Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-04-21

of life to him; the bloom of violets and
wealth of roses shed no sweetness afouno
for him., Change, rest, climatic balm ayaiied
nothing to him whose thoughts were Win
his wife and dear ones on the farm-aWay
of in Washington Territory.
Men who are i'll and in quest of that moT
precious Of all things, health. are united
to be alone, or to be trusted to the tender
mercies of hotel or housekeepers, who are
in the clearinghouse business for revenue
only. If accustomed to the care of home
folks, when away from them, they are the
most forlorn and helpless beings on earth;
They do everything they should not do, and
leave undone the things they ought to have
done. In contemplation Of their ills they
grow dull, morose and melancholy. They
distrust the doctors, have no faith in medl-
cines, and, as q usual thing, are really
dying to go home, the most of the time,
A doctor told man Of tins sort a few days
ago that he should remain here few weeks
longer for safety. "But can't, DOCTOR
tell you can't stand it'll must 60"
well, you can better stand it here, than
to 90 home and die," said the doctor.
"No, can't. Live or die, 1 must get
away from here. I tell you, would as lief
die as live, unless can go home"
He was overcome by homesickness. He
had reached the limit O endurance, and
made up his mind to take the risk. He
went home and mid snow and ice, wind and
rain, is said to be recovering-thep sunshine
of love, the devotion of friends, the deliver
ance from homesickness doing what had
been hoped the softer airs and kinder climate
of the South would effect
THE RISK OF LONELINESS.
The believers in Christian science would
tell us that this is the natural effect that
follows the determination to be well, and
that all illness exists only in the mind
that with faith of sufficient power all disease
may be conquered and health assured. If
this were only true, how utterly delightful
would life become. But also in this age of
unbelief the necessary faith Is hardly to be
found.
But in view of what we see around as to
the desolate condition of sick men away
from home and friends, we would say that
there is great risk in their loneliness, in
their lack of the little attentions and care
that serious illness demands, in their need
of the ministering care of some one inter
ested in their particular welfare. Married
men need their wives-young men need
their mothers to ward off the misery of home
sickness in a strange place. Moreover,
should receive constant remembrances from
home and friends. No mail should come
unweighted with a few kind words from
somebody to brighten the long day. No
sadder face we ever saw than that of lonely
man who received no letter from home as
expected. His lips quivered, the tears came,
his very steps seemed weaker as he turned
away with the sad reflection, doubtless, that
he must pull through another dismal day
without the news from home.
The announcement of "No Northern mail
to-day" spreads CONSERVATION all around
in Aiken, and the amount of growing done
would sink ship. If John Wanamaker
wants halo round his head, and a shower
of blessings on his name he will immediate
" devote himself to improving the post
Office business of the South. Mails should
not be delayed for "a hours save under some
extraordinary stress or accident impossible
to prevent. Ifa connection is missed, it
should be made up by special train. "No
Northern mail to-day" is an absurdity that
would not be tolerated in the North save in
the face of some great storm or unpreyentaz
Bile accident.
SOUTHERN POSTAL METHODS.
It is matter of belief among Northern
visitors that many Of the Southern postmas-
ters are cut on the pattern OF the specimen
in Texas, who thought the proper thing was
to keep the bag until it was full before send
ing off. However, as the Democratic post
masters are being fred out at the rate of 700
a week, it is likely there will be a change all
around, and it may be that the service will
show improvement, of which it stands in
urgent need. But nothing is surer than that
johnnie" will have his hands fuller than
they ever were before if he essays to intro
duce business habits into the postofice- de-
partment in the South, and certainty as to
the arrival of the Northern mail. Talk Of
Black Fridayl No day is blacker to the
Northern sojourners away down South in
Dixie than that on which the
announcement comes of 'fNo Northern
mail to-day" and such come too
often for the credit of Uncle Sam, and
Brother Wanamaker must see about 1t. The
present shiftless way of doing business
should be reformed. That the postal ser
vice needs good deal of improvement in
more ways than one is manifest to anybody
who thinks about it, but nowhere, perhaps,
is this more apparent than in the South.
Moreover, a measure immensely needed isan
express post or parcels delivery such ss they
have in England. It is time that the peo-
pie were delivered from the rapacity of ex-
press companies, and nobody, perhaps,
ought to know this better than Brother
Wanamaker himself.
BESSIE BRAMBLE.