The daily Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1878-1???, 1883-12-18
THE "OLD SCRATCH" VS.. BOYS IN
CAIRO.

NJ CAIRO.
DEAR BuLLETIS:-I am not one Of those
to whom the cloud is always visible with
out its silver lining. Yet while in your
town recently, though quite confused with
the rush aud whiri of so many things going
on perceived that underneath the froth of
galety there lay depth Of misery. Peo-
Pile tell me their troubles, too, perhaps be-
cause am motherly looking old body I;
and one complaint with people from abroad
is that their boys 60 to ruin when they go
to Cairo.
Are the two really synonymous During
my short stay there while was on the
lookout not to be cheated nut of my very
eyes, took the measure OF the merchants
and their clerks, and whether it vas shoes,
a sack of coffee, tinware or piece of table
cloth We discussed, the conclusion | al
ways arrived at was that the gentlemen
l dealt with we're reliable aud worthy of re-
spect Thsmembers of the medical and
legal professions pointed out TO me were
quite as we'll calculated by their appear
ance to inspire one with confidence, while
those inquired about were well spoken Of
And the editors there 10 no use to mention
them. Everybody knows that an editor is
altogether lovely, besides being quite meek
aud truthful.
Then asked myself the cause of this
continual complaining about the morals and
drunkenness of Cairo. One morning had
to listen to quite discourse on the present
state of religion, ct cstera, by a trim, pre-
else young person who, judging by his gen.
eral tone but particularly by his accent and
voice, was stranger from the northeast
corner OF the Union. He WAS quite sure he
had never before witnessed such shocking
disregard of the Sabbath nor had he ever
seen so many evidences of drunkenness IN q
town Of the size; though on second thought
he need not, he said, have been surprised,
since Illinois is whisky state.
Some OF the temperance workers can
speak for the state. But it occurred to me
if the young mans business allowed him
to remain there long enough he must find
that the condition which so shocked him is
due to the presence of strangers, people who
have not grown up in the town, but whose
employment calls them there and who con-
stitute large enough floating population
to tarnish its name. No doubt hundreds
Of them, railroad employees and others,
think the fact that they are away from
home sufficient reason for their being on
friendly terms with the old scratch, a de-
ciiedly one sided friendship If they but
knew 1t.
| used to think the women indiscrimate-
ly we're to blame for all this, but now l do
not. Let the mothers of the land instil a
sense Of right into their boys ard then let
the boys keep that sense after they leave
home, instead of deliberately getting into
the mire. or walking open eyed-almost al
ways open mouthed Into all sorts of pit
falls, and standing like bsulky mules while
the pbi]snthropic females of the town 90
into sack-cloth and ashes, because they have
been remiss in their duty, have not gone
about hunting up these poor, weak youths
and handing out little prizes tor good be-
havior in the shape of invitations to come
to Sunday school or "around to tea"
That might not be bad idea tor the la
dies to work on. That they fail to do so is
no, one iota Of an excuse for the objects OF
their solicitude. If said objects we're ex.
emplsry at homo, are their obligations to
their Maker and themselves any less bind
ing Since they are among strangers In
your town are several book stores, public
library, more churches than are properly
supported, free reading room and one
6rst-class play house. Besides the subjects
Of my sermon have some sort of abiding
places, suppose, they are not worse of
than foxes which have holes, and birds
which have nests. Let them form little
ssts Of their own and entertain themselves,