90 PHILIPPIC. 



which the waats, cravings, and philantlirophy of society place at your 

 disposal, as you have been the reverse, whilst you reflect upon what might 

 have been your lot, had not the seeming chance of birth ? Say rather an 

 unrecognized providence, placed you where vice alone can rob j'ou of a fair 

 share of human happiness. At this moment we address ourselves to that 

 enormoub hybrid pet-ycleped working man ; we believe that if you use 

 fairly the means you possess ; you may, nay ought to be (it depends 

 greatly upon your sobriety) well fed, housed, and comfortably clothed by 

 day and night ; and few we think will complain that mental recreation is 

 not placed within their means nor dare they say — " No man careth for 

 my soul." 



We are not going to attempt to prove this England of ours, a "Work- 

 ing Man's Paradise. No, Heaven forbid that it should be so ! however 

 grand and benevolent its institutions. But the worst of his class is the 

 envious grumbler, the relish of whose life is persistently inverted by the 

 sight of the happiness or success which is a pleasiu^e to minds exempt from 

 his miserable condition ; is it possible to comfort you pigheaded man, by 

 telling that it has often happened, whilst you were envying another for 

 his seeming wealth and advantages he had in his heart, in his affluent 

 home, may be in his ledger, or some member of his family, the germ of a 

 cankering care that preys like an undying worm at the root of his hap- 

 piness, blasting in old age the silent hopes of his manhood ; if comfort can 

 be extracted from a miserable truth, apply the antidote, but reflect that we 

 are all subject to the evils of a mutable world. 



An ancient axiom says ere we can pronomice upon the happiness, 

 goodness, virtue or otherwise of a man, he must be gathered to his fathers. 

 A proposition evident to all readers of history, and oft-times painfully 

 exemplified in the lives of our contemporaries; what instances we have of 

 men who in the earlier part of their career have had their every action plan 

 and scheme dogged by misfortune ; pitied by some, laughed at by others, 

 but envied by none; the tenth commandment being rigidly obeyed. 

 Anon the sun of good fortune rises upon him, dispelling the old influences 

 that seemed to have marred his plans ; the sheen of prosperity is about 

 his labours, and Midas-like whatever he touches is turned to gold ; and the 

 eyes that before time did not envy, are now obscured with its motes and 

 mists, M'hich superinducing obtusion of the reasoning faculties prevents a 

 man acknowledging what is due to his fellow-men. 



We know that just now the country is resonant of fine speeches and 



