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THE WASHINGTON GAZETTE.
JAS. A. WRIGHT, AGENT.
THE WASHINGTON GAZETTE.
Terms —Three Dollars a year, in advance
THE LONGEST STORY ON
RECORD.
Tho following oriental story about a
story will amuse almost any one who
will take the trouble and spare the
time to read it through.
There was once a certain king, who,
like many Eastern kings, was very
fond of hearing stories told. To this
amuscmont ho gave up all his time,
but yet ho was never satified. Tho
exertions ot his courtiers were all in
vain, lie at last made a proclamation
that if any man should tell him a
story that would last forover, he
would cortainly make him his heir
and give him tho princess, his
daughter, in marriage; but if anyone
should pretend ho had such a story
and should fail—that is, if tho story
did come to an end—ho was to havo
his head cut off.
For such a price as a beautiful prin
cess and a kingdom, many candidates
appeared ; and dreadful long stories
some of them told : some lasted a
week, some a month, and sorao Bix
mouths. Poor fellows ! they all spun
them out as long as thoy could ; but
all in vain ; sooner or later they all
came to an end, one after another, and
the unlucky story tellers had their
heads chopcd off. At lastcamo a man
who said ho had a story that would
last forever, if his majesty would bo
pleased to give him trial, lie was
warned of his danger; they told him
how many others had tried and lost
their heads; but ho said he was not
afraid ; and so he was brought before
the king. lie was a man of a vory
composed and deliberate way of speak
ing, and after making ult necessary
stipulations .forfci* gating, drinkiwg
and slcoping, he tnert began :
“O, king ! there was onco a king
wbo was a great tyrant; and, desiring
to increase bis riches, ho seized upon
the corn in his kingdom and put it
in an immense granary, which was
built on purpose as high a mountain.
This ho did for several years, until the
granary was quite full. lie then stop
ped doors and windows on all sides.
But the bricklayers had, by accident,
left a very small hole near the top of
tho granary; and there came a flight
of locusts and triod to get at the corn ;
but the hole was so small that only
one went in and carried off one grain
of corn, and then another locust wont
in and carried off another grain of
corn, and then another locust wont in
and carried off another grain of corn,
and then another locust went in and
caniod off another grain of corn, and
then another locust wer.t in and car
ried off another grain of corn, and
then another locust went in and car
ried off another grain of corn, and thon
ano'.her locust went in and carried off
another grain of corn.”
Ho had gone on thus from morning
till night (except when ho was engag
ed at his meals) for about a month,
when the king began to bo rather lircd
with his locusts, and interrupted him
with :
“Well, well! wo have heard enongh
of the locusts, wo still suppose they
helped themselves to all the corn they j
wanted. Toll us what happened after- ;
wards."
To which the story teller answered |
deliberately:
f ' If it please yur majesty, it is ira- i
possible to tell wbat happened after- I
wards before I tell what happened
first.” And then he went on again : j
•‘.‘And then another locust went in !
and carried off another grain of corn, j
and then another locust went in and i
carried off another grain of corn, and
then another locust went in and car- ■
ried off another grain of corn, and
then another locust went in and car- :
ried off another grain of corn, and j
thon, another locust went in and car
ried off another grain of corn, and then i
another locust went in and carried off
another grain of corn.
The king listened with unconquer
able patience for six months more,
when he again interrupted him with—
“O, friend! I am weary of your
locusts. How soon do you think they
yvill have done ?”
To which tho story teller made an
! swer:
“O, king ! who can toll? At the
time to which my story has como the
locusts have cloared a small place—it
may be a cubic foot each way round
the hole—and the air is still dark with
locusts on all sides. But let the king
have patience, and no doubt wo shall
have come to tho end of them in time.”
Thus onoouraged, tho king listened
on for another full year, the story tel
ler going on still as before :
“And then another locust went in
and carried off another grain of corn,
and then another locust went in and
carried off another grain of corn, and
then another locust wens in and carri
ed off another grain of corn, and thon
another locust went in and carried off
another grain of corn.”
At last tho poor king could stand it
no longer, aud cried out: '
“O, man! that is enough 1 Take
my daughter! take my kiugdom !
tako any thing—every thing ! Only
let mo hear no more of tho abomina
blo locust.”
And so tho story teller was maried
to tho king's daughtor, and uobody
ever expressed a wish to hoar the rest
of the story; fur ho said it was im
possible to come to the other end of it
till he had dono with tho locusts. _
YOUNG MEN.
! All acknowledge that young men
; form a very important class in society,
! and that on them rests a great deal
[of responsibility. They will soon bo
i called upon to assume all tho duties of
I life, both public and private, and in
their hands will rest mainly tjio future
wolfare and destiny of this nation.
To lie prepared to perform the du
ties that will hereafter devolvo upon
them, they must havo a suitahlo char
acter, and that must bo founded while
HB v«5S|
a nation, as well as its mends, a nder.
stand this. Catalino, in attempting to
accomplish his design of overthrowing
the Roman republic, first began to
corrupt the young men, knowing well
that if he succeeded in that step, tho
way would bo well prepared to aohievo
his wicked objoct.
That they acquire tho requisite char
acter, which their ago and couutry
demand, they must appreciate its high
value; as our efforts to obtain an ob
ject depend very much on the cstimato
we placo upon its worth. Character
is worth more than anything else—■
it is the choicest treasure a man can 1
have. Tho tnan who has a noble char
acter, although he may not havo a
dollar in the world, has a far richer
treasure than tho tnan in tho posses
sion of millions, whoeo character is bad.
It is a good character that makes a
man happy-, influential, useful, truly
respected and honored. When John
Milton was poor and neglected, after
the restoration of Charles the Second,
and was tffered by that dissolute
monarch a lucrative office, and bis
wife urged him to accept it, because
of worldly advantage, ho silenced her
by saying: “You are in the right;
you, as other women, would ride in
3 our coach; but my aim is to live and
die an honest man." lie understood the
value of character, and theso heroic
words should be treasured up and
adopted by every young man.
It should be borr.e in mind that
a worthy character must be the result
of individual exortion. It cannot be
inherited by young men from their
parents or purchased with money. In
this country a young man’s father
may be wealthy and honorable, and
disposed to do ail be can for his son,
so far as money and influence will go;
but all will avail vory little towards
raising him to true respectability and
usefulness without his own efforts
Hence many, not relying sufficiently
on their own exertions, but on their
father’s, for character and standing in
in the world, find, when too late, that
their ability and success depends more
on what they are themselves, than on
what they have, or on what their re
lations are or possess.
It is a clearly evident fact that a
very large proportion of our young
men are doing nothing towards form
ing the character that they should.—
Their friends see this and lament over
it; they see that their tastes and
WASHINGTON, WILKES COfJNTYSUA., FRIDAY MORNING, MARCH 22,1867.
habits arh all in the wrong direction,
and tremble for tho terrible result.—
In the large majority of caseß, the
canker is intemperance. This is the great
evil to which they are exposed, and
by which they are ruined. There are
other evils, but this is tho giant ono,.
and loads directly and indirectly to
thorn all. Tens of thousands are ru
ined every year by this vice, and bring
not only disgrace and wrotchednoss
on themselves, but on multitudes of
others related to thorn.
Recently, in conversation with a
gentleman, having a rare opportunity
for observation fn this rospeot, ho re
marked thoro is more drunkoncss
among young men now, than at any
previous timo within his romcmhranco.
His observations in this regard, we
bolievo, corresponds with that of
others genorally. Even boys are of
ten seen frequenting liquor shops,
and reeling in the streets. This state
of things is alarming—it is sapping
tho very foundations of society, and
blasting and blighting our young re
public.
Fiionds of young mon, you can do
much towards strengthening and sa
ving them. You can do but little with
confirmed inobriatos, but much for
youth. Show that 3’ou are really in
terested in them. Throw around
them a healthy iufluenoo. Kindly
warn them of their danger, and take
rpocial pains to bring them under tho
influencoof cheerful Christian homes,
and under that of tho gospel pulpit.
Sot the example before them your
selves that yon would have thorn imi
itaie. YVo say to 0110 and all, save the
youny men.—American Guardian.
illE BABY ON THE OTHER
SIDE.
Thare’s many an empty eraille,
There's many u vacant bed,
'flicraVuiftny a lonely bos-ffm.
IVW, joy -t»i Jfc*
Onco in a happy’ homo a sweet,
bright baby’ died. On tho evening of
the day, when the children gathered
around their mother, all silling very
sorrowful, Alice, tho eldest, said:—
“Mother, you took all the care of
the baby' while she was here, and you
carried and held her in your arms all
the while she was ill; now, mother,
who took her on ‘tho other side.’ ”
“On tho other side of what, Alice?”
“On the other side of death; who
took the baby on the other side, moth
or? Sho was so little she could not
go alone."
“Jesus met her there,” said tho moth
or. “It is ho who took little children
in his arms to bless them, and said :
‘Suffer them to como unto mo, and for
bid them not for of such is tho king
dom of heaven !’ Ho took the baby
on the other side.”
‘Little darling, thou hast left us,
Here thy loss we deeply feel;
But 'tis God that hath bereft ua—
Ho can a!! our sorrows heal.
Yes, sweet Imbe, we hope to meet thee
When the day of life is fled,
Then in heaven with joy to greet thee,
Where no farewell tear is shed.’
The Minister and a Little Girl.
—A minister onco went to preach in a
Western village where there was no
house of God. He preached in the
school house. A few people came,
who did not seem to caro much about
God or his word. He preached n
great many times; “and 1 bad but
one thing to encourage me,” said the
gentleman.
“YVhat was it ?”
“It was the attention of one little
girl, who kept her eyes fixed on me,
and seemed to try to understand every
word I said,” answered the gentleman.
“She was a great help to me.”
What! can a littlo child boa great
help to a minister? Yes, O yes. How?
By paying attention. Think of that,
my little ones, and when you go to
church, fix your eye on the minister,
and try to understand wbat he says,
for he is speaking to you as well as to
grown-up people. He is telling about
the Lord Jesus, who loves tho little
ones, and said “Suffer them to come
unto me, and forbid them not; for of
such is the kingdom of heaven.”
An editor thug logically nudges
his delinquent subscribers : “We don’t
want money desperately Dad, but our
creditors do, and no doubt thoy owe
you. If you pay us, we’ll pay them,
and they’ll pay you.”
LIGHTS ON SCRIPTURE IN
DAILY WALKS.
THE ASSAYER.
. -Tho parish where 1 spont so many
j'fears being a mining district, I have
qg&tsionally gone into the assayer's
department, and enjoyed somo profit
a%» reflections as I havo watched him
itho pursuit of his work. That
sweet Scripture has boon so sweetly
opened, “And he shall sit as a refiner
and purifier of silver; and he- Bhali
purify tho sons of Levi, and purge
them as gold and silver, that thoy
may offer unto the Lord an offering in
righteousness.”
When tho various samples of oro
have been brought up from tho differ
ent workings, I havo beon amazod at
tho rigid test to which they’ havo been
subjected, in order to ascertain their
rdativo value. The furnaces havo
b<son boated to tbo greatest intensity
of heat, and then tho vossols contain
ing tho various samples have beon
pfhoed in the very midst of the fire,
ftjM thoro left until thoy wore perfoct
lyfmollod into a red-hot liquid. Then,
by means of a long clasp or pincers,
they were romovod, plunged into cold
witter, tho littlo vobsol being destroyed
or rendered unfit for further use.—
That which just before looked so clear
and pure, has become a dark, unsight
ly’- substance, and, boing placed on a
smooth iron surface, tho nssayer
breaks it with a hammer, and it crum
bles into numberless littlo particlos.
I ijbsorved that ho usod the hammer
with peculiar caro; and, having thus
divided tho substanco, he now searches
scrupulously among thopowdor
tiu,fragments. At length 110 pounces
‘upon a little bright globulo, varying
from a pin hoad to a vory small
pea. in order to prevent its rolling
o|) the iron plato, and thus being lost
ia ilitr the l'gjugq .qndo|’J’ooi, tjio ;*.*»—
sayer immediately gives it a tap with
his hammer, which flattens and thus
secures it. He thon places it in the
scales, in older to ascertain its pro
portion to the substanco of which it
was returned as a sample! These
scales are so exceedingly delicate as to
be kept within a glass case, the front
side of which is merely raised by a
small pulley, for the purposo of use.
Thus tho least breath of air is exclu
ded so that tho tost may boas accu
rate as possiblo. The weights arc so
extremely thin and light that lam
afraid to state tho exceedingly’ small
proportion to which such weight is
reduced; suffice it that it is brought
down to tho lowest fractional part;
and the miners are paid accordingly.
But this process was suggostivo to
mo of tho work and of the teachings
of grace in the heart of a believer. If
the precious motal to which I have
referred was so disproportionato to
thb amount of base and inferior sub
stancos by which it was surrounded,
how truly is this tho case in regard to
the tiny deposit of grace which the
Lard Jehovah lias been ploased to drop
into tho hearts of his choson ones.
How minute is it as compared with
the surroundings of nature; tbo car
nality, and tho worldliness, and the
selfishness, and tho ingratitude, and
the sin, and the unbelief. And yet, as
the assayor knew well that there was
something in tho little vossol submit
ted to the fire, and that, when released
therefrom and plunged into water it
presented nothing but a blackened
mass, at least a grain or so of the
pure metal was, notwithstanding, to
be found in the very heart of that
which was so unsightly; so tho hea
venly Refiner knows where to look
and how to find the precious grain of
faith and hope and love whioh he has
deposited, though in tho midst of so
much rubbish and defilement. If, too,
the assayer took so much care of the
tiny deposit he had been at Such pains
to discover, how great tho caro of Je
hovah over that which he has placed
in the heart, and which bo so graci
ously preserves and nourishes there.
Respecting the preservation and the
testing of this precious grain of faith,
well has the apostle Peter been com
manded to say, “Wherein ye greatly
rejoice, though now for a 6oaeon, if
nepd be, ye are in heaviness through
manifold temptations; that tho triai
of lyour faith, being much more pre-
cious than of gold that perisheth,
though it be tried with firo, might be
found unto praise and honor and glo
ry at the appearing of JeßiVs Christ.”
1 Fetor i. 6, 7. —English Paper.
A FAITHFUL FRIEND.
About a y-ear since a young man,
known to tho writer, went into a cer
tain office on an errand of business.
As he was about leaving, tho proprie
tor said to him : “My young friend,
are you a Christian ?” He replied :“I
regret to say that I am not.”—|
That faithful friend then kindly urged
him to seek Christ at once, to delay no J
longer securing tho pearl of great!
price. The young man thankod him
politely and said he would think of it.
In threo weeks his widow called at
tho samo office to bring his dying mes
sago. Said she : “He thought much
of your kind advice, and resolved to
seek religion. He was suddenly taken
sick. After a few days he fouud sweet
peaoo in behoving, became entirely re
signed to the Divine will, and died in
the triumph of faith.
“Tell my friend N.,” said he, “that 1
thank him with my dying breath for
his faithfulness to my soul. His words
led mo to think seriously of my eter
nal interests, to give my heart to Je
sus, and to prepare for this dying
hour.”
To his father, who, like too many
professing Christians, had boon remiss
in his religions duties, 110 said : “Don’t
neglect tho Other children as you neg
lectod mo. Lead them to Josub before
it is too Into.”
Brethren, laborers in the vineyard of
Christ, what encouragemenoyou have
to spouk a word “ in soason, out of
season," to tlioso around you! Be
faithful. “ Run, speak to that young
man.” It may’ be the saving of his
soul.— S. S Times.
THE FARMER’S WIFE.
Is thorc any’ position a mother can
covot for her daughtor more glorious
than to be the wife of an honostinde
pendent, happy farmer, in a country
like this? To bo tho wife of ono who
is looked up to by tho neighbors as ono
whoso example may’ be safely followed
—ono whose farm is noted far and nom
as a modol of neatness aud perfection
of cultivation? To bo mistress of a
mansion of her own, that may’ bo tho
envy’ of every passer-by’, because it is
neat and comfortable—a swoet and
lovely’ home? To bo tho angel that
flit« through tbo garden, bidding the
flowers bloom, and twining roses and
honeysuckles around the room, or
sweetening their fragrance with her
sweetest smile; or spreading tho snowy
cloth beneath the old oak at tho door
to welcome her husband as he returns
from his toil; or evor tipping tho era
dlo with her foot as sho plies tho dash
or with her hand, or busily moves tho
noodle, at tbo samo humming a joyous
song of praise that she is the happy
and fondly beloved wife of an Ameri
can farmer—ono of the true noblemen
of this free country—ono that should
by right, rank as tho pride and glory
of America. — Colman’s Rural World.
A BEAUTIFUL EXPOSITION.
The following, upon Isaiah liv. 5, 6,
is a most touching exposition of God’s
love for his repenting children :
“ For thy Maker i3 thine husband :
tho Lord of Hosts is his name; and
tby Redeemer the Holy Ono of Israel;
tho God of the wholo earth shall he bo
called. For the Lord hath called thee
as a woman forsaken and grieved in
spirit, and a wifo of youth, when thou
west refusod, saith thy God.”
Do you know what that means?
Can you not think of a tender, sweet,
gentle, clinging, affectionate, simple
woman, nature had given her life to
some brute of a husband under orien
tal law, which gave him a right to
put her away when caprico daintily
pleased to do it? How she, refused,
collapses in shame, and submits or flies
the earth, shut up as an evening flow
er ! Life, henceforth, is nothing to
her.
J. Do Bow, editor of Do Bow’s
Review, died in Washington city,
Feb. 28tb, aged 47,
VOL. I.—NO. 48-
A PROTESTANT DOG.
Henry VIII. desired that his repre
sentatives should appear with groat
pomp, and according the ambassador
and his colleagues went to great ex
pense with that intent. Wiltshire
entered first into the audienco hail,
being father of Anne Boleyn, he had
boon appointed by the king as the
man in all England most interested in
the success of his plans. But Henry
had calculated badly; the personal
intcrost which the oarl felt in the di
vorce made him odious both to Charles
and Clemont. The Pope, wearing his
pontificial robes, was seated on the
throne, surrounded by his cardinals.
The ambassadors approached, made
the customary salutations, and stood
before him. The pontiff, wishing te
show his kindly feeling toward the
envoys of the “ Defender of the Faith,”
put out his slipper, according to cus
tom, presenting it graciously to the
kisses of thoso proud Englishmen.
The rovolt was about to begin. The
earl, remaining motionless, refuses te
kiss his holiness’ slipper. But thi#
was not all'; a fine spaniel, with long,
silky hair, which Wiltshire had
brought from England, had followed
him to the episcopal palaco. When
the Bishop of Homo put out his foot,
tho dog did what other dogs would
have done under similar circumstances
—he flow at the foot and caught the
pope by tho groat toe. Clemont has
tily drew back. Tho sublime borders
on tho ridiculous: the ambassadors,
bursting with laughter, raised their
arms and hid their faces behind their
long, rich sleeves. “ That dog was a
Protestant," said a rovorend father.
“ Whatevor ho was," said an English
man, “ho taught us that a pope’s foot
was more meet to be bitten by dogs
than kissed by Christian men.”—D’Au
bir/ne’e Reformation, vol. IV.
“Mr Boy Da.»NKj’y-“ Drunk !-~
my boy drunk !" and teal's started to
the mother’s eyes, and she bent her
hoad in unuttorable sorrow. In that
moment the vision of a useful and
honorable career was destroyed; and
ono of worthlossness, if not absolute
dishonor, presented itself. Well did
she know that intemperanco walks
hand in band with poverty,
shame and death ; and her mother
hoart was piorcod as with a sharp
pointed stock Ah, young man I if
the holy fooling of love for her who
boro you is not dead within you,shuo
that which gives her pain ; adhere to
that which gives her joy. If she is
with you on earth, she does not, can
not desire to see her son a drunkard j
if she is with her Father in heaven,
she knows that your conduct shuts
heaven against you, and debars you
from her society forever. The drunk
ard cannot inherit the kingdom of
God.
Tiie Fall. —lt is not necessary to
call a hundred proof-texts of Scripture
to prove what daily experience and
observation demonstrate to the re
flecting mind, the fall of man. Either
the inanimate and irrational creation
has beon “ cursed for tho sake of guil
ty man,” or else he has been so fear
fully perverted that every earthly
pleasure has for him a snare, and every
rose a thorn.
Poor race of men, said a pitying; spirit,
Dearly ye pay for your primal fall j
Some places of Eden ye still inherit,
But the trail of the serpent is over thsm all,
A good story is told of a Glasgow
merchant, who on his death bed sent
for a clergyman ot the Scotch Free
church. Having some fears regarding
his future prospocts, ho asked tho rev
erend gentleman, “Do you think, if I
wore to leave 810,000 to tho Free
Kirk, my soul would be saved?”
“Well,” answered the cautious minis
ter, “I couldn’t just promise yon that,
hut 1 think it’s an experiment well
worth trying.”
Early Temperance Man.— Dr. Rail
ly J. Clark died at Glen’s Falls, New
York, on Wednesday week last, in tho
90th year of his age, It is stated
that be drew up the constitution of
the first regulaily organized tempe
rance society in tho United States, at
tho town of Moreau, Saratoga county,
in 1808.