Year: 1868




ing the hod at Albany. But with that
dollar he bought an arithmetic and
spelling book; which, when winter
closed in and put a stop to hOd-carry-
ing, he mastered, and thus began to
prepare to build the "High Bridge"
over the Harlem River, where he made
million dollars by using steam hod-
carriers instead of Irish ones. The
pipe is one of the points of difference
between the hod- carrier content with
his lot and the hod-carrier who means
to get into bricklaying next spring.
Yonder is one of the latter class reading
his "Sun" after dinner, instead of steep
ing his senses in forgetfulness over a
pipe. He, perhaps, will be taking a
contract to build a bridge over the East
River, about the time when his elderly
comrade is buried in a corporation
coffin.


Of course, there are vigorous and
triumphant men who smoke, and there
are dull, contented men who do not.
1t is only of the general tendency Of
the poor mans pipe that | wish to
speak. mean to say that it tends to
make him satisfied with lot which it
is his chief and immediate duty to ale
viate. He ought to hate and loathe his
tenement-house home; and when he
goes to that home in the evening, in
stead of sitting down in stolid selfish
ness to smoke, he should be active in
giving his wife (who usually has the
worst of iD the assistance she needs
and deserves. Better the merry song,
the cheerful talk, the pleasant stroll,
than this dulling Of the senses and the
brain in smoke Nobler the conscious
misery of such a home, than the arti-
fetal ethargy of the pipe. 1t is an un-
handsome thing in the husband to steal
out of his vile surroundings into cloud
laDd, and leave his wife and children
alone in their noisome desolation
fit does not pay this hod- carrier to
smoke, it pays no man. If this man
cannot smoke without injustice to 9TH
ers, no man can.


Ladies, the enatural enemies of tobac-
co, relented so far during the war as to
send tobacco and pipes to the soldiers,
and worked with their own fair hands
many pouch. Indeed, the pouch in
duStry continues, though we do the
ladies the justice to say that, as their
pouches usually have every excellent
quality exception the purpose intended,
few of them ever hold tobacco. Does
the lady who presented General Sheri-
dan the other evening, in New York,
with those superb and highly decorated
tobacco-pouches suppose the gallant
General has had, or will ever have, the
heart to profane such beautiful objects
with the noxious weed? 1t is evident,
from these gracious concessions on the
part ofthe ladies', that they suppose the
soldier is a man whose circumstances
call imperatively for the soace of smokes
and really, when the wearied men after
long days march gathered round the
campfire for the evening pipe, the
most ipfuriate hater of the weed must
have sometimes paused and questioned
the science which torbids the indul-
gence. But, reader, did you ever travel
in one of the forward cars of train re-
turning from the seat of war, when the
soldiers were coming home to re-enlist3
We need not attempt to describe the in
describable scene. Most readers can
imagine it. We allude to it merely as
a set off to the pleasant and picturesque
spectacle of the tired soldiers smoking
round the campfire.


ITO be continued.)