Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1888-03-02

in their work, and have customers enough
who akk me for no credit
Happy mani most fortunate Of tailors,-
have been thinking, osSood, among your
many benevolent projects, why you never
devised some means Of relieving people who
are supposed to be in good circumstances-a
society for ameliorating the condition of the
rich
Bless me- the poor are quite numerous
enough, and are in unusual straits just
now
YES, but l see some forms of distress that
seem to ME far more painful than utter pow
srty. l won't expatiate, but state case. /
know a man of good sense and culture, able
and willing 70 do his part in the world His
employer has failed, so that his salary will
stop. He Is unmarried, but has a mother. an
invalid, who never stirS out OF doors: and
besides has some poor relation or other to
support. He has q house, it is true; SO thew
needn't sleep in the street; but how are the
mouths to be fed. the backs to be clothsdFr
let him sell his house and wait till better
times for employment"
at is easy to say SELL but who will buyl
4 house won't fetch half its value and there
isn't any money 10 be had. BeSides-and
this is the hsriship-the pride and the feel
ing Of association cling round house that
has been consecrated by years of affection
and by the memory of the dead believe
am making an Grafton; but l despair of ex-
pressing mySslf.n
Il understand you perfectly; it is sad, in
deed
Excuse me, you don't understand me-
Some men put off old houses and put on new
ones, like their clothes, without a thouSht.
Others grow into their hahitations and be-
come a part of them. You might as we'll say
TO lobster, sect out of your she'll when
you know that the poor wretch will die when
his naked, quivering members are exposed to
the shsrp-edged stones. A delicate nature.
proud, but gentle, too sensitive 10 accept
charity, and doubtful of friendly service,
even, suffers more anguish in one hour, under
such circumstances than your brszen beggar
feels from his dirty cradle to his nameleSs
grave"
Mr.. Osgood unused.
"He has nothing to do thenf"
Nothing, but TO suck his thumbs
SIS he willing TO work, even if the task
should appear irksomeF'
Il haven't doubt. He has no false
pride. Anything honorable would be well
come"
Perhaps can find something for him to
do; it will be temporary, but its continuance
will depend upon himself"
"And what is it!'
an visiting the district which has been
allotted to me, have foand an unusual
number of ignorant, vicious boys, cared for
by no one. | have thought Of making some
effort to gather them together and start
ragged school Some friends have agreed to
provide the means But the pay would ne
ceSSarily be small, and the labor and diff
Guilty great"
"A teacher of observation-disclosures 1t isn't an
inviting field of labor"
mo; to a refined man it must be repulsive
Nothing but the idea of doing good would
make it pleasure or even endurable"
Il confess myself utterly without any such
motive. l hate poor people, and ragged
children, and sick women, the forlorn wives
of drunken bruteS. l shut my eyes to all
such odious sights"
II hope the gentleman you speak of is not
so much afraid of contact with what is dis
agreeable as you are!'
perhaps not; he has an artistic tempera-
ment, and therefore loves what is comedy;
but he would go through fire to do what he
thought his duty"
aud wouldn't youE"
should bawl for the engine"
"It's plain, them that he will answer better
than you for the place"
"No doubt. | shouldn't answer at all. |
tell you 1 never talk with these creatures.
can't. If an old woman stops me, with her
dried-apple face and whining voice, | give
her a sixpence and tell her to hush up and 60
a hgua haTs hay1ey L go
boys with slit breeches before they ask me,
for know they will tell me of mothers sick
With consumption. Their devilish tears are
contagious; and l can't cry; it chokes me.
So buy apples and oranges from the i'm
ploring-iooking girls; it's the easiest way of
getting rid of them. The little change don't
amount to much in a day, and l save my
nerves and my digestion at a cheap rate"
Mr.. Osgood smiled at Paletto's notion OF
his own hard-heartedness, and said, hesitat-
ingly,-
81 am afraid that some professedly charit-
able persons don't do so much"
"Of course they don't. 1 don't mean that
do anything. It's pure selishness on my
part, as told you. But you may feel pretty
sure that if a mans name is always in the
papers as our estimable fellow-citizen, Presi-
dent This, Director That and Treasurer
Tother,' he does not give indiscriminate
aims Il believe that is the phrase. Per-
haps he won't rob, like my friend Norcross;
but his 'disinterested labors' are an economi-
cal substitute for substantial charity, and
his desire for place in the public eye is
the handspring of all his actions
"Most Of the distress in the community is
relieved by organized effort; individual
charities, however well meant, would be
entirely inadequate. Besides, you should
not be severe upon all because one promi-
nent person has proved unworthy"
"Norcross is a type of the class. If there
Is anybody / hate worse than a sick beggar,
it is a man who makes a trade of philan-
thropy"
"And yet you are consenting to your
friends earning living by teaching ragged
school"
"True, one may stop at any place in
storm, just for shelter"
"And you can console yourself further with
the assurance that your friend won't make
enough in this place to induce him to take up
! the trade, as you call it."
81 hope not. Starve him judiciously. If
he should come out, after year or so, with
a white neckcloth, spectacles, and sancti-
fled face, soliciting aid for his school, in
Pecksniffian tones, | should regret that l
hadn't furnished him with cord and bag of
stones to drop himself into the dock with"
Il don't know why a teacher a street
missionary may not be gentleman"
"Sure enough, why not; Whatever Rob-
ert Jameson is, he will always be gentle
man."
Suppose you bring him to see me to-mor-
row or next day; we will talk about this"
II will Now, good-byel My regrets to
the children that we couldn't finish our
romp."
Goodbye" said Osgood "Come again;
the children will be glad to see you"