The sun. (Jacksonville, Fla.) 1905-1908, 1906-07-14
Third Page

pleaSes; 1t Is q very merry proceed
ing, with laughter and singing, and
when the guest has finished, he finds
himself face to face with Teta Elzb!e-
Ia, who holds the hat. Into 1t he
drops q sum OF money! dollar, or
perhaps Ave dollars, according to his
power and his estimate OF the value
OF the privilege. The guests are ex-
pected to pay for this entertainment:
II they be proper guests, they will
see that there Is q neat sum left over
for the bride and bridegroom to start
life upon.
Most fearful they are to contem-
plate, the expenses of this entertain
ment. They will certainly be over
two hundred dollars, and may he
three hundred; and three hundred
dollars Is more than the years in-
come OF many person In this room.
There are able-bodied men here who
work from early morning until late
at night, in ice-cold cellars with
quarter OF an inch of waite" ON the
fioor-rlen who for six or seven
months In the year never see the SUN
light from Sunday afternoon till the
next Sunday morning--and who can
not earn three hundred dollars In a
year. There are little children here,
scarce In their teens, who can hardly
see the top Of the work benches
whose parents have lied to get them
their placeH-and who do not make
the half OF three hundred dollars a
year, and perhaps not even the third
or 1t. And then to spend such u
sum, all In single day Of your life.
at a wedding feast! (For obviously
It Is the same thing, whether you
spend 1t at once for your own wed
oing, or IN long time, at the we'd
dings OF all your friends.)
II is very imprudent, It Ia tragic
put, an, IT Is 30 beautiful. Bit by bit
these poor people have given up
everything else; but to this they
cling with all the power Of their
sou!s-they cannot give up the vese-
liza! To do thet would mean. not
merely to be defeated, but ia
acknowledge defeat--and the differ
ence between these two things Ia
what keeps the world going. The
veselija has come down to them from
q far-oR time; and the meaning of it
was that one might dwell within the
cave and gaze upon the shadows.
provided only that once In his life.
time ne could break his chains and
feel mis- wings and behold the gun.
provided that once In his lifetime he
might testify to the fact that life
with all It's cares and its terrors 10
no such great thing after ali. bnt
merely bubble upon the surfaca ~
a river, thing that one may toss
ABOUT and play with az a juggler
losses bis golden balls, a thing that
one may GUAM, like a goblet Of rare
req wine. Thus having known him
SELF Tor the master of things, a man
could 90 back to his toll and live
upon the memory all his days.
Endlessly the dancers swung round
and round. When they were dizzv
they swung the other way. Hour az
ter hour this had Continued. The
darkness had fallen and the room
was dim from the light OF two
smoky oil lamps. The musicians had
spent all their fine frenzy by now
ana played only one tune. wearilv
There were twenty hays
Or 30 OF 1t, and when they came tn
ne end they begin again. once evarv
zen minutes or 30 they would fail 10
oegln again. but instead would aink
,acK exhausted; a circumstance
Hnicn invariably brought on q main
III and terrifying scene that made
ne Iat policeman stir uneasllv In
iis sleeping-place behind the door.
~ was all Maria Berczynskas. Mn
"a was one OF those hungry souls
sno cling with desperation TO the
klrts OF the retreating music. All
lay long she had been IN n state -
! ~ exaitifion, and now 10