The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1881-07-14
The Paint Mania.

A MANS SHARE IN HOUSE CLEANING AND THE
DAMAGE He CAN DO
There seems to be something wonder
fully fascinating in the private paint brush
and the can of prepared paint that are
publicly sold by unprincipled and greedy
men. The man who has once allowed
himself to paint the kitchen chairs or the
dog kennel takes step which he can
rarely retrace. His thirst for paint grows
with indulgence, and he soon comes to
feel Wretched unless he has brush in
his hands. Among private painters there
exists a strange and morbid unwilling
ness to allow a particle of paint to be
wasted. The man who buys a pound
can Of blue paint with which to paint a
table, and finds that after the work is
done he has quarter of a pound of paint
left, instantly tries to lind some other ar
ticles of furniture on which to use it.
Thus he is constantly led on from one ar
tlcle of furniture to another, and reduces
himself to poverty, madness and despair.
The story of man who was once a re-
spectacle and worthy citizen of Phiadel-
phia presents a fearful illustration Of the
misery caused by private painting.
The man in question let us call him
Mr.. Smith-was induced by an indiscreet
friend t. buy pound of red paint with
which to paint small dog kennel. With
out rejecting upon the danger to which
every one exposes himself who takes the
unhallowed brush in his hand, Mr. Smith
painted the dog kennel and with the
quarter Of Il pound OF paint that was left
he undertook TO paint the bath-tub, in
order, as he told himself, that the paint
should not be wasted. He found that the
bath-tub was not more than half painted
when his supply of paint was exhausted,
and he therefore bought another can.
With this be finished the bath tub. and
had this time three-quarters of a pound
lett. 1t was, Of course, impossible for
him to allow so much paint to be wasted,
and accordingly he began to paint the
six kitchen chairs. There was paint
enough for five chairs only, and the
Mretched man saw that he could not help
buying third pound, nearly ali Of which
was lett after the sixth chair was finished.
With hungry eyes and excited air, he
now rOamed through the house, seeking
what he might paint, and finally decided
to paint the woodwork of his study. Two
woodwork was finished, but he found that
in his anxiety to finish without buying
sixth pound of paint be had laid on the
color so lightly in some places that the
result dissatisfied him. AS a remedy he
decided TO run Il narrow bar of black
paint around each panel, and therefore
bought a pound Of best prepared ivory
black paint. Not more than half of it
had been used when the work was finish
ed, and then it became necessary to find
something to use the remainder on. The
unhappy Mr., Smith now realized when it
was too late to save himself, that he was
Il confirmed painter, and that he had not
sufficient strength of will to cast the ac-
cursed paint-pOt from him no matter if he
dld thereby waste nearly half a pound of
ivory black. He pursued his downward
course with great rapidity. Needless of
the tears of his wife, and the entreaties
OF his daughters he painted everything in
the house on which paint brush could
he laid. No matter how large or how
small any surface which he undertook to
paint might be, he always had a little
paint lett over when it was finished, and
had TO buy new can when the next ar
tlcle was partially painted The hideous
marks OF the vice which had mastered
him became apparent on his clothes and
fingers Men knew that he was a hope
less painter, and shrunk from him with
horror.
His wife and daughters could not 90
into the street without showing by their
involuntary patches Of black paint that
the head Of the house was a private paint
en-. His money gradually found its way
INTO the pocket Of the heartless wretch
who kept the paint-shop, and his health
gave way under the influence of painters
cole. Within one short year from the
time when Mr.. Smith bought his first can
OF red paint he was a ruined outcast, and
when, after his suicide with Paris green,
noted philanthropist called on his widow
to obtain materials for writing biogra-
ply OF the dead man as a warning to the
young, he learned that during the latter
part OF his career the miserable Mr..
Smith had used no less than seven pounds
of paint daily.
The pathetic story carries its lesson
with it, 1t shows the terrible danger of
meddling. No man can take loaded
brush into his hands without detilng his
fingers. The only safety lies in total alb
stinence from brushes and paint, no mat
ter how great may be the temptation to
use them. n. y. Times.