The World. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1891-1896, 1893-01-26
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
NTHE WORLDS %
AZ AZ M STORY DEPARTMENT. AZ


B NU VvE
and rubbish. and would have continues
10 the wrong place forever.
The speaker next proceeded 70 an an
alcgy. He contrasted the story Of thu
ring with the story Of a poor girl Hei
parents were refined and Intelligent
she herself was refined and sensitive
her earliest years were passed in com
fort, and ia surroundings suited 10 hei
tastes But when she was fourteen
years old, her parents died, she wa
left destitute, there was no near reln,
tives 70 take carekof her. and she wa
obliged TO 70 TO wbFEfin a factory in or,
der to support herself. The other girls
In the factory were commonplace, moi
n few Of them were vulgar. and some
were vicious The best ones we're good
hearted, but they did not understand
their proud and sensitive companion.
who did not readily mingle ia their
conversation and amusementa The
girl was unhappy; she could not be
otherwise in such'circumstances and yet
she was too weak and too friendless to
better her condition. She tried to read
and improve her mind during the win
ter evenings, but the severe work in
the factory during ten and sometimes
twelve hours daily fatigued her SO
much that she found 1t almost impossi-
BILE TO crafty her ambition. Moreover,
the woman with whom she boarded
was ignorant, and the house was un-
clean and uncomfortable, so that the
home life Of the girl was unfav-
orable for the development Of
her higher tastes. Not. singular,
then, was II that she finally be-
came desperate and began to yield TO
the weight Of the circumstances that
oppressed her. The vulgar talk Of her
companions no longer shocked her, and
she gradually adopsed words and ex-
pressions which formerly nothing
would have induced her to use. She
was deteriorating. Like the. ring in
the furrow. the best in her was becom-
ing dim. She was out Of her proper
sphere and she knew it She longed to
escape from her present condition, TO
q " herself from mental and perhaps
moral ruin, TO mingle with better peo-
pie and to enjoy congenial surroun-
ings; but of what avail was 1t for her
10 battle longer2
Fortunately at this critical period in
the girls career q rich AMI philan-
thropic man who livednear tho factory
became interested In her. He ascer-
famed that her parents . been re-
nned people, and that the hereditary
49, - $500 ~
Traits ~ her family We're good. He
comPrehended the circumstances sur
rounding her, q saw the temptations
TO which she was exposed he
recognized in her . gem IN ~obscurity,
when only needed some person able
and appreclative enough to place It
where ~ ought TO be. Accordingly he
ADOPTED ncr as his daughter, gave her
Q good n other advantages
Sne oecame noble n accomplished
woman, p her o~encfactor felt well
repaid Tor his kindness. But what
could De said IN regard TO many cases
ike That OF this girl, where no helping
hand was extended1 II was o to
think OF cases. The fate OF the
individuals involved was similar to
what the destiny OF the ring would
have been, had It not been found by
the farmer
The audience, most OF them well-to-
do persons, We're much impressed by
the sermon One wealthy member OF
the church was especially impressed.
II happened that ne . become in
terested In Q giri whose circumstances
In life were almost identical with those
81 the n whose story the pastor had
related. The man had thought of
adopting her as his daughter, bnt he
had been restrained by selfish consid-
eratlons II only needed p sermon 70
overcome his reluctance, p he imme-
dlatcly decided to carry ont his philan-
thropic plan : next day. Now 1t
that d poor girl whom the
rich man q n mind also heard the
sermon, she occupying p Of the free
seats near the yestibule during the
services She, OF course, wa aston
ished, and wondered whether the
preacher had heard Of her, and had
founded his story on her experience.
h dared not hope, however, that she
would be like the poor girl
In the story, n have q helping hand
ter TO her. Great then were her
amusement q joy when the benevo-
lent mar came to her and made his
proposition. She accepted II with pro
found gratitude. Her new guardian
was especially anxious that she should