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THE COUNTRYMAN 93 Turn wold, ga., December 15, 1862. Grumblers. I was reading, yesterday, in a very re markable book, which some over-ignorant people aver has never existed : but as to whether it exists or not, I leave for the common sense of the reader to judge. The copy of the work which I have before me, was procured for me by a friend, at a great cost, from the Caliph Haroun A1 Raschid. The name of the curious book, is the “ Tell- menow Isitsoornot,” written by that justly celebrated Grand Vizer, Hopandgofetch- it. The reader will think all this highly nonsensical, and at the same time, foreign to my subject: but nevertheless, it is ne cessary that I give some account of this book, as there are but 2 copies of it in the new world, 1 of which 1 owu at tlie present period. In this book, beginning on 2d p ,cb. l,will be found a very minute account of the dif ferent classes of men. It speaks of grum blers as follows :—“ These are the delicate morsels of humanity, who cannot be pleas ed ; who are so fastidious and dissatisfied that all the world cannot reconcile them to their lot. They grumble at the provi dence of God.” (The reader will bear in mind that I translate, veibatim et lit eratim.') “ These men who are dis satisfied with the state in which God has placed them,” the work goes on to state, “ are mostly idlers and vagabonds, though they are formed of all classes—the rich, the poor, the black, the white, and all. These are a distinct race of the, genus homo. Their dialect has a monotonous nasal twang, sometimes loud and emphatic, at others low and moaning. Their grammars indicate a frequent use of the pronoun we, and such interrogations as these: ‘What will be come of us V ‘ what shall we do V and ‘how are we to live, such times as these V—They use such interrogations as these, to great redundancy. The present war (the war waged by Mahomet 1) has developed their strikingly deformed character, to maturity. So this race now stands at the head of ev erything that is remarkable, or in the least curious. And to prove how curious, and yet how common they are, let me relate a short anecdote:” “ This race,” the book continues, “ were first found in the Eastern Hemisphere, and the news of their discovery spread so fast, that it readied the barbarians of the Wes- tern world, in a few days. But before we were aware that the tidings had left our own country, one of the American savages bad already landed, and was endeavoring to procure a specimen of these ‘ grumblers’ to place it in a Museum. Burn Him (the writer evidently means Barnum) soon pro cured a fine specimen, but as soon as he saw him, he turned off with, ‘ Oh, pshaw, plenty of them at home 1’ So you see how common as well as curious they are.” Here the chapter on grumblers ends, and here my quotation ends.—It is highly im portant that every one should read the “ Tellmenow Isitsoornot,” as it contains many valuable lessons : but as everyone cannot procure a copy of it, 1 shall content myself by occasionally presenting a chapter to the readers of The Countryman.—J. 0. Harris. Politeness-Reserve. “ That politeness which we put on, in or der to keep the assuming and the presump tuous at a proper distance, will generally succeed. But it sometimes happens, that these obtrusive characters are on such ex cellent terms with themselves, that they put down this very politeness to the score of their own great merits and high preten sions, meeting the coldness of our reserve with a ridiculous condescension of familiari ty, in order to set us at ease with ourselves. To a bystander, few things are more amu sing than the cross play, underplot, and final eclaircissements which this mistake invairably occasions.” Hon. E.*Y. Hill. “There are only a Jew men,” says the La Grange Reporter, “ whose manners are naturally elegant. There are only a very feio whose suavity of manners come from the heart, and draws one irresistibly to them. We have seen but few persons in whom there was not, at times, something repulsive, even when they are naturally endowed with the gifts of a good heart, and a generous and noble nature. The most remarkable instance of natural and inartistic elegance of manners which ever came under our own limited observation, was in the person of our late fellow-cifcrzen, the Hon. Edward Y. Hill. His intercourse with all men was ever cordial, unostenta tious, and affable. His natural, dignified, and courteous demeanor to the humblest man, the slave not excepted, was the em bodiment of all that was elegant and re fined in the highest sense of the term. Such a man we honor while living, and revere his memory when dead.” “ We are much nearer loving those who hate us, than those who love us more than we desire.” Confederate Constitution. “A New Yorker writing in Frazer’s Magazine, says hut for the 5th wheel of an ‘ electoral college’ it is impossible to im prove on the Confederate Constitution : Admitting the theory of self-government upon which this Constitution is founded to be the best possible system for ‘ promoting the greatest good of the greatest number,’ we know not where to look for anything wiser or freer in the shape of an organic in stillment of government. It contains the saving element of English conservatism strained, as it were, through the hands of Washington and Hamilton, with a liberal infusion of the democracy of France admin istered by Jefferson, Madison and Monroe. Conservative, yet elastic, it restrains with out oppressing, and protects, without in fringing, the equal rights and liberties of an equal people. It is eminently calcula ted in every provision and feature to ‘ es tablish justice, insure domestic tranquility, = and to secure the blessings of liberty’ to the present and future generations ; ‘ a combi nation and a form,’ of Government that the proudest citizen of the Confederacy may be equally proud to administer or support— to execute or obey.— Esto perpetua.” Glory and Vain Glory. <• The Christian does not pray to be de livered from glory, but from vain-glory. He also is ambitious of glory, and a candi date for honor. But glory, in whose esti mation ? honor, in whose judgment 1 Not of those, whose censures can take nothing from his innocence; whose approbation can take nothing from his guilt, whose opinions are as fickle as their actions; and their lives as transitory as their praise ; who cannot search his heart, seeing that they are igno rant of their owu. The Christian then seeks Ms glory in the estimation, and his honor in the judgment of Him alone, who, ‘ From the bright Empyrean where he aits, High throned above all height, casts down his eye, His own works, and man’s works, at once to view.” Civil and Criminal Codes of England. “ England, with a criminal code the most bloody, and a civil code the most expensive in Europe, can, notwithstanding, boast of more happiness and freedom than any oth er country under heaven. The reason is, ttiat despotism, and all its minor, ramifica tions of discretionary power, lodged in the hands of individuals, is utterly unknown. The laws are supreme.” “ Our wisdom is no less a.t fortune’s mer cy than our wealth.” “ In jealousy thero is less love than self- love.” *