Raftsman's journal. (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, March 19, 1856, Image 2

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    5
1
$
I
3
7
VOL. 2.-3TO. 32.
CLEARFIELD, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 19, 1856.
BI S. B. BOAT.
. ,
. I YEARS FOR THE SPRING.
I yearn for the Spring, when the birds shall sing,
Ami each morning awake fresh flowers;
W have wited long fur the lark's bljt.be (ong,
. , And the lengthening evening hours.
A (brood of enow had lain on the earth,
An icy hand on each stream,
The sua in the sky oped it"s languid eye,
. And sent but a siokfr gleam ;
And the frosty breeze moaned among the trees,
And the rattling hail and rain
'Camo sweeping past, with an angry blast,
And dashed 'gainst the window pace ;
And never a flower in tha stormy hoar,
- iJared raise up its tiny head
For all gentle things fled on the Summer's wing,
Or else ia the snow lay dead !
1 Jearn for the Spring, when the birds shall sing,
And each morn shall awake new flowers;
We hae lutenei long for the wood-lark'a song,
And the thrush at the evening hours.
Tis a beauteous time when the bnd first burst,
And child-like the young leaf stands,
And catches the drops of the gentle shower
In its small and TeWety hands !
When the tender grass feels the south wind past
- In its chariot unseen,
, And old mother Earth, at the new Spring birth.
Arrays her in robes of green
" When tho unbound stream, as if in a dream,
' Murmurs on to iU unknown home,
And tells the tall reeds, a3 onward it speeds,
That the fair Lady Spring hath come !
Oh. I yearn for the Spring for tho balmy Bpring
Who floats liko a fairy queen.
And toncheth the land with a magic wand,
' - Till all beauteous things re seen.
I long to bo out at the early dawn
When the eas'.crn light is new,
"Among the odors borne from the scented thorn,
- And the showers of silvery dew.
Oh. I cannot tell how my soul doth swell
With an inward happiness ;
. For simple to-ne is a bliss to me.
For the which my God I bless !
With an unknown sourco oomes a nameless forae
Which pervades my being through
A joy, and a lore, and a strength from above,
And I seem to be mado anew !
Oh, come then, Spring let the woodlark'a sing
Let the floweret ope its eye ;
Like the lark I'd soar to the heaven's blue floor
X k the flower, gaze up to the sky.
THE LITTLE HUSSAR ;
OB, riESCH MILITARY CLOEY 11117 TT2AE.S AGO.
The Place- Beauvau, ia 1801, was a rugged
HTui;rh which vehicles passed with dif
oil and almost liquified the mud which spreuil
treacherously over the many deep boles and
rota, the place became a series of traps ia
.which the tic wary passenger often floundered
most absurdly, and even dangerously, as upon
tho quicksands of an unknown shore.
It was after two days' storm, in the month
cf November of last year, that a slenderyoung
man threaded the dubious path of this slough,
evincing the greatest caution in picking Ma
dainty steps, as he directed his course toward
the Boulevards. The youth seemed scarce be
yond the ago of childhood, so small and deli
cate was Lis figure, so fair and smooth was his
caee sna migm nave teea ta:cea lur some
frolicsome young girl, in masquerade, from
Lis slender waist, tiny feet and hands, and
long, fair, curling locks.
He was habited somewhat foppishly ia the
uniform of the Royal Hussars, and displayed
great agility, as well as extraordinary care, in
leaping from stone to stone, clearing each
muddy rivulet, and tripping daintily over the
dry intervals of ground, when his attention
ws attracted by a burst of laughter, and he
perceived four grenadiers of the Guard watch
ing h;3 gymnastics with mocking glee.
Although indignant at their insulting con
auct, tho young gentleman continued his
route until the grenadiers directly addressed
him : "Look ont for that hole," cried one, "it
. is six inches deep you may drown in It."
"Hold your tongue said a second ; "don't
you see that it is a young girl? you don't
know how to address a lady : Mademoiselle,
wo are going to" the Barriere to drink some fa
mous wine; shall wj have the honor of your
charming company."
"Bah!" sneered the third soldier, "St Is on
ly a little hoy running away from his father to
play truant for a while. Go home Immediate
ly, yon young scamp ; do you hear me ?"
Theyouthstoppedjhnlf surprised ,half angry.
WLy do you annoy me, sirs ?" asked he.
"Why? because yon amuse us."
"I have nothing to say to you ; let me pass
on ray way V
"Not without chatting a little first."
"Well, then," said the young hussar, mild
ly, "what do you want ?"
"Let us seeoh, tell us truly, if you are
ycotij lady 7"
"You '
.. ,..mu to laugh at Ae, comrades."
'lia! ha! he calls us comrades ! Because
Lis mamma has dressed him in uniform to
make him look pretty, he thinks he la a sol
..dicr. What fancy dress is that you wear child?'
"It Is no fancy dress," replied the youth 5
-"it is lhe uniform of my regiment."
"Go to, boy! wo do not swallow such fables
. as that; go back to your school my lad."
"I am very young, it Is true, gentlemen,
but I am, nevertheless, a cavalier of. the first
regiment of Hussars."
"A fine regiment, truly," grinned the sol
dier, if it is composed of chits of your feather.
"It is a bravo regiment and & good regi
ment,' returned the youth, loosing patience,
"of whicn the poorest soldier is worth all tho
impudent grenadiers of the Guard."
"Oho you are getting angry, are ycu V
"Because you torment mo."
r "Ah! you call yourself a trooper, and you
Dear! the veterans of tho Guard, do you? This
shall not pass, sir Malapert ; you shall prove
your title to enrollment In a brave corpse."
"Thai la, yoa wish m to fight 1 Very well.
Altho' you are four to one, and have all joined
ia insulting me, I will not baulk you, sirs."
"Oh, we will not be hard on you. I shall let
you off with a scratch, on tho word of a mai
tre d'armes !"'
"Don't be too confident, Sir Fencer; I un
derstand how to handle a sabre somewhat."
"That we will prove immediately. Strip,
my child, and take your position."
Tho noise of this altercation had, by this
time, attracted a number of spectators shop
keepers in the neighborhood, and chance pass
ers by and they formed a circle around the
disputants, getting denser every moment, and
all eager to behold the result, and see fair play.
The little Hussar and the maitro d'armes
took ofT their mantles, and unsheathing their
sabres, began the combat. The grenadier soon
perceived that he had no novice to deal with;
but as ho had bragged of his skill of fence,
and announced tho nature of the wound ho
would deal upon his young antagonist, he
fought with the sole purpose in view a meth
od which ended in five minutes, by his recei
ving the youth's sword through his heart.
The boy victor leaned calmly on his bloody
weapon, as if he had not yet finished.
The companions of the fallen grenadier find
ing their comrade perfectly dead, left him on
the sod, and turning to the Hussar, one of
them, said : "You have fought bravely, young
man, and tho' you have killed the best swords
man of the Guard, it was fairly done ; there
fore, go quickly, ia safety."
"Not so soon as you think," replied the lit
tle hero. .'You have each insulted me; I in
tend to pass you each ia review that is our
way in the cavalry !"
"What! will you fight again?" cried the
soldier amazed.
"Precisely so."
"Come on, then, I will avenge our poor
Charet," cried the grenadier, and a new com
bat began. This time the assailant regarded
Deither the youth nor tho apparent weakness
of the little Hussar, but fought with all his
and fierce. Hut the great agility o'f lhe3rouTh
delied all fury ; and in as short time nearly as
ueiore, ho ripped a ghastly wound in the
stomach of the burly soldier, which laid him
uj ing, near his comrade.
"The crowd buzzed ia excited applause and
wonuer.
"Now for tho third 1" cried the victor ia his
boyish voice.
Tho third grenadier strode forward. Ho
was gigantic in size, and tho great length ot
his arm hindered all the little Hussar's efforts
to get within the reach of his huge carcas for
a long time. But the boy, evading with great
dexterity all his savage thrusts and tierce
blows, beset him so constantly and actively on
every aide, springing here and there like a
"saltia banque," and causing the great bulk
of bis adversary to make most tiresome efforts
in guarding his quick assaults, that the giant
failing from very weariness, and dropping I113
guard for a single second sealed hi3 doom.
In that second, the Hussar's sabro drank his
life blood, and he fell besides his brothers'-in-nrrns
; while almost in the same moment with
out a pause, tho relentless youth cried, "let
me see the last one ; I must finish the play
speedily."
The spectators could no longer restrain tbeir
applause withing the limits of murmuring.
They clapped and braved tho young conqueror,
as they would an actor at the successful ren
dering of a difUcult role, exported Lim to the
last combat with hurras of sympathy and en
couragement. That the last grenadier of the Consular
Guard advanced with a mournful resignation,
as if he foresaw the fata that awaited him.
And his forebodings were not deceived.
Scarcely had three blows been exchanged,
when the Hussar drove Lis sabre through hU
skull down to his very eyes.
Tbo applause of the crowd now rose to a
pitch of intensity equal to the rejoicing over a
signal victory achieved by their own piowess,
or rather that of their chosen champion. They
surrounded the youthful gladiator; they grasp
ed his hands they embraced him in regular 1
order, and finally, when ho bad been thus -,...
sed entirely round ami j hi nti,ni. 1
III I-
, iur mica mm, in spite or himself, on
their shoulders, and lighting torches, for tho
night had gathered, they fairly commenced a
triumphal march through the streets of Paris
with their young conqueror, shoutinand sing
ing, and replying to the numerous questions
of the fast gathering followers, "our infant
hero has just slain four grenadiers of tho Con
sular guard in fair fight."
"Killed four grenadiers!" cried the new
comers. "Charming ! What a dear little fel
low ! What glorious promise !" And while
the men kept joining ia tho procession and in
creasing the enthusiasm, the women even
threw garlands of flowers upon him ia the
beighth of their admiration, until, between
his modesty and his boquets, the poor little
Hussar w as half suffocated before he reached
his quarters.
This, however, was not all. His regiment
rave him a grand jubilee; tho master at anT
flf ihn ormv nfTnrpd him n. hinnimt. 4V.. ij:.. !
of Paris got up a hall by subscription for him.
In short, for several months, he was the hero,
the lion of the day, and fond mothers held his
example before their eons ai glorioiuly worthy
of emulation.
Most fortunately these extravagances did not
turn the brain of the youthful soldier. lie
possessed too much real courago and good
sense to waste his fame on individual quarrels,
and liis future efforts lor "the bubble reputa
tion" were at the cannons mouth on the field
of battle; lor this same little Hussar was no
other than the brave General Trobriant, whose
name became so distinguished ia all the con
quests of the succeeding campaigns of his
country," and who, after attaining many high
honors of rank and fortune, became so disgus
ted with a long interval of peace and retire
ment, that, throwing up all his hard won lau
rels, he departed for Sicily, to commence anew
career of glory, starting as at first, with his
good sabre as a simple Hussar, which he knew
so well how to handle.'
THE TOSITION OF WOMEN.
The Westminster Review contains an articlo
on the positions occupied by women in differ
ent nations from which we derive the follow
ing :
The Jlohammedans nearly all believe that a
woman has no soul. This is not taught in the
Koran, but is countenanced by the fact that in
the Prophet's Paradise, houris are given to the
fjithful instead of their earthly wives. The
Chinese make slaves of their women in this
world, and deny them any hope of compensa
tion hereafter. M. Hue states that tho Chi
nese women, ia the Southern provinces, have
formed a sect called "abstinents," who live
wholly on vegetables. They think that after
death, if they havo been faithful to their vows
.and abstinence, they will return to 1'iAj as men.
In Western Australia, female children are al
ways betrothed a few days after their birth.
Should the first husband die before the girl at
tains maturity, she bclongs'to bis heir. In
New Zealand, if a girl's future husband should
die, no other man can make a proposal to her.
Among the IIiudoo. .widows may not marry
again. In China, parents bargain forthe mar
riage of their children while they are yet un
born. The New Hollanders steal their wives ;
-a n J a llCH,ra tnescapo from her
emptor, he at once thrusts a spear through the
shy part of her leg or thigh.
Of all methods wr vuia"'" ""'i ,n vt
purchase i a. uvst universal. It is prac
ticed by the Africans, by tho black and brown
races of the Indian Archipelago, and by near
ly all the nations of Asia. The Circassian wo
men prefer being sent to Constantinople and
sold. Six girls, intended to be sold as slaves,
were taken from a Turkish vessel recently by
the Russians. They were informed that they
could either marry Kussians Or Cossacks, their
own free choice, or be taken to Germany
lastly bo sold at Constantinople. Without a
moments consideration they exclaimed "to
Constantinople to bo sold !"
Ia Siam and Cochin China, men invariably
purchase their w ives, but tho women have ono
privilege the parents cannot sell them against
their will. In Japan presents are made to tho
bride who transfers them to her relatives to
defray tho expense and trouble in bringing
her. . In China a woman is sold w ithout being
consulted on the sulject ; and has to obey ev
ery ono in tho fnmily of her purchaser w ithout
exception, ner husband can strike her, starve
her, sell her, and even let her out for a longer !
or shorter period. A large number of women
are thus driven to suicide, when the husband
manifests a great deal of emotion being under
the necessity ot buying another wife.
Truly woman, even more than man, should
be the warm supporter of Christianity, and all
institutions based upon Justice ard Freedom
V I. .. .1 . . .
i i "icicvcr lucre are jicatncnistn ana injus
tice, she is the greatest suflcrer.
ulaxo. At the last meeting of the New
York Farmers' Club a resolutia was adopted,
recommending all the Agricultural Societies
in the United States, to unite in a petition to
our government to take possession of all Guan
o Islands which have been, or may be. discov
ered by Americans, for the benefit of the Uni
ted States and of the discoverers the taking
of such possession to occur only on islands un
inhabited, aud entirely out of the maritime
iouiujuu ui uiuer nations, me f armers
Club took the initiative last June, in request
ing our government to extend its protection
to two guano islands discovered by American
shipmasters intho Pacific, and tho United
States frigate Independence was despatched
to the islands for that purpose, several months
ago. It is estimated that, with tho encour
agement of our government, pure guano can
bo furnished to American farmers at three
fourths or even one-half tho cost of the Peru
vian article.
Nxw VAaiETT or Fowls. Since tho war
with Eursia a new kind of domestic fow l has
been introduced into England from the Black
Sea, and is Hcely to prove a formidable rival
to tho Shanghai and and Cochin China. It is
quite as large as the Barndoor-fowl, is crested,
and has feathered legs, its color is generally
all white or black when the latter, of a raven
hue, and glossy. This bird is pugnacious,
and its movements are very lively. Its most
distinguished peculiarity is, however, in the
ni,r""nt
Of the tail feathers. These are
; x not r.rf 'ct ' in other birds,
very few, and do poi proj.
but drop down and lie close to th
that the creature appears tailless, and when
its Lead is erect it scarcely has the appear
imce of a bird. Journal.
ANCIENT RUINS.
About six miles north of Santa Cruz, Cali
fornia, there ia a small romantic but secluded
mountain-bound valley containing about 110
acres of level and fertile land, formed around
the junction of two small creeks coming from
the northeast and north out of two deep can
yons. In the forks of these creeks rises to the
elevation of four or five hundred feet, a rug
ged mountain of sand ; ct its point, which 13
nearly perpendicular, and perhaps SO or 40
steps from its base, is an oblong, ancient, and
certainly interesting ruin covering an area of
100 feet west and east, and AO foot north and
south. No walls are now to be seeu, for if
such there be, they are covered with sand,
which to all appearance has gradually fallen
from tho point of this mountain, which has ev
idently formed a little more than half a pyra
mid, perhaps CO feet high, the base of which
covers over two acres of land ; the sides of
which rise at an angle of over 40 degrees, and
are-composed of loose sand, in walking over
which you sink two or thr'O inches at every
step you take. An occasional shrub is seen
growing over it, and several largo pitch-pine
trees are also growing on thi3 half mound,
resting on its northside against the base of tha
sand latintain before referred to. On that
part of this half mound, facing to the west, is
seeu all the- evidences of a building. There
were pillars of solid masonry rising ont of a
coarse, sand rock, that is exceedingly hard.
The masonry is laid in cement ; tho pillars arc
circular, and of various sizes from l to 2
feet in diameter all but two or three of tho
largest have circular flues, as if lh?y might
have been intended to conduct smoke from the
building below, and for . this reason wo call
them chimnics. The other pillars were solid,
and all of them were circular oa tho outside ;
the masonry is not only of the most substan
tial character, but unique ia tho manner of fit
ting and lapping the pieces together, that in
the writer's opinion is more substantial than
that of the present mode of laying down a work
of a similar character. Starting in this vallej
from tho level of this plateau due west of the
ruin, and going up tho side of the mound of
sand bclore spoken of, about forty steps, you
onic ia contact with the west lino of the
ruin, as indicated by these pillars, they being
so arranged as to show the outline of an ob
long structure. These pillars number about
thirty, and appear to bo regularly dispersed
around tho exterior, except the threo large
ones, which seem to run through tho building
at about 13 feet south of the north line ; and
fivo chimnies in a cluster, being about 2 feet
apart, two in one line and one in another, near
the centre of the east end of the ruin.
nOAV APES CATCH CHADS.
A traveler in Java relates the following amu
sing scene, which ho witnessed in tho compa
ny of aome of the natives:
After walking close up to the old campaign,
they were upon the point of turning back,
when a young fellow emerged from the thick
et, and said a few words to the mandoor. The
latter turned with a l.iugh to Frank, and ask
ed him if he had ever seen apes catch crabs.
Frank replied in the negative, and the man
door taking tis hand, led him gently and
cautiously through the deserted village", to a
spot Which the young fellow had pointed out,
and where the old man had formerly planted
heage, rendering it an easy task for them to
approach unobserved.
At length they reached the boundary of tho
former settlement a dry, sandy strip of beach,
where all vegetation ceased, and only a single
tall paudanus tree, whoso roots were thickly
interlaced with creeping plants, formed as it
were the advanced post of tho vegetable king
dom. Behind this they crawled along, and
cautiously raising their heads, they saw sever
al apes, at a distanco of two or three hundred
paces, who were partly looking for something
as they walked up and down the beach, while
others stood motionless.
It was tho long tailed, brown variety, and
Frank was beginning to regret that he had not
his telescope w ith hira, to watch the motions
of these strange beings more closely, when
one of them, a tremendous largo fellow, be
gan to draw nearer to them. Carefully exam
ining the ground, over which he wcut with all
fours, ho stood at intervals to scratch himself,
or to snap at sonio insect that buzzed around
him. Ho came so close that Frank fancied he
must scent them, and give tho alarm to the
other monkeys, when suddenly passing over a
little elevation covered with withered reedy
grass, he discovced a party of crabs, parading
upafid down oa tho hot rand. With a bound
he-was amongst them, but not quick enough to
catch a single one; for the crabs, though ap
parently so clumsy, darted liko lightning into
a quantity of small holes or cavities, which
made tho ground here resemble a scive, and
the npo could not thrust Lis claws after them
fcr tho orifice was too narrow..
The mandoor nudged Frank gently to draw
his attention, and they saw tho ape, after
crawliug up and peeping into the various
holes, with his noso close to Hie ground, sud
denly scat himself very gravely by ono of
them, which he fancied most suitable. He
then brought round his long tail to the front,
thrust the end of it into the cavity, until he
met with an obstacle, and suddenly made a
face which so amused Frank, that he would
have laughed loudly, had no the mandoor
raised his finger warningly and directly the ;
inn drew out Lis tail with a jerk. At tho end
of it, however, bung the desired booty, a fat
crab, by one of its claws, and swinging it
round oa the ground with such violence as to
make it loose its hold, he took it in bis left
paw, picked up a stone with the other, and af
ter cracking the shell, devoured the savory
contents with evident satisfaction.
Four or five he thus caught in succession,
on each occasion when tho crab nipped him
making a lace of heroic resignation and pain,
but each time he was successful, and he must
have found in the dainty dish, and the revenge
for the nip, abundant satisfaction for the paia
he endured, or else ho would not have set to
work so soon again.
Thus then the ape, quite engaged with tho
sport, and without takiug his eyes off the
ground, had approached to within about
twenty paces of the party concealed behind
the paudanus tree. Here, again, the ground
was full of holes, and looking out the one he
conjectured to be the best, he threw ia his
line once more, and probably felt that thero
was something alive within, for ho awaited the
result with signs of the most eager attention.
The afi'air, how ever, lasted longer than he
anticipated; but being already well filled by
his past successful hauls, lie pulled up his
knees, laid his arms upon them, bowed up Lis
Lead, and half closing his eyes, he assumed
such a resigned and yet exquisitely comical
face, as only an ape is capable of putting on
under these circumstances.
But his quiet was destined to be disturbed in
a manner as unsuspected as it was cruel. Ho
must Lave discovered some very interesting
ject in the clouds, fr ho was staring up
there fixedly, when he uttered a loud yell, left
hold of h'13 knees, felt with both hands for his
tail, aud made a bound ia the air, as if the
ground under Lim was growing red hot. At
the end of his tail, however, hung a gigantic
crab, torn with desperate energy from his hi
ding place, and Frank, who could restrain
himself no longer, then burst into a laugh.
The mandoor at first retained his gravity ;
but when the ape, ularmed by the strange
sound, looked up and saw men,ond then boun
ded away ct full speed, with his tormentor
stiu aangting at tne caa w nis tail, the old man
could no longt-r refrain either, and they both
lughed till the tears ran down their cheeks
The ape, in the meanwhile, flew across the
narrow strip of Eand, followed by a';i tho oth
ers, towards the jungle, and in a moment after
not a single one was visible.
How to kee? Smoked Hams. Hams can be
secured and sweetly preserved through sum
mer, by packing them in cobs in the following
f.anner; first, a layer of cobs in the bottom of
the cask ; then hams and cobs until you finish
tha whole. Ba particular that thev do not
come in contact with each other. Unbroken
cobs I would prefer, but broken ones selected
will answer. It would be necessary to take
them out once in summer, and give them a
dry rubbing. Your cask should stand upon a
bench, in a dry, cool cellar. Having packed
in this way, the cobs absorb tho beat and air,
sufficient to keep them fresh and fine. It has
been my practice for more than ten years, to
treat my hams in this w-ay, and I have never
lost one. You take them out perfectly clean,
not plastered, not ashed, not greased ; neither
is there any chafl to be swept off. Cak to be
covered. Michigan Farmer.
The Brooklyn Eagle thinks in rhyme, that
shawls should bo worn for the following rea
sons : "If you want to bo ia fashion, wear a
shawl ; if to ladies an attraction, wear a shawl ;
if to sh'eep and cows a terror, or liko hai2
hais in full feather, or even rags upon the
heather, wear a shawl ; if your hips ere badly
moulded, or your shirt and vest unfolded, are
unpleasant to behold, wear a shawl ; if you're
courting some gay linnet, weat a shawl ; you
might wrap your Lissie in it, in your shawl.
It's like charity on pins, and hides a multitude
of sins, although It causes gTins, does your
shawl. If you with to be a dandy, wear a
shawl ; or have a cover handy, wear a shawl.
In a word, it is a most ueful article, as you
may wrap your feet, head, bJdy, knees ; make
& seat, a blanket, a bed, a mu , pillow, a
wrap-rascal, or a Scotch plaid, of your shawl."
TaAxscEXDEXTAL vMr. Some enthusias
tic exponent of "Free Love" gives the fol
lowing very lucid description of what it is :
"Free love is essentially and solely a spherical
element one of the fundamental spiri tual har
monies a primordial inseparability of tis
eternities a primogenial co-efGcient of the
supersensible Zones a cognate prhiclplo of
original materiality, Cowing lineally towards
matrimonial, social and moral consonance ia
the universal and eternal Jlus of things !"
"An' Lo played oa a harp uv a Iheus&zi
strings, sperits of just men made perfec-V
What is Fasuiow f Dinner at midnight,
and headache In the morning. What is idle
ness ? orking yellow mountains on a pink
subsoil or a blue-tailed dog in sky-colored
convulsions. What is joy ? To count your
money and find it run over a hundred dollars.
What is knowledge ? To bo away from home
when people come to borrow book? and um
brellas. What is contentment I To sit in tho
hou.se and see other peopl Wrfc ia the raud.
In other word, f ba. rr" rrl tba : your !
HISTORY OF DRUNKENNESS. .
Dr. Turner, in an address which he deliver-
I ed at tho Broadway Tabernacle oa the I7th of
November, in behalf of the U. S. InebriaU
Asylum, in speaking of the influence which,
inebriety has npou nations, uses the fellowinj
languago :
Inebriety is tho first disease of which w
have any record. It dates its existence from
the birth of the grape, the formation of wine
from which was one of the Erst discoveries of
man. We find nothing in the medical records
of thc-Egyptians to prove that it was recogniz
ed as a disease. JEsculnpius, Hippocrates and
Galen are likewise silent on the subject. Yet
we have for the recorder of the pathology of
inebriety, the most renowned man f the an
cient or modern times. Stlomon describe
the malady in the most significant language.
"At the last it biteth like a serpent and sting
eth like an adder." Thus rre have sacred his.
tory to establish the fact that inebriety waj
the most frightful and destructive disease then
known ; comparing it to the venomous bits cf
serpent and the deadly sting of the adifT,
which have no specific no cure.
We are compelled to trace the Influence of
this disease in all nations rather than individ
uals, and from our opinions from the facts of
history which record the rise and fall of races
and nations. When the seeds of this-deadly
malady were f own by the great men of Baby
lon, Egypt, Greece and Rome, ia their Bac
chanal leasts, then the greatness of these
mighty nntions began to decline, and their
chosen people perished and passed away. Ba
bylon, with all her glory and magnificence, fell
into the Lands of the Persians, when her ru
lers were drunken with wine, and her people
were maddened by the intoxicating bowl..
Ey inebriety Egypt lost her ruler, the world
her couquerer, ia tiie death of Alexander the
Great, ia the thirty-third year of Lis age.
The historian pecs the fact that to perished
through self-indulgence by a disease "that
liteth like a serpent and stingeth like an ad
der." Tolishcd Greece, the grand depository of
the arts and sciences of the civilized world,
tho residence of the historian, philosopher,
statesman and physician, w.is the first which
erected a temple to the god Bacchus. Little
did her great men consider that they were ded
icating a tornple to a god on whoso alter would
bo sacrificed iho glory of their belcved coun.
tt- : "" "
The Bacch.-.nallan feasts in the Roman Em
pire were the cause of her degenerated coun
cils and her weak government. Inebriety was
the makdy that destrryed tho Roman states
man, general and soldiers. Thus Rom fell
by this physical and moral contagion, ani th
dark sges followed in her downfall.
MYSTERIES OF TflE AIR.
Let a man roll a little air in his mouth, and
what is that ? Let Napoleon twist it betwaea
Lis lips, ani all the world is at war ; give it to
a Fenelon, and he shall mauago it with hi
tongue that there shall bo everywhere peace.
It is but a little agitated air that sats mankind
in motion. If we conld live without air, w
could not talk or hear any sounds without it.
There would bo a blaifing sun and a black sky
sunshines mingled with thick darkness ; an i
there would be an awful silence. Thcie is less
air la the upper than in tho lower regions of
the atmosphere ; the bottom crust of air is, of
course, densest. Snassure fired a pistol 03
the summit of Hont Blanc and the report was
like tho snapping of a stick. There is a well
at Tulda three hundred palms deep ; throw a
stone down it, and the ooise it makes In ha
descent will fce like the firing of a park of can
non. It goes down among tha dense air, and
also it reverberates. When a man speaks, he
strikes air with Lis throat and mouth as the
stone strikes water, and frotn his toagne 6.1
frojrt tho stone spread undulating circles with
immense rapidity. These circles may be
cheeked ar.4 beatea back in their course as it
Is with the waves of a sound made by the ston
tumbling down a well, beaten back and furi
ously multiplied. At the castle of Simonettl.
near Milan, ore low note of music will beget
a concert; for the note is echoed to and fro by
by the grant wings of tho building that refect
an i multiply a sound just as two iuirrcrs re
flect and multiply alighted candle. Sound Is,
in fact, reflected just as light is, and maybe
brought quite in the samo way to a focus.
A word fcpokea in the focis of one ellipse
will be heard ia the focus of an opposite el
lipse hundreds of yaids away. Such a princi
ple W3S illustrated oddly in the creit churcL cf
Agrigentum, Sicily. Th;i arcLitsot r-crhan,'
intentionally built aeTorsl eer.fe&sr'nc'i -of
aa elliptical form, with, corresponding vp-.i-
site ellipses, ia which, whoever stood, Leant
all the secrets w-hispered to the priest. A hor
rible amount of scandal prang up in town t
nobody's kins wore n?e from getting Ir.to oa-'
accountable publicity. Tho church sxa bo
came saca a temple of truth that nothing wa
left to be hidden In it ; bnt at last by -cbi5e
discovery was made of tho tale telling atosM,.
ad the walls had their ears stonned. -
The Dutchrcaa who refused take a oia doV
Kar bill because it might be altered froi
prefer stage traveling to tajlroada ; . i
roer, ho says, ride a Wat eight fr
lar, while tf Utttr nl'
"Per bttebst Mat ia
4
t
1