Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1905-01-12


riches with egoism and insensiEility.
Justice should be visited on these err
rors. be they involuntary or calculated
No doubt there are rich men who CON
Germ themselves with nobody else. and
others who do good only with osten-
tation. Indeed. we know it too well.
But does their inhumanity or hypocrisy
take away the value of the good that
others do and that they often hide with
a modesty so perfect?
| knew man to whom every mis-
fortune had come which can strike us
in our affections. He had lost be-
loved wife. had seen all his children
buried one after another. But he had
great fortune. the result of his own
labor. Living in the utmost simple
| ity. almost without personal wants, he
! spent his time in searching for oppor
tunities to do good and profiting by
them. How many people he surprised
in fragrant poverty what means he
combined for relieving distress and
! lighting up dark lives, with what
| kindly thoughtfulness he took his
| friends unawares. no one can imagine.
| He liked to do good to others and en-
| JOY their surprise when they did not
know whence the relief came. 1t
pleased him to repair the injustices of
fortune, to bring tears Of happiness in
| families pursued by mischance He
was continually plotting. contriving,
matchmaking in the dark. with a child
| ish fear of being caught with his hand
| in the bag. The greater part of these
fine deeds We're not known till after
his death; the whole of them we shall
| never know.
| He was socialist of the right sort.
| for there are two kinds Of them Those
| who aspire to appropriate to them
selves a part of the goods of others
are numerous and commonplace To
| belong to their order it suffices to have
a big appetite. Those who are hun
| gering to divide their own goods with
men who have none are rare and pre-
/ cious. for to enter this choice company
/ there is need of brave and noble
| heart free from selfishness and sensi-
| tive to both the happiness and unhappi-
ness of its fellows. Fortunately the race
| of these socialists is not extinct, and |
feel an unalloyed satisfaction in offer
| ing them tribute they never claim.
| must be pardoned for dwelling up
on this. 1t does one good to offset the
/ bitterness of so many infamies, so
many calumnies, so much charlatan-
ism. by resting the eyes upon some
thing more beautiful, breathing the
perfume of these stray corners where
| simple goodness flowers.
A lady, foreigner, doubtless little
used to Partisan life, just now told me
with what horror the things she sees
/ here inspire her these vile posters,
| these yellow journals. these women
with bleached hair. this crowd rushing
| to the races to dance halls. to roulette
tables. to corruption-the whole flood
Of superficial and mundane life. She
| did not speak the word Babylon. but
doubtless it was out of pity for one of
| the inhabitants of this city OF per-
dition
Alas yes, madam; these things are
sad, but you have not seen ALL
Heaven preserve me from thatr'
| "On the contrary, | wish you could
see everything. for, If the dark side
is very ugly. there is so much to
atone for it. And. believe me. madam.
| you have simply to change your quar-
/ ter or observe it at another hour. For
instance. take the Paris of early morn.
ing. 1t will offer much to correct
your impressions of the Paris of the
night Go see. among so many Other
working people. the street sweepers,
| who come out at the hour when the
jewellers and malefactors go in. OBJ
| serve beneath these rags those cary
| atid bodies. those austere faces. How
serious they are at their work of
sweeping away the refuse of the
| nights revelry. One might liken
them to the prophets at Ahasuerus'
gates. There are women among them,
| many old people When the air is cold
they stop to blow their fingers and then
| go ut it again. SO it is every day. And
they. too. are inhabitants of Paris.
go next to the faubourgs. to the
| factories. especially the smaller ones,
where the children or the employers
l
labor with the men Watch the army
| of workers marching to their tasks.
How ready and willing these young
girls seem as they come gayly down
from their distant quarters to tie
| shops and stores and offices of the
| city. Then visit the homes from which
they come See the woman of the
people at her work Her husbands
wages are modest their dwelling is
cramped. the children are many, the
| father is often harsh. Make a collec-
ton of the biographies of lowly peo-
| pie. budgets of modest family life;
| loook at them attentively and long.
After that go see the students. Those
who have scandalized you N the streets
are numerous, but those who labor
hard are legion. only they stay at
| hama and apo NOT IA ltyoI aho1,t IF