McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1916-05-26

victims; they simply drop out, and
are known no more. It is estimated
that one hundred Thousand young
women are attracted to New York
each year, from the smaller towns
and country districts. There is moi
honest work for all of them. Three.
fourths Of them had better stayed
away, or died in their cradles. @, yes,
there is Mary Pickford, moving pic
ture actress, whose income is $4,000
a week (and she can't properly use
one-fourth Of it); and there is Char
lie Chaplin, called "the king Of the
movie comedians" who the other day
signed up contract for salary Of
$4,000 year, or nearly $4 for
every working minute of every day
land he can't properly use ten cents
on the dollar Just to make dog
goned fool Of himself" as somebody
said of him. o, yes, New York has
the money. and if you can amuse it,
you will get rich. But think of the
millions OF boys and girls who have no
genius, but who might have lived and
died happy in their country homes
but for this grinning Moloch that
swallowed them and their little all.
! heard powerful sermon the 9TH
er night at the st. Nicholas avenue
Presbyterian church. The minister,
DR.. Brown, told Of a family who had
come from the country to New York
City, to seek wealth and happiness.
Among their possessions was one of
those big Family Bibles which in the
old country home in Ohio used to hold
the place Of honor on the center Ia
BILE. Between the old and the New
Testament was the record, telling of
the births, deaths and marriages in
the family. In the narrow rooms Of
their little apartment, away up in a
big stone building, there was no room
for the big old Book; they had ceased
to read it anyway, and its teachings
were SO out Of tune with this city's
ways that it was positively ridiculous.
The old religion, the faith Of their
parents and Of their country neigh
bors, was first tiresome, then foolish,
then uncomfortable. They moved from
one apartment to another, as the
janitor or the other cooped-up in
mates became uncongenial, and final
". one morning, the garbage man
found that old family Bible in the
ash-can, ready to be carted away to
the dump. What had that family
gained by coming here?
1t is no wonder that a millionaire
business man Of this city, who came
here from the country to make his
riches, full Of bitter feeling about
city life, even where he had made his
wealth, gave vent to the following
terrible words, which were given me
by friend of the man who wrote
them, and which have become famous,
although the author remains unknown:
Vulgar Of manner, overfed,
Overdressed and underlined,
Heartless, Goddess, Hell's delight,
Rude BY day and lewd by night;
Dwarfed the man and large the brute,
Ruled by Jew and prostitute;
Purple-robed and pauper-clad;
Rotten, raving, money mad
A sqairming horde in money mesh
A wilderness Of human flesh,
Crazed by avarice, lust and rum
New York, thy names delirium!''
No one who has ever looked az /
have upon the yelling hordes in the
Stock Exchange and heard the din
and seen the "squirming Of the mob
Of money-mad" creatures. the ticker
tapes in long white threads filing the
air like spider-webs, can say that the
above picture Of avarice is over
drawn. except that it does not pre-
tend to give the bright side of New
York, which is here toe. for those
who seek it. This city is a ladder as
we'll as a pit, but the seekers of the
pit are in the majority, and it is so
much easier to fall than to climb.
Why not stay in your sweet country
home, where you do not have so far
to fall. He who sticks near to moth.
er earth cannot fall very hard.
A bright. really bright, boy wrote
me from McNairy county some time
ago, asking whether | could find
place for him here. He has ideas be-
yond the raising of corn or cotton,
aud had a vr;t;n1 otvlo of No maan