San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-11-26
A SPIRIT OF UNREST
OF the American People-Moving
From One Habitation to Another.

From one haDttattOh 10 Aho'hS''
Written for the LIGHT
The most distinguished trait in the
character of the American people is
the spirit of unrest and the corroding
craving for q change of their haoita-
ton. They desire to be constantly In
q state of locomotion-moving from
one habitation to Notwithstanding
from one point to another. The trav-
cling would be of no consequence, for
even if it was Improbable it would be
harmless, But the frequent removals
from one habitation to another is an
evil of no small magnitude. DIR. Ben.
Franklin main tanned that two moves
were equal to fire." but the Ameri-
can people differ widely from him on
this point and appear to believe that
the oftener men remove from one hao-
itatlon to another the better IL is for
them. Unsettledness and unrest are
the order of the day.
This frequent changing OF
residence destroys everything
like local attachments - men
do not care fig for the place OF their
birth-the scenes of their childhood,
and the old homestead where their
parents lived, and, perhaps, died and
were buried. How can men cherish
local attachments and feel veneration
for the old homestead where they
were born, who have changed their
habitatiohs q dozen times? Inc
thing is just impossible. When MS
friends urged Danton to fly from
France to escape the bloody wrath OF
Robespere, he Indignantly refused,
adding that "a man could not carry
off his country on the soles OF ms
shoes.n That is true. But the
American really seems to have been
born into the world without such
thing as attachment to any partlcu-
lar place, and fancies he is able TO
"carry off his country on the soles OF
his Shoes"
The frequent change of res.
idence not only sewers the
ties of friend, but renders
men incapable of and Indifferent to
friendship. How can a person, who
changes his residence about once
every half dozen years, put any value
upon friendship?
But the worst and saddest feature
about this frequent change of resi-
dence is that it separates families
widely apart and enteebles the ties OF
kindred. Many a father and mother
have been left I'm the decrepitude OF
their old age by the removal of all
their children to some distant state.
1t is very sad to contemplate upon
the lonely condition of these old
fathers ard mothers, with not a child
near to cheer and comfort them, to
nurse aud tend them and to close
their eyes tenderly as they step into
the Ozark valley of the shadow OF
DEATH" Brothers are separated so
widely apart that they never see
each other all their lives - the
beloved sister becomes no more
than a dim recollection of
far-off childhood. These are the
fruits of a frequent change of resi-
dence. Let us grant, for arguments
sake, that men may have pecuniarily
bettered their condition by removing
from the old family homestead. Must
the ties of kinship be ruthlessly sac
Tificed to the greed for money? Must
the old father and the old mother,
hack in Georgia, or Carolina, be de-
serted, that we may gather few
more handfuls of filthy lucre? Must
the brother and the sister, with whom
we romped and played in childhood,
be abandoned, in order that we may
acquire few more acres of land? 1t
looks that way. IL the sole end and
aim of life only the accumulation OF
money, aud must every affection and
lie be sacrificed to attain this end?
L met Jack Dawson some weeks
back. He and I were boys together
in the "days of lang syne," and was
very glad to see him, although he Is
in poor health and prematurely old.
Observing that he wore Grape upon
his hat, 1 enquired of him, if he had
lost any of his family. Eyes, an
swered Jack, az received letter last
week, telling me of my sister Mary
you reccollect my sister Mary-she
was the best and sweetest girl in the
world" Yes, well remember your
sister Mary, / said, she was mysweet
heart, when we were school children
together, how long since you saw
herr" sit was thirty seven years ago,
you know, L moved to Texas, and
afterwards, Mary married and moved
to Indiana, and so we never met
again. Jack answered with a sob.
Jacks case is quite common one,
fear. We never can take the time
to visit our relatives, and if we had
the time, it cost so mnch money to
travel, that we will postpone visiting
them till next year. When next year
comes, something detains US and this
postponing our visit to our nearest
relations, from one to another, goes
on till death cuts down with his
ruthless sycth either ourselt or oul