The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1885-02-04
a Little Plain TAX.


don't admire these oyergrown tor
lures. They are tie curse D. a lteTuh-
lican government. The sympatLues o.
rich men are with rich men. The poor
make no new friends. When General
Grant failed the papers said rs had
nothing in the wide world but au d
nuity Of fifteen thousand dollars. and 20
CYRUS Field and others went round to
make up a purse for the poor mau-
There were thousands of poor families
all around them who were out ot an
pl0ymeut because the mills 2 lacto-
ries had shut down and who only asked
for the poor privilege OF work 2 toA
and labor wherewitn 10 earn bread Tor
their families, but they couldnt get y
and nobody thought about a purse i"r
them. There are one hundred men n
New York who are said TO be worth
more than one thousand million OF dol
lars. | Was thinking what a grand thlng
it would be for them to make one NIL
lion families happy BY giving them each
a home-nothing but a home-one
thousand dollars for each would pro-
vide a comfortable dwelling and a lew
acres of land, and a COW and may be a
horse and some tools to work with. II
is a pitiful thought that honest, worthy
people shall live all their lives II this
world and never have a home "a home
Of their own. Was this bic round world
made for a few: Is all the land TO be
theirs while we toiling millions pay c
and are thankful for a shelter Ii 1t i
bad management and waste on II side
it is corruption and speculation and
tyranny on the other. There IS sick
ness and disease and affection among
the poor that no allowance IS made Tor
by the rich. Just think OF one million
families, say five millions OF poor peo-
pie being suddenly made happy win
comfortable homes. \ home where
the humble wife could plant her W
vines and flowers and trult trees, ana
cultivate her own garden and adorn her
" rooms with little ornaments. How
quickly would it make new woman out
OF the pale care-worn hopeless creatures.
What an incentive it would be to keep
the husband and the sons from the ale
house and the saloons and what a safe
guard for the daughters from becoming
castaways upon the ocean OF lie.
But this is all theory and fancy, and
| suppose will never be nevertheless IS
it could be, and it ought-be to some eN-
tent. it the laws were wise and Just.
Our charities begin too late. The poor
houses and orphan asylums and houses
of refuge would not be so full If our
charities began sooner When the par
ents die from want and overwork and
Encouragement, we begin TO look after
the children. When they go crazy IRON
anxiety of mind we have a lunatlc asy-
lum ready for them. When they stea.
for lack of the necessarlee OF lie The
gates ofthe penitentiarY are open. we
hear a great deal about the munlilceni
charities of the rich-death bed clarl-
ties given when they can no longer keep
their treasures. Sometimes they give
while they are living, give to colleges
and libraries and institutions already
rich but they do not give much to the
poor. Most of the wealthy made then
money out of the poor, out OF labor anC
sweat, and when they give them any
thing it is like the man.
'sWho with n hand put
A penny in the urn of poverty
And with the other took a shilling
out"
They are just restoring a part o
what they took away, and they keep on
taking away.
John Branson says "a man can SCI
used to being poor but he never Will en-
Joy it.. 1t is just like having a chronic
sore on his leg. A man can get as used
to it as walking with a crutch andnevel
think hard of it but if he vas to ge
| Wan oil nf q S111HaI hn Wnnl1 start OF
and mighty nigh run himself to dealt
before he stopped. bill 1rp.