HE D3LLAR PER ANNUM, INVARIABLY IN ADVANCE.
TOWANDAi
fflpirsbcin fllorning, 'April 2, 1537.
Stltdrt
THE OLD COUNTRY HOUSE.
I knuw a house,' its open doors
Wide set to catch the scented breeze,
While, dimpling all the oaken floors,
Faint shadows of the swaying trees,
Pass in and out like spectral things.
Dim creatures born of summer light,
Till through the deepening twilight springs
A paler radiance of the night.
Then softly in those silent hours
Fair faces grow upon the gloom.
And whisper'd words of unseen powers
Breathe inward with the garden bloom
Of roses clinging to the garden walls,
And lawns smooth mown with punctual shears,
While over roof and threshold falls
The peace of many a hundred years.
Unfolding low their ivory fringe,
The lillies lie upon the pond ;
The firs have caught the sunset tinge.
And murmur, elfin-like, beyond :
I think whoever sought that grove.
To dream an hour of love or heaven,
Might, wrapt in some strange mystery, rove,
And find his year had grown to seven!
Great elms, a glorious altar-veil
Screen oil'the yellow evening skies ;
.Mill those thick branches, blue and pale,
The geutle smoke doth curling rise,
And wavering in the wavcless air,
A certain tender touch impart
T > what were else too calmly fair.
Like memory in some heaven-taught heart.
Across the broad unbroken glade _
Which guards this house on either hand,
Tiie beech-clumps sprinkle showers of shade>
These outposts of the forest stand
And guard the kingdom of tiie deer,
Tiie stillness of their charm'd domain,
Where Spring chimes matins every year,
And Autumn leaves fall down like rain.
For miles these beeches rise and fall,
And ripple like some inland sea ;
From bough to bough the wood-birds call.
And squirrels nc-t in every tree ;
Blue depths of distance melt away
As far as vision may discern.
And all the open slopes are gay
With foxgloves and the tangled fern.
Utisullaneous.
[ From the Berks County Press.]
THE SANGUINARY DUEL,
BY JOHN h. ZIEIIF.R.
A braggart has often taken for a brave
vekless man, unless he was really known to
i>> harmless, physically speaking, would pos
<ess tbe power of intimidating: pcaeably dis
posed persons.
Jim Rankin.* was one of the !,■ of indi
viduals above mentioned—he was a barkeeper
in the tavern in the village of H -. He
was not a native of that pince, hence all his
irvcllons narratives about h'mscjf. as he re
lated them could not safeijr be contrail. cted.
Bat in the course of time nonius* bpgan to
arise rewarding the veracity of all his d mntr
-Ventures—he enlarged so mach that none
'at the most verdant believed him, and he soon
Valid that his hearers would occasionally wink
t'he dwelt upon some of his most daring ex
ploits.
There resided in the village another itidi
'■iaal whose name was Olivar Mills ; he was
iarly affected, he blustered and foamed fu
ily, and the majority of the citizens avoid
a u int. He was a large athletic man of about
'"Tv-four or five, and a quarrelsome fellotv
■ never hesitated to knock a man over who
' I to insult or affront him.
! ire existed a rivalry between the two in
" Dials which was destined to create a gene
blow up," some day, us Jim once express
t. The two were not on speaking terms,
maid either tell why it was so ; they on
w that a cordial hatred for each other
i in their bosoms, and neither sought to
•it quenched. Both were ever eager at
i-t affront, to challenge the other, with
• i fference : Jim would challenge his foe
'•rtal coinbat—pistols—while Oliver Mills
1 use Nature's cudgels—fists only.
'hie evening Rankins sat in a grocery store
"e many of the villagers oft congregated ;
•is relating some marvellous stories, and
UK reached the most interesting point,
i the word " liar," in a loud tone rang
" ii eh the apartment,
a moment Jim sprang upon his feet, and
y demanded who the individual was who
•i apply such an obnoxious epithet to him.
Tvvas me said it, you darned blower,"
••d Mills, as he strode forth, and con
"1 the astonished bully,
v it should be known that Rankins ne
lated any of his adventures when Mills
he had probably reasons of his
" for so doing ; but on this occasion he was
by surprise. Mills and the proprietor
store had been in an out house for some
Dor, examining some hams, and they re-
I just us Itaukins was in the midst of his
Mills listened but a moment, when he
" '1 the word above mentioned.
a moment Rankins i-tood eyeing his
balk y rival as if undecided how to pro
'•ut at length he cried :
r , you must recall that vile word or fight
All, if I must, I must," said Mills calm
ib "II then apologise at once," said Ran
"b'litily, seemingly misunderstanding his
he blasted !" exclaimed Mills, " I'll
1 cried Jim, In confusion. " l thought
" re (rflfng to apologise—to retract the
i imade use of."
' V T mind what von thought, I'll fight
I Mills. *
THE BRADFORD REPORTER.
" Tery well', sir, I'll send' my second to yours
to-morrow to arrange matters."
" Arrange thuuderation," cried Mill, "What
do I want with seconds? If you send any
one to me to arrange things, I'll smash bis
face just as I'm going to yours."
" Sir," said Jim, with an air of dignity, "you
entirely mistake the nature of our contemplat
ed meeting, I fight only with tire weapons of
a gentleman—pistols or swords ?"
" Why yon blasted cowardly skunk," cried
the enraged bully, " you don't mean to say
that you refuse to fight me ?"
" I shall not disgrace myself by resorting to
the vulgar practice of settling such affairs, arm
only will suit," said Jim. s
" Well, don't you call these arms?" said
Mills, throwing himself in an attitude, and
displaying a pair of limbs of that name.
" You understand me," suid Jim, and saying
this he left the store.
Those present now persuaded Mills to nc
j ccpt the challenge, and one of them, a great
wag, volunteered to act as bis second.
The two seconds met, and secretly resolved
' to amuse themselves at the expense of those
two pests of B .
The hour fixed upon for the meeting was 2
o'clock in the afternoon of the next day, and
the distance agreed upon was only ten yards.
Thev met, and judging by their features, one
would have supposed they would rather have
been somewhere else, and under different cir
cumstances, they looked really miserable.
The seconds once more pretended to endea
vor to reconcile the two young men, but nei
ther would withdraw a word ; both yearned
for blood, if their assertions could be relied
upon.
They finally took their places, pistols in
hand, and hearts in their throats—the second
who was to give the signal to fire, approached
: the surgeon, and said :
! " I suppose you have your implements han
dy in case an amputation is necessary ?"
" Y'-s, sir," replied surgeon Thompson, who
: was aware that the pistols were not even loml
! Ed with wads, though in the present case, had
i they c ontained balls they would have been
just as harmless in the hands of those two lub
j berly cowards.
Had it been a " fist fight," Mills would have
fought Rankins with pleasure, but he had a
| horror or powder and ball—he would not have
j accepted the challenge had not Bill Krane, his
second, assured him that Rankins would not
stand fire, so here he was now in a horrible
Si tuition, with the eyes of twenty-five or thir
ty of his acquaintances upon him, wiio would
be so many witnesses against hiui if he did not
acquit himself manfully.
The remarks of his second relative to the
amputation of limbs were as daggers to his al
ready excited feelings, aud the effect of those
apparautly sincere words told with equal effect
Upon the other boaster—both were as pale as
sheets.
"Gentlemen, are you ready?" asked the
second.
" Y-e-s," stammered Rankins with nervous
trepidation. Mills would not trust himself
with i:i3 voice, so he merely inclined his head.
" At the word 'three' you will please to
fire," said the other, " now prepare for victory
or death !"
Ttie two wretched men stood daring at each
other with blanched cheek- and dilated eyes ;
at the word "One," they -birlcd convulsively,
and both turned a shade pal i. When "two"
was pronounced they presented an appearance
at once pitiful and ludicrous. Mills perspired
like an over worked slave—his mouth stood
open with fear, and his unoccupied hand open
ed and shut again in a uervous manner.
Rankin's face was actually greenish white,
his knees smote together, and finally his hat
fell off—his hair stood on end ! It could not
be decided then which of the two w as the most
frightened.
Suddenly both seemed to nerve themselves;
they assumed a more determined demeanor,
and looked less horrified. The spectators
thought they would now really fire, a fact
which before was very much doubted.
At the word " three" they both raised their
pistols, and then simultaneously dropped their
arms again, and, pistols in hand they took to i
their heels in opposite directions. It now ap
peared evident to those assembled, that the i
look of firmness which the "duellists" exlii- j
bited previous to their giving out the word
" three," was only a determination to run, in j
case the other persisted in remaining firm, but
unfortunately, both were too cowardly to sec j
how much courage the other possessed, hence ,
the result above.
Now it occurred to Rankins, at the moment i
he turned his back, that Mills al-o took to his :
heels, so in order to maintain his reputation 1
as a brave tnan, he turned back again after
running a dozen paces or so. But unfortunate- j
Iv for him, Mills became possessed of the same
idea, and acted upon it likewise, so when the
valiant challenger presented his pistol—duel :
fashion, he was horrified to behold the redoubt-1
able challenged party apparently ready to fight j
it out. Both were horror struck, and the of-:
feet was instantaneous, but it operated in two j
distinct ways on the individuals most concern
ed. Mills fled a second time, this time, how- ;
ever, dropping the pistol ; the waggish second
picked up the weapon, and discharged it after j
the fugitive.
This capped the climax ; Mills thought his
opponent shot at hi in, and he redoubled his
speed executing some superior feats of running.
Rankins when he heard the report of the pis
tol took it for granted that he was shot, and
with a howl of terror he sauk upon the ground'
When he returned to consciousness he found
himself alone ; all had left the spot ; he re
turned to the tavern through some byway, and
next moraiug the first stage conveyed him to
a distant towu.
He was never again seen in B , and
Oliver Mills became a respectable citizen, on
ly once when lie spoke somewhat sharply to a
.neighbor who differed from him ill politics, the
iatter meieJy said :
" Do you want me to challenge you to fight
a duel ?"
This was enough to silence him
PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY AT TO WANDA. BRADFORD COUNTY, PA., BY E. O'MEARA GOODRICH.
" REWARD LESS OF DENUNCIATION FROM ANY QUARTER."
Thus, by judicious management of Hill Krane
the wag of H , the inhabitants of that
town were rid of two obnoxious individuals by
driving one out of the village and ch-atigiug
tire other from a blustering bully into a seusi
i ble mau.
Premonitions of Death.
The first symptoms of approaching death
with some is a strong presentment that they
are about to die.
Ozauam, the mathematician, while in appa
| rent health, rejected pupils from the feeling
that he was on the eve of resting from his la
bors ;• and he expired soon after of an apo
plectic stroke.
Fletcher, the divine, had a dream which
shadowed out his impending dissolution, and
l believing it to be the merciful warning of
Heaven, he sent for a sculptor and ordered
his tomb.
" Hegin your work forthwith," he said at
parting, "there is no time to spare."
And unless the artist had obeyed the admo
nition, death would have proved the quicker
I workman of the two.
j Mozart wrote his requiem under the eonvic
j tion that the monument he was raising to his
I genius would, by the power of association,
prove a universal monument to his remains.—•
When life was fleeting very fast he called for
the score, aud musing over it, said, "Did I not
tell you truly that it was for myself that I
composed this death chant ?"
Another great artist, in a different depart
, ment, convinced that his hand was about to
lose its cunning, chose a subject emblmatical of
the coming event. His friends inquired the
nature of his next design, and Hogarth repli
ed : " The end of all things."
" In that case," replied one, " there will be
an end of the oainter."
What was uttered in jest was answered in
earnest, with a solemn look and a heavy sigh :
" There will," he said,, " and the sooner my
work in done the better."
\ He commenced next day labored upon it with
j unremitting diligence, and when he had given j
it the last touch, seized his pallet, broke it in
pieces, and said : " I have finished."
The print was published in France under
the title of " Finis," and in October, the curi
i ous eyes which saw the manners in the face
j were closed in the dust.
| Our ancestors,wlio were prone to look in the
i air for causes which were to be found upon
upon the earth, attributed these intimations to
various supernatural agencies.
John Hunter has solved the mystery, if
mystery it can be called, in a single sentence.
"We sometimes," he says, " feel within our- I
selves that we shall not live : for the living
powers become weak, and the nerves commu
nicate the intelligence to the brain."
II is own case has often been quoted among
the marvels of which he offered this rational
explanation. He intimated, on leaving homo,
that if the discussion which awaited him at the
hospital took an angry turn, it would prove
his death. A colleague gave him the lie ;
the coarse word verified the prophecy, and he
expired almost immediately in an adjoining j
room. There was everything to lament in the
circumstance, but nothing at which to wonder,
except that any individual could show such
disrespect to the great geuius, a single year of
whose existence was worth the united lives of
his opponents. Hunter, in uttering the pre
diction, had only to take connscl in his own j
experience, without the intervention of iuvisi- ;
ble spirits. He had long labored under a clis- I
ease of the heart ; and he felt the disorder j
had reached the point at which any sharp agi- j
tation would bring on the crisis.
Foote, prior to his departure for the Conti- |
ncnt, stood contemplating the picture of a I
brother author, and exclaimed, his eyes full of j
tears : " Poor Weston 1" In the same dejec- j
ted tone he added, after a pause : " Soon oth-!
ers shall say, " Poor Foote !'" and to the stir- i
prise of his friends, a few days proved the jus- j
tice of his prognostication. The expectation i
of the event had a share in producing it ; for |
a slight shock completes the destruction of
prostrate energies.
The case of Wolsey was singular. The !
morning before he died he asked Cavendish
the hour, and was answered : " Past eight."
" Eight of the clock ?" replied Wolsey, '
" that cannot l>c eight of the clock—nay, hay, !
it cannot be eight of the clock, for by eight of ;
the clock you shall lose your master."
The day he miscalculated, the hour came j
true. On the following morning, as the clock
struck eight, his troubled spirit passed from 1
life. Cavendish and the bystanders thought |
that lie must have had a revelation of the |
time of his death 1 and trom the way in which
the fact had taken possession of his mind, we j
su-pect that he relied upon astrological predic- '
tion, which had the credit of a revelation in j
his own esteem.
A P ALTEON IN* PIFPKTMV.—A voting pnr
son lost his way in a forest, and it being vehe
mently cold and rainy, lie happened upon a
poor cottage and desired a lodging or l ,a y
to stay in, and some fire to warm him. The
man told him that he and hw wife had but one
bed, and if he pleased to lay with them he
should be welcome. The parson thanked him
aud kindly accepted it. In the morning the
man rose to go to market, and meeting some
of his neighbors he fell a laughing. They
asked him what made him so merry about the
mouth. "Why," says he, " I can't bnt think
how 'shamed the parson will be when he
awakes to find himself alone in bed with my
wife."— Pittsburgh (Pa.) Post.
THE THREE PHYSICIANS. —The celebrated
French physician Duramoulin, on his death-bed
when surrounded by the most distinguished
citizens of Paris, who regretted the loss which
the profession would sustain in his death, said*.
"My friends, I leave behind me three physicians
much greater than myself." Being pressed
to name them, each of the doctors supposing
himself to be one of the three, he answered,
" Water, Exercise and Diet "
FAREWELL ADDRESS
OF
GOV. JOHNW. GEARY.
To the People of Kansas Territory.
Having determined to resign the Executive
I office and retire again to the quiet scenes of
private life,and the enjoyment of those domestic
comforts of which I have so long been depriv
ed, I deem it proper to address you ou tlte oc
casion of my departure.
The office from which I voluntarily with
draw, was unsought by me, and at the time of
its acceptance was by no means desirable.—
This was quite evident from the deplorable
moral, civil and political condition of the Ter
; ritory—the discord, contention and deadly
I strife which then and there prevailed, and the
painful anxiety with which it was regarded by
, patriotic citizens in every portion of the Ame-
I rican Union. To attempt to govern Kansas
; at such a period, and under such circumstances,
j was to assume no ordinary responsibilities.—
! Few men could have desired to undertake the
j task, and none would have been so presump
! tious, without serious forebodings as to the re
! suit. That I should have hesitated, is 110 mat
ter of astonishment to those acquainted witli
the facts ; but that I accepted the appoint
ment, was a well-grounded source of regret to
many of my well tried friends,who looked upon
the enterprise as one that could terminate in
nothing but disaster to myself. It was not
supposed that order could be brought in any
reasonable space of time, and with the means
at my command, from the then existing chaos.
| Without descanting upon the feelings, prin
ciples and motives which prompted me, suffice
to say. that I accepted the President's tender
of the office of Governor. In doing so, I sac
rificed the comforts of a home, endeared by
the strongest earthly ties and sacred associa
tions, to embark in an undertaking which pre
sented at the best but a dark and unsatisfacto
ry prospect. I readied Kansas, and entered
upon the discharge of iny official duties, in the
most gloomy hour of her history. Desolation
and ruin reigned on every hand, homes aud
firesides were deserted ; the smoke of burning
dwellings darkened the atmosphere ; women
and children driven from their habitations,
wandered over the prairies among the wood
lands, or sought refuge and protection even
among the Indian tribe 3. The highways were
infested with numerous predatory bands, and
the towns were fortified and garrisoned by ar
mies of conflicing partizans, each excited almost
to frenzy, and determined upon mutual exter
mination. Such was, without exaggeration,
the condition of the Territory, at the period of
my arrival. Iter treasury was bankrupt.—
There were no pecuniary resources within her
self to meet the exigencies of the time. The
Congressional appropriations, intended to de
fray the expenses of a year, were insufficient
to meet the demands of a fortnight. The laws
were null, the Courts virtually suspended, and
the civil arm of the Government almost en
tirely powerless. Action—prompt, decisive,
energetic action—was necessary. lat once
saw what was needed, and without hesitation
gave myself to the work. For, six months I
have labored with unceasing industry. The
accustomed and needed hours for sleep have
been employed in the pnblic service. Night
and day have official duties demanded unremit
ting attention. I have had no proper leisure
moments for rest or recreation. My health
has failed under the pressure. Nor is this all ;
to my own private purse, without assurance of
reimbursement, have I resorted, in everv emer
gency, for the required funds. Whether these
arduous services and willing sacrifices have been ;
beneficial to Kansas and niv country, you arc j
abundautlv qualified to determine.
That I hare met with opposition, and cvun ,
bitter vituperation and vindictive malice, is no '
matter for astonishment. No tnan has etfor :
yet held an important or responsible post in !
our own or any other country and escaped ecu- ;
sure. I should have been weak and foolish in
deed hnd I expected to pass through the fiery ;
ordeal entirely unscathed, especially as I was !
rdbuired. if not to come in conflict with, at
least to thwart evil machinations, and hold in
restraint wicked passions, or rid the Territory
of many lawless, reckless and desperate men.
Beside, it were impossible to mine in contact
with the conflicting interests which governed
the conduct of many well disposed persons
without becoming an object of mistrust and
abuse. While others, whose sole object was
notoriously personal advancement at anv sacri
fice of the public good and at every hazard, it
would have been ridiculous to anticipate the
meed of praise lor disinterested action ; and
hence, however palpable might hive been my
patriotism, however just my official conduct, or
however beneficial in its results, I do not
marvel that my motives have been impugned,
and my integrity maligned. It is, however so
well known, that I need scarcely record the
fact, that those who have attributed my labors
to a desire for gubernatorial or senatorial hon
ors, were, and are themselves the aspirants for
those high trusts and powers, and foolishly im
agined that I stood between thein audthecon
sumation of their nmbitous designs and tower
ing hopes. ' 1
But whatever may be thought or said of my
motives or desires, I have the proud conscious
ness of leaving this scene of my severe and
anxious toil with clean hands, and the satisfac
tory conviction that He who can penetrate the
inmost recesses of the heart, and read its se
cret thoughts, will approve ray purposes and
acts. In the discharge of my executive func
tions, I have invariably sought to do equal
and exact justice to all men, however humble
or exalted. I have eschewed all sectional
disputations, kept aloof from all party affilia
tions, and have alike scorned numerous threats
of personal injury and violence, and the most
flattering promises of advancement and reward.
And I ask and claim nothing more for the
part I have acted, than the simple merit of
having endeavored to perform my duty. This
I have done, at all times and upon every oc
casion, regardless of the opinions of men, and
i utterly fearless of consequences. Occasional
ly I have been forced to ossffmre great respon
sibilities, and depend solely upon my own re
sources to accomplish important ends ; but in
all such instances, I have ,'carefully examined
surrouudipg circumstances, weighed well the
probable resnUs, and acted upon my own do
liberate judgment ; aud in now reviewing them,
I am so well satisfied with the policy uniform
ly pursued, that were it to be done over again
it should not be changed in the slightest par
ticular.
In parting with you I can do no less than
I give you a few words of kindly advice, and
i even of friendly warning. You are well aware
that most of the troubles which lately agita
ted the Territory, was occasioned by men who
had no especial interest in its welfare: Many
of them were not even residents, while it is
quite evident that others were influenced alto
gether in the part they took in the disturban
ces by mercenary or other persona! considera
| tions Tlte great body of the actual citizens
i are conservative law-abiding, peace loving
i men, disposed rather to make sacrifice or con
ciliation and consequent peace, than to insist
for their entire rights should the general good
thereby be enused to suffer. Some of them,
under the influence of the prevailing excite
ment and misguided opinions, were led to the
commission of grevious mistakes, but not with
the deliberate intention of doing wrong.
A very few men resolved upon mischief,
may keep in a state of unhealthy excitement
ami involve in fearful strife an entire commu
nity. This was demonstrated during the civil
commotions with which the Territory was con
vulsed. While the people generally were anx
ious to pursue their peaceful callings, small
combinations of crafty, scheming and design
ing men, succeeded from nurely selfish motives,
in bringing upon them a series of most lament
able and destructive difficulties. They never
desired that the present peace should be a flee
ted ; nor do they intend that it shall continue
if they have the power to prevent it. In the
constant croakings of disaffected individuals
in various sections, you hear the onlv express
ions of evil desires and intentions. Watch
then, with a special, jealous and suspicious eye,
those who are continually indulging surmises
of renewed hostilities. They are not the friends
of Kansas, and there is reason to fear that
some of them are not only enemies to the Ter
ritory, but of the Union itself. Its dissolution
is their ardent wish, and Kansas has been se
leoted as a fit. place to commence the accom
plishment of a most nefarious design. The
schemes has tints far been frustrated, but it
has not been aba' doaed. You are intrusted
not only with the guardianship of this Terri
tory, but the peace of the Union which de
pends upon you in a greater degree than you
may at present suppose.
\ on should therefore, frown down every ef
fort to foment discord, and especially to arrav
settlers from different sections of the Union in
hostility against each other. All true patriots,
whether from the North or the South, the
blast or the \\ est, should unite together for
that which is and must be adopted as a com
mon cause, the preservation of the Union ;
and he who shall whisper a desire for its dis
solution, no matter what may be his preten
sions, or to what faction or party he claims to
belong, is unworthy of your confidence, de
serves your strongest reprobation, and should
be branded as a traitor to his country. There
is a voice crying from the grave of one whose
memory is dearly cherished in every patriotic
heart, and let it not cry in vain. It tells you
that this attempt at dissolution is no new
thing ; but that even as early as the days of
our first President it was agitated by ambitious
aspirants for place and power. And if the
appeal of a still more recent hero and patriot
much needed in his time, how much more ap
plicable is it now, and in this Territory
"The possible dissolution of the Union,"he
says, " has at length become an ordinary and
familiar subject of discussion. Has the warn
ing voice of Washington been forgotten ? or
have designs already been formed to dissolve
the Union? lict it not be supposed that I
impute to all tliose who have taken an active
part in these unwise and unprofitable discus
sions a want of patriotism or of public virtue.
The honorable feelings of State pride and lo
cal attachments find a place in the bosoms- of
the most enlightened and pure. Rut while
such men are conscious of their own integrity
and honesty of purpose, they ought never to
forget that the citizens of other States are
their political brethren, and that, however mis
taken they may be in their views the great bo
dv of them arc. equally honest and upright with
themselves. Mutual suspicions ami reproach
es may. in time, create mutual hostility, and
artful and designing men will always be found
who are ready to foment these fatal divisions,
and to inflame the natural jealousies of diffe
rent sections.of the country. The history of
the world is full of examples and especially in
the history of republics."
When I look upon the present condition of
the T< rritory, and contrast it with what it was
when 1 first entered it, I feel satisfied that my
administration has not been prejudicial to its
interests. On every hand, I now perceive un
mistakable indications of welfare and prosperi
ty. The honest settler occupies his quiet dwel
ling, with his wife and children clustering
around him, uninolestn and fearless of dan
ger. The solitary traveler pursues his way un
harmed over every public thoroughfare. The
torch of the incendiary has been extinguished,
and the cabins by which it were destroyed,
have been replaced by more substantial build
ings. Honrds of banditti no longer lie in wait
in every ravine for plunder and assassination.
Invasions of hostile armies have ceased, and
infuriated partisans, living in our midst, have
emphatically tnrned their swords to plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks. Labor
ers are everywhere at work—farms Undergoing
rapid improvements—merchants are driving a
thriving trade-—and mechanics pursuing with
profit their various occupations.
Real estate, in town and country, has in
creased in value almost without precedent, un
til in some places it is commanding prices that
never could have becu autieipat<L Whether
this healthy find happy change is the result
. VOL. XVII. No. 43.
solely of my executive labors, or not, it cer
tainly h:i9 occurred during my administration.
Upon yourselves most mainly depend the pre
servation and perpetuity of the present pros
perous condition of affairs. Guard it with uu
: censing vigilance, and protect it as you would
! your lives. Keep down that party spirit,which,
if permitted to obtain the mastery, mnst lead
Ito desolation. Watch closely arid condemn in
its infancy every insiduous movement that can
possibly tend to discord or disunion. Suffer
no local prejudice to disturb the prevailing har
mony. To every appeal to these turn n deaf
j ear, as did the Savior of men to the prompt
ings of the deceiver. Act as a united band of
brothers bound together by one common tie.
Your interests are the same, and by this course
alone can they be maintained*. Follow this,
and your hearts and homes will he made light
and happy by the richest blessings of a kind
and munificent Providence.
To you, the peucable citizens of Kansas, I
owe my grateful acknowledgements for the aid
and comfort your kind assurances and hearty
co-operation "have afforded in many dark and
trying hours. You hare my siucerest thanks
and my earnest prayers that you tnay be abuu
dantly rewarded in Heaven.
To the ladies of the Territory—the wives,
mothers, sisters and daughters of the honest
settlers—l am also under a weight of obliga
tion. Their pious prayers have not been rais
ed in vain, nor their numerous assurances of
confidence in the policy of my administration
failed to exert a salutary influence.
And last, though not the least, I must not
ba unmindful of the noble men who formed
the Military Department of the West. To
Genera, Persifer F. Smith and the officers act
ing ntrder his command, I return my thanks
lor valuable services. Although from diffe
rent parts of the Union, and imbued with sec
tional prejudices, J know of no instance in
which such prejudices have been jjemmtted to
stand in tiie way of a faithful, ready, cheerful
and energetic discharge of duty. Their con
duct in this respect is worthy of universal com
mendation, and presents a bright example for
those executing the eivil power. The good be
havior of all the soldiers who were called up
on to assist me, is in fact, deservingofcpecial
notice. Many of these troops, officers and
men had served with me on the fields of Mexi
co against a foreign foe, and it is a source of
no little satisfaction to know that the laurels
there won, have been further adorned by the
praiseworthy alacrity with which they labor
ed to allay a destructive fratricidal strife at
home.
With a firm reliance ta the p otecting care
and over-ruling providence of that Great Be
ing who holds in his His hand the destinies
alike of men and nations, I bid farewell to
Kansas and her people, trusting that whatever
events may hereafter befall them, they will, in
the exercise of His wisdom, goodness and po
wer, be so directed as to promote their own
best interest and that ot the beloved country
of which they are destined to form a most im
portant part. JOHN W. GEARY.
Lccoinpton, March 12, 1557.
" I MARK ON'LT THK II>CR3 THAT SHI.VK."
—The above, if we rightly remember, is the
inscription upon a snn dial in Italy. It incul
cates a beautiful lesson which many are prone
to disregard. It would teach us to remember
the bright days of life, and not forget the
blessing God is giving n. Life, it is true, is
not all bright and beautiful, ISiK still it has
its lights as well as shades, and it is neither
wise nor graceful to dwell too much npon tho
darker portions of the picture. He who looks
the bright side of life, and makes the best of
everything, will, we think, other tilings being
equal, be a better, happier man, than those
who, as Franklin says, "are always lookiug
at tin! ugly leg," and find occasion for. com
plaint and censure in almost everything they
meet with.
fiiyj- A simple and modest man lives un
known, until a moment, which he could not
have foreseen, reveals bis estimable qualities
and generous actions. I compare him to the
concealed (lower springing from an humb!e>tem,
which escapes the view, and is discovered onlv
by its perfume. Pride quickly fixes the eye
a <1 lie who is always bis own eulogist dispenses
every other person from the only obligation to
praise him.
A Lrctn IvfTL vXATioH. —A Frenchman, be
ing troubled with the guut, was asked what
difference there was between that and the
rheumatics. " One very great difference," re
plied Monsieur ; " suppose yon take ouc vue,
put your linger in ; you turn ze screw till yon
can bear him no longer—Uaf is zc rheumatism ;
den s'pose-you give iiiiu one turn more—dot
is ze gout."
tkuir A lady relating her matrimonial expe
rience, said :
" At, first on retiring of a cold night, niy
husband used to say to tne, ' put your dear lit.
tie footics with mine bat soon it was ' keep
your IKIO.S off me.' "
H3r"Many a young lady who objects to be
ing kissed under the mistletoe, lias no objections
to being kissed under the rose."
A stupid compositor made an error in the
i above rendering it, " has no objections to be
ing kissed under the nose."
&Sr Wonmn. by the decree of nature, baa
smiles, like the kind heavens, for all creation ;
and when clouds intervene, and she is sad, her
very tears like the rain aud dew, are equally
benefioient.
B-sy- A man may edify anofchor by his gifts,
and yet be unedifierl himself ; he may be pro
fitable to uuother, and yet unprofitable to
himself. The raven was an unclean bird, and
not good, meat, but God could make bef the
bearer of good meat to Elijao.
Igj- To reform the world, begin first with
. yourtflf, then with your nn^hbor.