The Georgia temperance crusader. (Penfield, Ga.) 1858-18??, January 28, 1858, Image 3

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LITERARY temperance (^nniader. PENEIELD, GEORGIA. L. LINCOLN VEAZEY Editor. THURSDAY MORNING, JANUARY 28,1858. men think in sentences, others in chapters. One might write a startlingly brilliant paragraph, and yet be the dullest of book-makers. thanks to Mrs. Dennard for her nice present of bridal cakes. May life press to her lips its purest draughts of peace, health and hap piness. jQp-The February number of Godey’s Lady- Book has made its appearance promptly. Its nu merous and well arraned fashionged plates under it a useful manuel to the ladies. Price $2,00. fjgHftad books are dangerous companions, but not so bad as bad men. The former corrupt the heart and vitiate the principles; the latter lead their victim on to the performance of deeds’ of wickedness. requires clouds, rain, wind and sunshine to make the varied seasons of the year, and to produce in perfection its fruits. So do all the changes of fortune to which man is subjected on earth, tend to elevate his faculties and fit him for Heaven. g®*Peterson's Magazine is deservedly one of the most popular of American Monthlies. The February number, now before us, is gotten up in handsome style, in every particular. Price $2,00 a year. 3 copies $5,00. HaT'Harper’s Magazine for February is a most interesting number of that nonpareil of month lies. The articles on “Constantinople,” “Cen tral Africa” and “the Marriage Tragedy” are pa pers well worth the perusal. The Harper Litera ture is the very best now published in our coun try. ■ f®“Some friend has favored us with a prospec tus of the Bowden Collegiate Institute. This school seems to be enjoying a high degree of pub lic favor in western Georgia and the adjoining counties of Alabama. Messrs. Richardson & Mc- Daniel have established for themselves the repu tation of thoroughly efficient teachers. Ex-President Anson Jones committed suicide at Houston, Texas, on the morning of the 13th inst. The causes which led to this fatal result are un known. This is the second great man4hat Texas has lost within the last twelve months. The a larmingly increasing frequency of suicide would seem to falsify our claim to the title of a happy people. Giving Advice & a matter of extreme delicacy and importance, requiring the exercise both of the judgment and the best feelings of the heart. The power of individual opinion is thus brought directly to bear, and its immediate results may be easily seen and calculated. Perhaps an ex pression of opinion in this manner carries with it more influence than under any other circumstance. In a multitude of cases we know this is so. The exhortations of the Pulpit are advice often deliv ered in the most solemn manner; yet, in the great majority of instances it is not taken as such. All may listen, admit the truth of every remark, but each will kindly pass it to his next neighbor. When, however, it is brought down to individ uals and the words of counsel fall directly on the ears of the one for whom they were especially in tended, it is different. They then possess a force and significancy which never do under any other circumstances. “ Advice unsought is always unwelcome.” The age and truth of this remark has made it an aph orism. It is more especially true of that which is contrary to the recipient’s previous inclinations. Many have not the discrimination to distinguish it from rebuke or criminations. It is like-telling a man of his faults; no friendship, however sin cere or long continued, can ever assure your safe ty. It is far better for both parties that such counsel should be withheld. Some persons seem possessed with such a spirit of giving advice, that they bestow the benefit of their wisdom indiscriminately on all whom they meet, be they friends or strangers. They appear to think their notions of what is prudent or cor rect far superior to all others, and are surprised if any should be so self-willed as to disobey their dictates. Their mission is to rule the world— not by war, diplomacy or the arts of intrigue. Such methods are left for more ambitious and ingenious spirits. They seek empire by the more unassuming method of inducing people to adopt their views and opinions of things by an appear ance of lofty wisdom—sometimes of superior sanc tity. If such men have good sense (they seldom have) they are hated; if they have not, they are simply despised. Among our erring, fallable race, we often see individuals to whom we would think it a bless ing to give our counsel. But we must be careful in the manifestation of oxir benevolent intentions. With the very best motives, we may, in an at tempt to do an act of kindness, make an enemy for life. “He is out at night” is one of the very worst remarks that can be made in regard to a young man’s character. It is all the worse from its vagueness. Every folly and vice to which the young are addicted, or the old confirmed, seem to be summed up in that one expression, “ out at night.” Peering forth into the darkness from a chamber window, where the lamp or cheerful blaze on the hearthstone throws a light, the im agination peoples the midnight gloom with ten thousand goblin forms. So do unnumbered sus picions of unnamed vices cling around the char acter of the youth, who evening after evening is away from home. This is not unreasonable. No good purpose can produce, or no good result follow, from such a habit. Occasionally, the claims of benevo lence may call the young man out at niglM. He may go with the purest motives of charity to watch beside the couch of suffering, amid the haunts of misery. Such persons, however, are not those whose reputations are ruined by their nocturnal excursions. They are oftenest found amid scenes where they take their initiative steps down the road of ruin. No young man can offer a valid excuse for be ing habitually abroad at night. Many may plead the dulness of their homes during the long even ings of winter, without any interesting compan ions to solace their loneliness. In these cases, books, or at least newspapers (which almost any may afford) will prove a valuable substitute for company. But in any cape, it is far better to set by one’s own fireside, fold the hands and do no thing, than to frequent the haunts of idleness and vice. Young man, you who stay out until the small hours of the morning, and then steal into your r home like a thief, quit that practice. You are •beginning blindly one end of a road, but think not whither it will lead. It may now seem pleas ant to the eye, and its sounds may charm the ear; yet, will it end In a nroxen shame and ruin. XDVCATIOM. ¥e propose at present to consider some of those evils in our educational system which have resulted from the practice of teachers. For all oi these they are not to be held solely responsible. Many of them have had their origin in a desire on their part to please the public or cater to the prejudices of their patrons; some in the failure of parents to co-operate with teachers in oarrying out a wholesome discipline; and many in the indolence or inefficiency of the teachers them sleves. It is notoriously the fact, however, that most persons attribute all the wrong which they acknowledge to exist to teachers, without assign ing other parties any portion. The multitude of Text-books used in our schools has long been felt to be a great and growing evil. There is no branch of study pursued by youth which has not half a dozen books by as many different authors. Os these every teacher has his preferences, and if left to his own free will, he permits no other to be used. This might do well enough, if the pupil never had but one teacher; but when a change is made every year, it is a drawback on his advancement. He commences, for instance, with English Grammar, and in the course o’* eight or ten months has made what he considers very fair progress in an acquaintance with the science. But the next year another in cumbent occupies the scholastic chair. He grave ly informs the student that his time has been thrown away in attempting to master Murray’s Grammar; that Smith’s, or Kirkham’s, or Green leaf’s, or some other grammar is the only one worthy of his attention. Thus, between the teachers and the book-maker, a year, or perhaps two, is literally lost to the pupil. The fault lies between them, and it is difficult to any which is the more to blame. There is another evil about these books. The authors of works for the use of schools, of course, feel interested in making books which will sell, and it is unfortunately the case that youth have too much voice in deciding what work they will use. Those will be most popular with them that cost them the least labor to master. The book makers are fully apprised of this fact and turn it to practical account in their business. Every branch of study has been simplified to its extreme limit; some to such an extent that they have lost all their utility in disciplining and strengthening the mind. The path of science has Become so plain and easy that the veriest dunce over whom the genius of dulness ever held sway need not err therein. Fools no longer stick at the 44 Pons Aa inoruih” ; a causeway is provided for [ their pas sage; and if they cannot pass that, sonae friendly hand is ready to lift them over. With such a list of Text-books, need we be astonished that we have college graduates who are grossly ignorant of the sciences with which they claim am intimate acquaintance? Teachers, as a general thing, pay toa little re gard to the individual talents of those whom they instruct. Few of them ever devote muoh of their attention to analysing the characters of their pu pils, with a view to ascertain their respective powers ot mind. All are subjected to the same regimen and carried through a prescribed course of study, without reference to their taste or abili ties. In fact, care is taken to impress upon the minds that it is especially their duty to pursue those studies for which they have no natural fondness. This, it is said, will strengthen the in tellect and develope all its faculties in due pro portion. This, however, is not the case. Nature has given some bent to the mind of every one, and all efforts made against that, must be, to a great extent, in vain. A skilful teacher who makes a study of the character of those whom he Instructs, can do more good in a year than one of these blunderers could in a dozen. They will not be turned out upon the world at the age of maturity without the slightest idea as to the occupation for which they are best fitted. Multitudes of young men have their prospects for a life of unefulness blasted at this very point. They have not stud ied their own characters, and their education has not imparted to them a knowledge of th eir pow ers. They feel the necessity of doing something without any definite notion of what they are best able to do. In this extremity, they take up what ever comes to hand, (as the expression goes,) and in the great majority of cases, this neither brings them honor or profit, or makes them useful to society. We are aware that the plan of classifying has many able advocates and that many plausible ar guments may be advanced in its favor. It light ens the burden of the teacher, exebes emulation and incites many to a far higher degree of energy and perseverence than could be accomplished by any other means. All these advantages ar® cheer fully admitted. Yet, there are a multitude of instances in which it is far more injurious than beneficial, and the teacher should endeavor to ascertain which these are. Two pupils may be in the same state of advancement and no great disparity exist in point of talent, yet both be in jured by being classed together. A teacher who is in every way qualified for his business will not commit such blunders as this, though the amount of his leisure might be doubled or trebled there by- One of the greatest errors which teachers com mit arises from the manner in which the rates of tuition have been fixed. An old custom has es tablished low charges for the primary and ele mentary branches, and an increase as thn schol ars become more advanced. Hence, the teacher is pecuniarily interested in the rapid advance ment of his pupils. Under the influence of this stimulus, he urges them forward with a much greater rapidity than their abilities would author ize, or a regard for their real interest would per mit. Long before they have become good spel lers or readers they are thumbing the pages of a Latin or Greek Grammar. When they should be practising the parsing exercises in English Gram mar, they are employed in making a nonsensical jargon of some of Cicero’s oration# or the Iliad of Homer. They may, themselves, become eventu ally conscious of their deficiences in these ele mentary and more important branches; but then a feeling of pride prevents an effort to supply them. As the result of all this, many of those who are termed accomplished scholars oannot write a dozen sentences without as many errors in orthography, and perhaps as many in gram matical construction. Some even advance the foolish notion that it is a mark of ignorence to know how to spell well. A partial remedy may be found for this evil in the custom which many communities have adop ted of paying their teacher a stated salary. There would then seem to be no motive for an impru dent advancement of pupils. But many are de sirous that their employers shall lose nothing, and will make efforts to increase the amount of tui tion to accomplish that end. In such cases, of course, the blame lies wholly with the teacher. Undue ambition is just as surely productive of evil in a school teacher ns in a statesman or war rior. This is a failing which prevails to a very, great extent in almost all our schools of any note. Teachers are entirely too anxious to achieve rep utations. For this they will waste two or three months of every year in order to get up a fine ex amination or exhibition, which can only give eclat to themselves without any possible advan tage to the scholars. These are gotten up affairs —their oft repeated assertion to the contrary, notwithstanding; and it requires no inconsidera ble Aw—* of time and labor to jsa*-* 1 -— so far from this, they are, in a multitude of in stances, positively deleterious. Had we time and space, we might point out several other evils that have arisen entirely, or in part, from the practices of teachers. But enough for the present. Despite its many defects, our school system has produced, does and will pro duce many able men and accomplished scholars. This reflection, however, should not influence any one tA refrain from an attempt at a reforma tion. It ought rather to have the contrary effect. If our system has been able to accomplish thus much under circumstances of great disadvantage, it could certainly do more when relieved of these defects. It is only by one long and united effort of all classes that our educational system can be raised to a degree of perfection worthy of the progressive tendencies of the age. The Lond n Times is out in a long article which shows quite a change of sentiment in that jour nal, in regard to the Slave Trade. The fatal re sults of emancipation in the West Indies haye opened the eyes of British political economists, and are likely to stop the cries of false philan’ thropista. If we may judge from their leading periodicals, the revival of the slave trade is a much more popular measure in Great Britain than in the United States. A writer in Black wood advocates the enslavement of the revolted Sepoys of India. The French are desirous of re plenishing the s’ave population of their West In dia colonies, by fresh importations from Africa, and are now mediating with the British Govern ment to connive at the undertaking, it will be a great blessing to the world when men become convinced by practical experience that slavery is a necessary condition to the well being of soci ety. 10* It is impossible to estimate the amount of falsehood that is put forth in the world in the form of obituaries. Persons whose moral charac ters while*living had assumed the most degraded stamp, are panegyrized when dead as exemplars of all that is good and noble in human nature. So notorious has this practice become, that these notices have a set phraseology, and one form may very well do for all, the changes of time and name being the only necessary alterations. There are few forma of falsehood that can be more deleterious. If posthumous fame is worth anything, it is as an incentive to virtuous action on the part of the living. But when praise is be stowed so universally, it loses all force. Let a man know that his conduct will be applauded, be it what it may, and he will have few induce ments to behave well. We have no doubt that many who thus eulo gise the dead, do so from the best of motives, without designing injury to any one. We all have a natural repugnance to drawing the frail ties of the dead from their dread abode. We must do this, however, if we would have the his tory of the past to be useful to fut ure general ions. The faults of the departed should be pointed out, not in a spirit that seems to rejoice over the errors of human nature; but in language of warn ing that others may avoid the shoals upon which these have been wrecked. CLIPPED ITEMS. A line may be remembered when a chapter i* forgotten, Hon. Leander W. Crook, of Whitfield county, has been elected Judge of the Superior Court of the Chero kee Circuit; and Hon. Nathan L. Hutchins, Judge of the Superior Court of the Western Circuit. Signor Ronconi, agent of one of the opera companies performing in Havana, drew the capital prize of $30,000, in the Lottery of the 15th ult., in that city. The num ber of his ticket was 11,794. Col. Williams, of Tennessee, who was appointed Min ister to Constantinople, has refused to accept the posi tion, and withdrawn his application. Lord Bacon is said to have frequently told the follow ing anecdote : “ A proud, lazy young fellow, once came to an old man who sold broom besoms at Buxton, and asked to; have one on credit, to whom the old man said, * Friend, haßt thou no money ? Borrow of thy back and borrow of thy belly—they’ll ne’er B9k thee again; I shall be dunning thee every day.’ ” A Chinese woman, surprised by her husband, had just time to hide her gallant in a sack, and set it up against a wall. The good man, coming in, asked, “ what is there in that sack?” The woman was eonfused, and hesitated a moment for an answer. The gallant, afraid she would blunder, called out from the inside of the sack, “ Nothing but rice.” “ ’Tis strange,” muttered a young man, as he stag gered home from a supper party, “ how evil communi cations corrupt good manners : I’ve been surrounded by tumblers all tne evening, and now I’m a tumbler my self.” It is stated that upwards of seventy-five thousand dol lars have already been raised, and put out on interest, of the sum required for the purchase of Mount Vernon. Two hundred thousand dollars is the sum demanded for the land and buildings. At the present term of the Supreme Court, the fol lowing gentlemen were admitted members of the bar : WhitsonG. Johnson, of Augusta; S. P. Hamilton, and James Ganahl, Esqs., of Savannah. Alexander Dumas receives twenty cents a line for“his romances. One of his constant readers estimates that he has received twenty-five thousand francs for the sin gle line : “ A cold perspiration stood upon the fore head of the countess,” which occurs in most of his stories. A young gentleman, the other day, asked of a yourg lady, “what she thought of the married state in gen eral ?” “ Not knowing, I cannot tell,” was the reply; “ but if you and I would put our hands together, I could soon give you a definite answer.” In a street fight which occurred in Tampa, Fla., on Monday last, a man by the name of Langford was shot by one Hayward. The wound is not dangerous. A young miss in Manchester, while skating the other day, broke through the ice into twelve feet of water.— Her hooped skirt made a wide ring on the ice, and buoy ed her up until she was rescued. The total ’salaries received by the British Cabinet Ministers, is $289,000 per annum ; the amount received by the President, Vice President and Cabinet Minis ters of the'United States, is $89,000 —difference, $200,- 000 per annum. Cherokee Baptist College, at Cassville, commenced its exercises on the 11th inst., with quite a respectable number of students in attendance. The Faculty is now complete, and all at their posts.; Gov. Johnson sojourns for the present, at his planta tion in Jefferson county. His post office is *• Spier's Tuns Out.” Man may err, and be forgiven; but poor woman with all his temptation, and but half hie strength, is placed beyond the hope of earthly salvation, if she but once be tempted into.crime. A worthy magistrate, having to write the word, “us age,” spelled it without using a single letter of the original word ; his much improved orthography, was yowzitch. All reports as to character, deal largely in exaggera tion. “I never knew,” says a wise man* “one either as good or as bad as ho was represented.” Somebody says that a wife should be like roast ed lamb, tender ana nicely dressed. Somebody else wick edly adds, “ and without sauce.” Nothing can be so kind as a woman’s heart, and less likely to inflict a blow ; and yet, Btrange to say, it is never so happy as when it is beating. An editor out in lowa, says that they don’t brag of the sise of their babies, but they are a most uncommon Bure crop. Great and rare heart offerinas are found almost exclu sively among women; nearly all the happiness and most blessed moments in love, are of their creating, and so also is friendship, especially when it follows love. Crime is progressive, and its insidious approaches should be carefully watched and resisted at the very threshhold. There are no compromises to be made with it. There is no safety save in entire and complete non intercourse with it, in all ita alluring phases. A Horse-dealer, describing a used-up horse, said he looked “ as if he had been editing a daily nowßpaper !” That was a wise nigger who, in speaking of the hap- Einess of married people, aaid, “ dat ar ‘pend pltogedder ow de enjoy themselves.” “ Nat, what are you leaning over that empty cask for f” “ I’m’ mourning over departed spirits /, was the answer. Never confide in a young man; new pails leak. Never tell your secrets to the aged; old doors seldom shut closely. To prevent a kitchen dootire— mnfifc’TTT , CH< CHOICE SELECTIONS. R9"The following extract is taken from the charming work lately published by Mrs. LeVert, entitled “ Souvenirs of travel.” No one can fail to admire its touching simplicity and the kind* benevolent heart it betrays: A pleasant little incident attended our depart ure, which I must tell you. Last night, until after two, we were on the mountain, and as we came doWn, it was very dark. A little boy about ten years old, clothed in rags, ran before the horses to light up the road. After passing the ‘Witches’ Cave,’ there was no more danger of ‘toppling o’er the prieipice,’ and we directed the courier to take the child in the barouche, and stow him away under the feet of the coachman ; whereupon the courier and coachman declared it was needless to do so, as a lazaroni boy was accus tomed to all kinds of fatigue and hardship. By the expiring flame of the torch, I saw the wear ied face and appealing eyes of the little creature and commanded them to take him un, They re luctantly did so, muttering at the mistaken kind nes of the Signora, which they deemed sadly wasted upon such an atom of creation. When We reached the hotel the child was asleep and the coachmen threw him out as one would do a littld puppy, while he shook his rags and pre pared to run on. M. D. called him, and gave him a five franc piece, when he turned to me saying: ‘Please, good Signora, tell me what this is ; I nev er saw so much money before.* There was such a look of intelligence in his countenance, that af ter he was gone, I questioned the coachman about him, who looked incredulously at me, that it was possible to feel an interest in a vagrant like him. However as I asked, he told me that many years ago he had discovered this child was in the habit of creeping into his stable and sleeping upon the hay every night. Catching him there one morn ing, he inquired where he came from and the boy answered that he had never known a father or mother, and his first remembrance was crawl ing about the streets near our coachman’s stable, and after dark stealing in there. His only food had been bones thrown him by the other beggars who passed from successful forays upon the neighboring kitchens. As he had no name, he gave him that of Rafaello , and permission to sleep with the horses ; and when the child grew larger, he permitted him to rub the horses, and to hold torches for the carriage, when he drove up the mountain at night. “Poor little being ! no human creature to care for him !” I involuntariedly cried. The coach man shrugged his shoulders as he said, “Bah ! Signora ! why should you care ? it is the fate of these lazaroni. They are born in the streets, they live in the streets, (never sleeping under the roof of a house during all their lives) and they die in the street—then are thrown into a deep hole, like a dog.” The lustrous eyes of Bafaello really haunted me all night, and his pitiable story was often in my mind. Immediately after breakfast we enter ed our vettura, and drove away from the hotel. As we turned the corner, we heard a voice calling out, “Stop ! Stop !” Supposing we had left some of our property in the apartments, we stopped ; when little Rafaello ran up to the side of the car riage, exclaiming, “Pray, Signora, make them open the door.” This was done, when the child sprang upon the steps and said, “Please let me kiss your hand; you are the first and only person who ever spoke one kind word to little Rafaello.” Then seizing my hand, he kissed it several times, and pressed it to his little throbbing heart, then jumped down, and disappeared from our sight in an instant. You may well imagine how this affected me, and how the tears poured from my eyes, as I vain ly called him back. Never to have heard but one kind word ! and that only the common expres sion of sympathy, that I would give to a cat or dog I saw trampled upon and abused. And the child, too, Mamma, was beautiful, as I looked at him standing on the steps of the carriage. His features were classically regular, his moutn exqui site, and his jet black hair matted in close curls around his head. The glowing and radiant ex pression of soul and feeling which lighted up his face can never be forgotten. lam sure this child is of noble blood, possibly the offspring of an un hallowed love, too fervid and daring for the con ventionalities of the world, and whom the fear of shame and disgrace has actuated to this cruel act of inhumanity, in yielding up the creature of their passion to a living death. Aim IE LATJBIE. “If you want to hear Annie sing, come to my house,” said a man to his friend. “We have a love-lorn fellow in the village who was sadly wrecked by the refusal of a girl from whom he had been paying attention to for a year or more. It is seldom he will attempt the song, but when he does, I tell you, it draws tears from eyes unused to weeping.” A small selected company had assembled in a small pleasant parlor, and were gaily chatting and laughing when a tall young man entered, whose peculiar face and air instantly arrested the attention. He was very pale, with that clear viv id complexion, which dark haired consumptives so often have. His locks were as black as jet, and hung profusely upon a square white collar.— His eyes were very large and spiritual, and his brow such an one as a poet should have. But for a certain wandering look, a casual observer would have pronounced him a man of uncommon intel lectual powers. The words “poor fellow and “how sad he looks,” went the rounds as he came for ward, bowqd to the company and took his seat.— One or two thoughtless girls laughed as they whis pered he was “love cracked”—but ,the rest treat ed him with a respectful deference. It was late in the evening when singing was proposed, and to ask him to sing ‘Annie Laurie’ was a task of uncommon delicacy. One song af ter another was sung, and at last that one was named. At its mention the young man turned deadly pale, but did not speak; he seemed in stantly to be lost in reverie. “The name of the girl who treated him so badly was Annie,” said a lady whispering to the new guest—but oh ! I wish he would sing it; nobody else can do it justice.” “No one dares .sing Annie Laurie before you Charles” said an elderly lady ; “would it be too much to ask you to favor the company with it ?” she added timidly. He did not reply for a moment, his lips quiver ed a little, and then looking up as if he saw a spiritual presence he began. Every sound was hushed—it seemed as if his voice were the voice of an angel. The tones vibrated through nerve, and pulse, and heart, and made one shiver with the pathos of his feelings ; never was heard mel ody in a human voice like that —so plaintive, so soulful—so tender and earnest! He sat With his head thrown back, his eyes half closed—the locks of hair glistening against his pale temples, his fine throat swelling with the rich tones, his hands lightly folded before him ; and ashesung— “And ’twas there that Annie Laurie Gave me her promise true —’ ’ it seemed as if he shook from head to foot with emotion. Many a lip trembled —and there was no jesting, no laughing ; but instead, tears in more than one eye. And on he sang, and on, holding every one in rapt attention, till he came to the last verse. “Like dew on the gowan lying la the fa’ of theiairy feet— And like winds in summer sighing, Her voice ia low and sweet, Her voice ia low and sweet And aha’a a’ the world to me—” He paused before he added “And for bonnie Annie Laurie. I’d lay me down and die.” There was a long solemn pause. The black locks seemed to grow blacker —the white temples winter almost imperceptibly the head falling back the eyes were close shut. One glanced at anoth er all seemed awe struck* till the same person who urged him to sing: Charles, Charles! Then came a hush—a thrill of horror crept through every frame— the poor tired heart had ceased to beat—Charles the love betrayed was dead. Why not gently chide the erring heart, and speak words of peace, hope and comfort, as you point to the beaming Star of Bethlehem, and a haven of rest far beyond : instead of crushing the already stricken spirit with sneers and re proaches, as you gather up your dainty robes and say, “stand aside, I am holier than thou?” Re member, that form now bowed before you with a wail of misery, was once erect and full of glad life as thine The heart you now crush may have t-Wnenn and rung as joyous a And chide woe, by your cold un- LAPIES’ OLIO. PICTURES IH THI FIRE. “It’s a shame, I declare!” And little Mrs. Ray threw herself into a low chair before the fire, with her pretty eyes full of tears, as her better half banged tha door behind him. Such a beautiful silk dress ! such a bargain, too 1 And only twenty-five dollars ! To think that Henry should deny her such a trifle ! She thought how bright its lustrous purple folds had looked, as the sly shopman held it up in the sun and how becoming it would be to her pale, clear complexion ! Only twenty-five dollars ! Then as if in a dream the crowded rooms at Stewart's seemed to pass away from her vision, and another picture took its place amid the red glow ing coals of the grate. It was a dark, gloomy coun ting-house in a narrow business street, and she saw her husband pallid, worn and weary, bending with contracted brow above a massive ledger, and sighing over long, unsatisfactory accounts. The flames danced up with long purple shoots of fire—and another scene gradually opened among the white-hot embers. A woman struggling through the streets, against fierce winds and blind ing snow, pale, famished and despairing ; and not one woman, but scores—all her sisters in the family of humanity ! And they were perishing for lack of a crust of bread— only a crust of bread! Then followed a shadowy procession of flitting images—gaunt and tattered wretches bending over lonley death-beds, where want and poverty wrestled at the threshold with the grim destroy er himself—solitary graves where the flame of life had gone out %r lack of comforts which a few pence might suffice to buy, and weary figures toil ing night and day to secure the merest pittance that might keep soul and body together. The little jeweled clock on the carved mantle struck ten with a silvery echo, and at the same instant a cheerful, manly voice roused little Mrs. Ray from her revery. _ “Why, Fanny, love, what is the matter ? Sit ting all alone in the fire-light, and crying! Here are your twehty-five dollars, my litle wife ; it’s a mere trifle, and I was wrong not to indulge you in the first place.” Mrs Ray put her arms softly round her hus band’s neck, and leaned her head on his shoul der. “I don’t want the silk dress any more Henry. But I’ll take the money and lay it out for those whose need is greater far than mine. May I ?’’ “May you ? What a question, my love ! But what has put this idea into your little head Y* “ I don’t know,” said the young wife, looking into his face through a soft mist of tears, “but I think it was the pictures in the fire !” Shirley. t&* On a very pretty girl’s saying to Leigh Hunt, “I am very sad you see,’ he replied, “Oh, no ; you belong to the other Jewish sect ; you are very fair I sec /” Runaway Matches in Kentucky to be Preven ted. -The following we copy from the Frankfort correspondence of the Louisville Courier: A bill to prevent runaway matches was repor ted to the House this morning, by Mr. Houston, of Clark. It commends itself to the prayerful consideration of all young men ambitious for pay ing for some young lady’s board and hooped skirt acoats. Its main provisions are : Ist, fine and imprisonment for running away with a young la dy under 18 years of age and not marrying her; 2d, if he does marry her he cannot get any of her property until she becomes of age, &c. It was made the special order for Wednesday. Young spooneys who cannot live without “dear Mary Ann,” had better notify the “being” and hurry up the cakes before Mr. Houston’s bill becomes a law. It is the fashion now for the old folks to refuse their consent to all would-be-sons-in-law. This is not because they have any real objection ty “Chawls,” but because they are too stingy to give a wedding party. A SISTER’S LOVE. There is no purer flame kindled upon the altar of human affection than a sister’B pure, uncon taminated love for her brother. It is unlike all other affection ; so disconnected with selfish sen suality, so feminine in its development, so digni fied, and yet, withal, so fond, so devoted. Noth ing can alter it; nothing can suppress it. The world may revolve, and its revolutiou effect changes in the fortunes, in the character, and in the disposition of her brother ; yet if he wants, whose hand will so readily stretch out to supply him as a sister’s. And if his character is malign ed, whose voice will so readily swell in its advo cacy ? Next to a mother’s unquenchable love, a sister’s is pre-eminent. It rests so exclusively up on the tie of consanguinity for its subsistence, it is so wholly divested of passion, and springs from such a deep recess in the human bosom, that when a sister once fondly and deeply regards her brother, that affection is blended with her exis tence. In all the annals of crime it is considered anomalous to find the hand of a sister raised in revenge against her brother, or her heart nurtur ing the seeds of hatred, envy or revenge, in re gard to that brother. The opinion of relatives as to a man’s pow ers are very commonly of little value ; not mere ly because they overrate their own flesh and blood as some may suppose ; on the contrary, they are quite as likely to underrate those whom they have grown to the habit of considering like them selves. Spicy Correspondence—A True Wife. We are assured by a friend who is personally cognizant of what he states, that the following piquant correspondence is genuine. A gentleman whose business calls him a good deal from home, is accustomed to give the custody of his corres pondence to his wife, an intelligent lady, who, in obedience to instructions, opens all letters that come in her husband’s absence; answer such of them as she can, like a confidential clerk, and forwards the rest to her leige lord at such places as he may have designated at his departure. Dur ing a recent absence of her husband, the lady re ceived a letter, of which the following (omitting names, dates, and places,) is a true copy : “My Dear Sir: I saw a fine picture of you yes terday and fell in love w’lth it, as I did with the original in W last winter, when I saw you more than an hour, though I suppose you did not see me among so many. I fear you will think me forward in thus addressing you: but I trust you are as noble and unsuspecting as you are handsome and brilliant. Perhaps you would like to know something about me—your ardent admi rer ! Well, I am not very good at description, but I will say I am not married, (though you are, lam told.) My friends tell me I have not a pret ty face, but only a good figure. lam rather petite, have black eyes, black hair, and dark complex tion—that is, lam a ‘brunette.’ lam stopping for a few weeks with my brother-in-law and sister in this town and I dearly wish you would meet me there before I return to W . At any rate do not fail to write me at least a few words to tell me whether I shall ever see you again, and know you more intimately. Forgive my boldness, and believe me, Your friend, - —. To this letter the wife, who, by the by, has not the least knowledge of the person to whom she was writing, made the following answer: “Mademoiselle : Your letter of the inst., addressed to Mr.—, was duly received. Mr.—, who is my husband, directed me, when he left home some days ago, to open all his letters, and to answer any of them that I conveniently could. As you sewned to be rather impatient, I will an swer your letter myself. Ido not think your de scription of yourself will please Mr.—. I hap pen to know that he dislikes black eyes, and hates brunettes most decidedly. It is quite true (asyou seem to suppose) that he judges of women as he does of horses; but 1 do not think you* inventory of your ‘point’ is complete enough to be satisfac tory to him. You omit to mention your height, weight, wind, speed, and [here the word is illegi ble. I Taking your charms at your own estimate, I doubt whether they will prove sufficiently at tractive to draw him so far as B merely for the satisfaction of comparing them with the sched ule. You say you trust ihy husband is ‘unsuspec ting.’ I think that is his naturq,*but yet he is used to drawing inferences, which Are sometimes as unkind as suspicious. You say you are un married. My advice to you is that you marry somebody soon as possible. In most cases I would not recommend haste; but in yours I’am convin ced there is truth in the proverb which speaks of the danger of delay. Should you be so fortunate as to get a husband (which may God mercifuly grant!) my Opinion is that you will consider any woman, who would write him such a letter as this of yours, impertinent, and perhaps, immodest. “ I will deliver your note to Mr.— when he returns, and also a copy of my reply, which I am sure he will approve. I am, with much respect as you permit, deMoT"’ FARMER’S COLUMI CI?niERCIAL. SAVANNAH, Jan. 26.— Cotton.—' The markH to-day. Sales amounted to 698 bales, as 84 : lat 8£ ; 3at 9; 41 at 9* ; 38 at 93 ; 76 M 1-16 ; 47 at 101; 172 at log ; 504 at 104 c. AUGUSTA, Jan.'i 27. — Cotton. —There wasH active inquiry to-day, and prices well quote for Good Middling to Middling Fair 93@H lots of all fair and choice would command lOfc. Augusta Prices Curreut. WHOLESALE PRICES. BACON.—Hams, V > 13 M Canvassed Haims, lb 16 (Wm Shoulders, lb (H Western Sides, lb 11 Clear Sides, Tenn., lb 00 (^1 Ribbed Sides, lb 14 Hog Round, new, -v lb 14 (<■ FLOUR.—Country bbl 525 Tennessee bbl 562 (cH City Mills f* bbl 575 qM Etowah 39 bbl 600 Den mead’s 39 bbl 600 Extra 39 bbl 700 (■ GRAIN.—Corn in sack 39 bush 55 Wheat, white 39 bush 1 15 Red 39 lb Oats 3& busl^^l Rye Peas Corn Meal IRON.—Swedes English, Coinnuu^M (H LARD.— qd tb li (S MOLASSES.—Cuba 39 gal 28 (|H St. Croix 39 gal 50 Sugar House Syrup 39 gal 45 (liH Chinese Syrup ‘{9 gal 40 &H SUGARS.—N. Orleans 39 tt> Porto Rico 39 lb 8 (gH Muscovado 39 lb 9 <gH Refined C 11 11 * Refined B 39 lb 11 Refined A tb 114 (all Powdered 39 lb 12 (S)H Crushed 39 lb 12 SALT.— 39 sack 100 (?■ COFFEE.—Rio 39 1b 114 ($1 Laguira 19 tb 13 @ I Java 39 lb 16 (cy A Remedy for Thumps in Hogs. Dr. Cloud —Dear Sir: I see in the August ntH her of the Planter and Soil, a communicatH from W. Huddleston of Mobile, asking if thH is any remedy for thumps'in hogs ; to which, wH your permission, I would say that 1 think thH is. I have been farming and raising Hogs oiH small scale for a number of years, and have iH quently had cases of thumps among my hogsH My remedy is to tar the corn that they eat, whiH I have never known fail to effect a cure if tH en in time. My manner of preparing the foodH simply to have a bucket of tar at my feediH ground, taring each ear of corn as I throw it ■ them. If this plan is commenced soon after ChriH mas and continued one or two months, my exyfl rience is that few if any hogs would have thum w If you think the above worthy of notice, you cH insert it in your next number. Respectfully yours, R. C. Murphy. I New Hanover County, N. C„ 1857’ . ’—Cotton Planter and <S<H Chinese Sheep. —A curious and very proliH breed of sheep has recently been introduced H this country. Mr. Smith, their late owner, sayl Three years since, three ewes from NankiH from which I obtained in 20 months, 72 sheep.B One ewe in the flock, produced 12 lambs in ■ months—three, four, andfiveat a birth, and thH commenced breeding at four-and-a-half montlß old. This breed are perfectly hardy, having eil dured the past severe winter, on my island, witfl out any shelter, producing lambs constantly which bore the cold as well as the old sheep, an! matured rapidly. They will not jump fences el ther stone or wood. The flock were separate! last season from a rye-field, by a cobble stonl wall, two-and-a-half feet high, over which the! never attempt to pass, nor can they be drivel over any description of fence. The fibre of theil wool is exceedingly strong, and the fleece heavy The mutton cannot possibly be surpassed, as it if entirely free from the strong flavor usual to sheep and is tender, juicy and delicious. The tails art broad, and when properly prepared, much re semble marrow, and form a delightful morsel foi the epicure. Eggs for Winter.— Bennet’s Poulterers’ Com panion says: “Fowls require in winter comforta ble lodgings, clean, plenty of food, pure water, gravel, lime, fine sand, and ashes to roll in.— There are two seasons of the year when hens lay, early in the spring and afterward in the summer. Spring hatched birds, if kept warm, and fed well, will commence laying about Christmas, or earlier perhaps, but in cold damp weather this may not be expected, or the condition of the fowl may pre vent her doing so. It is well known that from November to February, the very time eggs are most wanted, hens are a bill of expense, and with no profit resulting. To promote the laying pro pensity, the fecundity in the hen, she must be fed with grain, warm boiled potatoes, and more or less animal food. From August to November is the moulting period, and a critical one for all fowls; but little disposition is shown to lay, at this season, with the majority of birds ; the nu trition of the body is wasted and the egg cannot grow. Pullets do not moult the first ytar, and they commence laying before the older hens, | and by attending to the period of hatching eggs may be produced during the year. An early brood of chickens, carefully secluded from cold and wet, and fed once a day on warm boiled po tatoes, with plenty of grain, and occasionally a little animal food, may be expected to lay in the fall, or early in the winter. Coffee and Sugar.— The following statistics of the production and consumption of coffee and sugar are interesting: Brazil produces 320,000,000 pounds of coffee annually, being more than one entire half that is grown in the world. Java produces 120,000,000 pounds, Ceylon 50,000,000, San Do mingo 35,000,000, Costa Rica 9,000,000, Monclia 5,000,000 ; and the British West Indies 5,000,000. Os the 2,800,000,000 pounds of sugar produced in 1856, Brazil furnished 200,000,000 pounds, Cuba 800,000,000, British West Indies 350,000,000, and Louisana and other Gulf States 250,000,000. 34,- 000,000 pounds of maple sugar are made in the northern States in a year, and France, Belgium Germany, Austria and Russia make about 340,- 000,000 of beet sugar in a year. In consumption, Great Britain requires annually, for her coffee, tea and sweetmeats, about 836,000,000 pounds, and the United States demands some 760,000,000 pounds. New Cotton Press. —On yesterday, Dr. Randall of Burnsville, placed in our office the model of a Cotton Press, which has been examined by a num ber of cotton planters, all of whom pronounce it the very thing. We are not sufficiently acquain ted with mechanical technicalities to go into a minute description, bat we believe we are a suffi cient judge of the process of packing cotton to know whether or not this process is right, and we have no hesitancy in saying that it combines cheapness, durability and simplicity, which are sufficient to render it a press worthy of considera tion. The proof of “a pudding,” we have always heard it said, “was in chewing the bag.” Dr. Randall has packed his last crop upon a press constructed after this model, and the bales he has sent to this market, we are informed, were the heaviest received at any one of our cotton ware houses this season. The doctor intends forward ing the model to Washington for the purpose of securing a patent. We have not a doubt, but in ten years tune this press will be generally used by the cotton planters.— Selma {Ala.) Sentinel. To cure scratches on a horse, wash the legs with warm soapuds, and then beef brine. Two applications will cure in the worst case. Care of Bees.—Bees should be examined once a week all winter, to see if all is right. This is much easier than to attend to pigs, sheep and cattle three times a day, which no good former complains of. What is termed luck with bees is another name for careful and skilful manage ment. Have vou a choice Grape Cutting that you want to Grow ?—Then go to the woods, dig some roots of a wild grape vine, cut them into pieces of about six inches long, cut your choice grape vine or cut ting into pieces of only one, or at most, two buds; insert the lower end by the common cleft graft ing method, into the piece of the wild vine root; plant it in the earth, leaving the budof the cut-