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LITERARY
IJempimntc %ttsa%.
PENFIELD, GEOEGIAo
(J/fiuuetay Orffominy, &6uyu4 ip, 4 sss.
The observance of the sabbath
is at this time attracting much attention, and
is a subject upon which a great diversity of opin
ions are entertained. Some, with evident pro
clivities toward atheism, contend that it is ot hu
man origin, and should therefore be abolished;
others deny that it was set apart by Divine ap
pointment, but defend it on the ground of expe
diency, while the larger and more reasonable class
claim it to have been sacredlv instituted, according
to the literal statements of Revelation. The two
former can maintain their positions only by spec
ulative reasonings which begin and end in scepti
cism ; the latter, sustained by a “ Thus saitli the
Lord,” stand in no need of logical sophisms.
fine of the most striking proofs of the wisdom
of the decalogue is the fact that its laws form the
very ground-work of society, and no community |
can exist happily without their operation. Those ,
who deny that the prophet received them from !
Heaven, freshly impressed by the finger of Deity, j
admit that they contain the best code of ethics f
which mankind have ever known. Surpassing j
anything which human wisdom could devise, j
they are essential to the very existence of the j
race. Os none of the commandments is this more |
true than that which has set apart the Sabbath j
as a holy day. So perfectly the law accord j
with reason, that he who advocates its observance
because it shows a principle of obedience to God,
may do so, likewise, because it is a source of ben
efit to man. j
That men do need, and must have, periodic
seasons of rest and recreation, is a proposition j
which no one can successfully deny. Nothing !
but that deep-seated hatred which some men
have for the Bible and all that it contains, could
cause any one to entertain for a moment a con
trary opinion. But in this matter we are not gui
ded by abstract reasoning alone. All nations,
whatever might have been their state of civiliza
tion or religious faith, have felt the necessity for
periods of relaxation from labor, and have so di
vided their time as to make these regular in their
returns. When French Atheism swept away the
throne and the altar, it also abolished the Sab
bath. But the movement was an unfortunate
one, and soon proved itself a failure. The work
ing classes who had been accustomed to one rest i
day in seven, soon found their energies to tire j
down and wear out when they had no cessation
from toil. The decimal division of time was
adopted, but then the amount of rest was too
small, in proportion to the amount of labor.
This impious experimenting of the French peo
ple show's conclusively that, as the Sabbath was
established by a power higher than man, he can
not abolish it at his pleasure. He may say by
statutes, “Thou shalt not be;” but there is a ne
cessity for it in his ow r n nature which, however
much he may deprecate, he cannot overcome. :
The utility of the Sabbath being established,
•and its divine origin admitted, the question next !
arises as to the manner of its observance. In ref
erence to this, there is a diversity of opinion, and
much difference in practice. Some hold that it
should be made a day of amusement and rejoic
ing, while others contend for all that sanctity
with which it was invested by the ancient Jews, j
What the Xew T Testament explicitly teaches is a t
just mean between these extremes. “ The Sab
bath was made for man, and not man for the
Sabbath;” hence, though it is not a time for j
labor or festivity, works of mercy and necessity
are no desecrations of its purity. Yet, there is
great danger of permitting the idea of necessity
to include too much. Thousands who believe (
the Sabbath to be a holy day, and are actuated j
by a desire to do what is right, are guilty of its
violation at its every return from this very cause.
They convert it into a day for visiting or receiv
ing visits, and then induce themselves to believe
that the preparations which they are compelled
to make are works of necessity. In rural dis
tricts where population is sparse, this is to a great
extent unavoidable, and this apparent disregard
of the day is less indicative of immorality than
would seem. But in our cities and larger towns,
the open and habitual desecrations of the Sabbath
are unpardonable, and afford an infallible indica
tion of a low state of morals.
We agree, in general, with the maxim that j
men cannot be legislated into morality; but we |
contend that immorality can be restrained, and j
positive vice prevented, by law. In accordance ]
with this view, we think more stringent methods 1
should be adopted to enforce, at least, a respect
ful observance of the Sabbath in our large cities, j
In Paris it is not distinguished from any other j
day save by the increased liveliness of the streets !
and the more busied activity about the shops of
tradesmen. In New York, the state of things is
almost as bad. Not more than one-tenth of the
denizens of that metropolis ever attend church at
all. Liquor shops and dry good stores may be
found in any number as boldly open and as
thickly thronged .vith customers as on Monday
or Wednesday. This ought not so to be. Men,
in this country, cannot be compelled to go to
church and listen to the preaching of the Gospel, |
or to stay at home and read their Bibles; but J
they can and ought to be compelled to close their ;
doors, desist from their vocations and pay a show !
of respect to this day which tlie Supreme Ruler
of the universe hath appointed.
But we degrade the Sabbath when we consider
it merely a day of rest—a pause in which body
and spirit may gather new energies. It is some :
thing nobler than this. Commemorative of the
greatest event which the universe has ever wit
nessed, it possesses a positive, active, evangelizing
influence. The labor for filthy lucre and the toil
which ambition imposes, cease, and the man can
hold communion with his own soul, and contem
plate its higher destiny. He reads himself, and
finds his need of a stronger support and a fuller
source of comfort than the world can give. This
sacred day, if it be rightly employed, and the
heart be opened to all the holy influences it can
exert, will bring the purest joys which, while mor
tal, he can know. Let every man thank God for
the Sabbath, nor murmur at the requirement of
its strict observance. It Will render him better
and happier on earth, and prepare him for Heaven.
Wife-Pinching.— The Hartford Free Press gives
the following synopsis of a case which occurred
at Bristol, Connecticut:
A man—call him Smith—went to the bed and
wanted the bedroom door left open. His wife
thought the weather cool enough to shut it. She
went to bed an hour after, but before the dispute (
was settled he pinched her. They both went to
sleep, and the next day she went home to her fa
ther. She complained to the grand juror, and
Smith was fined $6 and costs. Smith appealed
>to the Superior Court. His defense was that she
threw her leg that way and hit a boil from which
he was suffering, and that he merely struck out
to save himself. Two lawyers on each side were
engaged.
‘Hie Earl of Carlisle has been employing his
time, since he resigned the lord-lieutenancy of
Ireland, in the consideration of theological sub
jects, and the result has been the production of a
work, entitled “The Second Vision of Daniel.” j
file people of Lee county, have deter
mined, by vote, to keep ’heir court house at
Starkesville.
| A man by the name of Claiborne Vaughn was
i recently killed in a row at the Wildcat court
j ground in Forsyth county.
Dr. Wm. Rav, of Pulaski county, was drowned
j 01 * Hie Oth insfc., while bathing in a mill pond
; with some of his young friends.
The Degree of L. L. D. was conferred on Wm. B.
| Hodgson Esq., of Savannah, by his Alma Mater ,
Princeton College, at the late commencement
The LaGrange Reporter , of the loth inst., an
nounces the death of Maj. George Hard, an old
and respected citizen of Troup county, in the 73d
; year of his age.
-
Peterson's Magazine for September is at hand,
with all its varied attractions—pictures, fasbion
i plates, music and patterns. Published by C. J.
Peterson, Philadelphia, at S2 a-vear.
We learn from the Macon papers that a grand
ball will be given at the Indian Springs, on the
15th inst. The Telegraph says it is expected to be
j a grand affair, the like of which has not been j
seen it that region for many a day.
<<■ —-
Godey's Lady's Book for September is punctually
jon our table. The illustrations of this number
i are not so elegant as this magazine ordinarily
I presents. Godey maintains an unrivalled popu
larity in every part of the country. Trice, So a
year. Club rates, liberal.
Ladies’ Home Magazine, edited by T. S. Arthur
and Miss V. F. Townsend, is especially designed
for the home circle and the nursery, for which it
is admirably suited. The present (September)
number contain a sketch of the editress by Louis
C. Moulton. Price, §2 a-year; 4 copies, $5.
A. A. Gaulding, Esq., for a number of years ed
itor of the Empire State, published at Griffin, has
retired from the Chair Editorial, as he has pur
chased an interest in the Atlanta Intelligencer.
Maj. J. 11. Steele, formerly the editor of the In- \
telligenecr succeeds him. We wish them both sue- |
cess.
The Athens Banner says: At a meeting of the
Trustees of Franklin College, at commencement,
the resignation of Messrs. Jas. 11. Couper, of
Glynn county, and A. L. Alexander, of Wilkes
county, were received. Messrs. Wm. Dougherty,
of this place, and John Barnes, of Liberty county,
were elected to fill their places.
We are placed under obligations to some un
known friend for a neatly-printed catalogue of the
officers and students of Bowdon Collegiate Insti
tution. This school, located at Bowdon, Carroll
Cos. Ga. though young, lias already won an envia
ble reputation, and commands quite a wide range
of patronage. It is under the charge of C. A.
McDaniel, A. M. and J. M. Richardson, B. S. as
joint proprietors, who have proved themselves
eminently worthy of public confidence as teach- i
i ers. We wish them the best success.
The . 1 tlanta Medical <(• Surgical Journal comes to !
us with well-filled pages—by far, the larger por
tion being original matter. It is the organ of the
Medical College located in Atlanta, and we judge,
by appearances, that both the college and the
journal are rapidly gaining in public favor. The
latter, especially, should be supported by the
I members of the profession : for we know of no j
i more handsome scientific periodical in the South- i
ern country. Price, S3 a-year, in advance.
People do not love to hear the truth about
themselves, whatever professions they may make •
to the contrary. Were a book written which de- j
scribed human nature just as it is, and called
things by their right names, the sovereign masses
would not be long in calling for bell, book and i
candle for its condemnation.. Justin proportion
as a man approaches this open candor, does lie
become unpopular. It is the whining, smooth
tongued sycophant who will fawn for a smile of
public favor that is hazzaed with shouts of ap
plause, and floated on the waves of popularity.
‘Westminster Review. The July number of this
excellent quarterly has come to us with an unu- [
sually attractive table of contents. There are •
seven papers, among which we would particularly
notice “Calvin at Geneva,” “Cardinal Wiseman’s
Recollections” and “Women Artists,” besides
some fifteen or twenty pages devoted to contem
-1 porary literature. Re-publislied from the British
j advance sheets by L. Scott & Cos. New York, at
iS3 a-year. Either of the Reviews and Blackwbod,
|So ; Blackwood and the four Reviews, $lO. This
number begins anew volume.
“ Labor-Saving Contrivances,” is the latest phrase
; adopted as descriptive of lotteries by some ardent
! admirer of the institution. No one ever doubted
that they were “ labor-saving contrivances. ” But to |
whom do they save labor? Not to the poor, mis
guided wretches who deprive themselves of bread
in order that they may fling their last hard-earned
dollars into the coffers of those who fatten, grow
rich—aye, and save labor by their swindling
schemes. This excessive desire to save labor too
often leads to crime, and unfortunately this is
not the only instance in which people are duped
j to tlieir ruin by high-sounding names.
! It is sad to see a man of sense mounted on a
i hobby; but when a fool ascends one, it is a sight
j which neither angels can pity or men endure.
Yet, this class are the most inveterate hobby
riders. They will take up some notion the most
absurd imaginable and become so enthusiastically
rapt as to lose sight of all reason and common
sense. Always prepared to talk, but never ready
to render a reason they scoff at opposing
facts, browbeat the doubting with hold, unsus
tained assertions, and heap scurrilous abuse on
all who deny their pretensions. Their extrava
gances soon render them notorious, and mistaking
this for reputation, they become inordinately
puffed up witli vanity. The more they are no
ticed, the worse the malady becomes, until the
most desperate remedies give no relief. If there
were originality, even a small stock of common
sense, the disease may run its course and the pa
tient recover ; but where this is wanting, the asy
lum or the mad-house are the only alternatives.
The New York Evening Post, in referring to the
annual exercises of the literary institutions, and
the number of graduates thrown upon the coun
try, gives the following illustration of the magical
effect which the bestowal of titles sometimes pro
duces :
This is the season, too, for sowing the annual
I crop of doctorates. In the morning many persons
; will arise men and in the evening will go to bed
Doctors of Divinity or Doctors of Civil and Canon
Law. There are some cases when the conferring
of the doctor of divinity does great good It
sometimes puts a sudden end to the complaints
of a too f ault-fmdiug congregation.aThestory is told
of a clergymen in a New England village, who had
been in the same pastorate for many year s, and who
found his influence at length sensibly diminishing.
His people desired a change— they wanted a smart
er man. Some of his friends, however, signed a
petition, carried to a New England college, and
nnalJ.y the doctorate was conferred on tho aged
remaining years were passed in peace among his
people, and they followed him lovinly to his bu
rial.
“ Ye clouds that are the ornament of Heaven ;
Who give to it its gayest shadowings
And its most awful glories ; who roll
hi the dark tempest, or at d<nvy evening
flow low in tenaerest beauty; ye are to us
A volume full of wisdom.”
TO the lover of natural beauty, no object which
is presented to his cvery-day observation is
fraught with a more attractive interest than
clouds. Ever floating above us, they never grow
old or common ; for they continually charm the
eye with a never-ending variety in size, form and
color. Now we behold the white rack floating
loosety in the fields of ether, like the pinion of j
some pure spirit hovering, with guardian care, !
over its charge below. Then we see them clus
tering, like folds of gorgeous tapestry, tinted with
ten thousand dyes, forming a canopy around the j
day-god’s couch. There are purple dottings that
dapple the sky before the morning sun, and the
mountain-like peaks which presage the storm.
Constantly changing, they afford the eye contin
ual delictit, when the deep emeral of earth fa
tigues the sight and the sky’s deep azure grows ‘
dull.
Clouds are spoken of in writing in connection r
with darkness and gloom ; are used as figures in j
speaking of grief, misfortune or crime. Yet,
clouds in nature seldom produce impressions like j
i these upon the mind. Few things contain more :
elements of the sublime than a rain cloud of j
I spring or early summer. The sun has passed the j
meridian. All the ranks of vegetation—grass, i
flowers, trees, lie scorching in the rays of an un- i
clouded sun. Not a breeze is stirring, and “ all
the air a solemn stillness holds.” But. there
comes a sound low, indistinct, distant, and we
half doubt the sense which gave the intimation, j
It breaks in once more, and looking i the direc
tion whence it proceeded, we see a dark mass of
cloud skirting the horizon. It comes on rapidly,
heavy thunders the meanwhile rolling in its bosom
and lightnings playing brilliantly over its surface.
Then falls the first large crystal drop, and then
another and another until the whole ground is
bathed in the gentle moisture. They cease; the
clouds roll off; the thunders groan in long, loud
farewell peals, while an arch of colors far brighter
than ever were on the painter’s palette spans the
eastern sky. What a change has come over the
; scene in those few minutes. The flowers have
! raised their lately drooping heads, the birds are
| chirping forth merrily their lays in each tree, and
; all the landscape seems radiant with gladness.
All this change that cloud hath wrought.
There are dark clouds which vail the sun’s 1
brightness, and possess neither gracefulness of
form or beauty of color. The wintry cloud
hangs heavy in damp chilliness, and weighs down
all cheerfulness. But these come so rarely that |
they only serve to show us how lovel/ is the sky
when unobserved; how passingly beautiful is the
ten thousand other forms of clouds that float over j
its surface.
■ 0m ii
ATONE but the brave deserve the fair,” was
_L\ an adage when bravery was held to be the
highest and noblest of virtues. It was the motto
of the Crusader, which sustained him amidst suf
fering, and urged him on to deeds of valor, i
I When in a foreign clime beneath the fervor of
a torrid sun, he thought of his lady love and the
sweet smile of welcome with which slie would
j greet his return, he could dare any danger and
meet any foe. Her presence at the tournament
always heralded the performance of heroic ex
ploits. Her approving glance to her chosen
knight imparted strength to his arm, and in
spired him with a dauntless energy which physi
cal force alone could not overcome. When these i
; rough warriors met in the festive hall and the
i cup went freely round, woman was the theme of i
their songs, and they breathed her name with all
the reverence due idolized beings.
Yet were they who won the homage of these/
; steel-clad knights no race of Amazons. They i
j were brought up with tender care, like delicate ;
plants upon whose leaves no wintry wind is al- :
lowed to blow. Though her love ruled the camp j
j and court, it was only in the social quiet of the ;
drawing-room, or the seclusion of the grove, that .
she was known. There her hands plied the nee-
die and wrought the plain, though elegant, fab-
rics with which she adorned he. 1 person. Now | (
and then, for her father, brother or lover, she ]
warbled some melody, while her white fingers
would wander gracefully through the cords of her
i lute in easy accompaniment. Whenever she ap- \ \
! peared in public—which she seldom did —it was •
’ With a shrinking mo lesty that won the heart of j ,
every beholder. The unpolished soldier, rough
among his comrades as Ilyrcanian bears, when he
came into her presence, felt the magic of her in
fluence and became a gentle man.
Such was woman during the age of chivalry—
soft, pure, innocent and modest. Being such,
she was worthy of that half-idolatrous adoration
which was paid at her shrine. Perhaps they
erred. She was then man’s dream —his mythic ,
deity, and not that helpmate which her Creator 1 <
designed she should be. But since then has her ; 1
course been one of advancement or degeneracy ?; ;
! Have all the vaunted schemes for her ameliora
tion succeeded in bringing her any nearer her <
true position than she was then? May we not,
in this day of “ female influence” and “female
education,” look back at the days of chivalry and ,
sigh foi the good old times that are gone ?
The following little Scotcli lines, which we pick ,
up while floating around, have all the sweetness
and delicate pathos of Burns. Are they not beau- i
tiful.
THE BABIE.
Nae shoon to hide her liny tae,
Nae stocking on her feet,
Her supple ankle white as snaw,
Or earthly blossoms sweet.
Her simple dress of sprinkled pink,
Her double, dimpled chin,
Her puckered lip and baumy mou,
With na one tooth uetween.
Her een, sae like her mither’s ccn,
Twa gentle liquid things ;
Her face is like an angel’s face
We’re glad she has na wings.
She is the budding o’ our love,
A giftie God gi’ed us;
We munna love the gift ow er weet,
Twad be nae blessing to us.
HUSBANDS’ MISTAKES.
We make a great mistake in our treatment ol
our wives ; as lovers we are worshipful; as hus
bands we are too often bearish to them. \ e run
into extremes each way. But why, after paying a
woman the highest compliment we can, we are,
when she has accepted it, to consider her ex
empt from the attention due to familiarity’
breeds contempt.” In that case she aso should
lose her'former exalted opinion of us. I oliteness,
by its silken fetters, restrains an evil feeling: it
is a bad plan to throw them off entirely. We
need not be as ceremonious as if with utter stian
gers, but we had better keep up our good
manners; it pleases the wife, and does us no harm.
Last year we would not have sworn at her playing on
the piano, nor told her, “ she did not know what
she was talking about:” why should wedo it now?
At least let us “school ourselves before folks;
there is no occasion'to mortify her foolishly; wo
men will better bear downright ill-usage than
this kind of lowering treatment. Let a man re
spect a wife, treat her like a lady, and she will
most commonly act up to his standard . The wo
man who is constantly put down, becomes inca
pable of acting for herself on an emergency ; she
has no confidence in lier own judgement ; she
distracts you by her irresolution, or occasionally
adheres to some ill-advised line of conduct,. be
cause your continual opinionative contradictions
have ceased to have any weight witn her. Once
she learns to say, “Oh, when I propose anything
my husband will go to tlfe contrary way,” there
is an end to your domestic comfort. — New Monthly.
! do you think of Thackeray’s Virgin
! tV ians? ’ asks a correspondent of us in a pri
,j vate letter. As this is an interrogatory every day
passed between the tens of thousands of readers
nf Harfteds Monthly, it. may not be inappropriate
to give our querist a public reply, and make it
the subject of a few short paragraphs.
Some months ago we penned an article on this
same subject, in which we set forth the author’s
injustice to the character of one whom every
American delights to honor. Since then, his hero
| has been carried from our shores, and introduced
| into the scenery and society of the mother coun
try. Here he is more at home. Thackeray has
evidently studied with much care the literature
of the last century, and thoroughly acquainted
j himself with the manners and customs of that
period in which his story is laid. Life, as it was
at that time, both in this country an 1 in England,
is portrayed by a pen which does not hesitate to
write the name of a vice because it happens to be
found in a titled personage, lie represents men
. just as they are to be found, and if there is more j
| of shadow than light in the picture’ it is the fault
; of human nature, and not that he was too cyni- j
i cal to recognise and pay homage to virtue,
i It is not the plot of the “ Virginians” which]
; renders it an interesting novel. Few authors !
; could have so little machinery and let that move ]
] so slowly, without becoming intolerably tiresome. !
i Thus far in thirty-six chapters he has not ad
vanced the story more than the writer of a liun
! dred-paged yellow cover would do in as many
paragraphs. Yet, the attention of the reader
never flags for a moment in the perusal. The
■ delineations are so accurate, the salient points of
1 character so clearly presented, the light sand j
shades so skillfully shifted, that the interest is
constantly maintained. He who reads works of
fiction for the sake of striking incidents and start
ling adventures, will be disappointed. Those who
expect to find fn every novel, coarse wit that will
convulse the frame with side-splitting laughter,
will vote this a bore. But all who love those del
icate touches of humor which diffuse a quiet
pleasure and become more agreeable the oftener
they are read; who delight in representations of
human nature neither over-drawn or two highly
colored; who like truth stated with candor, with
out ill-nature, will find the Virginians a most en
tertaining and instructive book.
Such are the general merits of the work ; but
; we do not withdraw our charge that he has been
i unjust to the character of Washington. He may !
with impunity represent Chesterfield as devoted
to the card table, and the clerical dignities of
that age as given to every species of gaming. We ‘
have no doubt but all this is true. But the life i
and character of the father of his country is too 1
familiar even to the most ignorant citizen of our
: land, to admit of any coloring from the pencil of i
| imagination. He has committed a great mistake
] in selecting a historical personage so well known to
play a part in a work of fiction. Here, a single
sentence that touches the quick of American pride
will blot out, or very much obscure, his unnum
bered excellences.
Os the period of time over which he designs his j
story to extend, we cannot form the slightest
guess. We feel assured, however, that he cannot
come down to the revolution, describe its scenes,
incidents and characters without wounding the
patriotic pride of our people. If he does this, his
whole book, so far as this country is concerned,
will be a failure. Be it senseless bigotry or un
reasonable prejudice, there are names in our his
tory which no American can hear lightly men
tioned without being moved. We think it an
impossibility for any true Briton to write of Frank
lin, Adams, Jefferson and the long list of worthies :
whom the Revolution made heroes, as we I
have been accustomed to think, write and speak
of them. He would be more than mortal if he
could do so. We hope, therefore, for Thackeray’s
sake; for the sake of his widely extended repu
tation, that he will close his story before this trou
blous period, and not attempt to walk over the
ashes of a volcanoe, beneath which the embers are
still burning. With the exception mentioned, we
like the Virginians; but whenever he would des
ecrate a statue in our historic temple, his many
excellences cannot screen him from condemna
tion.
WILLIAM I. OF PRUSSIA’S “BEAUTIES.”
During his father’s lifetime, he had commenced
the formation of a regimentof tall recruits, which
lie had been obliged to keep seduously concealed
from the paternal eye, exercising them privately
at Mittenwalde, and giving orders that, should
the king pay one of his infrequent visits to that
place, they should conceal themselves and re
main perdus till his departure. On Fedrick Wil
liam’s accession, he had left deeply grieved and
astonished that the citizens of Berlin should re
fuse to receive his pet giants into quarters among
them. The great elector had built a house and
laid out gardens in the Dutch style at Potsdam ;
these gardens his grandson turned into parade
grounds, and there he established his “blue chil
dren,” as they were called, on account of the col
or of their uniform. Bielefeld gives a description
of thisregiment of colossi. “ Naturelie says, “who
has been so lavish to them in one respect, lias,
been but a niggardly step-dame in others. They
had either ugly faces, or crooked legs, or some
other defect.” However, Fredrick William lav
ished enormous sums upon them ; some of the pe
culiar giants had as much as two florins pay per
day, and were allowed a trade besides. No
sum was considered, by the usually parsimonious
king, too largee to be paid for a huge grenadier;
and footing with the king of Prussia, had nothing
to do but to search the dominions for the tallest
specimens of humanity contained in them. A
present of a recruit of six feet might be counted
on to secure Frederick William’s friendship; of
six feet two, his warmest alliance; and so on in pro
portion. The tallest and finest of these grena
diers was an Irishman, by name James Kirkland
whose procural and transmission from his native
bogs to the parade-ground at Potsdam, had cost
Frederick William upwards of twelve hundred
pounds sterling. But no one whose stature had
obtained a more than ordinary growth was safe
from the hands of his Majesty’s rocruiters. At
one time a young man by name Schindorf, who had
been diligently prosecuting the study of law for
five years, at Halle, disappeared suddenly;
he was a very tail man ; the dreaded recruiting
Wagen had been seen in the neighborhood ; the
combination was easy, the deduction certain.
The college sent up a remonstrance, March 10,
1731, upon this misappropriation of mind to the
mere purposes of matter. The king’s answer was
very quickly given in his usual concise style,
“Shall not reason. That is my subject.” His
passion for tall soldiers led him to wish to raise a
race of large people, so as to be able to recruit his
great regiment without trouble. One day meet
ing a very tall and well-made village girl in the
neighborhood of Potsdam, he asked her to take
a note, which he wrote on the spot, to the captain
of his regiment. Either suspecting something, or
being in a hurry, the girl gave the note to a little
old woman whom she fell in with, and charged
her to deliver it as directed. This note con
tained an order to the captain to have the bearer
instantly married to the tallest man in the regi
ment, whose name was specified. On being ac
quainted with his fate, and introduced to his
bride, the poor young fellow was in despair. He
begged and entreated, fell on his knees and wept,
but all to no purpose; the king’s will was law,
and the matrimonial noose was tied. However,
the king, on hearing of the exchange of brides
that had been made, allowed the marriage to be
dissolved. —Memoirs of the Queens of Prussia.
—_—
The Washington Union says the equestrian
statue of Washington is now nearly Completed,
and its distinguished artist, Clark Mills, an
nounces that it will be inaugurated on the 22d
of Februrary next. The location for the statue
is not yet decided upon.
The Vicksburg Whin Recommends to duellists
that hereafter all difficulties should be brought
before a court of honor; the court deciding in fa
vor of a fight, the parties to be compelled to fire
until one is killed, and then the other to be ar
rested and hung for murder.
“fr—mi nmyiii ■ bum in ‘'irinii nrtntiimnw
• : Two agents of the underground fail road have
. been arrested in New Orleans’’endeavoring to en
■ tide a slave away to Canada.
; Geo. Wilkes, editor of “PofCrs's, Spirit"’ is-suing
i ; Bennett, of the Herald , for 825,000 damages for
i classing his paper, with several obscene sheets.
r l lie New York Herald says that the cost of
\ O’ansmiting one ccdlumn of news from England,
| >y the telegraph cable, will be two thousand dol
; lars.
I Mr. Singlestick mystified a tea-party by remark
| iag that, women are facts. When pressed to ex
j plain his meaning, he said “Facts arc stubborn
i things.
j Ex-President Pierce and wife arrived at Gibral
| 011 of July, and were there on the
1 tth waiting for a steamer to take passage up the
; Mediterranean. ■
I
j “ People,” says a modern philosopher, “go ac
-1 cording to their brains: if these lie in their heads,
| they study : if in their belly, they eat and drink':
. if in their heels, they dance.”
; At the commencement of Bowdon College in
j Brunswick: Maine, the honorary degree of L. J,.
j IX was conferred on the lion. Wm. Pitt Fessen
j den, and the Hon. Jefferson Davis.
Bill riietXord and Bob Station, two celebrated
j English thieves, have been arrested in X. York,
j charged with stealing 810,000, in Virginia bank
1 notes, from Enoch Pratt & Cos., of Baltimore.
Professor Robert W. -Barnwell, of So. Ca. f'ol
| le §?> declines accepting the Presidency of Wi liam
and Mary College, Va. He will not relinquish
wiiat lie regards his post of duty to his own State.
It is estimated that from the Ist of January
18-h, to the Ist of January, 1858, more than 51 -
oOOjOOO of the world’s population went down to
the grav e in various parts of the known earth.
The Memphis Bulletin of the 10th inst, states
that Mr. W. 11. Chrisp, the manager of the 6a
i iet .V } heat re in Memphis, has recovered his sight
and is now able to superintend his business per
sonally. 1
It is said that several American counts have
been made in It-ally in tliis way; The Pope not
being able to finish a certain railway for lack of
t money, offered the title of count to every foreign
er to subscribe 85,000 to the road.
1
An entire Chinese regiment has been sentenced
to wear women’s clothes for five years, for aban
doning an untenable fort during the recent attack
upon Canton by the French and English forces.
Most cruel punishment we imagine .
; The 30,000 plates which form the hull of the
Great Eastern are hound together by 3,000,000
rivets. These hold together the frame-works of a
1 structure which would carry 10,000 troops to In
: dia, with 18,000 tons of coai and cargo,
i
The getters up of a bear hunt in Min esota invite
1 the ladies to participate iii the sport. But the la
i dies had better not do it, especially if they dress’
1 fashionably. Each of them might chance to be
: shot from appearing to be “<< little hair.”
1 < hie of the subjects of Parisiah gossip just now
i is a rare case, lately brouhgtto light, of a man one
1 hundred and twenty years old. Four years ago
j he married a wife was his junior by just a hundred
years, and by whom he had three children!
i The Russian Mission now at Pekin has in a re
| cent report, made known the result of the last
! census taken by order of the Emperor of China.
| The present papulation is said by this document
■to amount to 455,000,000; that of Pekin being
| 1,048,814.
It is certain a great part of what we call good or
ill fortune, rises out of right or wrong measures
and schemes of life. When I hear a man com
p-lain of his being unfortunate in all liis undertak
ings, I shrewdly suspect him for a very weak man
in liis affairs.
A man with an enormous large mouth called
on a dentist to get a tooth drawn. After the den
tist had prepared his instrument, and was about
to commence operations, the man began to strain
and stretch his mouth till liegot ittoamostfright
! ful extent. “Stay, sir,” said the dentist, ‘don’t
trouble yourself to stretch your mouth any wider,
for I intend to stand on the outside.”
A monument is to be erected to the Pilgrim
Fathers at Plymouth; cost from 8300,000 to 841)0,-
000. It will be built of granite, 153 feet high, 80
at the base, with sitting figures from 38 to 70 feet
high. It is to be completed in twelve years from
August, been subscribed, principally in Massachu
setts. The society for building the monument
have purchased all the estates immediately around
the venerable rock, and also a site for the monu
ment embracing ten acres of land, commanding a
fine view of the harbor and the locality of the rock.
A World to Bovs. —Boys, did you ever think
that this great world, with all its wealth and
woe—with all its mines and mountains—oceans,
seas and rivers—with all its shipping, Steamboats,
railroads, and magnetic telegraphs—with all its
millions of darkly grouping men, and all sciences
and progress of ages will soon he given over to the
boys of the present age—boys like you, assembled
in schoolrooms, or playing without them on both
sides of the Atlantic ! Believe it, and look abroad
upon your inheritance, and get ready to enter
upon possession. The Kings, Presidents, Govern
ors, Statesmen, Pilosopliers, Ministers, Teachers,
men of the future, are all boys, whose feet, like
yours cannot reach the floor, when seated upon
the benches upon which t hey are learning to mas
ter the monysyllables of their respective language.
—The Learned Blacksmith.
A Thought. —“lt is not all of life to live, nor
all of death to die.” These few words contain
volumes of thought, and are of a solemnity which j
deserves tlieir being engraven upon every ‘heart;
their importance is as vast, as immensity, anil [their
influence as enduring as eternity. Brutes die and
are no more; men die, and they just begin to [live.
Earth is a place of probation, where we pass
through the fiery ordeal of trial; when old age,
care or sorrow, ushers us into the presence of man’s
universal friend—death—we are placed in the
scales of equity, held by the hand of Omnipotence
and are weighed. We have, artist-like, painted
our lives upon the firmament of heaven, and it
appears before us, the workmanship of our own
hands ; and then, if never before, we feel the im
pressiveness of the fact—‘lt is not all of life to live
nor all of death to die.’— Anon.
A False Marriage. —Perhaps the serverest
form of human sorrow—that which most nearly
approaclies the slow gnawing agony of him fixed
hopeless on the immovable rock—arises from mar
riage in’ which there was never any friendship,
but the original bond was earthly passion, arro
gating to itself, with the impudent lie of a harlot,
the heavenly name of love. It is only base na
tures that are beguiled by the vulgar glare of
gold, natures incapable of lofty joy or acute sor
row. But passion is a syren of more willing song
—of more fatally charming lure; the impulsive,
the noble, fall a victim to her, and, after a short, I
delirious dream, awake to a life of hopeless mise
ry. Friendship and love must unite in every
married union where -happiness can reasonably
oe expected or truly deserved ; and from friend
ship we mean an affection arising from pure sym
pathy of spirit, independent of aught else. Let
none look for happiness in marriage who are una
ble deliberately and firmly to declare that it would,
be a happiness to live together for life, though
they were of the same sox. W e state this with some
breadth, and do so with consideration ; we point
a hidden rock round which the ocean seems to
smile in sunny calm, but on whioli many a noble
bark has perished.
Ostriches. —The garden of the Mamma, at Al
giers, possessed two years ago four ostrich es, which
were the object of considerable attraction on ac
count of the ravenous manner in which they de
voured the cakes and o ther articles of food offered
them. The number has since then increased to
fourteen. In 1857 a first attempt at hatching pro
duced only one young one. The second at tempt
produced nine, from twelve eggs laid. Another
is now sitting, and the result is looked for with
considerable interest. The result obtained, which
is due to the perservering efforts of the director of
the establishment, lead to the almost certainty
that this gigantic bird may, at no distant period,
become a regular inhabitant of the poultry-yard.
The profits which might arise from the breeding
of ostriches are not to be despised. In the first
placejja single female will give thirty kilogrammes
of eggs; next, the feathers are every day becom
ing more and more scarce in the market; and,
lastly, the flesh, by the bird being brought into a
domestic state, would become good food. As to
the keep of the ostrich, it is not very expensive,
its food being composed of fresh grass veget ables,
and corn.— Galignam’s Messenger,
“THEOLDLOVE.”
We find the following floating about the news
papers. It lias more than the average merit of
such fugitive poems:
I met her; she was thin anrl old ; .
She stooped, and trod with tottering feet;
The hair was grey that once was gold,
The voice was harsh that once was sweet.
Her hands were withered, and her eyes,
Robbed of the garish light of joy,
Were dim ; 1 felt a sad surprise
That I Lad loved her when a boy.
Hut yet a something in her air,
Restored 111 c to the vanished time.
My heart grew young and seemed to wear
The brightness of my youthful prime.
1 look her withered hand in mine—
Its touch recalled a ghost of joy;—
I kissed it with a reverend sigh,
For 1 had loved her when a boy.
THE LIGHT AT HOME.
The light at home! how bright its beams,
W hen evening shades around us fall,
And from the lattice far it gleams,
To love, and rest, and comfort all;
When wearied with the toils of day.
And strife for glory, gold or fame,
- How sweet to seek the quiet way,
Where loving lips will lisp bur name,
Around the light at home!
When through the dark and stormy night,
‘1 he wayward wanderer horneward flies,
Mow cheering is that twinkling lights
AY hieh through the forest gloom he spies 1
It is the light of home. He feels
‘1 hat loving hcaiis will greet him there,
And softly through his bosom steals
The joy and love that banish care
Around the light at home.
The light at home! how still and sweet
It peeps from yonder cottage poor—
The weary laborer to greet—
When the toils of day are o’er!
Sad is tlie soul that does not know
r The blessings that the beams imparl,
The cheerful hopes and joys that flow,
And lighten up the heaviest heart
Around the light at home.
FIRST ADVANCES TO MATRIMONY.
Among civilized nations, it is almost the uni
versal rule that all advances towards matrimony
are to be made solely by the male. It would bo
thought a violation of modesty for the lady in any
case—unless, perhaps, she were a royal person—
age—to manifest any evidence of partiality to
wards a gentleman who had not first given de
cided tokens oi his admiration. There is no very
philosophical ground for this rigid rule, that we
are aware of, either in nature or reason; and we
aie not justified in contemning those who choose
to break through it—it being a custom perfectly
conventional, and really of no moral importance
whatever. Among the natives of Paraguay, such
a one-sided reciprocity is utterly unknown’ There
both male and female are at liberty to declare
their preference for one another, without either of
them incurring the slightest obloquy. All a natu
ral modesty requires is the occasional intervention
of a third party, who shall act for the lady the
part which the gentleman is supposed to he coura
geous enough to enact for himself. When a lass
of Paraguay is smitten with the charms of a young
Indian warrior, she apj.lies to an elder of her
tribe, or to tiie missionary of the station, to pro
cure on her behalf liis consent to the match. If
the proposition is accepted, all is well, and the
pair are married. If. on the other hand, it is de
clined, it becomes the office of the unsuccessful
meditator to reconcile her to the disappointment,
which is accomplished generally with no great
difficulty, there having been 110 pining in secret,
no wire drawing, dallying circumlocutions, no
painful suspense in the transaction of the busi
ness.
if among ourselves, ladies are sometimes known
to take the initiative, we see no great reason for
prudish exclamations, or any severe judgment
upon theircondiict. The proof of a pudding, they
say, is in the eating, and the proof of the wisdom
or propriety of any step is to be looked for in the
results. Owing- to the rigid adherence, in this
country, to the custom above alluded to, we never
personally knew but one instance of a matri
monial match proposed by the lady partner; but
that one turned out well. It happened as fol
lows :
A young artist who pain ted tolerable landscapes
at which lie wrought dismally hard for the benefit
of the dealers, lodged on the second floor Os a
tradesman’s house, in the neighborhood of Oxford
street. He had a hard struggle to maintain a re
spectable appearance, and to save enoughtto ena
ble him to make the annual summer sketching
trip, which was indispensable to furnish him with
subjects for the easel. His landlord, who had a
thriving business, diank himself into delirium tre
mens, and died at the age of thirty-five, leaving a
young widow without incumbrances, in possession
of the concern.
From causes we need not specify, the artist, a
year after, fell into difficulties and debt, and of
course into arrears with liis rent. Hopeless at
length of extricating himself; and resolving to
retrench, 110 sent for his landlady, and laid frankly
before her the sad ease qf liis exchequer, ottering
either to quit or to remove to less expensive quar
ters in the attic above, and concluded by asking
her advice. The advice she gave him then and
there was, that he should takeher to church, and
wipe out the debt at the altar. We know nothing
of the precise terms in which the advice was con
veyed. but that was the sense of it, and in another
moment the astonished artist was in his mind.
‘l’lie result has been already suggested. The wed
ding came off in a month. The business ft as ad
vantageously sold; and with the means at com
mand of procuring valuable instruction, and to
complete his studies by travel, the artist, in a few
years, took high rank in liis profession, and has
since realised both independence and reputation.
A MAN HUNG HIMSELF IN FUN.
Avery sad affair transpired at Princeton, near
our city, on Thursday last. Mr. Daniel Elliott,
who lives in Princeton, butchering beeves and
selling them in the neighborhood, hung himself
in liis slaughter house. He was in an exceedingly
good humor during the day and evening, and
naturally of a playful disposition, gave vent to it
by many playful things. He had bought some
cattle, had extended his business, was doing well
and felt lively and encouraged, lie so expressed
himself to his wife and friends.
Going from the house to his stable, lie fed liis
horse, and taking liis little girl and a neighbor’s
little boy, some thirteen years old, he went on
about twenty-five yards from his house to the
slaughter house. Here was a machine for raising
dead cattle—a rope, with a large hook in it, run
over a large reel and attached to a windlass wjth
a rachet. Adjusting the rope in a noose round
his neck, he playfully bid the little girl go tell
her mother “somebody was hanging out there
who looked like Dan Elliott.” Then showing the
boy exactly how many notches, he bid him, still
laughing, to draw him up. The boy did so, and
drew him off his feet. Once up, he could not,
because of the ratchet, get him down, and when,
in answer to the little gi’l’s anxiety. Mrs. E. came
out, her husband hung dead, his feet touching
the floor, and the hook pressing hard against his
jugular. Froth all the circumstances, it is not
doubted that the act was done accidentally in a
burst of playfulness. —Hamilton (Ohm) Intelligencer,
24th.
An Indian Lover.— Miss Bishop, the writer of
the “Floral Home,” who went to Minnesota, as
a teacher, received an offer of marriage from an
Indian. lie came to her dwelling decked in his
finery—scarlet flannel, rings, feathers, newly
scoured brass ornaments amt bears’ claws, and
through an interpreter, announced to her thatsho
must be his wife. It was urged that he had one
wife. He replied “Ail the band have as many as
they can keep, and 1 have but or.c.” As an “ex
tra inducement, he promised that she should
have the best corner of the lodge, hunt by his
side, and eat with him, while the dark squaw was
to hush the papoose, cook the food, carry the
game, plant and hoe the corn, and provide wood
and water. Miss Bishop, a little in fear of the
“green-eyed monster,” even if the claimant did
hold an inferior position, declined the distinction.
The Indian begged a dollar to buy a shirt, and
left with a haughty air. Next day he was drunk.
But Miss Bishop’s associate almost fared worse.
She had been only a few weeks in the country,
and was ignorant of Indian customs. A young
warrier smitten with her, called often. Hoping
to get rid of him, she gave him a ring. He in
terpreted it as a token of partiality and returned
to take her to his lodge. The next day he re
turned with six braves to compel her to go with
him. Explanation and interference saved her.
The Texas penitentiary seems to be doing good
business. From October, 1857, to June, 1858, the
value of the cotton manufactured at the peniten
tiary was seventy-one thousand eight hundred
and twenty-three dollars, and that of woolen was
thirty-three thousand one hundred and forty-eight
i dollars.