Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

THE PEOPLE’S FRIEND. Vol. 1. PEOPLE’S FRIEND. IS PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY MORNING BV A. B. S. MOSELEY. ROME, GA. SUBSCRI PTION, One year in sidv.ii.ee ------- $2.00. ADVFIITISING, One squire, first insertion - $L Sul>se<fi."iit Insertion, each Lifer•! contracts made lor six or twelve ■n.outiis vertisements. "BRIDGE OF SIGHS.” BY THOMAS HOOD. One more Unfortunate, AV< ary of breath, Rashly importunate, Gone to her death I Take her tenderly, Lift her with care; — Fashioned so slenderly. Young and so fair I Look at her garments. Clinging like cerements; "Whilst the wave constantly Drips from her clothing; Take her up instantly, Loving, not Loathing.— Touch her not scornfully, Think of her mournfully. Gently and humanely; Not of the stains of her, All that remains of her Now, is pure womanly. Make no deep scrutiny Into her mutiny Rtsli and undutiful; Past all dishonor, Death has left on her Duly the beautiful. Still, for all slips of hers, One. of hive's family — "Wipe those poor lips of hers, Oozing so clammily; Loop up her tresses Escaped from the comb, Her fair auburn tresses; Whilst wonderment guesses "Where was her home ? Who was h< r father? Who was her mother? Had she a sister? Had she a brother? Or was there a dearer one Still, and a nearer one Yet than all other ? Alas! for the rarity Os Christian charity Under the sun! Oh! it was painful! Near a whole city full, Home she had none. Sisterly, brotherly, Fatherly, motherly. Feelings had changed; Love, by harsh evidence, Thrown from its emimwc; Even God’s providence Seeming estranged. "Where the lamps quiver So far in the river. Wit i mnnv a light From window and easenuiit, From garret to Imscment, tShe stood with amazement, Houseless by night. The bleak wind of March Made her tremble and shiver; Hut not the dark arch. Or the bleak Bowing river Mud from life’s history, Gl:ul to death's mystery Swift to be hurl'd- Anywhere, anywhere Out <rf the world ! Is she plunged boldly. No mailer h.»w coldly The rough river ran. Over the brink of it. Picture i.. think of it, Dissolute man ’. Lave m it, drink of it Then, it xon can ! Take h< r up tenderly, Lift her with care; Frsluon <1 so slenderly, Young, and so fa r! Er? her limbs frigidly Borne, Georgia, Saturday, February 8, 1873. Stiffen too rigidly, Decently,—kin dly, — Smooth and compose them; And her eyes, close them, Staring so blindly I Dreadfully starring Through muddy impurity, As when with the dring Last look of despairing Fixed on futurity. Perishing gloomily, Spurred by contumely, Cold inhumanity, Burning insanity, Into her rest, — Cross her hands humbly, As if praying dumbly, Over fit r breast! Owning her weakness, Her evil behavior, And leaving with meekness, Her sins to her Saviour! M A s _ o"h¥cT" (From the Masonic Tablet.) CALIFORNIA. Imbued with the true spirit-of Ma sonry, and with a fixed determination to eradicate, “the lamentable corruption public and private, which, with such an alarming thriftiness, has takrni root in the community,” Grand Master Pratt, with his well known decision of character, set himself to work, and with a view to render the information complete, invokes the aid of the Grand Lodge in his endeavors to cleanse the halls of the Subordinate Lodges from every appearance of evil. THE DUTY AND OPPORTUNITY OF MASONRY TO BESIST THE FATAL GROWTH IN SO CIAL AND POLITICAL ECONOMY, tND ELEVATE THE STANDARD ()F P< IPULAR CONSt TEN. E. The views of Grand Master Pratt I on this .; 11-important subject are so per tinent and well-timed, that we venture to give them in full hoping that a calm perusal of the doctrines therein set forth may be of gaeat profit to the membership of our own jurisdiction. A bare synopsis would be toe imper fect an outline, and therefore we will let. the Grand Master speak for him self. Hear him: “Masonry owes allegiance to the State, t« its Government, and to socie ty nt large; and Masons have public, as well.as private, duties to perform. A moral leprosy seems to steal periodi cally upon nations and communities. There iw* seasons when the whole so cial fabric and body politic are eaten and gangrened with corruption—-when high ofiit'td position is prostituted to the basest purposes, and the most sa- I credos public duties are betrayed and violated v. ith open and shameless ef fronterv —when licentiousness, un blushing, walks the highways vnre buked at noontide when honesty publie and private life ceases to lx? re garded as a virtue, and betrayal* of trust Iwcoae so common that men no longer giver-hem a passing considera tion, but regard tin in rather as the to be expected xnd legitimate events of the titty. Pi& 'lie servants arc bought and sohl, and .the betrayed cease to cry out against it Miserable theories of free love and .domestic infidelity an? openly praeticeri, and the actol’s in the wretched drama are welcomed and courted with nil the blandishments of the best society. Public revenues are misappropriated by the custodians ' thereof. and the courts of the land re . fuse to punish the criminals. The i worst of vices are fostvred .and encour ! aged by those who ahov.ld be the zeal vus guardians of public morals, and ex i ample' destructive of all correct prin ' ciple are furnished oy those whose so ' einl position gives them a fearful influ <nee :>r vvil. Gambling has lieen gal- I vanL* 1 into r» -pt viability by offic— patronage, and we have witnessed the distressing spectacle of the State her self inviting her own citizens to per dition, by casting around that worst, because most insinuating of vices, the glamor of legislative and judicial pro tection. Through all your borders the evil contagion of that one pernicious example has swept like a devouring flame, until lotteries raffles, and the whole shameless brood of chance enter tainments, have stifled the moral sen timent of the people and stimulated that restless, feverish passion dm* sud den wealth which is the destroyer of all patient application and solid pros perity. To what depth society lias descended —how far gambling has been made respectable by this public indorsement and the tolerance of com munities, Masons will readily compre hend when they are informed that a Masonic Lodge even, has asked the ad vice of the Grand Master as to the propriety of discharging its liabilities through the medium of a gift concert. I need not repeat to you the answer made to this application, for the spirit of Masonry would permit but one. But the mere fact that advice on such a subject should have been sought, from such a source, is painfully suggestive of moral and social depression. Bet ter that all the libraries on earth should have perished than society have suffered the moral evil which that ex ample has wrought! Yet thus will it ever be when correct principles are departed from for mere expediency. “We have indeed fallen on troublous times; and in tlie midst of this general decay of all that is good and commen dable, Fremasonry’s has a public mis sion to perform. Novel* has there been presented so grand an opportun ; ity for the display of your power, and never has the vigorous exercise of that power been more needed than at pres , ent. You should be the conservators i of public as well as private morals —of I political integrity as well as personal 1 fidelity. Let every Mason, mindful of his individual responsibilities and true , to the Divine teachings of the Ancient j Craft, wage war on vice and wrong wherever found, and in whatever guise they present themselves. Scattt red far and wide, every denizen of the State is within the personal influence of some one of you. Let that iniluence be ever I wielded for the right, and by this uni ty of purpose and of action, you will present a nucleus around which the moral powers of communities may be gathered and consolidated, to arrest the epidemic which threatens to over whelm and destroy us.” GEORGIA WESTERN ROAD. The Atlanta Constitution •says: “A large majority of the people of Atlanta arc in favor of the completion of the Georgia Western Railroad.” We have no doubt the Georgia Western Road would prove of incalcu lable benefit to Atlanta, and we like to sec* her people building all the rail roads they can. and making Atlanta as big a town as New York. M e like to ser Atlanta and all other towns in Georgia flourish, knowing that a por tion of such prosperity will Im* award ed to Rome. We also know tha: / the population of Georgia was quad rupled, that its wealth would increx-f hi proportion. therefore, v.e favor en terprises of all kinds that will build up our State. Col Wallace, President of the W< .-st ern Hoad, reports to the City Council that the road will cost, complete 1. $3,580.b00 f and that the stock s . scribed amounts to $318,000, tei ’ r I vent of which has been paid in. He also fixed the debt at SIO,OOO. Atlan ta is called upon to increase her sub scription to $1,000,000, which we sup pose she could do without injury, and it is assumed by the President, with such increase, that the road can be built. Wherd does the President pro prose to raise the additional two mill ion dollars ? The above expenditure, if we under stand the President’s letter, is to fur nish Atlanta with cheap coal and iron. Suppose Atlanta had invested the same amount of money that she has sub scribed to the Georgia Western Road to the Memphis Branch road, would she not have accomplished her desire at a great deal less expense? From Atlanta to Kingston, fifty-nine miles; to Rome eighteen miles; to the coal beds forty miles. This route would give her coal in inexhaustible quanti ties in one hum [red and eighteen miles, and by no means can she reach the coal beds of Alabama on a shorter line. This route would give her all the iron she needs, and connections with the "West as short or shorter than by the proposed "Western line. In these remarks it is not our inten tion to disparage the Western Road, which should be built, but simply to show that the end desired could have been reached at a less cost, and more advantageous.— Jlct-Z/y Bulletin. The Credit Mobiliek Villainy.—lt is now more than probable, remarks the Louisville Lcd(/cr, that the Credit Mobilier swindle, bj' virtue of its colossal propor tions, is destined to occupy the most prom inent place in the whole catalogue of Radi cal villainies. Those who, from the first, believed that Radical Congressmen were involved in the dirtj’ business, never sur mised that by any amount of boring such an inexhaustible icservoir of venality would be leached. But the stream grows larger as the investigation proceeds; and if those who are called upon as witnesses can ever be induced to remember one-half us what they know, the universal verdict will be that the Radical party, whatever else may be said about it, knows how to con duct a big swindle requiring Congressional aid. It is proposed to pay a year’s Presiden tial salary for a painting unknown to art as “The First Readins' of the Emancipation Proclamation.’’ l ite bill cunningly obvi ales odjcctioii by providing that when nought the picture shall be kept “for the use of Congress. ” It is proper that, body should endure such penance as a constant conti mplation of this production.— World. Mr. Oaks Aines is giving the country some D’lti rkrble facts with regal’d th* Col fax, which the latter gentleman will hard ly out Itve. The great South Bend Smiler is the most damnired of aII the band of pure pat'iots aii'l trulf loial Radicals who pock eted the proceeds of the Credit Mobilier swindle. A> Colfax retires with his plun der, Wilson takes his place. Suiely Giant is cursed with iw-presidents.— Louixvillc Bdffcr. For unique impudence and cool disregard of consequences, commend ug »o a De- j troit youth. lie languidly’ argued with a | woman at her street door, to which he had j summoned her, concerning the prospect of I the people hi the house moving that after- j no<»n. and when the woman showed signs of! becoming d< mostrative. bl indly offered to bet her two dollars that they would, because the roof of the house was ail ablaze. < Marion Harland s “Coook” is said to be .c success th in ‘‘A'one’’or “The i Hidden Path.', Sarah J Hale made, some year.- ago, quit, a sensation in the | .-atne direction. For our part, we feel glad to sec inte’lect going into 'he kitchen and i I'ality shniir.g with pra ‘ J'ty the supcr vi>> m of the ! arder and the domain of the i-Kaionary stubbs. “3ly fiienl, don’t you kn w that it is Very drngerous to take a nap while the' train is in motion?’’ Why no! exclaimed the aMO’ii.-i.etl in i.vidual waking up. \» by so? “Because the train runs over sleep ers.” Humber 5. Resumption of Specie Payments.—• The New York Bulletin commends Senator Sherman’s bill for the resump tion of specie payments on the Ist cf January, 1874, which at the same time modifies the National Bank act by re pealing all limitation of the issues of National bank notes and doing away with the legal reserve. The yvriter thinks the period specified for resump tion is most judicious, giving ample time for preparation to meet the ef fects of this measure, and yet not de ferring it needlessly, and thus keeping the country long in a transition period. The Bulletin predicts that if the bill be passed gold will be at par before the first of November next, without the slightest injury or inconvenience to the community, and that in the fu ture monetary crises will become as rare as they in the past have been frequent. River Survey.—Congress appropria ted $3,750 for the survey of Flint river from Albany to its junction with the Chattahooehie. The government offi cers have completed their work to Bainbridge, which, by the river, they found to be eighty miles from Albany, with a fall of one foot to the mile. They will report favorably to the im proving the channel to Newton, but not above, and recommend an appro priation of $50,000 towards removing obstructions. The obstacles at “Ma ple Shute"’ and “Hell Gate,” the worst points, can be removed with little dif ficulty. Columbus is much interested in this enterprise. The survey of the Chattahooche has been completed.— Colundnui Sun, Jan. An effort is being made to induce Con gress to iemove the tax on capital and de posits, a movement in which onr local banks are largely interested. The New York ShippttKj List says taxes now paid by bank ers, according to estimates, are over ten per cent, of the capital, a sum that must be carlied4'efore the lirst dollar is netted to the stock-holders, As it is the policy to reduce international taxation to the sim plest form, and to do away with the expen sive machinery of its collection, thi re ;s no place where a reduction could be more ju diciously made than in the tax on capital and deposits. The amount collected from this source last year wa559.661,249,.‘15. The Hon. C. C. Washburn, now Gov ernor of Wisconsin, charged some time since in the House of Representatives that the passage of’the Pacific Railroad act of 1864 was procured by briberv, and that $50J,000 was spent among members of Congress on that occasion. Mr. George Francis Train states that lie machined this identical act through Congress, and that to his knowledge the Hon. Thaddeus Stevens, then leader of the House, had $70,01)0 of the money. Why do not Judge Poland’s committee bring Mr. Train before them and compel him to tel) who had the bal ance.?— Savannah News. Foster, who murddered Avery D’ Putnam with a car-hook, and whose case the New York Court of Appeals refused a rehear ing’, has been sentenced to be hanged on the 7th cf March. This makes the exe cution of Stokes prior in point of time. The winter has been a terrible carnival of crime in New York, and in the next few months those who have “.-own the wind may reap the whirlwind.’’ The boys have a new name for it. Whenever one of them wants to know when this or that gentleman was celctcd to the United States Senate, in-tead of put ting the question in the old-fashioned way, he asks, “What year did Sonetor Ss-and so ‘buy in?” A Welsh clergyman who preached from Lave one another, gave a national turn to the subject by illnstratini? it with an anec dote of two goats who met on the middle of a < ne plank bridge that crossed the littic stream in their palish. But did they fight and try to push each other in the water? No! but one laid hinself down while the other one stepped over him, Here was friendship! Here was love! O, my brethren, let us al! live like goats, and not like wolves. A German who was lately married says : “It is easier for a needle to valk out of a canjel’i* eye than for a man to git der lasht vord mit a wooman.”