New-York tribune., 1882-08-13

tfcm 10 1Neln one OF lne quiet, reSpectdoic siuo
streets Of New-York; the house was plainly
furnished, the table simple. But the Potters
were friendly people and hospitable to their
friends; the girls were pretty, and their father
liked to see them becomingly dressed His
wife ecOnomzed at every point, but each year
the salary was spent, to tho last dollar, and an
increasing load of debt accumulated. Potter
was a conscientious man; the burden weighed
on him like guilt lie took overwork to add
to his income, wrote until after midnight;
both he and his wife stinted themselves OF count
less small comforts which were necessares at
their age. One of the daughters, who had a
turn for art, joined the innumerabe host OF
amateur china painters; another wrote Tor the
juvenile magazines In each of these ways
small supplies Of money came in; but 1t was
all to no purpose With every year the habits
of life of their class in the city grew more lux
urOus, the rates of living higher, and their
income was more inadequate. They were
family of good deal of natural intellectual
force and refined tastes; they would have
learned much from nature, books and art, and
grown broader and stronger in the learning If
they had had the time to learn. But they had
time for nothing but to earn money and to
sharp Jealous, anxious lest they should be
showed from their slippery social position;
their mother through constant carklng care
became an irritable. neuralgia invalid while
as for Potter himself, he suddenly sank into
premature old age. He was tormented with
sleep!ess nights, inexplicable headaches, per-
petual structure like an iron band about his
jaws his appetite failed, his temper grew
moody and peevish. The doctor came in with
the usual prescription, "'Stop work, abso-
lutely." How many salared men, professional
men, men with small incomes in every position
and grade in the markets OF our large cities are
precisely in Potter's case to-day, and how many
doctors are urging the same prescription to be
told that it is simply impracticabeT Food
clothes rent, fuel, the endless succession Of un-
expected necessary wants for family must be
met, and the fathers salary is needed every
week and day to meet then. The father stag
gers along like an OverwOrked horse little
longer, and then falls on the track, and is
dragged aside to make room for others, while
his family sink out of sight of the social life for
admission to which they have paid SO dear,
into the strata below of clerks, shOpwomen and
sempstresses.
sudden departure from established usage in such
cases, to the amazement and dismay OF his
friends and even his family. He threw up his
situation at once, in spite of the warning on all
sides that man who once loses his footing III
the business world never can regain 1t. lie
gave up his pretty house, and put up the FUR
niture at auction, receiving for 1t as many
hundreds as his salary was worth thousands,
and with this sum he took his family to a little
village in the Blue Ridge, in lower Virginia.
A house with half dozen acres was rented Tor
5000, butter was ID cents pound, beef the
same. corn meal 60 cents bushcl vegetables
and chickens they raised, the streams were full
of fish and the woods of game. The scenery
was magnificent, the air pure. Potter had Ills
rod and .,In their books were the only part oil
their possessions which they brought with
them Of clothes they had supply enough TO
last for years in this simple nelghborho0d.
For eighteen months he remained absolutely at
rest, except for the pleasant mental effort OF
teaching his boys His brain and body slowly
regained almost the vigOr of youth. Many
men. no doubt would have felt such anxiety
about the future of their children that the
worry would have been as wearing as work
during this time of inactiOn. But Mr.. Potter
was n man of hard common sense. He knew
that if his family lost social advantages they
gained simple tastes and sound health which
raised them for their whole lives above the desire
for such advantages. Nothing more was lost.
The boys were taken out of the crushing mill
of the schools and thoroughly and quietly
trained in study and love of study; wife and
daughters, with the necessity suddenly removed
for fashionable dress, snowy furniture posing
before an audience of any kind, knew what abb
solutely free, unshaclled life was for the first
time They took time to read, to make ac-
ouaintancc with nature and with the people
about them, to love and be loved, without
thought of money or the making of it.
Mr.. Potter at the end of his experiment did
| not 60 back to New Ork. lie took his re-
newed strength to the West prefeuing an out
door life for the years remaining to him. But
we see no reason why this experiment should
not be made by men whose place can be kept
| open for them. If Il month OF simple country
life restores wasted mental power and physical
tissue. what might not be hoped from year
rest "
| Memorandum for Mr.. Tilden: Your State Conyen-
ton is to meet at Syracuse this yoar. 1t was It