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36 EDITORIAL ANECDOTES. [From Arvine’s Cyclopsedia of Anecdotes of Literature and the Fine Arts. From the press of Gould & Lincoln, Bos ton.] A SEVERE CUT. A young would-be poet, with more pretensions than genius, happened to meet in a large party, one evening, an ed itor who had rejected a number of his contributions. The witling was exceeding ly disposed to sneer and run the editor upon his sapient criticism, until at length the latter, in perfect good humour, cut him short with, “Look here, my fine spark, if you carry your joking much further upon me, 1 will take ample re venge by publishing one of your pieces of poetry, without altering or correcting it!” The shout of laughter that follow ed was terriffic. EDITORIAL PERPLEXITY. During the dead season, the editor of a country paper, being much distressed for matter, ransacked every hole and corner for intelligence, and, after having, as he thought, completed his task, sat down to dinner with what appetite he might. In the middle of it he was interrupted by the entrance of his familiar, alias “the devil,” demanding “more copy.” “The vexing fellow ! More copy !” said he. “Why, have you put in the story of the tremen dous mushroom found in Mr. Jones’s field?” “Yes, sir.” “ And the account of the prodigious crop of apples gathered from Mr. Timrns’s tree ?” “ Yes, sir.” — “And about Mr. Thompson’s kitten be ing suckled by a hedgehog ?” “ Yes, ; sir.” “And Air. Smith’s dreadful acci- ! dent with his one-horse chaise as he pass ed down Holborn Hill?” “Yes, sir.” “ About the men who stole the com out I of the sacks in the farm-yard ?” “ Yes, sir, it is all up, but there is still a line and a half wanting.” “Then add,” said he, with the utmost dignity. “ that they au-da-ei ous-ly took and threshed it out on the premises /” EDITORIAL PERTINACITY. The following dialogue once occured in ; an editor’s sanctum in England. A dis tinguished editor was in his study. A long, thin, and ghostly visaged gentle meh was announced. With an asthmatic voice, but in a tone of civility, —for other wise the editor would have transfixed him with a fiery paragraph the next morning —the stranger said, — “Sir, your journal of yesterday con tained false information.” “ Impossible, sir. But tell me to what you allude.” “ You said Mr. M. had been tried.” i “ True.” “ Condemned.” “ Very true.” “ Hung.” SOUTHERN LITERARY GAZETTE. “ Alost true.” “ Now t , I am the gentleman himself.” “ Impossible.” “I assure you it is a fact; and now I hope that you will contradict what you have alleged.” “ By no means, sir.” “How, what do you mean? You are deranged.” “ I may be so, sir, but l will not do it.” “1 will complain to a magistrate.” “As you please; but I never retract. The most that I can do for you, is to an nounce that the rope broke, and that you are in perfect health. I have my prin ciples, sir; I never deceive.” what’s GOING ON? * “ One sunnny morning % quidnunc and a bore was sauntering down Regent st., seeking whom he might devour with his interminable twaddle. At length he espies, approaching in hot haste, the wit ty Douglass Jerrold. He stops and fast ens on him. The quidnunc puts his usual question, “Well, my, dear Jerrold, what’s going on ?” Releasing himself, the wit strides hastily away, exclaiming, “ /am/ THE SAFETY LAMP. [From the “Claims of Science.”] “ The safety lamp of Sir Humphrey Davy is one of the most signal trophies of Science, and will forever shed a halo of light and honour around the name of its inventor. Before Science bestowed this simple gift upon the miner, the sacrifice of life in the collieries was fearful in the extreme. The annals of British mining abound in heart-thrilling tales of death and desolation, more terrible by far than the carnage of the battle field. So dread ful was the danger in the deep shafts of the mines, when the fatal fire-damp began to accumulate, that the only alternative to destruction was instant flight and total abandonment of the pit. Yet, at this day, there are thousands of men, women and children pursuing their daily toil in the very bowels of the earth, a thousand feet below its cheerful surface, in caverns where no gleam of genial sunshine has ever penetrated, where no sound of birds and Nature’s varied music ever greets the ear. There they toil, from morn till night, excavating the dark and gloomy sides of their prison-cells, surrounded by an atmosphere in which are lurking the elements of destruction, and which the least spark of fire would suffice to set at liberty, changing, in an instant, their liv ing tomb into a charnel house of flame. From this living death their protection is a veil of fine metallic gauze, encompass ing the lights by which they pursue their labours. This wonderful lamp— outrival ling that of Aladdin in its practical magie —is the pure product of scientific re search directed to a special end.” Lesson for Sunday, Jan. 18. CHRIST CRUCIFIED. “ For I determined not to know any thing amonc vnn Jesus Christ and him crucified.”-! Cor.fi 2 ’ This passage shows us the subject in v T hich Paul felt the deepest interest, and on which he most delighted to dwell Note A GLORIOUS SCENE EXHIBITED TO OUR view. Christ crucified. And what do we see here ? Promises and prophecies accomplished. These appear more like the minute de tails of historical events than prophetic declarations ; thus, the promises are beau tifully linked with the fulfilment; and the prophet and evangelist appear on the field of truth, seeing eye to eye, and em bracing hand in hand. Types and shadows fulfilled. All the splendid retinue of Jewish services and sacrifices were preparatory to, and figura tive of, the grand atoning sacrifice of Je sus, presented at the dedication of the gospel temple ; when he expired, it was finished. The evil of sin discovered. It appeared odious when our first parents were driven out of paradise, when the old world was destroyed, and when the cities of the plain were consumed; out in the cross of Christ it is exceedingly sinful. There, while Divine love appears in its bright est form, human depravity assumes its deepest dye. The justice of God vindicated. The sword of Divine -wrath was sheathed in the bosom of Christ as our Surety; and when he expired, full satisfaction was re ceived, and not a spot or stain appears to tarnish its lustre. The Almighty sus tains his character as a just God, and yeti is known as a justifier of believing sin ners. The riches of grace manifested. If we are terrified by the lightnings and tem pests of Sinai, we retire to the milder atmosphere of Calvary, the darkness is dispersed, and we hear the voice of love and mercy. The kingdom of Satan ruined. In the field of battle, he who obtains the victo ry does not conquer by death ; but Jesus, “through death, has destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.” The salvation of man completed. This was the amazing work he came to per form, and he left not our world till he had fully accomplished it. We have seen this great sight; now let us notice The manner in which it should be regarded. While you are thus looking to Christ crucified, mourn over the great ness of your sins, wonder at the extent of his love, believe in the efficacy of his cross, and implore the agency of his Spi rit; and then the theme of your contem plation on earth shall be the burden of your song in heaven. [Jan. I 1 ?,