I have sworn upon tlio Altar of God, eternal hostility to every form of Tyranny over tho Blind of Man." Thomas Jefferson.
MINTED AND PUBLISHED BY JOHN S. INGRAM.
Volume I.
BliOOKISBVRG, COIiUMBIA COUNTY, PA. SATURDAY, AUGUST 12, 1837.
Number 16.
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Hf ; LAND OF THE WEST.
'rjfift JIT VV. II. OALLAC1IKII.
iLiiroloT the West! thine early prim's
FadS'fn the flight of harrying Time;
'Thynoblo forests fall, us sweep
Europa's myriails o'er tho Deep;
'And 'thy liroad plains, with welcome warm,
Rcccivo tho onward-pressing swarm:
"On mountain height, in lowly vale,
By,quict lake, or gliding river,
Wherever sweeps the'ehaintesa gale,
- Onward sweep they forever.
Uh.inay they como with heart that no'er
Can bend a tyrant's chAin to wear;
With souls that would indignant turn,
And proud Oppression's minions spurn,
,Vith.ricxvtes df stcql, and words of flume,
"To striko and scar tho wretch who'd bring our land
to shame!
iuxD or the West! beneath tlio Heaven
There's not a fairer, lovelier clime;
Kor one to which was ever given
A. destiny more high, sublimbi
From Allegheny's base, to where
, Our Western Andes prop the sky
Tho home of Freedom's hearts is there,
Arid o'er it Freedom's eagles fly.
And here, should e'er Columbia's land,
, Bo'rcnt with fierce inlcstihc feud,
Shall 'Freedom's latest cohorts stand,
, "ZTillTrecdom's oaglcs sink in blood, ,
i And quenched arc all tho stars that ndw her banners
', . For the Columbia Democrat.
fall? 1'AMIf.Y OP TItOUT SPIUXC.
V;
W NO Mil til TWO.
4- Onc cool autumnal evening as aiuon
bljfljnd his family word sitting at their fru-
gal lineal in their homely though clean
'mansion, a stranger appeared at tho door
I'diiStrequcstcd admittance, with his compan-
'ion;for the night. Albert inquired con
cerning the number of the company, their
" wants and necessities and upon being in
formed in a few words, with his accustomed
generosity, acceded to his request. The
partyconsistcd of a middle aged man, his
wife and three children, who with a few ar-
Ucles1 of damaged furniture, iinadc up the
load of a wagon drawn by three! lean horses
Altcr. tho strangers had alighted, unloaded
their few articles of provision and furniture,
put their horses in tho stabld, and arranged
matters for the niglit, Albert inquired of the
. .-mm. : . . ... ..
stranger las destination, i he guest pro-
heeded to give the following history of his
life and adventures.
Lam descended," said he, "trom pa
rents' wild moved in a sphere above mcdioc
rityViiri New England, and as I was their
p'nlgchild they determined to give me
wliat1 they considered a superior cducatiori.
Asjjljwas naturally capricious, twhimsical
andunsleaily in my disposition, I never
voluntarily attended to any one thing till I
(P05ll bad' ihoroughly learned it, but always de-
rslstcdr and commenced a new thing before
Iha'first was half understood. My parents
I doated upon me too much to admit of my
u beingironstrained, so 1 was left to my own
... i guidance anu consequently grow up wiin
j ro-1 onUperfcctly understanding any ono thing
andUyithout any disposition to do the little
1' could perform. With these unfoitunatc
habits fully fastened upon me, I entered
lthc thejvbrld as a free man, destitute of useful
picas'' knowlddgd, and without any definite object
1 in view. Tho thought of providing for my
, , bwirsupport had scarcely ever entered my
mindl and when by chance such a rcflcc
, .i ,t. ... ' . . .
tionKdid spring up, my ucklcncss soqn
dgwrrno off to some other reflection. I
passed day after day resolving eacli evening
tliatj&'to-morrow I will fix upon some ra-
UUIIIU' JUUIl UI BpUllUIIIJ IllJ 11IIIU BU US IU
1 "M
i. remove mv continual restlessness" but
mnrninff
nsenTooking to the four winds df heaven forsbmc
dali,I source of amusement, and evening caught
' , moSain tho samo discontented creature I
I.E. iia'dl always been.
"Instliis stato my folly prompted mo to
takcHno management of a family, though I
h had ample experience that I could not pro
vide for myself. I married, however, and
havo no charge to make against the Com
panion I had chosen, who is now tho com
panion of my pilgnrrfage. My parents,
jioae weakness prevented them from prop.
rmwxstraining mo in my early youth,
yeraj, offended at my matrimonial connex'
ion, auu Willi ino same uniortunatc excess
that had dictated my ruined education,
warned me to dross lliclr threshold no more.
Uiider these unfortunate auspices I set up
for myself. My father partially relented,
and furnished me with a small sum of money,
which might wilh prudent management
have started mc in business, but in such
hands as mine did little more than prolong
my vexation. My wife had some knowl-
dgc of domestic matters, had some pru-
ence and forecast, and much industry,
but she experienced hardships wjiicli ex
hausted her patience and impaired her
health. She was united to me under tho
impression that 1 was rich, and was wofully
lisappoinled when she found herself the
wife, not only of a poor cottager, but of a
man destitute of the means of acquiring a
livelihood, and of a whimsical and dissatis
fied iiiiiul.
"After enduring several years of misery,
during which 1 had adopted and abandon
ed an innumerable number of schemes for
bettering my pecuniary condition, my pa
rents died, and became the heir of their
property. We now, for a moment, con
sidered our anxidty at-an end. I moved to
my father's mansion, determined to follow
his stdps. Iti a short time' I fouiid I under
stood nothing about farming, and that no
competent farmer would remain long in my
service, because (as I now know) I was too
self-suflicient to let him do business his own
way, and I was too whimsical to perfect
any operation my way. Unsuccessful in
every attempt, I grew more dissatisfied wit
myself and more arbitrary with those about
mc, till my house was rendered a scene of
discord and altercation. To crown my
misery, I ascertained that my expenses con
siderably exceeded my income. Piece af
ter piece of my father's beautiful properly
was sold to raise funds to discharge the most
pressing demands, and each succeeding
sale diminished my means of raising a live
lihood in future; At last, having an opnor
lunity, I sold the residue of my property
paid my debts, arid determined to emigrate
to sonic mbre favoured land with the bal
aiicc.
"I now supposed I had found the trtic
cause of all my anxiety and misfortunes
1 grew quite sanguine of passing a happy
bid ace in some other rcdon. I attributed
all my disquietude to my locality, & build
cd splendid fabricks of happiness in every
place remote from my own. My wife join
cd in the project heartily. I therefore con
verted all into cash and set out for Georgia
With the wagon and horses, and the family
you now see, anu one more, nut alas
the phantom of discontent which had perse
cuted mc hitherto, followed me in my jour
ney, and made every place present, tho mo
ment I arrived at it. No matter how green
how smooth, how fcriile, orhow delightful
my imagination had painted a particular
place, while at a distance, and tlio moment i
saw it, 1 discovered its blights and incon
veniences. Thus I followed the ignls-fa
tuus of my folly from New Hampshire to
Georgia. I have traversed Virginia, Ken
lucky, and Tennessee, and visited tho re
gions of tho Mississippi and Missouri
I havo worn out my wagon, my horses, my
furniture, togothcr with my health, and that
df my family. I havo buried my youngest
son during my interminable journey, & am
now dragging my weary way back to my
native land, in the miserable plight in which
you see me. I havo been three years al
most continually "t the roatl, my ttinus are
exhausted, my spirits aro dejected, and I ex
pect no solid comfort except that which I
may find after I shall have passed to that
land where "tho wicked cease from troub
linir and tho weary at rest." You sr.o before
you a man, wrolched beyond description
a, man who has bcci! useless to society;
burden to himself, and a torment to thoso
about him. I have arrived at this stato of
demadation without tho commission of
crime. I have been neither intom pcrato
nor dishonest, buttsem becauso in all my
doings I havo novcr done any thing effee
tually methodically, or in soason."
Tho stranger having completed his narra-
vc, signed and remained silent, lie and
his companions wdrc given freely such re
freshment as the house of Albert afforded,
and retired to rest. In the morning they
adjusted their loading and departed with
tcar3 in their dyes towards the land of their
birth.
After they were gone, Mrs. C. said to
her family "my children, from the mis
fortunes of these good people we may learn
lesson. They have been looking for
happiness from exterior object?, forgetting
that it dwells in the mind. Hut the chief
misfortune, arid the foundation of all the
rest, lies in the mistaken education and im-
mcthodical mind of the stranger. He was
naturally idle or changeable, and required
much correction from more experienced
hands. This correction the misguided ten
derness of his parents precluded. lie grew
irresolute, neglected his duty, till he ceased
r:cognizo application as a duty: spent
is time in contriving ways and means to
waste the very time which he should have
husbanded and improved, and which he
feared should ctfmo to an end, as a whole,
but gladly saw vanish in parcels. All this
complication of errors and woes may beset
down as the offspring of one grand parent;
atid that is this: lip commenced the execu
tion of his thoughts or plans before they
ere formed or finished in his own mind,
and consequently abandoned them in dis
gust when he had executed as far as his
plan extended. As he thought without
method, each day originated new schemes,
to share the premature fate of their prede
cessors, from his mislortuncs, then, learn
to think and act methodically, and never
commence executing, till you have seen, in
your mind's eye, tho machine completed
and in operation; It is even better to act
lurong sometimes methodically, than right
at random; because if you have committed
an error systematically it may be in your
power to correct it at a future time: but if
you have performed a matter at random,
and find it right at last, your experience
will avail you nothing) because you cannot
produce a similar result at pleasure, for.the
very plain reason, that you do not know
the cause from which the right result flow'
cd;"
Thus Mrs. 0. turned the misfortunes of
her neighbours into lessons of instruction
for her children instead of subjects of sar
casm and censure; S.
THE FAMILY ALTAR.
A woman is never happier than when
surrounded by her husband and children
and if he forsakes his clubs and slio routes
and parties, contenting themselves at home
both would be satisfied in their little family,
and belter understand each otlier s views
and wishes. A wifo is no less lovely for
having laid aside her silk and appeared at
the tea table in a calico, and no less bcauti
fill because she is deteoled with a broom in
her hand sweeping her parlor. AVe should
look upon these things in their true light,
and consider tlio reason why sho is so
and the benefit produced by her meritorious
course. Tlio times justify economy in all
tilings and it may be practised without
meanness by every one and she who sets
the first exairiplo deserves the commchda
tion and applause of the country. Iftsomc
wealthy dame, who has hitherto led the
ton in fashion and expense would forget
her furbelows & scarfs, and meritoriously
content herself with plain attire and only
moderately costly dresses, sho would do
more real scrvico to tho community than
bv anv otlier courso she could adopt. Her
example would bo followed, and her name
remembered with a blessing. Pride is the
greatest evil we now have to contend with
and it is a weak and foolish fancy that kills
more nabobs than beggars, and only encir
cles its votaries with a chaplct of thorns
that they may bo sacrificed as victims upon
the altar of selfishness. New hra.
Keep your purso and your mouth close
Keep no more cats than will catch mice
Open conlosston is goou lor uio soui.
THE GREAT AMERICAN DESERT.
The vast barren, and trackless region,
stretching for hundreds of miles along the
foot of the Rockoy Mountains, and drained
by the tributary streams of the Missouri, is
thus described in Irving's Astoria.
"This region which resembles ono of Ihc
immeasurable steppe's of Asia, has not in
aptly been termed 'the great American De
sert.' It spreads forth in undulating and
treeless plains, and desolate sandy wastes,
wearisome to the'eyc from their extent and
monotony, and which are supposed by ge
ologists to have formed the ancient floor of
the ocean, countless ages since, when its
primeval waves washed against the granite
coasts of the RocUv Mountains. It is a
land where no man permanently abides;
for in certain seasons of the year there is
no food either for the hunter or his steed.
Pile herbage is parched and withered, tlio
brooks and streams arc dried up; the bu Ha
lo, the elk and tho deer have wandered to
distant parts, keeping within the verge of
expiring verdure, and leaving behind them
a vost uninhabited solitude, seamed by ra
vines, the beds of former torrents, but ser
ving only to tantalize and increase the thirst
of the traveller.
Occasionally the monotony of this vas
wilderness is interrupted by mountainous
belts of sand, and limestone, broken in con
fused masses, with precipitous clifts and
yawning ravines, looking like the ruins of a
world, or is traversed by lofty hills and
ridges of rock, almostimpassable, like those
denominated the Berk Hills. Ueyond these
rise the stem barriers of the Rocky Moun
tains, the limits, as it were, of the Atlantic
world. The rugged defiles and vallies of
this vast chain form sheltering places for
restless and ferocious bands of savages,
many of them tho remnants of the tribes
once inhabitants of the prairies, but broken
up by war and violence, and who carry into
their mountain haunts the fierce passions
and reckless habits of desperadoes."
Particular Providence For my own
part I fully enter into the sentiment of an
ancient writer, that it would not be worth
while to live in a world that was not go
verned by a Providence. Nothing is so
tranquilizing and consolatory, amid the
shiftings, and fluctuations, and uncertain
ties of an inconstant world, as tho firm
belie! that mV family and myself arc
wholly dependent on the Sleepless and un
remitting care of my reconciled God and
Father, that he views with indifference
which can affect us either with good or
with ill, that evefy drop in the ocean of
means is in his hand and at his disposal,
and that ho is making all things work to
gether for our good. His eye is upon mo
every hour of my existence his spirit in
timately present to every thought of my
heart. His hand impresses a direction
upon every footstep of my going. Every
brcatli I inhale is drawn in by an energy
which God deals out to me. This body,
which, upon the slightest derangement,
would become the prey of death or of wo
ful sufferings, is now at ease, becauso Ho
is at this moment warding off a thousand
dangers, and upholding tho thousand move
ments of its complex and delicate maclii
neiy. His presiding influence keeps mc
though tho whole current of my restless and
ever-changing history. JVhen I walk by
the way ho is along with i"e. When 1
enter into company, amid all my forgetful
ness of him, ho novcr forgets ino. In the
silent watches of the night, when my eye
lids have closed, and my spirits have sunk
into uilconsciousness, the observant eye of
Him who never slumbers, is upon mo ; I
cannot fly from his presence. Go where I
will, He attends mo and cares for mo. And
tho same Being who is now at work in the
remotest dominion of Nature and Provi
dence, is always at my right hand to eke
out every moment of my being, and to up
hold me in tho exorcise of all my feelings
and of all my faculties. Original Mem
ors,
DARK NIGHT,
The following is tho next best thing in
evidence concerning the stone "as big as
a piece of Chalk." "Wero you travelling
on the night this affair took place?" "I
should say I was, Sir." "What kind of
weather was it, was it raining at tho timet"
It wa3 so dark that I couldn't sec it raininc;
I felt it dropping, though." "How dark
was it?" "I had no way of telling but it
was hot light by ajdg full." "Can't you
compare it to something?" "If I was going
to compare it to any thing, I should say it
was about as dark as a stack of black cats."
Important. To pcstrlov tlea.s. Wet
your finger in your mouth and catch thora
tickle them under the short ribs till they
laugh then spit tobacco juice in their
mouths, and they will instantly close their
eyes ill death with scarce a struggle.
Last winter, it is said a cow floated down,
the Mississippi on a piece of ice, and be
came eo cold that she lias milked nothing
but ice-cream ever since!
Art Irishman meeting an acquaintance
thus accosted him, "Ah my dear; who da
you think I have just been speaking to?
Your old friend Patrick, faitli? and he has
grown so thin, I hardly knew him. You
are thin, and I am thin, but he is thinner
than both of us put together."
Antediluvian Pun.-"Let me have your
walking stick," asked a little child of his
father who carried a very heavy loaded
staff. , "No, no, child," was the answer
"you're not Able to carry my Cane."
"Ben what's the reason they call you
and mc indented apprentices?"
"I don't know," replied Ben; "except it's
because boss licks us with a stick, and dents
us all over."
He who has no bread to spare should not
keep a dog these hard times.
The Kiverlid or Yankee Neatness.
A Green Horn from the interior recently
went to visit a rich cousin in the City of
Boston. Being introduced into the sitting
room by the servant, he stopped at tho
door, and gazing for a moment with aston
ishment upon tlio rich carpet upon tho
floor, he at last observed a narrow spaco
next the wall of the room, which it did not
cover, and with long strides, marched over
it opposite tho fire place, there being obliged
to cross the carpet to reach his friends,
(who began to be as much surprised as he
was) in reaching the hearth ho could not a
void stepping on it and, turning with ap
parent mortification to his cousin, he ex
claimed "There Polly I've trnd on your
kiverlid artcr all.
Fishing for Compliments. ."Well, Di
nah," said a would-bo-bcllc, to a black girl,
they say beauty soon fades, but do you
see any of my bloom fading? now tell mo
plainly, without any compliments. "Un,
no, missa; but mo kinder tink" "Think
what; Dinah: you're bashful?" "Oh, no
mc no bashful but den mo kinder tinks as
how missa don't retain her color quite so
well as sister Pliillosoy Scip'slubblyroso"
dipt. There is said to be but one quar
ter dollar of change in Cincinnati; and that
has been borrowed so often to pay posta
ges, that it is worn down to a pistareen.
.Work of Necessity. Unbuttoning a
young gentleman's waistcoat to enable him
to pick up his cane.
High Fashion. A New York writer
gives tho following as a definition of high
fashion. "Tight sleeves to tho elbows
long waist full skirt sweet smiic cur
ling lin bright eye pearly teeth tongue
of music heart of d-
A young lady asked a gentloman," while
in tho garden, which he thought tho pretti
est, the tulips or the roses. "Oh, your
two lips," replied he, "before all tho roses
r
in the world."