The Labor enquirer., 1884-03-29
POVERTY.

What the Ablest Newspaper Writer
On the Pacific Coast Has to Say
About It.
Ambrose G. Bierce writes the following in
the San Francisco Wasp, publish it because
it is great and true, though written by one
who hates the world and is hated by the
world in return. The ablest and most bril-
liant journalist of the Pacific coast, perhaps
of America, as well, Mr.. Bierce needs but one
thing to win what his whole life has been a
ueeless struggle to obtain-the remembrapce
of posterity, the appreciation, by the future,
Of his talents. This one thing Mr.. Bierce can
never attain until he writes upon plane
that posterity will appreciate. To do this
truly he must be a Socialist, must replace the
curse by the blessing, must rise above the
sneer to the smile.
BURNETTE G. HASKELL. (
Monthly reports of the secretary OF
the San Francisco Benevolent Associa-
ton do not convey an adequate idea of
the destitution in this city. No statis-
tics could. It's our boast in California
that none die of destitution. privation,
want, whatever you may choose to call it.
My friends, if the graves of Destitution's
victims were unmarked by headstones
the business of the marble-yard man
Qapidary by appointmentto their Serene
Highnesses the dead would be speedily
abandoned as a barren and profitless
trade A clear majority of the children
whom you see in the streets laughing,
frolicking shouting at play-whom the
sun stimulates like wine, and nights aw-
full shadow lulls to happy dreams-are
fated to die of privation. They Will
perish of poverty. This one will go to
the grave by the route of an unwhole-
some occupation which he was too poor to
abandon that one because sunshine and
exercise are too costly for her purse; an
other because there was no money to
purchase the medicine (rest) for the dis
ease (toiD. Here is one who is weaving
an invisible shroud of sewer gas there
is one hammering into his coffin the nail
of foul water this third is committing
easy and often the suicide of scraggy
butcher's-meat. Yonder sturdy-legged
womanling is going to be murdered by
the necessity of keeping herself alive.
Look at that chap who has harnessed
gravitation and goes banging downlong
atop of his toy wagon. see before him
a precipice which he does not, and over
its verge he shall inevitably plunge, sail
ing gaily to his death. They will call it
consumption. Let US be just, even to 30
acceleratinga an obstruction; its real name
is Breadwinning. The little rascal has
already acquired the fatal habitof eating.
Keep an eye on that tiny tot there, try
ing to spin a top that is to big for him,
and YOU shall witness an, executionof the
death penalty: Judge Comfortable Cir
cumstances is putting on the black cap
to sentence him to San Francisco for life
him whoinherited an Italian lung. 1t
is all privation-slow. insidious, implaca-
BILE Destitutition, In the merry babble
of children, my ear clearly distinguishes
the words, Ave, Destitutio ! Morituri te
salutant.
Not one of this group, and but one of
that, shall die q natural death. Their
little feet are hurrying them along to-
take.our places in the shambles. They
are being lassoed and dragged to the
man n-pound and nobody will pay their
ransom A hundred dollars would re-
deem this one and thousand that. This
other is a hlgh-priced chap it will re-
quire million to redeem him from the
tank, for something hasgone wrong with
his nerves there is but one spot on
earth where he can live, and he must
search the globe to find it. He is about
to be apprenticed to blacksmith.
There is no health but wealth-no
medicine but money-no death but from
accident, ignorance, age or poverty. Poy-
erty reaps the larger harvest for he cuts
it unripe. He is earliest in the field, and
he never sleeps. If you will be poor,
you shall be lied about at the health
office They will say you died of
symptom. This is to ilhpeach your con-
stitution; it is uncivil to the remains.
But, God bless you! how comfortable it
makes the conscience of the survivor.
Shall we complaln-"we who are about
to die?" Bah if we did not die of pow
erty we should die of accident. If not
of accident, of ignorance. If not of ig-
norance of age. If not of age, Of roast
ing, when in the fulfllment of its fate
the earth shall tumble into the sun upon
the backs of Mercury and Venus, with
Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Nep-
tune atop of her. The man who cannot
cheerfulIy attend his own execution is
not fit to be hanged. Still, there is a
certain decent observance due to the dig
nifty of death, even from those of us
whose arms are a-pinioning-much more
from those whose purses are stdffed with
reprieves bearing interest at 4 per cent.
Hats off, down below, there THE babes
are mounting the scafold.
AMBROSE G. BIERCE.
A highwayman once waylaid traveller