The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-04-04
AN EASTER MEMORIAL.
A Charity Which Grew Out OF
Great Tribulation.

Easter is a particularly impressive fes-
tival in one Of the charitable institutions of
great Western city. Besides it's religious
significance, the day has very joyful asso-
Citations for the founders of the establish
ment. From that center many blessings
radiate to the very poor-substantiaI gifts
as well as flowers, pictures and triding
articles of adOrnment, that give them
gEmpses Of the innocent pleasures of life,
and helpto maintain something of its
graces in the desolabe homes.
This charity probably differs from every
other institution in the world. 1t is man
aged by two women, born to entirely diff
feren6 stations of life, and it is the result Of
bitter humiliation and afliction from which
each had suffered in her respective sphere.
This establishment has no speciality: it
is a hospital, an orphan asylum, found
hngs' home, refuge for working girls out
OF employment. anything that comforts
and upllttS the sick, the despairing, the err
ring. If any preference be shown it is for
those who, by some reverse of fortune,
have been degraded from a position in
which they had the means of enjoying the
comforts and luXuries of life. This strange
charity has stranger history, dating back
some years to seemingly irrelevant events
Any reminder of death is startlinglv in
CongruOus closely following wedding festiv-
tiles. 1t was with a sense of beWiderment
almost of injury, that Fred Vernon read
the telegram which recalled him from his
wedding tour to his uncle's funeral. There
was no bond of affection between him and
the dead man, only the tie of relationship
and common business interests.
The bride, enjoying the regal supremacy
that falls to the lot of most women but
once in lifetime, was very unreasonable
in her objections to the proposed journey,
when it was decided that she could not
accompany her husband, and she quoted
some impracticable promises.
lit is only week since you told me that
we would never again be separated for
more than single day, and now you are
going to leave me in this dreadful western
city while you rush back to New York
alone. You must remember what you said
to me in the carriage when we were driving
away from Trinity"
The recollection is too much for Gertrude.
Tears fill her pretty brown eyes, s0bs sup
press her voice, but even this first outburst
OF grief is pOwerleSs to induce the husband
to waver in matter of duty, and the
bride at length yields reluctant consent
to the inevitable.
The return journey was a dreary con-
trast to the one that had so lately preceded
it. For the first few hours it was devoid
of all interest to the traveller, who had not
the gift of prophecy to foresee that the
events OF that day would determine his
destiny and that of hundreds of other peo-
pie in years of the distant future.
No uncommon incident marked the pass
ing hours of the morning. The train-boy
placed his most alluring wares beside the
passenger, whom he mentally designated
as the "glum feller," but no sales resulted.
Mr.. Vernon read nothing except a letter
from his most intimate friend, a man
who lived in more rarified atmosphere
than himself-in world Of dreams
and speculations a little above the
comprehension of the prosperous New
York merchant, who had, however,
the rare faculty of tOlerating fancies which
he could not quite understand. The letter
contained this significant paragraph:
DO you ever speculate upon the people
who are coming to meet you from every d-
rectiOn, and through all the years OF the
future--thOse whose influence will have great
weight in shaping. your destiny, and upon
whom your individuality will react? ] was
Interested recently in seeing an idea of this
Kind in book, which read quite through
without finding anything of value to me ex-
cept this paragraph:
when two friends happen to meet in the
street do they look back along the process
sion of small circumstances which has led
them forth from the starting point of their
own houses to the same spot at the same
timer Not one man in ten thousand ever
thinks of making such fantastic inquiry rs
this, and consequently not ono man in ten
thousand living in the midst Of reality has
discovered that he is also living in the midst
of romance
The gloomy traveller laid the letter aside,
when his attention was attracted by "a
child's cry. He was never so self-absorbed
as to slight an appeal to his sympathy.
He had probably been victimized by more
New York impostors than any one else
who had lived for twenty years in the
great city, whore the majority Of people
soon became indifferent to tho sight of
poverty and suif rng. There was no de-