Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1891-04-17


swoop upon them. Let it be known in |
this country that crime will have no quar-
ter; that the detectives are after it; that the |
police club is being brandished that the |
iron door OF the prison is being opened;
that the judge is ready to call on the case.
Too great leniency to criminals is too great
severity to society.
fDLENEss INVITES THE DEVIL.
Again, in your effort to arrest this plague
of crime you need to consider the idle pop
ulation. OF course do not refer TO people
who are getting old, or to the sick or to
those who cannot get work, but tell you
to look ont for those athletic men and
women who will not work. When the
French nublcman was asked why he kept
busy when he had so large a property he
said, II keep on engraving so | may not
hang myself" | do not care who the man
is, you cannot afford to be idle. 1t is from
the idle classes that the criminal classes
are made up, Characte4 like water, gets
putrid if it stands still too long. Who can
wonder that in this world, where there is
so much to do, and all the hosts of earth
and heaven and hell are plunging into the
conflict and angels are flying and God is at
worl, and the universe is a-quake with the
marching and counter marching, that God
lets his Indignation fall upon man who
chooses idlencsss
! have watched these dO-nothngs who
spend their time stroking their beard and
retouchiug their toilet and critici,ing in
dustrious people, and pass their day and
nights in barroums and club houses lOtng-
inC and smoking and chewing and card
playing. They are not only useless, but
they are dangerous. How hard it IS for
them to while away the hoursl Alas, for
them! If they do not know how to while
away an hour, what will they do when
they have all eternity on their hands?
These men for while smoke the best ci-
gars and wear the best clothes and move
in the highest spheres, but have noticed
that very soon they come down to the
prison, the almshouse, or stop vt the gal
lows
TIE polite stations of this cluster Of
cities furnish annually between two and
three hundred thousand lodi ings. For the
most part these two and three hundred
thousand lodgings are furnished to able
bodied men and women-rcople rs able to
work as you and are. When they are re-
ceiyed no longer at one police station be
cause they are "rcl eaters" they 20 to
some other station, and 20 they keep NOV
ing around. They get their food at house
doors, stealing what they can lay their
hands on in the front basement while the
servant Is spreading the bread in the back
basement. They will not work Time and
again, in the country districts, they have
wanted hundred, and thousands of labor
ers These men will not 20. they do not
want to work have tried them. | have
set them to saving wood in my cellar to
/ see whether they wanted to work. | Of
. fcred TO pay them well for it. | have
heard the saw going for about three min
/ Ute,, and then | went down, and 10. the
wood, but no saw! They are the pest Of
society, and they stand in the way Of the
Lords poor who Ought to he helped, and
must be helprd and will he helped
While there are thousands Of Industrious
men who cannot Eet any work. these men
who do not want any work come in and
make that plea | am in favor of the res
torutIou OF the old fashioned " Whipping post
for just this one cias, Of men who Will not
work-slceping at might n public expense
in the station house; during the dav get
ting their food at your doorstep. impris-
eminent does not scare them They would
like it, BIackwell's Island or Sing sing
would be a comfortable nome for them.
They would have no objection to the aims
house, for they like thin soup, if they can
not get mock turtle.
propose his for them: On one side of
them put some healthy work: on the other
side put a raWhide, and let them take their
choice. like for that class of people the
sc;nt bill Of fare that Paul wrote out for
the Ihes>aloriau l0afer. "It any work not,
neither should he eat BY what law of
God or man is it right that You and
should toll day in and day out. until or
hands are blistered and our arms ache and