Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1904-12-23

Infamous capital" For those, all
who possess a great fortune are mons.
ters gorged with the blood of the un.
fortunate. Others less declamatory,
do not confound riches less often with
egotism and insensibility. We must
do justice to these involuntary or cal
culated errors. Without doubt there
are rich who care for none but them
selves, and others who do good only
for ostentation. We know the rest.
But their inhuman or hypocritical
conduct diminishes the value of the
good done by others, and which they
hide often with so perfect a modesty.
knew a man to whom had fallen
all the sorrows that could blight us in
our affections. He had lost a loved
wife, buried successfully all his chill
dren of different ages. But he pos
sessed a large fortune, the result of
his labor. Living with extreme sim
plicity, almost without needs for him
self, he sought occasions to do good
and to profit by them. How many
times he surprised people who were
hiding their shameful poverty, how
many means he combined to bring So
lace to miseries, put little light in
for his friends, no one can imagine.
His pleasure was to do good to others
and to enjoy their establishment when
they did not know from whence the
action started. He found pleasure in
repairing the injustices of fate, and
in bringing tears of joy to families
pursued by misfortune. He plotted.
wove, worked in the dark. with
childish fear Of being caught with
his hand in the sack" They never
knew the greater part Of his exploits
until after his death; and how many
they will never know!
He was a real sharer. For there
are two kinds. Those who aspire to
share a part Of the goods of another
are numerous and vulgar. To be this
1t suffices to have a good appetite.
Those who thirst to divide their own
goods with those who have none are
rare and precious, for to enter that
company of the elect one must have
a good and worthy heart, separated
from self, sensitive to happiness as to
the misery of his fellow-beings. For
tunately, that race of this kind of di-
viders is not extinct, and I feel an un-
mixed satisfaction in rendering them
a homage which they do not re-
claim.
You will excuse me for insisting.
1t does one so much good to relieve
oneself of the bile of so many infam-
les, of so many calumnies, of so much
pessimism, so much charlatanism in
reposing ones eyes on something
more beautiful, in breathing the per-
fume of those hidden corners where
simple kindness blossoms. A lady, a
stranger not accustomed doubtless,
to Partisan life, told me once of the
horror with which the spectacle offer
ed to her eyes inspired her, the abomi-
nable posters the vile newspapers
those women with dyed hair, that
crowd which brushes each other at
the races, at the cafe concerts, in
gambling, in corruption; all that
flood of superficial and worldly life
She did not pronounce the word Baby
Ion, but it was doubtless out of pity
for one of the inhabitants Of that city
of perdition. ALAS! madame; yes
these are sad things, but you have not
seen ALL" God Forbid" she replied
mo, I wish instead that you could
see all, for If there are undersideS
very ugly, there are others very com
, forting. And hold, change only the
} locality, or observe at other hours
, Give yourself the spectacle of Paris
in the early morning. 1t will furnish
you many elements to correct YOU
, impressions of Paris at night. &C
and see, among the many other labor
ers, the brave street sweepers, WHIT
, come forth when the bacchanalial:
: and the gutter-snipes go to bed Yol
, will see the bodies of the caryatides
: beneath their rags-their austert
, faces. How seriously they sweep III
: the remains of the nightly feasts
One might call them prophets on thu
J threshold of Belshazzar. There ar,
: women among them, and many oil
men. When it is cold they blow OF
> their fingers and recommence t
!, sweep And it is thus every day. The
: also are inhabitants of Paris. G,
t afterward to the environs. in the stu
+ dos, and, above all, where the patrol
, works like his employee. See tn
1 army of workers march to their tot
1 How valiant are those young girls VIII
/, come gaily down from their distan
part of the city toward the stores an
v offices Then visit the homes, wher
4 you will find the women Of the peopl
= at their work. The salary is modest
: the dwelling narrow, children numel
Q Gus, and often the husband is bruta
S Make a collection of the biographies c
r these poor people, budgets Of thei
4 little housekeeping, look long tim
l. and mark them well.
J. Then go and see the students
{ Those whom you have seen creatin
y scandal in the streets are many, bu
b the number of those who work ar
l. legion. Only, they remain indoors
and no one knows them. If you onl
knew how they toll to fill themselve
o with learning in the Latin Quarter
T. You have seen the newspapers file
s with the noises which certain yout
n makes, which calls itself studiou
- nbo aonorc toll Of fhnca u,ba hraa