VOLUME 1. THE AMERICAN CITIZEN, T8 published overy Wednesday in the borough of Butler, by THOMIS ROBIXMOX& C. E. ANDERSON on Main street, bpposite to Jack's Hotel—office up stair* l in tho brick , drmorly occupied by KM Yetter, asa star# Tkrm* :—s| 50 a year, if paid in advance, or itbin the first nix moutlM; or s■£ if not paid until after the expira tion of the fin"t six months. BATHS UV ADVKRTWNO: — Oue square non., (ten Hn«*S or leas,) three insertions 91 00 Every subsequent insertion, per square *Juiir«*«i cams of 10 lines or loss for one year, inclo sing papnr, v® j Card <A 10 lines or !<•<••« 1 year without paper WT.A w column for six months «•' for one year '2 00 column for six months *•' j*? \\ column for one year X/ i column for six months •'{" j** 1 column for one yea:- Publishing—Before Printing. That the Roman populace was not shut | out from literature, and even ncwspaiWrs, by the want of a printing press, is cer tain. "What their newspapers may have contained, Ido not know; but Tacitus tells us that in the provinces, and even in the camp, these papers were read with great avidity, every one being anxious to hear what Thrascas had not done—as in our day they are to hear what Louis Na poleon has said or has not said. The ex istence of several well known publishers proves the activity of the book trade.— Dionysius, of Halicarnassus. speaks of " the thousands of writers," on the single subject of the early Itonian history; and although there is, of course, hypetbolc in his phrase, yet even as an hyperbole it in dicates a large number. Arid there is no exaggeration, but a statement meant to be precise, in the notice of the two thousand copies of the pseudo-Sibylline books which Augustus confiscated in Home alone.— Here, also, is a fact which points in the name direction : Pliney laughingly writes j to a friend that Regulous had taken it in to his head to weep ostentatiously for the i loss of his son ; and no one weeps like him luyct ul nemo. "He sots sculptors and painters to work and composes an ora- 1 tion which lie is not content with publicly reciting in Home, but must enrich the provinces with a thousand copies of it— j in exempt aria trunscrijitum milled— There is one important source of demand I which must not be overlooked, I mean for school books. When Juvenal says the " verses which the boy has just conned over on his bench he stands up to repeat," it is clear that the Roman boys had their lesson books, Which they tumbled, tore and lost, as their descendants have done. | And it is worthy of remark, that in the Roman schools the popular poets were studied ; nay, Pcrsius tells us that it was the ambition of poets to be road in school ; | and Nero, in thorn literary vanity, as we | know, was intense, gave express orders i that his versos should be given to the boys, j But perhaps the strongest indication of this activity is seen in the fact that the library formed an essential part of every house, which'is far from true of houses of | our own day, even among the easy classes, j * * The prices tell a similar tale.— if books had been costly, they must have i been rare; if they had not been cheap, tlfey could not have been common. Thus, on theone hand, the evidence which proves that books must have been abundant, proves that they must have been cheap; and, on the other, the evidence, scanty as it is, but decisive, which proves that books were cheap, points to their abundance. A learned Frenchman, who has inves tigated this point of price, comes to the conclusion that the priced were lower than those in our own day. Lef us hear what Martial says. The first book of his Epi grams was to be bought, he tells us, for five denarii (nearly three shillings) ele gantly bound ; but in a cheaper binding for the people, it cost six to ten sestertii (Is. to Is. *>d.). His thirteenth book of Epigrams was sold for four sestortii (about eightpeuce): and he said that half that price a fair profit. * * The reader, doubtless, jumps to the con clusion that books were cheap in those .days, because authors were not paid. But the reader is rash, and in his rashness wrong. Authors were paid. Ido not as sert. nor insinuate, that they ever received the sums which our magnificent biblio poles pay celebrated authors—sums, the very mention of which would, a few years ago, have fluttered the attics of Grub street to madness. Horace never got a guinea a line for his odes; nor did Pe tronius receive sixteen thousand pounds for his romance. Livv was not so well paid as Macaulay. But the Itonian au thors were paid, nevertheless, and were paid sums greater than were usually re ceived long aftor the invention of print ing.—Cornhil/ Magazine. AN ltu.su GIANT.—At Dromelilily, Ireland, recently, while digging for po tatoes, the laborer found a coffer of sil ver coin, and in digging for more they found a leaden coffin about nine feet long, that contained the bones of what had been an Irish giant. The thigh measured two feet eleven inches, and the cranium was half an inch thick, showing how admira bly heads were adopted to meet contin gencies in the formation of an Irishman in tho olden time. No shillalah could get through such a scull as that. AMERICAN CITIZEN. FROM HARRIdftIRG. I Correspondence of the Franklin Repository. II ATTRISBURG, Jan. 16. 1864. The greatevent of the week was the ap pearance of tttfttt, of Arkansas, and Col. Montgomery, of Vicksburg—two old Southern Bret-ken ri&e Democrats. They ipoTt"? fn The 11 lionse on Thurs day evening to an immense audience, in cluding many ladies. Gantt is quite a young man —hardly over thirty ; tall and slender; bearded in SoutlJcrn style, and a nfcst i eloquent speaker. He reviewed the war; its causes ; its progress ; its disasters and disappointments; and his denunciation of the Democratic leaders of the North was terrible. He did not mince words on the subject. He declared that were en couraged to rebel against the government, by positive assurance from the Democrat ic leaders in the North that they would not sustain the war, and that they would revolutionize the North, destroy our army credit, and give tho Southern Confedera cy Pennsylvania and such other portions of the North as might be deemed desira ble. He boldly charged them with perfi dy and cowardice, and as the responsible parties for the bloody war. But the most startling declaration made by Gen. Gantt, relates to Pennsyluania Democratic leaders. He said that after his capture by the Union forces, (he was a. General in the rebel service,) at Island \ T o. 10, he was brought North through I this State as a prisoner oj' war, and he de i dared that prominent Democrats of Penn- I sylvania then conferred with him and as sured him that if the rebels would hold out a little longer they would be successful, for the Democrats of the North would ar rest the war by defeating the conscription and otherwise rendering the. administra | tion powerless to prosecute it. And he added with withering emphasis—"l CAN liIVK YOU TIIE NAMES IF WHAT I SAY IS Disi'i' j'ED!" A number of Democratic members of the legislature were present, but they did not dare to question the statement or call for the names. lie said the Democrats of the North%dvtsed them j to war, promised* to comf to tHefr assis : tance, and then left them alone in the I struggle and confined themselves to eow | ardly, perfidious, stealthy assaults upon I their own government. He said that in j stead of Northern Democrats coming to j their assistance, the soldiers of the Union | came in overwhelming force and conquer j i'd us ; but, said he. they brought oov- KRNMENT with them and rescued us from a tyranny more terrible than death. His speech made a most profound impression. He is on his way to Washington to make , arrangements for the restoration of Ar | kansas to the Union. Mainly through j his efforts 6,000 Arkansans arc now in the Union army. Col. Montgomery followed in a speech rcp'ete with humor and eloquence, and at times with biting sarcasm. His review of the course of the revolutionary Demo cratic Senators was amusing and caustic beyond description. He said that if Jeff. Davis held the balance of power in all the loyal legislatures, as he does in Pennsyl vania by tho imprisonment of Major White, with Davis everything would be lovely and the goose would hang high ! The dead-lock in the Senate continues, and all legislation is at a stand. The vote for Governor was counted on Thursday. Senator Kinsy went into the joint con vention for that purpose; but all the oth er Democratic Senators refused to partic ipate. Hon. Henry D. Moore was nominated for Treasurer on Thursday evening with out a contest. He is eminently fitted for the financial trials we may. have to under go during the next year. The joint con vention for the election of State Treasurer will meet on Monday, but it will probably adjourn to another day. Everything is in readiness for the inauguration of Gov Curtin. it will be a grand demonstra tion. HORACE. flaT" Quite a joke happened to one of the doctor craft some little time since.— He ordered some powerful medicine for a sick boy, and the father not liking the appearance of it, forced it down the cat's throat. When the doctor called again, and enquired if the powder hud cured the boy. the father replied, "No we did not give it to him." '• Good heavens !" said the doctor, "is the child liviug?" " Yes, but the cat ain't—wc gave it to her." The docter sloped. SeT' Our information from rebeldom generally all goes to show that President Lincoln's amnesty proclamation has caus ed much excitement among the people and soldiers, and it was feared that many would accept it and abandon the rebel cause. It was believed that a large majority of the troops, if left to themselves, would lay down their arms, and consent to the terms proposed.— Exchange. " Let us have Faith that Right makes Might; and in that Faith let us, to the end,dare to do our duty as we understand it"~ A - LINCOLN. BUTLER, BUTLER COUNTY, PA., WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 1864. THE DESPAIRING SOUTH. —The signs of want and misery at the South multiply daily. The people are no longer able to bear the enormous evils which have been brought tipOb them by their guilty mad ness. fV&m ov.v end of the Confederacy to' the,other, tlijyjyeling of 4j*Wtyi'xtiya with Davis and his Congress and their war measures is threatening new rebellions and secessions. It seems utterly impossi ble that the chaos and confusion can ever be moulded into an effective organization to continue the war. And yet mere des peration often accomplishes wonders, and there is reason to fear that wc shall have an example of its terrible power before the war is over. The people of the North should not feel too confident. Davis and his co-conspirators know that their necks are in imminent peril, and they can still rally a great force by their remorseless con scription of every man in their territory who is capable of holding a musket.— They intend to do it, and the true course for us to pursue is to fill up our ranks and pour armies into the field that shall over whelm the most numerous and desperate force produeeable by <he foe. The one thing needful above all others in the pres ent state of things is fresh and abundant military strength on the side of the Union. Let the South know that we are stronger than ever; that the power and the will to crush this rebellion are mightier than at any previous time ; that where they raise one man by force, we raise five orten cheer ful, resolute volunteers, and the struggle will soon be over. — Pittsburgh Gazette. A FIGHT IN THE REBEL CONGRESS.— Mr. Foote, of Tennessee, and Judge Han ley, of Arkansas, members of the committe to investigate charges against the commis saries and quartermasters, came to blows in the committee room the other day.— Mr. Foote, it seems, laughed at some of the evidence elicited. Judge Hanley re plied that he (Mr. Foote) need not-laugh. Mr. Foote said that his laugh was an hon est laugh at least. Judge HaWey said he doubted that. Some other belligerent words passed, and Mr. Foote rose and struck him. Both clenched, and blows were given and received by both parties. Mr. Foote laid violent claim to Judge llanley's shirt bosom, tearing it out from his bosom. Mr. Commissary Nov thorp was knocked into one corner of the com mittee room like a man of rags, which he j is not; committee tables were overturned I ami the recorded evidence sent hither and i thither. More ink than blood was shed. The witnesses present in the room obser ved their neutrality, but strove to allay hostilitcs by seizing both of the combat ants by their coat-tails and attempting their seperation. Judge llanley's coat tail gave way in the struggle, involving severe loss on the wearer. Finally, both desisted, and the business of the commit tee proceeded.— Richmond Dispatch LUDICROUS WAGGERY —The Pioneer, a magazine published monthly at San Fran cisco, California, contains the following paragraph : " And this again reminflsus of a faceti ous performance of the late J. P. Squibob was, "onceon a time," while walking down Pennsylvania Avenue, was sorely mistifi ed by a modest little sign standing in the window of a neat little shop on the left hand side as you go down. The sign bore, in gaily painted letters, the legend, ■' Washington Ladies' Depository." Flat tening his nose against the window Squi bob descried two ladies, whom he describes as of exceedingly beauty, neatly dressed and busily engaged in sewing behind a lit tle counter. The foreground was filled with lace caps, baby's stockings, compres es for the waist, caps, collars and other ar ticles of still life. Hat in hand, Squibob reverently entered, and, with intense po liteness, addressed one of tho ladies as ful lows : " Madam, I perceive by your sign that this is the dejioaitory for Washington la dies ; I am going to the North for a few days and should be pleased to leave my wife in your charge—but I don't know, if by your rules you could receive her, as she is a Baltimore woman ! " Oueof the ladies," says Squibob, " a pretty little girl' in a blue dress, turned very red, and holding di wn her head, made the remark, "tvhe !" Jiut the eld er of the twain, after making as if she would laugh, but by a strong-minded effort hold ing in, replied : " Sir you have made a mistake ; this is the place where the society of Washington ladies deposit their work to be sold for the beuefit of distressed natives of the Island of FernandodeNoronha,"or words to that effect. " Gravely did the wicked Squibob bow, all solemnly begging her pardon, and put ting on his hat, walked off, followed by a sound from that depository, as of an au tumn brook, gurgling and bubbling over it<> pebbly bed in a New England forest." A FRAGMENT. BY HAP.£Y JTiRtWCOD LEECH- I listen, bat I .tear 110 sounds; My though tf are far away. To me the light* are dull and dead; I hear uo play. The aoff-rofced flute and leep baaaoon wake harmony complete; But what are pillow sounds to me ? 1 hoar my bearfbeat. 1 Ifc>wer*ln the marble hall Oivaout their honey breath; But I am crushing in my hand A red-roae bud to death. I smile, and dance, or even sing. Can it be all And is the u-oman's nature sunk Into the thing 1 seem? The wine Is blood, th* Jests are bold I Men are but shadows hero, And every woman's wnlle to me But glasses o'er a sneer. I see a form, I hear a voice— It's t ones are low and sad; Drown it, ye viols and bassoon, Or it will drive me mad! Poor heart! I know I eold your throbs, Yet do not beat so fast. One offered love, and one much gold— OGod! I chose, the last! But lam punished. All my hopes, So sweet, forever fled, And doomed like ghoats to walk apart In places for the dead. 0 years! leap back, and let me stand In my gay girlhood free; Or, Sea, roll o'er th« reeking land, And swallow it and me! WIT AX I> wisnoji. A BARREL of beer may be compared to an industrious man, because it works. IF forty rods make a furlong, how ma ny will it take to catch a cat-fish ? A CORD of wood is 128 feet in the Uni ted States; in France 576 feet. IT is exceedingly bad husbandry to har row up the feelings of your wife. SOMEBODY says that the best way to keep food upon a weak stomach is to bolt it down. Ax old maid sometimes bites her lips in rage at finding that nobody wants to bite them in love. TIMOX remarks that a soldier is supe rior to a civilian, because the former is the ration-al being. ONE of the greatest robbers is temper ance, for it robs the poor house and the prison of their victims. PRENTICE thinks it no more than right that men should seize tinie by the fore lock, for the rude old fellow, sooner or la ter, pulls all the hair out « An Irish student was once asked what was meant by posthumous works. " They are suoh works," says Paddy, " as a man writes after he is dea'd." " I AM going to the post-office, Bob— shall I inquire for you ? " Yes, if you have a mind to, but I don't think you will find me there ?" THE rebel government talks of paying the soldiers liberally after the war. Its liberality reminds us of the poor fellow's will: " I have nothing—l owe everybody —the rest I give to the poor." ONE of the German Almanacs remarks: " A young girl is a fishing rod, the eyes are hooks, the Smile is the bait, the lover is the gudgeon, ancj the marriage is the butter in which he is fried. The lond wind roared, the thunder rolled Fierce lightning split the sky, And all the west seemed fringed wilh gold waa reaping rye. I laid my sickle down to view The grand and awful scene; But 1 didn't stop to see it through- Ob, no—/ warn'l to green I A CAPTAIX of a r fle company was guilty of an unhcard-of barbarity on a cold day last winter. He actually march ed his men to the very brink of the canal, and then coolly commanded them to " fall in." " PA, has dogs got wings ?" "Wings? No, child! Don't you know better than that ?" " Why, pa, a boy says in this paper that a big dog flew at him and bit him. So I guess dogs has got wings too." Ix the days of Robert Fulton, the House of Representatives of the United States was refused him for the purpose of a lec ture on steam navigation, on the ground that it was a discussion on a visionary scheme. "HUMBLE as lam," said a bullying spoutcr to a mass meeting of the unterri fied, " I still remember that I'm a faction of this magnificant republic." " You are indeed," said a by-stander, and a vulgar-one at that." THE Buffalo Express says tho author of this rhyme deserves to be " nipped by un timely frosts." Tls Winter; no more the breeze* Bur among the treeees; And while the boy with raggedtrowwers, Shivering homeward drives his cowses, Newly frost-bit are lib* toeeea. And bleas me, how blue bis nose la? A STINGY fellow, in making love to a young lady, said that his affections were " rivited upon her." She told him that she did not want to have any dealings with rivits or screws like him. Of course, after that, the fellow couldn't expect to nail her. A LITTLE boy once said to his aunt, " aunty, I should think that Satan must be an awful trouble to God." " He must be trouble enough, indeed, I should think," she answered. " I don't see how he came to turn out so, when there was no devil to put him up to it " Critioal Condition of Europe. The-latest arrivals from Europe furnish intelligence of a very dubious nature bear ing upon the future amicable relations of the nations of that delectable portion of the globe. Instead of meddling in the affairs of America, where they have no business to poke their carbuncled noses, they will probably have their hauds full in keeping the peace at home. Napoleon may talk as much as he pleases about his unselfishness—his peaceful intentions— the good of Europe, &c. —but it will not lull his wary neighbors into a listless in security. They are pretty well posted as to his quarreling and grasping disposition; as well as that no war can occur in Eu rope without his having a finger in it;— He does not love the Gormans; neither did hi 3 uncle before him, who had reason to remember them bitterly to the day of his death. A big war, in which England, Russia and France would take the field in favor of Denmark and against the German confederation, in the hope that the Rhine, at lea»t, might in some way by the fortune of war mark the boundary line of France on the North, would be very acceptable to his imperial majesty, no doubt. But should war come, and the signs of the times would indicate trouble of a serious nature before three months elapse, Napoleon will be found on some side, actively engaged in showing off the prowess of his eagles,— The French people live upon glory—that is a sort of glory of their own, in manufac turing which they have always shown in imitable skill; and as the supply has be come nearly exhausted, they must seek somewhere to fill their granaries for another decade. This glory is not likely to be found in Mexico, for although their armies appear to be over-running that Republic with but little opposition, yet there may arise par amount political reasons why the original purpose of the Emperor—the founding of a monarchy—should not be consummated. The cloud in the horizon of Europe may be one of them; but another, and perhaps the priueipal onc, is the waning propor tions of the pro-slavery rebellion in the United States. Napoleoh kitows only too well that with the traitor's war off our hands, we should not look with composuit upon his occupancy of Mexico atall, much loss tho placing of a crowned head in the hallsof the Montezumas, in contravention of the ideas of Mexican liberty, and in antagonism to the wishes of the Mexican people. He knows farther that with all his armies we would drive every French sold ier out of the country in six months, and that all his naval forces would be no match for our own, which would be in the very height of efficiency. It is rather a remarkable fact that of the parties to the treaty of London, affecting the Schleswig-Holstein question, being the three " great powers" of Europe, Eng land, France and Russia, only the first nam ed has shown her hand in maintainance of the conditions of that treaty, and she only in a milk-and-water protest against the oc cupancy of Schleswig by the Federal troops. Denmark, it appears, hasnotonly withdrawn her troops from Ifclstein, but was also on the point of doing so from Schleswig, thus seeming either tacitly to admit the justice of the claims of the Duke of Augustenburg, or to obey the sugges tion of powerful allies. In regard to the Polish rebellion we have little reliable information by the late arriv als. From some obstacle or other, the news as to the situation in Poland is of the most homoeopathic description. It comes to us in infinitesimal installments, and then so vague, misty and unsatisfac tory jis to leave us as much in the dark as before. One thing is certain, that Rus sia, with all her powerful armies, has not put the rebellion down ; and that there are still skirmishes, in any case hardly to be called battles, with'varying results. Then we have Italy, watchful as ever, with on<! eye upon Rome and the other upon Vonitia, awaiting the happening of events which may promote her schemes with regard to these coveted territories. Garibaldi, too, is ready to unsheath his sword with his accustomed valor when the eventuality shall arise, to strike for Italy's own. Being dissatisfied with the slow movements of the Italian government in carrying out thes# national projects, he has, in undissembled disgust, resigned his seat in the Italian Parliament. Then again there is Hungary once more in a ferment. Kossuth has emerged from his garret in London, and through a Na tional Committee, so-called, has issued a proclamation to the people of Hungary, and been placed in bis former position of Governor of that uneonquered kingdom or principality, whichever it may be; and he will, thus prepared, await events in other part* of Europe, now apparently looming up. That there is something in this addi tional speck of war, is to be inferred from the fact, judging from the Vienna papers, that the imperial authorities are consider ably exercised at the increasing discontent in that turbulent portion of the empire.— Germantoicn Telegraph. A BURST OF ELOQUENCE. —Western eloquence continues to improve. A Wis consin reporter sends the following sketch. A lawyer in Milwaukee was defending a handsome young woman accused of steal ing from a large unoccupied dwelling in the night time, and thus he spoke in con clusion : " Gentlemen of the Jury, I am done When I gaze with enraptured eyes on the matchless beauty of this peerless virgin, on whose resplendent charms suspicion never dared to breathe; when I behold her radient in the glorious bloom of lus trous loveliness, which angelie sweetness might envy but could eclipse; before which the star on the brow of the night grows pale, and the diamonds of Brazil are dim, and then reflect upon the utter madness and folly of supposing that so much beauty would expose itself in the terrors of an empty building in the cold, damp dead of night, when innocense like hers is hiding itself amidst the snowy pil lows of repose; gentlemen of the Jury, my feelings are too overpowering for ex pression, and I throw her into your arms for protection against this foul charge which the outrageous malice of a disap pointed scoundrel has invented to blast the fair name of this lovely maiden, whose smile shall be the reward of the verdict which I know you will give !" The Jury acquitted her without leav ing their seats. SINGULAR EFFECT OF ELECTRICITY ON NEGROES. —During the thunder storm of last week, a friend relates the following: A gentleman residing a few miles out of town, recently carried home a small elec trical machine for making experiments.— As soon as he got home, the negroes as usual flocked around him, eager to see what their master had got. There was a boy among these darkies that had evinced a strong disposition to move things when they wanted moving, or in other words to pilfer occasionally. a "Now Jack," saj*s his master " look here; this machine is to make people tell the truth, and if you have stolen anything, or lied to me, it will knock you down." " Why, Master, I never lied or stole anything in my life," said the boy. " Well, takeholdof this;" and no soon er had the lad received a slight shock, than he fell on his knees and bawled out, ' Oh, Master! I did steal your cigars and a little knife, and have lied ever so many times; please to forgive me." The same experiment was tried with 4ikc success on half a dozen juveniles.— At last an old negro who had been look ing very attentively, stepped up. " Master," said he, "let dis nigger try; dat masheen is well enough to scare the chider wid, but this nigger knows better." The machine was then fully charged, and he received a stunning shock. He looked first at his hand, then at the ma chine, and at last rolling his eyes, said: " Master, it ain't best to know too much! dars many a soul gets to be damned knowin' too much, an' it's my 'pinion flat de debil made dat masheen jest to ketch your soul somehow, an' I reckon you had best jest take an' burn it up an' have it done gone."— Montgomery Advertiser. SLAVERY IN MARYLAND. —Gov. Brad ford, in his late annual message, thu3 pointedly urges the abolition of Slavery in Maryland: " I believe to-day, as I have for years, that if we had long ago provided for the gradual emancipation of the slaves of the State, we would be—as regards all the material elements of prosperity—far in advance of our present position. The products of our State and its natural re sources are not such as arc adapted to or can be developed by the labor of the slave. I am satisfied that the people of the State in their moments of calm and deliberate reflection, have long since come to the same conclusion, that when ihe leaders of the conspiracy at the South lifted their hands against the Union, and pointed to slavery as the institution upon which their visionary republic was to rest, they struck a blow at ita very vitals in every Border State, under which it has continued to languish, and which will end in its de struction. It becomes us, therefore, to whom the whole question rightfully be longs, to take immediate measures for its removal, and which should be no longer de layed than may be required by a proper respect for those -industrial pursuits with which the institution has been so long and so intimately interwoven, and a humane regard for the slave himself, which for bids us to cast him, all unprepared for so great a change, too suddenly upon his feeble resources." — franklin Repoiitory. ®aF"'fhe in 'Couisville, have been cloeed for selling liquor to Boldiers. NUMBER 8. THE READ NOTHINGS. There is throughout this country, as through most others, a very numerous and highly influential party, which is des tined to work wonders nst only at the com ing election, but at a great many coming elections, and not only on elections but upon many other phases of national life. This numerous'party may he termed the Read Nothings, and their platforms is plain and simple, as it merely amounts in a greater or lesser degree, to ignoring the ex istence of all typography in every f<®tti. It is from this order that penitentiaries are stocked, jails filled, engine houses crowded with brutal loafers, and the anti prohibition ranks enlarged. It is among the Read Nothings that apathy and indif ference to every public duty is cultivated, for it is only by reading that a man at tho present day can hope to be au courunt or "posted up ' on the questions which are daily becoming of more importance, and which to neglect will be like neglecting tho most sacred obligations. It may be objected that we have made more ignorance of the art of reading, or its neglect, a too decided source of evil.— But it is nut so ! We do not deny there are legions of well-behaved, honest, in dustrious beings, who plod and vegetate onward without ever reading, and who in nowise belong to the classes above allud ed to But it is equally true that if a young man is to be kept from misohief, from vulgar associates, aad above all if it be hoped to form for him a rising mind which will some day give him social dis tinction, it cannot be dono more effectual ly than by cultivating in him a taste for reading. What is a man at tho present day who does not read, newspapers ? Is he not an imbecile at the mercy of every one who chooses to give him an opinion or to warp his mind 1 Is he not a social nonentity, and when, as occasionally happens, he is a man of wealth, fir with a family, is he not —we ask in sober calmrioss—a drawback, a dead weight and an anomaly ? And yet we have met with educated men who would tell you with a calm, sim ple smile never read tho papers, or thrft they had DO taste for reading at all, and this with as cool an air as if they were mentioning that they had no taste for ol ives or tomatoes. In our humble opinion no man has a right to have no taste for reading—it is a duty which he owes to himself and to those who educated him, and to the country which requires a certain medium of mental ability from every one living in it. There is a variety of the Read Nothings who think that if they do read they are quite right in being as one-sided as they please in their literary pursuits. One of these, on being questioned in our hearing as to what constituted his favorite reading, replied "prose." To him prose or poetry were two distinct forms of mental food, which, like the tomatoes and olives afore said, he was at perfect liberty to like or dislike. This 1s a free country. Thcro is one branch of the Read Noth ing order fur whom—when they spoak the truth—we always have a sincere 112 ily and sympathetic esteem. These are the ones who would read if they had time. Theso last occupy a compulsory place in tho or der, and they remind us of gentlemanly, well behaved lovers of liberty oast into an Italian prison in company with the most desperate ruffians and "outsiders." These who have no time generally fly from the order at every opportunity, and it is most generally from whose natural love of reading has thus at first been checked and subsequently indulged, that the most in telligent literati have arisen.—Philadel phia Bulletin. fltaj™ When Mrs. F , of Penrfeylvv nia, was in England, she attended York races, where she met the celebrated Law rence Sterne. lie rode up to the side of the coach and accosted her: "Well, Madam, which horse do you be» upon ? " Sir," said she, "if you can tell mo which is the worst horse I will bet upon that." " But why, Madam," said Sterne, " do you make so strange a choice " '■Beoause," replied the lady, "You know " The race it not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong." Sterne was so much pleased with the reply that ho went homo and wrote from the text, his much admired sermon, enti tled " Time and Chance." _ a®-The Constitution of the United States—Like one of those wondrous rock ing stones reared by the Druids, which the finger of a child may vibrate to the cen tre, yet the migMPof an army could not move it from its place, our Constitution is so nicely poised and balanced that it. seems to sway with every breath of opin ion, yet so firmly rooted in the heart and affections of the people, that the wildest I storms of treason and fanaticism break# | over it in vain
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers