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■olidated government. But they now seem to
have exchanged parts in the drama, and sud
denly to hare discovered new beauties in the
dogmas of Alex. Hamilton and John Adams,
after execrating them for three quarters of a
century. Why have these champions of a strict
limitation of executive power, and these impla
cable foes to-uonsolidation, so suddenly turned,
like Saturn, to eating up their own offspring ?
If they have good reasons for so uoheard of
an occilation from one extreme to another, the
country would be glad to hear them.
I do not adcuse all the champions of strict
construction of now favoring a monarchical
form of government; nor do I accuse any par
ticular man of designing, or wishing to effect
the destruction of our republican form of polity.
My object is rather to call public attention to
the agitation of such a scheme, than to point
out individuals for popular reprobation by le
velling censures at them.
I maintain that republican institutions ought
to be as dear to us to-day as they were to the
fathers and architects of the revolution who
shed their blood so freely to free us from kingly
rule. The dissolution of the Federal Union
does not, as is pretended, demonstrate the su
periority of a mpnarchical form of government;
it is not an argument pro or con in this discus
sion.
There is no probability that the people of ths
Confederate States will, willingly and know
iDgly, give their assent to the establishment of
the monarchical form of government. They
are still ardently attached to libsrty and repub
licanism, and thsy still revere the example aud
teachings of Washington and his edldjutors.
But it may be established gradually and insidi
ously ; or the people may be made to believe it
is the only escape from confusion and anarchy.
To resist tyianny, we must be on our guard
against its first insidious approaches, and strike
it down in its infancy ere it shall have waxed
strong and powerful. Let the people, there
fore, reprobate every statesman who expresses
a preference for a monarchical government, and
not shower their favors upon him until, liks
another Ca'sar, be shall abuse their generous
confidence by rivetting the chains of slavery
On them. The people are opposed to monarchy,
sod will never voluntarily agree to see it es
tablished; but let them be very careful they
are not entrapped, or surprized into it by am
bitious demagogues.
A. W. Dillard.
'* Livingston , Ala., 1862.
— i»>
THE SUNSET PRAYER.
HT WM. Jf. MARTIN.
The gold-crested gates of the parple-hung West
Have oped to receive the Day-God to his rest;
While tho handmaids of Thetis, who blushlngly wat*
To welcome the monarch with songs at the gate,
Robed in soft silken cymars of roseate hue,
Are preparing to scatter the diamond-like dew.
’Tis a calm Sabbath eve, and a breeze softly blows, «
Perfumed with the breath of a newly-born rose,
And the envoy of night, in her mantle of gray,
Comes on, while a bird chanta a dirge o’er the day.
From their homes In the heavens, the stars, as they
rise, ,
Look down to the earth with their bright loving cyos,
And bright loving eyes too look up from the earth,
And woo the sweet stars till they twinkle with mirth.
The Queen of the night, time—the silver-crowned Queen-
Sends her heralding raylcts to lighten the scene,
And the spectre-like forms of the Oak tree and Pine
Glide silently forth, and their weird arms entwine.
There’s a fairy-like music which comes through the
trees,
And the murmur of waters is borne on the breeze,
And sings to my soul the sweet anthems of streams,
Like the mystical music heard only in dreams;
And to mortals a .soul-filling draught is once given
Os love and of beauty—a foretaste of heaven.
And now, all regardless, forgetful, of earth—
Os its pleasures or woes, of its sorrows or mirth,
Os its triumphs of Science, its glories of Art,
A prayer would well up from the depths of my heart;
I’d pray the great Father of Goodness and Truth
To pardon the wild wayward errors of youth,
To bring back the Hope of the blest days of yore,
And give me the Faith of my boyhood once more.
— I
[For the Southern Field and Fireaide.]
MY IOLDIEE HERO.
Alone in the twilight gloaming,
Half wearily I rest,
With thoughts all sadly roaming
To the Mountains of the West.
I wander in my dreaming
To a soldier far away,
And see him 'mid the dangers
Os some dread battle fray.
I picture deeds of glory—
U e the hero of them all,
And yielding to his valor
I seethe foemen fall.
I seem to hear the booming—
The cannon’s ceaselass roar—
And think at every echo
Some loved ones are no more.
Ah 1 then my heart grows weary
With a sudden, voiceless dread,
Lest he, my soldier hero,
Should be amid the dead.
Ood shield him, in thy mercy,
Protect him in the strife;
More than one heart is wove*
In each bright cord of life.
* Carri*.
THE SOUTHERN FIELD AND FIRESIDE.
fFer t*e leathern Field and Fireside.l
TO THE OLD YEAR.
Farewell, Old Year! ’tis time thonshoulds’t depart;
Farewell! yet well I know fall many a tear
Is shed for thee, and many an aching heart
Thou bearcat with thee, dear departing year!
Around thee, like the fragrance of remembered flowers
Linger sweet memories of the tender past;
The sisterhood es bright departed hours
Around thy path their golden sun-Mght cast.
And fond remembrance with a sigh will dwell
On each kind word, on every dear caress,
Os those whose music tones remembered well
Come back no more our yearning hearts to bless.
Hark to yon solemn strain! and slowly now
A phantom band winds o'er yon dusky plain—
A crown of glory on each pallid brow—
Behold onr martyr’d host of heroes slain 1
True friend, adien, adieu 1 each buried hope and fear
Thou bearest with thee to the silent shore;
Rosy and smiling comes the bright New Year,
And bids me think upon the cherished past no more.
A Carolina Girl.
THiIioUSEWIFE’S MANUAL.
4 " ■*
Soaps. —The best Windsor soap is made of
about nine parts tallow to one of olive oil and
soda lye. The scents or periumes are always
added during the melting. Lard is used for
some kind of toilet soaps; they are very white
aud smooth, and frequentlypreferred for shav
ing. There is s great variety of soaps of this
class with names, colors, and scents to please
all the fancies of customers. Some of them
are made with olive oil; aud others are im
proved in appearance by being pounded in a
mortar after the first process 6f making, and
made up a second time.
Soft soap is made with potash, lye, and oil.
Soda is the alkali always used for hard soap,
potash for soft aoap. Iu this the lees is not
separated after boiling, as with the other ; and
it is said that the making requires greater care
and is more difficult. Two hundred pounds of
oil, seventy-two pounds of potash, and the lye
will produce nearly five hundred pounds of
soap. The rankest sort of oil is generally used,
and the figlike appearance of soft soap is caused
by a small quantity of tallow being mixed with
it and forming into small grains during the
boiling. For the best sorts pure oils are used;
among them are poppy, linseed, cocoa-nut, al
mond, and olive oils.
To Cleanse Gloves without Wetting. — .
Lay the gloves upon a clean board, make a
mixture of dried fulling earth and powdered
alum, and paas them ovar on each side with a
common stiff brush; then sweep it off, and
sprinkle them well with dry bran and whiting,
and dust them well; this, if they be not ex
ceedingly greaey, will render them quite Clean ;
but if they are much soiled, take out the grease
with crumbs of toasted bread and powder of
burnt bone ; then pass tbeaa over with a wool
len cloth dipped in fulling earth or alum pow
der ; and in this manner they can be cleaned
without wetting, which frequently shrinks and
spoils them.
To make llomikt Brea d.— The hominy hav
ing been properly soaked, drain off the water,
and add of fresh water seven and a half pints
for each pound and a half of hominy, as weigh
ed before soaking; let this simmer for four
hours —if boiled rapidly, it will become hard
and never swell; the hominy will then be fit
for stirabout or bread. For bread, mix it gra
dually with the flour, making the dough in the
ordinary way, and adding yeast in rather more
than the usual proportion. This bread will
keep moist and good for a longer time than if
made entirely of wheaten flour
To Dress Rice. —A lady recommends the
following: Soak the rice in cold salt and wa
ter for seven hours; have ready a stewpan
with boiling water, throw in the rice, and let
it boil briskly for ten minutes; drain it in a
colander, cover it up hot by the fire for a few
minutes, then serve. The grains will be found
double the usual size, and quite distinct from
each other.
A Plain Custard. —Boil a pint of new milk,
keeping a little back to mix with a tablespoon -
ful of flour; thicken the milk with the flour, let
it cool a little, then add one egg well beaten;
sweeten to taste; set it on the fire again, and
stir until the egg turns, but do not let it boil.
A little lemon or almond may be added.
Chicken Broth may be made of any young
fowl which is afterwards to be brought to ta
ble ; but the best sort is to be procured from an
old cock or hen, which is to be stewed down to
rags, with a couple of onions, seasoned with
salt and a little whole pepper; skim and strain
it.
Bek r Tea. —Cut one pound of fleahy beef in
thin slices; simmer with a quart of water an
hour and a half after it has once boiled and
been skimmed. Season, if approved; but it
wants generally only a little salt.
To Clean Gold Lace.— Gold lace is easily
cleaned and restored to its original brightness
by rubbing it with a soft brush dipped in roche
alum burnt, sifted to a very fine powder.
Salted Fish.— A glass of vinegar put into
the water you lay your fish in to aoak will
fetch out most of the salt.
>1 THE LAND THAT WE LIVE IN '.
BT A. B. MEEK.
Oh! bright is th# land that we live in
And soft blow the breezes arenid—
The stars make a palace of hcavea,
And flowers enamel the fro and!
The orange and chesnut are flinging
Their odors divine on the gale,
And the mockingbird's melody's ringing
From bowers that e*circle the vale!
Then here's to the land that we live in !
The land of the locust and lime !
And a song for the sweet stars of heaven,
That brighten this beautlfnl clime!
But dearer by far to the minstrel,
Than all the sweet wealth of this land.
Are the maidens who dwell in its bowers,
By mountain, savanna, and strand 1
And all its rich trophies were given,
As tributes of beauty to these;
Aid these are the stars of our heaven,—
The flowers that gladden the breeze.
Then here's to the land that we live in!—
The land of the locust and lime 1—
And a song for the sweet stars of heaven,
That brighten this beautiful clime 1
’Twas hymned by a bard, that the planets
Onoe, charmed from their passionate home,
Assumed the fair features of women,
And dwelt sh the vallics of Rome!
But sure, if a land e’er presented
Temptation to angels, 'tis ours,
And the vision of long was invented
From forms in these soft, sunny bowers!
Then here’s to the land that we live in 1
The land of the locust and lime 1
And a song for the sweet stars of heaven,
That brighten this beautiful clime!
- ■m
THE IDLER’S OLIO.
A young man more noted for vanity than for
talent, was boasting that bis advantages had
been superior to those of other literary men, as
he had received his education at two universi
ties, Hartford and New Haven ; when a shrewd
old gentleman of the company remarked that
it reminded him of a calf that had sucked two
cows.
4 And what was the consequeuce ?’ asked the
couceited young man.
‘The consequence was,’ answered the old
gentleman, 4 that he grew to be a very great
calf.'
Here is another in a similar vein:
4 You are from the country, are you not, sir ?’
said a daqdy clerk iu a bookstore to a homely
. dressed Quaker, who had given him some
trouble.
4 Yes.’
r ‘ Well, here’s *u essay op the rearing of
calves.’
4 That,’ said Aminidab, as he turned to leave
the store, 4 thee had better present to thy
mother.’
An industrious tradesman having taken a
new apprentice, woke him the first morning at
a yery early hour by calling out that the family
were sitting down to the table.
4 Thank you,’ said the boy, as he turned over
in the bed to adjust himself fer a new nap,
4 thank you ; but I never eat anything during
the night.’
Gen. Zaremba had a vary long Polish name.
The King, having heard of it, one day asked
him, very good-humoredly :
4 Pray, Zaremba, what is your name T
\ The General repeated to him immediately the
whole name.
4 Why,’said the King, 4 the devil himself
never had such a name.’
4 1 presume not, sir,’ replied the General, 4 he
was no relation of mine.’
A negro preacher was holdiug forth to his
congregation upon the subject of obeying the
commands of God. Says he:
4 Bredren,;wbateber God tells me to do in dis
book, (holding up the Bible,) dat I’m gwoin to
do. If I see in it dat I jump troo a stun wall
I’m gwoin to jump at it. Gwoin troo it ’longs
to God —jutnpin at it ’longs to mol’
An Irish corporal who now and then indulg
ed in a noggin of right good poteen, was thus
accosted by his captain whilst standing at
ease:
4 Pat, what makes your nose so red ?’
4 Please yer honor,’ said Pat, 4 1 always blush
when I spnkes to an officer.’
4 Mr. Timoth, said a young lady, who had
been showing off her wit at the expense of a
dangler, ‘you remind me of a barometer’that is
filled with nothing in the upper story.’
4 Divine Almira,’ meekly replied her adorer,
4 in thanking you for that compliment, let me
remind you that you occupy my upper story.’
Sir Walter Scott declared that these four
lineß, by Robert Burns, were worth a thousand
romancers:
Had we never lov’d sae kindly—
Had we never lov’d sae blindly—
Never met or never parted—
We had ne’er been broken hearted.
A western farmer, being obliged to sell a
yoke of oxen to pay his hired man, told him
he could not keep him any longer.
4 Why,’ said the man, 4 I’ll stay and take some
of your cows in the place es money.’
4 But what shall I do,’ said the farmer, 4 when
my cows and oxen are all gone ?’
4 Why, you can then work for me, and get
them back.’
j I
Old Uncle Jim was notorious for perpetrat
ing his jokes against country people. He says
that when W was hung he saw a huge
fellow, fully six feet high, and at least twenty
six years of age, who hailed from the hoop
pole county of Marshall, Virginia, coming up
Main street, with the big tears streaming down
his cheeks, his mouth and hands tiled with en
ormous quantities of ginger-cake, and a frequent
boo-hoo escaping from his lips. Approaching
Uncle Jim. he wailed out:
“ Did yer see any thing o’ my dad ?”
“No,” said Jim, “I didn't see dad."
“ Well,” he replied, “ we come to town to see
the hangiu’, and I told the old fool he’d lose
me!”
With the most woe-begone countenance
imaginable he started on, inquiring of each
passer-by if “ he’d seen dad.”
When Erskine was in the full tide of suc
cess as a barrister, some of his fellow lawyers
wishing to annoy him, hired a boy to ask him
as he was going into Court with his green bag
stuffed with briefs, if he had any old clothes
for sale. ‘ No, you young raecal 1 ’ said Erskine;
• these are all new suits'
The Northern papers boast that their soldiers
are the best drilled troops in the world. There
is no doubt that many of them who have come
in contact with ‘rebel’ bayoneta are as tho
roughly drilled as could be desired.
A father, winding up his watch, aaid to his
little girl:
‘ Let me wind up your nose ?’
‘No,’ said the child, ‘I don’t want my nose
wound up, for I don’t want it to run all day !’
Among the cariosities lately added to the
Museum, is a mosquito’s skull, containing the
souls of twenty-four extortioners and the for
tunes of twelve printers—nearly half full.
‘ Mr. Brown, I owe you a grudge, remember
that.'
‘ I shall not be frightened, then, for I never
knew you to pay anything that you owed.’
CORNER.
Aiswer to the puzzle iq our last: In the United
States in 1861 the Union was dismembered, (or split,)
law set aside, religion tnrned upside down, and rebel
lion in evary quarter.
Answer to the enigma in our last; Miss J. E. John
son.
mm - -♦•♦-
FIRESIDE AMUSEMENTS.
The following Charades, and the play of “ The
Flour Merchant,” are.copied from “Uncle Bud
dy’s Gift Book,” an entertaining volume for the
little folks, just issued in this city :
CHARADES.
1 The riddle of riddles! It dances and skips ;
It is fair to the eye, though it cheats to tbs lips;
If it maets with its match it is easily caught,
. But If money can buy it, ’tls not worth a groat
5 I am in the fire, but not in tho flame;
I belong to the master, but not to the dame ;
I am in tho Church, but not in the steeple;
I belong to the parson, but not to the people.
Answers next week.
THE FLOUR MERCHANT.
The one who personates tho Flour Merchant
will try every way to disposo of his stock of
flour, by asking questions of the others, who
must, in their answers, be careful not to use the
words flour, I, yes, no, os they are forbidden,
and the one who is caught using them is con
sidered out of the game.
The Four Merchant must persevere in his en
deavors to make the players use one of the in
terdicted words. For instance:
‘ Do you wish any (lour to-day ?’
‘ There is none required.’
* But you will soon want it; let me persuade
you to take some.’
‘That is impossible.’
4 Why so ? It is the very best of flour; just
look at it.
Tho quality is a matter of indifference to me.
4 But it will make such gopd sweet bread. —
Do take some.’
4 You have my answer.’
‘Have I?’ I must have forgotten it. What
was it?’
4 My answer was, decidedly, not any.’
4 But, madam, consider, it is a very reason
able price.’
4 I will not take any.’
The Flour Merchant 1-awLg succeded in i
making her say 1 /,’ proceeds to the next one
God’s Child. —‘Do you feel that you are one
of God’s children ?’ asked a lady of a Sabbath
school scholar. 4 I do not know,’ he answered,
4 I only know that once my Saviour was a great
way off, and I could not see Him. Now He is
near, and I love to do things, and love not to
do things, for His sake, like as I do for my fa
ther’s or my mother’s sake.’ Here indeed was
that sweet'spirit of obedience which is the root
of all true piety in the heart.
Last winter the Rev. Mr. T , when
returning home from the Episcopal Convention,
paid a visit to the Hon. J. C. S ,of Madi
son County. At tea Mr. T asked a bless
ing ; and when they were all seated, little Car
raway, the son of Mr. S , looked up to the
reverend gentleman, and with an important air,
said,
“‘We have got a grocer too, but he ain’t at
home to night.’” ()
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