Price, $1 a year.)
OXFORD, N. C., DECEMBER 7, 1883.
(VOL. IX. NO 29.
To the Business Public.
The Friend visits about FO UB
B.JJFDBFD Post-Offices in Forth
Carolina, thus giving advertisers the
ad/vantage oj a general circulation.
OBOANlZATfON OF THE OB-
PlIAPir ASYL.1JBI.
J. H. Mills—Suoerintendent.
Mtsw E. M. Mack—Teacher ol Third
Form, Boys.
Mths Lula Mabtin—Teacher Third
Form, Girls.
Miss M. F. Jordan—Second P'orm,
Boys.
Mtss Caroline Pettigrew—Second
Form, Girls.
Mbs. Jordan—First Form, Boys.
Mrs. Walker—Fir-t Form, Girls. '
Mtbs V. V. Walton—Vocal Music and
Drawng.
Mrs. Rives—Hospital.
Mbs. Hutchinson—Boys’ Sewing
Room.
Mbs. Fowler—Girls’ Sewing Room.
Miss M. E. McPheeters -In charge
of Dining Rooms.
SPECIAL. DUTIES.
GIRLS.
Chapel—Cosby, Broadway and Mattie
Pilancl.
Chapel Lamps—E. Kelly.
Chapel Stove—Douglass and A
Keith.
Office—H. Erwin.
Library and Bell—L. Hudgins.
Halls—Boyd, M. Gabriel, Young.
T. D. R.—Hood, Johnson, E. Wright,
C. D. R.—Beddingfield, Bivins, Hill,
J. Hatch, Powers, Watson.
Cush—^I..ee.
Boiler—Tufford, S. Barfield.
Water Shed—Haywood, Woodhouse
Pigs—Grady, Holmes.
Milkers—Mason, L. Hatch.
Girls’ Sewing Room—Knox.
Boys’ Sewing Room—M. Hutchinson.
BOYS.
Cook Room—Tate, Chambers.
T. D. R.—^D. Ratliffe.
C. D. R.—Prichard, McLeod, P. White,
Lern Lyr.ch, Haywood, E. Woody.
Boiler-W. Lynch, Haywood.
liAMP-LlGHTER—Gibson.
Cow Boys—G. Poteat, Grady, W. Mc
Guire.
Mule Boys—Parker. Austin, Wilson,
Jackson, Butler.
Hog Boys—Presson, C. I’oteat.
Pig Boys—Cosby, Fowler.
MaieBoy--K. Potnat.
or com'oiu.
BY MRS G. HALL.
Two liuiulrcd Hiid fifty
years ftg'O t’uis very uionili,
a voor boy ot twelve years
sLooi before the door of one
of the most fdegaiit residen
ces in the city of Florence.
Wliy he was standing there
does not appear, One thing
was certain, however, that it
was not as a beggar; for, be
ing in the employ' of a very
rich and influential Cardinal,
of course he had all he wan
ted to eat.
Gazing listlessly at what
was passing around him, a
sudden tap upon his shoulder
caused him to look up, and
there, to his astonisbme t,
stood a boy from Cortona,from
which place he had migrated
some four years before.
‘Why, Peter, that you?
What in the world brought
yeu to Florence ? How’s the
folks’
The boy shook his thick
hair back, and crushed his hat
into a shapeless mass, as he
looked up at his old friend,
Thomas, while the tears cours
ed each other rapidly down
his cheeks.
‘You know mother’s dead
since you came away. 1 can't
stay now she^s gone. I hope
Til never have to go back; 1
am so lonely there. I want
to be A painter, Tom, now
I’ve got to take care of my
self, and liiey say that Flor
ence is the best place to learn
how, and that there's a school
where they teach you all
about it.’
‘Yes, but it takes money,
Pete; have you got any V ask
ed his friend, believing from
his general appearance that
hadn’t.
‘Not a cent.’ At this con
fession poor Peter hung his
head.
‘Then, of c urse, you can’t
do anything. Suppose you
try to get a place in the Pal
ace where I live. At any
rate I'll promise you enough
to eat, if you don’t have
enough ready money.’
‘Do you really get enough
to eat,’ asked Peter eai nestly,
as if conscious that it took a
great deal to satisfy a grow
ing b-'y.
tl guess youM think so; but
come and try foi yourrelt and
ril warrant you, you won’t
l>e sorry.’
‘I can’t take a position' Tom
indeed I can’t. I must be
painter; I came ail the way to
Florence for that, and I can’t
giveitup,butl’lltell you what
you might do, Tom. If you
have so much more than you
need, suppose you take me
on trust and share with me,
aud when I’m a painter, grown
up and famous you know, Til
pAy the whole bill with inter
est. How’ll that do I’
ril do it, old fellow; at any
rate we'll try and see how
the thing works. Come home
with me to the garret where
I sleep and Pll give you a part
of my dinner to night,’
So the two boys made tracks
for the little room in the at^
tic where Thomas slept. It
was so small that a low strarr
bed and a table and a three
h'gged stool completely filled
it up. The on]}’ redeemable
thing about it was the won-
derlully white wails on all
sides.
D ai't you get skoery, Pete.
I’ll be back before you can
wink your eye,’ as he folded
up his old coat to make rest
for his head, and begged him
to lie down. He looked so
miserable that he almost re*;
pented of his bargain, when
he thought of the chances of
having a puny, sickly boy to
care for altogether, but Pe-
tei’.s wistful, appealing eyes
reassured him, aud he ran off
as quickly as bis old shoes
would carry him. Thomas
was in high favor with the
cooks, and after his work was
done and the meals were over
they would always give him
a good opportunity among
the broken meats;and to-night,
to bis great delight, he was
more lucky than usual, for he
found among other things a
half of a pigeon pie, which he
carried oft triumphantly to
his friend up amOngthft chim
ney-pots,
How the poor boy did en
joy it, for he had scarcely
tasted'food all that day, or
the day before. But this did
not satisfy all bis cravings,for
to be a painter was first and.
foremost in his mind. Food
would not furnish him paper
and pencils, and colors and
brushes, and how should he
get them ? He must have
credit for these, too; could he
muster courage after ail Tom’s
kindness to ask him if he had
auy money ? T can- pay this
back, too, some day,' he
thought and so he ventured.
Indeed I haven’t, I shant
be paid for three long years
to come- I’ve engaged for
that time, aud I don’t get
paid until I quit ’
‘Ob, dear! sighed poof Pe
ter, then there’s no use in
trying! What shall I do?
What shall I do ?’
‘I’ll tell you what you may
do, you feel so bad about it.
I’ll get you a piece of char
coal, and you may draw on
my wall’s all you want to.
Will that do?’
This was all, then, that
could be done at prese"!; so
Peter, glad to exercise his
talent, even with a piece of
charcoal, set earnestly to
work, and there was no end
to the figures of every con*
coivable kind and species,
until the walls were absolute
ly covered !
But God opens the way for
those who earnestly desire to
do,and one day while walking
along the streets Peter picked
up, at his feet, a small wallet
with quite a sum of money
in it. Great as his need w^8,
he was an honest boy, and he
made diligent search for its
owner, but j,without success.
He went to the attic to tell
the news to his friend, who
bad so sheltered and fed him.
Pencils and paper, iu;fact the
whole paraphernalia of an ar
tist’s outfit were speedily ob
tained, you may be sure, and
then he went everywhere in
Florence where there were
handsome churches, other
public buildings or statues,
and drew them, and when too
dark to work any longer he
would go back to the humble
lodgings where he was al
ways welcome, and where, if
Thomas was not there, he
would find his dinner tucked
away under t >6 st aw bed on
pun ose ro be kept good and
warm.
For two years here Peter
ate and slept. No one seemed
to find it out, ami yet it was
olteii remarked by the ser
vants that Thomas had a most
uncommon appetite, even for
a boy, and wondered out of it
all that he should not grow
more, he was so very small!
At the expiration of that
time the Cardinal desirous
of making some alterations in
his palace, accompanied an
architect over certain parts of
the bnilding where he bad
never Leen before. T'hey
came to the attic at last. Im
agine his astonishment wbeu
he found his carefully white
washed walls covered with
va'ious-paintings that were
by no means to be despised.
‘Who in the world could
have done this ? Who sleeps
here, pray ?’
‘No! it cannot be; call the
boy at once ! What a ge
nius !’
Poor Thomas came before
the Cardinal with fear and
trembling. In fact he had
never been in his presence
before. His face turned pale,
then red, as he looked first at
tile pictures on the wall and
then at the face ot his em
ployer. “No longer do you
serve in this kitchen, Thom
as,’ he said kindly; but the
boy implored that he should
not send him. away, falling
in despair upon his knees.
‘I have no home and I shall
starve, your reverence, and
what shall become of Pet?>r 1’
There was always a sparkle in ;
hia eye when he mentioned
Peter’s name,he had grown to
be so fond of him, and so
proud, withal 1
Why, who is Peter f
‘Only one of my boy friends
from Cortona, who came here
to Florence to learn to bo a
painter. He drew those pic
tures on the wall I couldn’t
have done them ! I know
he’ll die if he can’t be a palii'
ter. He’s just like a girl now,
he’s got such a soft heart and
quiet ways.’
‘Where do you keep him,
Thomas ? ’
‘I suppose be is out trying
to find somethini* to draw.
He stays all day and then
comes here at night, I’ve
taken him on trust! ’
What that meant the Car
dinal did not know, of course,
until it was explained.
‘Bring him to me when ho
comes to night. Such genius
must not go unrewarded^
But Peter did not come
back that night, or the next,
or the next. In fact two
weeks passed by, and then he
came hurriedly, to report to
hi.s fried and trusted friend,
tiiat happening to bo near a
convent, and going in from
idle curiosity, he had seen a
beautiful head of Raphael
which was on exhibition there
and h;-d asked the privilege*
of copying it. The monks,
charmed with his personal ap
pearance and his apparent
genius, allowed himjto do it,
aud had lodged and fed him
every day in all that time.;
But did poor Peter get the I
long craved teaching, you I
Rvsk ?, Yes, he did; for tho
Ciu’dinaJ became so much in-
torcited in hioi that ho used
liis influence and his purse as
well, to place him in one ol
the best art schools in Flor
ence, while Thomas, whose
noble spirit toward the poor
litile artist had so pleased him
was raised to n position of
greater trust, and had ma.S'
te;s to instruct him also in ail
the learning of the day,
Thus was Peters vagabond
life ended, and could you
have lo.okod into one of the
most elegant houses in Flor
ence a half a century later,
where the elite of all nations
were often entertained, you
would have found two peace
ful old men—life-long aud
trusty friends—living there
together. The one ‘Peter of
Coratona,’ as be was called,
the ‘greatest painter of his
time,’ w; o with a choke in his
voice, as the tender memo*
ries o' his boyhood often oc
curred to him,would tell you,
pointing tenderly to his dc-ar
friend Thomas, of whom it
was always said : “Happy is
the man who can claim his
friendship,’ that the great suc
cess of his life began on that
cold, cheerless evening, when
fainting and hungry, he be-
cauie a lodger in the little at
tic room I
Long ago tho weighty
debt he then incurred was
paid with interest. The
weightier debt of gratitude
has been cancelled also, at the
bar of God, by one who has
said: ‘Inasmuch as ye have
done it unto one of the least
of these my bretheren, ye
have done it unto mo.’
.Mr. H. H. Harris, Warrenton, N. C.,
says: ‘I tried Brown’s Iron Bitters
for weakness and loss of appetite and
theyproved a success.”
If yon want the liglitest running
fli’st class sewing machine get the New
Hartford.
A FAITHFUL SHEPHSUD BOI.
Gerhardt, a German shop*'
herd boy, was one day watch*
ing his flock, which was feed
ing in a valley on the borders
of a forest, when a hunter
.came out of tho woods and
asked, “How far is it to the
nearest village?’ ‘gix miles,
sir,’ answered the boy; ‘but
the road is only a sheep track,
and very easily missed.’ Tho
hunter looked at the crooked
track and said, ‘My lad, I am
very hungry and thirsty; 1
have lost my companions and
missed my way. Leave your
sheep and show me the road;
I will pay you well.
‘I c.annot leave mv sheep,
si rejoined Geriiardf, ‘the}
will stray into thj woods, .and
may be eaten by wolves .*r
stolen by robbers.’ ‘Well,
what of thatT quried the hun
ter. ‘They are net your
sheep. The loss ef one rv
two would not be much U-.
your master, and I’ll give yon
more than you have earned in
a whole year.’ ‘I cannot go,
sir,' replied Gerhardt ver)
firmly. ‘My master pays un-
for my time, and he trusts
me with his sheep. If I wer.
to sell my time, which does
not belong to mo, and the
sheep should get lost, it would
be the same as if I had stolen
them.’
I ‘Well,’ said the hunter,
I ‘you will trust your sheep
with me while you go to th^
village aud get me some foo(i,
drink and a guide? I wi: j
(ako care of them tor you,'
The; boy shook his hcjcd
‘The s eep.’ said he, ‘do i
know your voice, and Tl.
•■^ti.'pped sp.'aking.
‘Asid wlmll Can't .i;
trust me? Do I look like a
diohenest man?’ asked ihe
inmter .angirly.
‘Sir,’ said the boy, 'you
tried to make me false to m}
uiaster. How do I know
that you would keep your
word?’
^rhe hunter laughed, for iu'
felt that the lad had fairU'
cornered him. He said
8 --e, my lad, that you are n
good, faithful boy. I wiii
□ot forget you. Show mo
the road, and I will try to
make it out myself.’
Gerhardt then offered the
contents of bis scrip to the
hungry man, who, coarse as
it was, ate itgladh. Po^s
ently his attendeuts came up,
and then Gerhardt, to Ins
smprise, found that the hun.
tor was the Grand Duke, wh..
owned all the country around.
The Duke was so pleasot;
with the boy’s, honesty that
he sent for him shortly after
that, aud had him educated.
In after years Ger.hardt be
came a very great and power
ful iuaii; but remained iionest
and true to his dying day.
>• r or later he will be a drone
in ihe great hive of human in
dustry, living w'ithout any
|>i;'-p.ose in ‘it'e and scorned
by idl who have willing hunrls
and follow up whatever they
can fi.d to do. . Young mof},
if you w.ant to gain the coidi-
deuce and esteem of , our om-
ployer, never shrink from a
diny. If overtaskerl, lay in
your complaiut’vs, and yun
will ahvays get a hearing. If
3’i n begin liin a shirk, v(vi
nn v set it aa a fix^ni
f-"t liiat the habit will follow
you tiii'ouun !ife, an.:I itistea.il
Oi .-l ‘snccvss’ vail vv-|ij
udr.r ‘f.uluro ’
(jDOD LAi'l'G'UA ;E.
SHIBKIH& DUTY.
The habit of shirking is a
great evil in our land. Sad
and bitter are the oxperlonces
of multitudes who have lost
positions of emolument, and
tiust by shirking duties and
responsibilities devolving up
on them. They saw ilieir
mistake after it was too late.
It is a bad sign to see a
young man contracting the
habit of shirking. You may
gCit it down at once that soon-
As soon ai) a child begins to
h.sn fiiYt broken santeuce its
Cvincation should bogm. Ha its
r.re formed wliich will exist to a
/'.reatGr or lest degree tbr lughout
lif'?. Such being the case,the cou-
V. rsation of the older niemb-r-rs
ot the family should be carefully
guarded, lost tho little ones hoar
rnd learn ungrammatical expres-
sioDSond si ing,which,aaclto say,
h so rife among our young peo
ple of the pr.'sant day. The
servants, with whom children
spend much of their time, should
bo cbosen with reference to this
matt. r. A mother should feel
i'' her duty to point out any
g-ammatical 'i.istaka made by
ilumand insist upon their lau-
gnave being correct, respectful
at all trines. It is exceoding'y
difficult to brenk children e)f
■ .data otice formed,.and care in
tid.a direction will save much
^-nlble a’'d annoyaac®. One
'.''ay to caitivaie ‘ha use of bio-
and at the same time to
earn of the occupations and
o mpiinioiifl of har children, is for
the motfier to encourage the dai-
, ly narration of what they have
seen, heard, and enjoyed, and
the telling of their little exper-'
lences The study of pictures,
moreover, in which every child
delights, may be used as a great
? rovocatioD of language. Chil
dren always love to look at pie-
ti;re3, alid can almost alway be
induced to talk about them.
This study teaches them obser
vation, an i how to accurately de
scribe whatever they see. When
sloj'ies are read to children they
should be obliged to reproduce
then), using as Jar as possible the
leuguage of tho book. The
memory is strengthened in this
way, a habit of attention formed
and the power of tsxpro sion in
creased. If sucli plans as those
aie systematicaily carried out,
tlmy will prove wonderful help
in the thorough education of a
i.ild. The c..)nstaut, careful
ucaing an.t kiiid suggestions of
parents will accomplish a worg
w.Tch can never bo performed
by study and lii after years su. li
early ho:n-! training will sh-w
it-elf in a ready conjmand of
aaguage, and an easy, graceful
P'lwerc.f Ci)nvf3r8*tiou.
diseases of an (■ ihiinstive nature tli.at
have a tende; ey ti>ci'cute an tmnatiiivil
feeling such as fatigue, laasitmle and
gi"iat weeknc.-s tliroiigiiout tlie sj'-steni
their ofigiii to a lackof iron in the
l)h»oci. Brown’s Iron bitters will ros-
:t.hebloo.l to its natuml healthful
condition. Get the blood pure by us-
C this remedy and disease will be.
ickly banished.
Buy the ‘‘New Hartford” Sewing-
machine, the ;best first class-machine
made.
The Simplest and the easiest manag
ed is the New Hartford, never gets out
of order.