedl He meant
to write, and he wouldn't let any
thing hinder him. He made a way.
What surprises me, SAID Jim, tis
that Bob hasn't said word about
Benjamin Franklin yet. | never be-
fore heard him speak of heroes for
FIVE minutes without saying some
thing of him. - ~ i~loe r7-
IL thought of him, said Bob, and l
remembered one f~the best things
that lie ever did. You know he
talked and talked about paving the
Philadelphia streets, and no body saw
any use in it, even when the mud was
so thick that the wagons stuck fast,
and people couldn't get over without
getting knee-deep. Then don't you
know how he stopped talking, and
paved in front OF his own house, and
then the people began to cross there,
and so after awhile somebody else
paved another piece. and they began
to see that it would be good thing
to pave the whole street. That is
what | call finding way"
"The trouble is, said Belle. We
don't make up our minds to what we
want. We just 60 along and take
whatever we get, and we don't de-
eide that we want something else,
and mean to get it. We just wish
for it,"
.Now, see here, said Jim, do you
think the Leewellyns are any smart
er than we are? that Mr.. Leewellyn
is a wiser man than papa?"
"Of course not" replied Bob, with
Indignation.
"Well, this is certain-in the Lee
wellyn family there are ever so many
distinguished people"
"Not any more SO than papa. I
am sure every body knows him."
"Yes, but they don't know uncle
George. nor uncle Irwin. But all