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238
One of the greatest heroes of ollen time,
Sir John Hawkwood, better known as “ John
of ihe Needle,” was brought up on a tailor’s
shop-board ; but hurried on by an impulse too
strong for resistance, he enlisted in the for
eign wars, was distinguished by indomitable
valor, received the honor of knighthood from
the hands of our Black Prince, married the
daughter of the Duke of Milan, lived in
wealth and glory, and died in honor.
The very name of the tailors, their ancient
name* is inspiriting. “Linen Armourers,”
they were called : armourers ! the very term
tills you with glowing and heroic feelings;
and though not so happy in his cognomen as
the “ falcon of the wood,”* to whose achieve
ments we have just referred, is there one in a
thousand unacquainted with that magnani
mous brother of the craft, who rejoiced in the
euphonious appellation of Feeble ?
“ Shallow. —Francis Feeble!
Feeble. —Here, sir.
Falstaff. —What trade art thou, Feeble ?
Feeble. —A woman’s tailor, sir.
S/uillow. —Shall I prick him, sir ?
Falstaff. —You may; but if he had been a
man’s tailor, he would have pricked you.
Wilt thou make as many holes in an enemy’s
battle, as thou hast done in a woman’s petti
coat ?
Feeble. —l will do my good will; you can
have no more.
Falstaff. —Well said, good woman’s tailor!
well said, courageous Feeble! thou wilt be
as valiant as the wrathful dove, or most mag
nanimous mouse. Prick the woman’s tailor.”
Nor is the tailor’s craft deficient in dignity;
for no other trade can boast so much royal
and noble blood. Well may it be a common
observation, that
“ His mien is noble, and bespeaks the tailor,”
when we find that no less than ten kings of
England,! three princes, twenty-seven bish
ops, twenty-six dukes, forty-seven earls,
eighty-one lords, and (mirabile dictu /) six
teen lord mayors, have courted entrance into
their brotherhood.
* Sir John Hawkwood.
fEdward 111 and IV: Richard IT and III: Henry
IV, V, VI, and VII: Charles I and James 11.
i >
THE INFLUENCE OF DItESS.
An emineiit legal judge, and a pre-emi
nent judge humau nature, observes; “It
is an observation I have always made, that i
dress has a moral- vfect y-pon the conduct of
nr k ; nd. Let any find himself
with /'.Tty boots, old surtot.i : soiled'k-ck-cloth,
ar 1 negligence or -dress. ftt wTI in
all probability find, a corresponding disposi
tion to negligence of address. He may cn
deshabille, curse and swear, speak roughly
and think coarsely; but put the same man
into full dress, and he will feel himself quite
another person. To use the language of the
blackguard, would then be out of character;
he will talk smoothly, afiect politeness, ‘if
he has it not,’ pique himself upon good man
ners, and respect the women ; nor will the
spell subside, until returning home, the old
surtout, the heedless slippers, with other slo
venly appendages, make him lose again his
brief consciousness of being a gentleman.”
> t
A LITTLE FABLE,
The sword of the warrior was taken down
to brighten ; it had not been long out of use.
The rust was soon rubbed off, but there were
spots that would not go; they were of blood.
It was on the table near the pen of his secre
tary. The pen took advantage of the first
breath of air to move a little further off.
“Thou art right.” said the sword, “I am
a bad neighbor.”
“I seer thee not,” replied the pen, “I am
more powerful than thou art; but I love not
thy society.”
“ l exterminate,” said the sword.
“And I perpetuate,” answered the pen;
“ where were thy victories if I recorded them
not ? Even where thou thyself shall one day
he—in the Lake of Oblivion.”
Aunt Betsey is a single-minded
creature. “Waiting for the returns,” said
she, “just as if there has n’t been enough of
’lection. It’s just like the men, though— \
they ’re never satisfied. Bimeby they’ll want
to do nothing but ’tend ’lection, and then see
where temperance principles will be, Re
turns, indeed. Let them wait till the time
comes round.”
i
Stay but until to-morrow, and your
present sorrow will be weary, and will lie
down to rest.— Jeremy Taylor.
EPITAPH.
j •’ Hcs my wife: here let her lie ?
rest anil so aur I.— Dhydex. j
@©isirsi is ie m a, mr aib& is ¥
®l)c tUorking Ulan.
LABOR.
There is a vast difference between the
teachings of true philosophy and the dictates
of human pride on the subject of labor. The
latter says that labor is degrading, and be
neath the character of areal gentleman. The
former insists that the laborer is the true no
bleman and the conservative agent of the
world. And this seems to be in accordance !
with universal experience for nearly six thou
sand years, and is sustained by divine revela
tion; for it should be distinctly understood,
that the precepts and laws of God are not ar
bitrary, but are all founded on principles j
which lie at the foundation of human happi- j
ness. Each of the Ten Commandments is a
requisition which looks directly at the good
of the individual who is required to keep it.
Who cannot see that those laws which forbid
theft, murder and uncleanness, are prohibi
tions which, in the nature of things, were in
tended to exalt the human character and pro
mote the happiness of man ? And equally so
is that commandment which says, “ six days
shalt thou labor, and do all thy work, but the
seventh day is the Sabbath, in which thou
shalt not do any N+ork.” The man, there
fore, who omits to labor his six days, is as
much a violator of the commandment, as he
is who labors on the seventh day. The one
God has required for rest and devotion, be
cause the nature and happiness of man need
them; and so he requires* the other, because
the nature and happiness of man require it.
The physical, intellectual and moral nature
of man, are all developed by labor, and, with
out it, there can be no true greatness.
How perfectly absurd, then, is the conduct
Oi those who refuse to labor because it will
demean them! and yet what multitudes of
idlers there are, who not only despise labor,
but the laborer too! They float along as the
current may move them, dressed like tailors’
locomotive advertisements, without putting
their hand to work for fear of soiling it. Let
a looker-on compare one of these would-be
gentlemen with a hard-working, honest me
chanic, and say which shows most of the
dignity of a man; which answers best the
designs of God in the creation of our race:
which is the most useful member of society.
We think a man of wise discernment could
not be long in determining these questions.
S Let us try the question, by seeing which
j would be the best for the world, if all were of
one class. Suppose that all men were labor
ers, then all might be useful and happy, and
the world would constantly improve under
their labors. But view the contrary —let no
man be a laborer-let all be gentlemen:
where would the world be, then, in a short
time'? How soon, then, would the drones,
who live without labor, feel their own insig
nificance, and their utter uselessness! Then
would they learn to put a proper value on
toil, and feel their own obligation to those
who had labored for their good.
Look at the massive and beautiful struc
tures which adorn our city, and furnish
homes and warehouses for the rich, many of
whom feel themselves above labor; there
you may see the noble mind developed
through the work of the mechanic and labor
er. Enter one of those magnificent dwel
lings, and notice the splendid furniture, the
rich carpets and hangings, the highly chased
silver plate, the costly pictures that adorn
| the walls, the statuary in the various niches,
and in fact every thing on which the eye
j could rest itself, and there you see the value
’ of labor —and labor which elevates those who
i performed it, and compared with them sinks
j the proud possessor of that mansion in insig
i nificance, if he is one of those whom'pride
hath puffed up above the mechanic on whom
he so much depends.
Labor built and manned those ships which
bring from every part of the world the
wealth that enabled the merchant to purchase
all these luxuries. Labor cultivated the
j earth, and from its soil brought forth the
j food that furnishes his table; and labor
I wrought those rich siiks and costly jewels
’ with which his family are decorated. In a
word, the dignity and glory of labor are seen
in every thing around us. * There are beauty
| and utility, and labor has produced them.
And the laborer, by their production, has
shown himself the noble being his Maker
intended man should be. His skill and in
dustry have reflected the perfections of the
Deity himself, while the drone in the hive
has idled away his time, disgraceful to him
self and a standing libel on his Creator.
No class of men are so happy as the la
borers ; their bread is sweet and their rest is
refreshing; they rise cheerfully, and they
retire contented. “The sweat of the brow,”
which many have considered a curse, is one
of the greatest blessings which Heaven has
conferred on our race. Man can live by la
bor, but he cannot live without it. Men who
labor are seldom guilty of crime; it is the
idle, and those who think labor a task, who
are found at the criminal’s bar. God bless
es labor, and idleness is the devil’s school.—
Saturday Rambler.
51 Column Cratclr to Jim.
I ~
Touching — very. —Seldom have we been
more deeply affected by any thing in the po
etical line than by the following tragic stan
] /as. They are, indeed, full of pathos, and
breathe the very soul of melancholy:
Amid tho crowd there walked a youth,
Whose heart seemed charged with wo ;
llis eyes were bent upon the deck,
His step was sad and slow.
It was not unrequited love,
Nor disappointment’s fruits,
That marked with care the cheek of youth—
He couldn’t find his boots !
t ap
The Pass Word.—Mr. Lover tells a good
anecdote of an Irishman giving the pass-word
at the battle of Fontenoy, at the time the
great Saxe was Marshal.
“ The pass-word is Saxe; now don’t forget
it,” said the Colonel to Pat.
“Sacks! Faith and I will not. Wasn’t
my father a miller ?”
“Who goes there!” cried the sentinel, after
he arrived at the post.
Pat looked as confidently as possible, and,
in a sort of a whispered howl, replied,
“ Bags, yer honor!”
t HBi -
Terribly Cold. —One day last week,
when a keen wind was making all noses
blue, and causing folks to blow them inces
santly, our Irish girl came in with a most do
lorous looking physiognomy: (she is fresh
from the sod by the way.) “Och, augh,”
said she, “a day and a night, and a night
and a day, (a favorite expression of hers,)
but its cowld. Shure, and if it was in ould
Ireland, wouldn’t there be a big frost this
morning? Och, there would, there would.”
Soul vs. Sole.— At the sale of Mr. An
nan’s splendid collection of books, at College
; Hall, “Watts on the Soul” was put up.—
I The bids were spirited, but those of a distin
guished and fashionable cordwainer distanced
competition. After paying for the prize,
Crispin very innocently put the inquiry,
“ Have you any more works on shoe-making
to sell, Mr. Graff ?”
There was a regular side-splitting among
the “ uppers,” at this interrogatory.
My Uncle.— Elector (to the Prince de
Joinville.) —“What are your claims to the
! Presidency of the Republic ?”
Prince de Joinville. —•“lam the uncle of
I my nephew, (the Comte de Paris.”)
Elector (to the Prince Louis Napoleon.) —
“And what are your claims?”
Prince Louis Napoleon. —“l am the neph
| ew of my uncle!”
Discovering the Longitude. —The Sea
Serpertt has been seen again; personsdeclar
| ing that it was several miles in length. We
| should not at all wonder if it was a stray
: column of one of Mr. Antsey’s speeches, for
we know, as a fact, that that gentleman has
been at sea for a long time.
Conversation in a Theatrical Case.
Old Actor. —“No actors, sir! Come, now,
: did you ever see Suett in a good part ?”
Young Man. Yes, often as dumplins
I round an aitch bone of beef!”
No Wonder.— The Morning Post says:
“A curse impends over Vienna.” How can
| she help it, when the Emperor puts Austria
under a Ban ?
’ Sink and the Deuce.—A Seal Engraver,
: hearing that the Thames so poisoned the at
mosphere that it was dangerous to live near
it, called it “ a first-rate sink for a die /*’
INN* Horn asked Ferguson what instru
; ment that was which they had in Doils
worth’s bend, and blew at both ends ?
“ No such instrument,” said Ferguson, em
phatically.
“But there is,” said Horn.
“No, sir. Let me see —there’s the trom
bone, the corned-piston, the awfulglide, and
| the —the —blow me if there is such an instru
ment as has to be blowed at both ends.”
“ Yes, there is.”
“I’m darn’d if there is. What is it, now ?
| what is it !”
“ The bass-drum.”
“ —-11,” said Ferguson, and mizzled.
EDITOR’S DEPARTMENT.
ATHENS, SATURDAY, DEC. 2, 1848.
VAILtmiLIB ffisms ?
The Editor of the Southern Literary Gazette be
ing desirous of developing and encouraging Literary
Talent in the South, has resolved to offer the sum of
One Hundred Dollars, in prizes, as exhibited in
the annexed schedule:
THE FIRST PRIZE
For the best Talc of the South, . . Fifty Dollars
THE SECOND PRIZE
For tho second best Tale, . . . Twenty Dollars.
TIIE FIRST PRIZE
For the best Poem, Twenty Dollars
or a COPY of harper’s SPLENDID PICTORIAL BIBLE.
TIIE SECOND PRIZE
For the second best Poem, Ten Dollars,
All competitors must send in their MSS. before
the 15th day of December ensuing, and they must
come, if by post, pre-paid. They should be legiblv
written on one side of a sheet only. The authors’
names must be sent in separate sealed envelopes,
which will not he opened until the prizes have been
selected —when the successful competitors will be an
nounced. The articles will be submitted to the ex
amination and decision of a Committee, composed of
several gentlemen of distinguished character, whoso
names will be announced in due time. The award
of prizes may be expected to be made known in tho
last number for thepresent year, and the publication
of the First Prize Tale will be commenced with the
New Year.
The articles offered in competition will become
the property of the Editor, and those which, are
deemed worthy will appear in the Gazette.
All communicatious relating to the prizes most be
addressed, post-paid, to the Editor.
COMMITTEE OF AWARD.
The following gentlemen have kindly consented
to act as Judges upon the articles offered in compe
tition for the above prizes:
Professor JAMES P. WADDELL,
Dr IIENRY HULL,
JAMES W. HARRIS, Esq.
Public Lectures.
Last week w'c had somewhat to say of Winter
Evenings, and the proper method of enjoying them
at home. We have thought it not amiss to suggest
in our present number a very excellent method of
improving and enjoying “Winter evenings in public.
This method is neither more nor lcs3 than securing,
in all towns and populous villages, a course of Pub
lic Lectures on some of the diversified branches of
knowledge—many of which arc well adapted to such
media of communication. Among these are general
History, Ancient and Modern Poetry and Belles
Lettres, and especially the Physical Sciences. 1b
tho last-named field there is the most abundant har
vest of profit and pleasure to be realized. Wide as
the limits of the Universe, and developing new won
ders at every step—embracing the domains cf air
and earth and sky—how attractive is tho field of
Natural Science! It has long been a matter of deep
surprise and regret to us, that there is so little in
terest felt in this ennobling study, even among men
of professedly intellectual tastes and of polite educa
tion. We can only account for this indifference up
on tho supposition that they aro really unaware of
the ferli’ity and beauty of these unexplored fields.;—
We did not intend, however, to enter into an argu
ment upon the value of scientific knowledge, but ra
ther, taking that fur granted, to suggest to our
readers the propriety of securing, by any possible
means, the gratification of oral instruction in its va
rious branches, It may not be possible for every
town and large village to secure the services of
professed Lecturer on these topics—nor is thisnccc
sary, however desirable it may be. There aro, m
every such town and village, individuals abundant
ly qualified to afford popular instruction on such to
pies. The Physician, for instance, when he is truly
an intelligent and educated man, can deliver lectures
on popular Physiology, and the School Teacher ou
Natural Philosophy and Chemistry. In all
branches, aid could, in mary cases, be rendered by