~~ e 1 .a ' Vol.. VIII, No. 19.] PUBLISHED BY THEODORE H. CREMER. trmnuri. The "louux will be published every Wednesday morning, at two dollars a year, if paid IN ADVANCE, and it not paid within Mx months, two dollars and a half. No subscription received for a shorter pe• rind than six months, nor any paper discon tinued till all arrearages are paid. Advertisements not exceeding onesquare, will he inserted three times for one dollar, and for every subsequent insertion twenty five cents• if us definite orders are given as to the time an advertisement is to be continu ed, it will be kept in till ordered out, and charged accordingly. 4 - ' <.• ." , • POETP.T. Sweet Seventeen. In childhood when my girlish eye Glanced over life's unfaded green, Thoughts undefined, and sweet and new, Would blend with thee, sweet seventeen. Rest, ained at twelve by matron care, My walks prescribed, my movements seen, How bright the sun, how free the air Seemed circling u'er bright seventeen. Thirteen arrived, hut still my book, My dress, were watched with aspect keen; Scarce on a novel might I look, And balls—must wait for seventeen. F ourteen— allowed the evening walk, Where ft iendship's eye illum'd the scene, The long, romantic bosom talk, That talk which glanced at seventeen. The next revolving circle brought A quicker pulse, yet graver mien; I read-•-I practised, studied, thought For what ?---to stip at seventeen. Sixteen arrived—that witching year When youthful hearts !Ike buds are seen, Ready to ope, when first appear The genial rays of seventeen. They came---have passed---think not, fair maids, My hand shall draw the magic screen ; But this 1 utge—fill well your heads, And guard your hearts for seventeen. 111130MLLANMOZO. From Sargent's Magazine. THE PERILS OF PLEASING EVERI7.IIIODI. BY EMS SARGENT. Not many seasons since, as I was sit- ting in a box sit the Park Theatre, on the I occasion of the perfcrmance of brilliant opera of La Somnambuk," one of those instances of the tvranical surveil. lance exercised lry the pied an American audience, over the assemblage in the first tier, occurred immediately under icy no tice. The exquisite quiet, with which the first act concludes, had been charmingly sung by Mr. and Mrs. Wood—the curtain had fallen to a burst of enthusiastic ap plause from a well filled house—and there was a noise of persons issuing from the boxes into the lobby, when a loud hiss from the pit attracted my attention. Looking in the quarter from which the sibilation proceeded, I discovered that the box, of which I was one of the ocupants, was the centre of attraction for that por tion of the audience, who were signifying their disapprobation. And what tied ex• cited among them those expressions of re buked It was long before I conld divine the cause. At length, when the storm of hisses rose to such a height, that many la• dies began to rise in alarm front their seats, L learned that a gentleman on the front bench, in a white broadcloth over coat, was the object of the pit's sapient displeasure because of his persisting in using an opera-glass. The individual thus designated was of the middle height, slim, and apparently of a delicate constitution, but with a head and face indicative of strength of charac ter and intellectual cultivation. And yet there was something in the expression of the features, thatpuzzled me exceedingly, while at the same time I felt that it was irresistibly winning. It was behign and playful, with a dash of scorn; sell posses. fearless and energetic, and, at the same time, humble, child-like, and unas suming. I. That man is a perfect para dox," - thought I to myself ; " his head is a bundle of contradictions." The hissing of those censors of man ners and applauders of sentiment, whose tribunal is the pit, seemed to produce no outward manifestation of concern in the object for whom it was intended. With • .4! . . f l e :1 A. 211 • •4 • ' i.# l l _ 'the most imperturbable gravity, he contin-ii ued to level his opera-glass now in one di- i rection and now in another, occasionally , ! wiping it with a fine cambric hand ker. chief, and then deliberately lifting it to his eyes, notwithstanding the hisses, I 'shrieks - and cat-calls, which the move- ment invariably called forth. " Put down that quizzing-glass, d—n your eyes !" screamed a stout, burly young man, rising on one of the benches but alew feet limn the box, and shaking his list at the holder. Fur an instant the hissing was suspended ; and, much no my surprise, the gentleman with the opera• glass removed it from his eyes. The pit, supposing that they had at length gained the victory began to applaud ; but their congratulations were speedily checked.— lie had merely removed the offentlints in. strument to arrange the screw. Appa rently as regardless of the existence of any one in the pit before hint as he was of the man in the moon, lie now again tesnm ed his inspection of some distant object, the drop•eurtain, pet haps, with his glass. Ills censors seemed to grow absolutely frantic at this new evidence of his disre gard of their clamor ; and the stalwart young man, who had before risen to intim idate him by a menace of personal vio lence, again started up and called upon him to put down that glass. "At him, Bob! Pitch into him, and take it away," cried several voices, in coarse accents of encouragement. Bob drew nearer, evidently disposed to do their bidding. The g entleman rose, holding the glass ' in his le ft hand, and reg arding hisantago nist through it with pet feet composure.-- Bub suddenly reached forward attempted to snatch it away. But he little dreamed what manner of a customer lie hail to deal with. Without removing the glass, the gentleman, by a well-directed blow with his right hand, sent the brawny ruffin staggering and bleeding, nearly into the centre of the pit. The whole audience now rose in a state of excitement; and cries of " Put them out I Put them out!" resounded from every part of the theatre. Almost the only person who seemed to be wholly un concerned in the mindst of the tumult, was the gentleitan who innocently pro duced it. lie continued to hold the opera glass to his eyes, notwithstandin,„ ,, the an ' gry expostulations of many gentlemen in the boxes, and the uproar created by the Chesterfields of the pit. Nothing could induce him to remove it—not even the pleading and reproachful glances of a , beautiful girl who occupied an adjoining seat. The handle of the glass seemed glued to his hand, and the barrels to his eyes,... . . While the excitement was at its height, the curtain rose, and the sound of music diverted the attention of the audience, The man with the opera•glass composedly took his seat, and the pit sullenly and murmuringly followed his example. By the time Mrs. Woods, as the fair somnam bulist, had entered Rodolph's apartment and commenced the plaintive melody she sinv in her sleep, all was once more tran quil, and the second act closed without luny interruption. As the curtain fell, the pit simultaneously turned, as one man, to l look after their friend with the opera glass. He had replaced it in his side pocket, the moment he found there was no attempt to oppose him in the use of it; but now, that he perceived the object of those who were scrutinizing him, lie again I drew it forth with most provoking delibe ratton and coolness, and, after carefully { wiping it with his glove, lifted it slowly but surely to his eyes. Again did one consentaneous hiss arise from the pit, and again did the refractory subject quietly presist in the act, which excited their dis. pleasure. In vain (lid some swear at him,' and some shake their fists. Since the display he had already given of his pugil istic powess, no one among those who condemned his persevming defiance of the despotism of Messieurs, the mob, ven tured to do more than indulge in an im potent threat. Alter the whole house had once inure been (brown into a state of commotion, the curtain rose upon the third act, and quiet was restored. Mrs. Wood's brilliant execution of the " Alt! don't mingle," seemed to drown the recollection of the recent dis• turbances. The applause wad universal, and the man with the opera-ghs's joined in it with evident enthusiasm. But soon the plaudits died away—the curtain tell— and the pit, seeing nothing more upon the stage to engage their attention, again tur ned their eyes to the man with the opera glass, remaining in their places apparent• ly for the sole purpose of watching his movements. That imperturbable indi• victual arose--drew on his gloves, a pro cess which he contrived to render rather tedious--buttoned his white surtout tight ly around him up to his chin—placed his cane under his arm, and then wheeled about as if to depart. But a party in one of the private boxes of the second tier have suddenly arreste..l his attention. lle turns, "ONE COUNTRY, 01 , 4 E CONSTITUTION, ONE DE3TINY." HUNTINGDON, PENNSYLVANIA, WEDNESDAY, MAY 24 once more draws forth the portentous opera-glass, and applies it to his eyes— At this final display of indillerence to their prejudices the poor fellows in the pit seemed to glow almost with wild rage, and a volley ut hisses and yells, that sur passed all former ebullitions in emphasis and force, was directed towards the Mien , ding individual. Fur a full minute he continued, in spite of the clamor, to make use of time glass. Then with a face which betrayed nothing save art expression of curiosity as to the identity of the persons he had been surveying, he slowly deposi ted the glass in its case, restored the to his pocket, bowed gracefully to the gen tlemen of the pit, and, with the air of a man who loiters, he knows not why, took his departure, as deaf, apparently, to the unearthly noises around him as to the music of the spheres. An mange, which was aimed at him by the Pittites, took ef fect on the ruby cheek of a corpulent gen tleman, who had been vociferating with great animation against him, because of the contempt he had manifested for the voice of the majority. The fat man turned in the direction from which the missile came—and the last 1 saw of him lie was shaking his fists, and working himself up into a state which threatened to render him a most promising subject for art attack of apoplexy. What became of him I nev er heard, though I carelully examined the reports of the coroner's inquests fur se veral days afterward. On issuimm4 front the theatre into the open air, I found that the weather was rainy, and, having with me no umbrella, 1 called to a cab.man to take me in his ye hide. "Cab's engaged, sir," replied the man; "but perhaps the gentleman won't object to giving you a seat." " No you don't, driver" cried a voice from the inside. "No tricks upon tra vellers, it you please!" "Itis no matter," said I. 's There will be another cab here soon." But it is matter," exclaimed the oc cupant of the cab in an altered tone.— " °pelt the door, drive's.. Why keep the gentleman stan ding in the rain 1 You are quite welcome, sir, I only go as far as the Globe." is 111 y own destination !" replied "This is quite fortunate." I entered the vehicle, and the light of a lamp falling at the same moment upon the features of the occupant, I at once saw that he was the man who had produc ed the sensation in the theatre by his in dependent use of an opera-glass. " I was glad to see that you came off victorious," said I. " You bravely vin• dhated the liberty of the individual in your person." " You allude to me and toy opera-glass," he repliel "What an absurd tyranny was that they attempted to exercise over me: If such demands are submit ted to, we shall soon see them hooting a man for wearing a patent respirator ur pair of sky-blue spectacles." The perfect composure with which' you met their assaults, was admirable," said I. "It looked at one tttne as if there would be a personal melee." I have always found," returned my companion, " (fiat those who lend them selves, whether collectively or individual ly, to oppression of any kind, are invaria bly cowards. It proved so in the affair of the opera•glass," The noise of the wheels prevented the interchange of many inure amarks, and in three minutes we reached the Globe in safety." " Do you ever take supper?" asked my new acquaintance, as we entered the lin tel. " I occasionally fall into that habit, af ter going through a course of balk and parties," I replied, " but of late 1 have been abutinent." " A few oysters and a glass of Blan card'a sparkling. !lock can do you no harm, 1 am sure," said toy companion, leading the way to the dining hall.. It — has occurred to me several times that you were studying me," continued he, as we Inund ourselves seated at the table. "1 acknowledge myself a general stu• dent of character," said 1, " and yours ut course presents itself as one well worthy of scrutiny." " You are quite right there," returned he. " Fill up your glass ; and before we ' swear eternal friendship, hear my story. Born of a reputable family and to a hand• some fortune, I started lite upon the prin ciple of pleasing every body, without re ' Terence to my own advantages. What a sweet, amiable, obliging buy !' was the exclamation of all who knew me, from my maiden aunt to the girl who scrubbed the floors. Little dunce that 1 was, 1 was proud of their commendation, and pleased with expressions ,of gratitude from every human creature who might chance to come in my way. My organ of approbative• ness must have been enormous in those days. It has sensibly decreased since. B u t I ant wearying you !" " Not at all. Pray proceed." "If you are very much interested, we will change the subject." "Very well. It is a matter of perfect indillerer,ce to me." "'Then 1 veil go on ; and since you seem indisposed to drink any more, I will re fill your glass. But to return to my sto ry. As I grew up I manifested the same solicitous desire to be thought well ut by the world, that I had displayed in my inure verdant days. At college so sensi tive was I to the dislike of my classmates, so afraid of having ahem think or speak harshly of me, that I rarely ventured to say No,' to any request whatsoever.— The consequence was, that before my junior year I was expelled, in company with Frank Dubrawl, who had nut only borrowed money from me to a most pat ronizing extent, but had led me into the scrape, which was the cause of my colle giate disgrace. Rarely did I Make any movement, however trivial, without con sulting my friends as to its expediency.— And rather than 1 displease ally of them I would abandon it altogether. • What profession shall I choose 'l' I asked them, after the abrubt termination of scholastic career. ' Study medicine,' said one.— . The law!' said another. Divinity r said my maiden aunt. Civil engineering,' said Frank Dubrawl. Come into my counting,-room, and learn to be a mer chant,' said an uncle of mine of the old school. It appeared to me, that the only possible mode of avoiding giving offence to all my advisers, Was to take the advice of no one in particular, but to remain as was, and du nothing. Accordingly I devo ted myself to that agreeable vocation. One summer-day I fell in love. The fair object was the daughter of a hotel-keeper, who had the reputation of having acquired a large fortune by gambling. I never thought to inquire who or what he was.— He had the appearance and manners of a gentleman ; and his daughter— sweet Em ily Bertrand ! I cannot mention thy name even at this late day, withwit a choking sensation its my throat, as if my heart would follow it I Pshaw ! Sink senti meat!". " Ay, sink sentiment ! and on with your ! 1 ani afraid it is pin: to he a long one," said I, beginning to fathom some of the peculiarities of my new friend's character. He looked at me with an expression of t momentary surprise, and then replied : You object to sentiment, do you 7 My story cannot be told without it, i.nd so 1 will proceed. We met first at Trenton Falls--Emily and 1. She was proceeding along the narrow shelf of the parapet that towers high above the tumbling stream.— I was coming towards them from the op• ' posite direction. On turning an angle in the rocky wall the shelf became so narrow, and the abyss beneath so formidable, that Emily grew suddenly giddy and •turned pale. . 1 ant fainting falling:' site ex. claimed. Her father was some rods be hind her. The shelf on which she stood was so narrow, and the walls above over.. hung it so closely, that it was impossible for two persons, who accidently met, to pass each other, without the utmost dan er. There seemed nu hope for the young lady, and the hazard of attempting to res' cue her was most imminent. I did nut stop, however, to consider chances.--- Grasping with one hand a rough knob of rock, that protruded from the side of the perpendicular precipice, I threw my dis engaged arm around her, and received her as she was With neat difficulty 1 bore her back along the flinty parapet to a wide platform, produced by a seniicirs raise sweep in the rocky buttress, that fonts the titantic bank of the cascades.— A handful of water front the river quickly revived her. We were soon joined by her father, who, in the ecstacy of his grat itude for her deliverance, actually kissed my hands. I guided them home to the hotel through a vslley in the precipitous line of rock, which was a more secure if a less picturesque road than that whirls they had trodden. This incident mutually enough led to a further acquaintance.— They were to tarry a week longer at the Falls, and I soon made up my mind to re main also. I have always looked back • upon that week as the happiest of my life. It was touching to obseve the relation that existed between the father and the daugh ter. He, a thorough man of the word, addicted to horse-racing and gambling, appeared to undergo in her presence a thorough transformation, and to regard her as a superior being--a saint, whose in tercession would plead for kills trumpets tongued before Heaven's tribunal. Nev er did a harsh or profane word escape him while she was by. It was as if there was an atmosphere of purity about her, in which no sullying of thought cou:d exist. Iler beauty was of the most decided and faultless kind. Every feature and every limb seemed perfectly in harmony with the symmetrical character of her intellec tual faculties, and the sweetness, truth, and translucency el her mm'. All the memo; of education that tuuney Luuld su.p. 1843 ply had been afforded her, and nobly had she availed herself of them. It had never been my lot to meet with accomplishments so rare, and an intelligence so extensive united to so much simplicity of manner.— The secret was to be found, perhaps, in the fact, that in consequence of her lath er's questionable position, she had seen hardly any thing of society; and yet with what machless grace and dignity did she demean herself m every station I flow poor and paltry seemed the conventional ities of fashion and art, compared with the unstudied felicities of her own truthful nature! Our rambles in the neighboring groves of pines, our fishing parties, our little concerts, at which Emily sang as if the soul of Malibran had entered her frame, are among the etceteras, which your imagination must supply, At the end of the week, I was so far enamored, that I accompanied the Bertrands to the • city. IVhat a tempest was raised about l my ears when it was discovered by my , kind friends and relatives, that I was in danger of involving myself in a serious love athiir with the daughterof a man like Bertrand!" " Surely you dill not allow their oppo sition to influence you in the concerns of the heartl" " How could I endure the thought of displeasing so many dear and distoteres ted friends? I did not absolutely surs. render all hope of winning Emily's love, • but I consented to refrain from popping! the question until I had visited Europe, and seen a little Parisian society. I took leave of her with much emotion. Her little hand quivered tremulously in 'nine as I bade her farewell. But my officious friends ()tiered me no opportunity of lin gering. One of them engaged my passage, and another saw my baggag e shipped. I crossed the Atlantic—passed a week or two in London—hurried to Paris, and then to escape from my own discontent, dashed into Italy. But every step, it oc curred to me, ' How doubly charming would all this be, if she were only with me!' I have often heard her discourse with enthusiasm of Icily, and of the de light she anticipated in one day visiting UM land of romance. She spoke the lan guage tioently—which I did not. Her temper was like the clime itself—bland, sunny and clear. Will should I ramble in selfish solitute, when I hail the means of secu rip.. ' such a companion I sudden- ) ly 'brined a determination—hastened to Leghorn—and took passage in merchant' vessel for New York. My aunt seemed • to divine the motive of my speedy return ; for almost the first words she greeted me with were: Well, your famous beauty, the hotel-keeper's daughter, is married.' Indeed!' said I, turning pale. 0, yea. Married to a captain of one of the Liver pool packets—a very proper match for her!' I withdrew to my room, sick at heart. My other friends conformed my aunt's statement, and, quite indifferent to my fate, I allowed them to cut and carve for me as they pleased. They were nut long in finding me a wife. She be longed,-they [informed me, to one of the oldest families in the city, and her father was quite wealthy. As for her person it was unexceptionable. For some time I repudiated the idea of marriage. But when they at length, as a (termer resort, told me that the young lady was despit ' rately in love with me—positively pining through my neglect— my base-spirited good nature—my old propensity to please everybody—got the better et my discres, thin. She became toy wile. Fur a year or two we lived harmoniously enough ; but her unconscionable extravagances mou sed my serious resistance. Her father's disreputable failure in business seemed to produce no abet upon her spendthrift . habits. By following the advice of my dear friends, I had mana.ed to sink two thirds of my property its ba d i speculations. I resolved upon an immediate reduction of my expenses—sold my house and furs niture—and moved into humble private lodgings. The next day my wife lctt in the steam-packet lor Charleston, in com pany with my old friend, Frank Dubrawl." 6' Pleasant I" " Very. But the consequence was I somewhat tragical. The seam-packet was wrecked, and the fugitives were among the lost. My character now began to undergo that change, one of the mini lestations resulting Iron winch you saw exhibited by ine this evening in my obsti nate defiance of public opinion. So far (loin being seduously anxious to please everybody, I don't care a brass farthing fur what this MR or that chooses to say of me ; and I make it a point to adopt the course that is precisely opposite to that which my advisers recommend. My good uncle besought ►ne not to invest the rem nant of my property in certain ' tancy stocks.' I immediately invested every ce►it in them. They rose lifty—a hundred— two hundred per cent. My uncle advised me to hold on. I instantly sold out, there by securing to mysella handsome fortune, and escaping absolute ruin—for the stocks went do,vu to nothing. I au► rather bra• [WitoLE No. 383. tilled than otherwise when I hear of joy being soundly abused; but, what is tel . ) , extraordinary, now that I am sincerely in dilferent to praise or dispraise of any loan or woman, or body of inen or women, I inn much better spoken of, and my com pany is much more sought alter, than when I was constantly on the qui vice to CUll cilhate the good opinion of all I met." "That is very natural," returned I.— "Some philosopher remarks, that we ought not to be too anxious about the good opinion of others ; for, in proportion to our anxiety, it will, out ut mere perverseness, be denied to us. And yet, Bit Johnson says: Content of fame begets contempt of virtu e.' ,& " Out upon the virtue," exclaimed my companion, " which looks to any respect but self-respect for its reward ! Nu, my young friend. The man is an ass, who does not fearlessly act out himself without regard to the favorable opinion of ' all the world, and his wite,' as the French say.-- NV hat author ever wrote a great thing, who wrote with a fear of critics before his eyes', Suppose that the Edinburg Review had existed in the time of Shakspeare, and that the bard of Avon had given heed to its lawyer-like adducements of pool's, that he was full of faults that he and anachron isms, would he have been Shakspeare aoy longer, think you " You must have spent the last few years abroad '!" asked I, unwilling to pro tract the discussion, as the hour was late. " Yuu are right. But I see that you are getting sleepy, and though it is against my principles, I will let you Mt" Slre bade each other good-night, Seve ral years had elapsed, and I had lost nearly ' all recollections of " the man 1 had met at the play." But not long since, in looking for a friend's town at the Astor House, L accidently opened the door of the wrong apartment. A gentleman and a lady were at the window, and in the arms of the lat ter, who was surpassingly lovely, was a beautiful child. Apologizing for my mis take, I was hastily retiring, when a glance of recognition on the part of the gentle man detained me. In another moment I became aware that the hero of the opera glass stood before me. We interchanged greetings, and he introduced me to his wife—lus " Emily," as he called her. I at once remembered her name and the story of his life. " - You shall hear the denouement," said he, " it you will stun and take dinner with us." assented ; and the sequel run thus:— The story which my friend's kind rela tives had told him of Emily's marriage, prc. veil to be a fiction. Thiough an extraor. Binary run of ill lock, her father had been reduced hunt affluence to penury. 111 health was added to his other misfortunes; and for many month 3, she supported hint by copying music fur one of the theaters. At a moment, when their privations had become most critical, by ore of those co incidences, which occur oftener in real life than careless observers suppose, their companion of Trenton Falls encountered Emily— learned from her the circumstan ces that had transpired since their last meeting—and accompanied her to the humble where her father lay upon his death-bed. The last moments of the invalid were serene and even cheerful ; for over him were bent the faces of his daughter and her affianced lover, and it seemed to be his faith, that the interces sion of the former would make his future lota happy one. . . Aiwa half a year alter Bertrand's de cease, Emily was united to the friend, who had so opportunely come to her assis.. tance on more than one occasion. They removed to a beautiful country seat not many miles from the city ; and here " the man I met at the play," though still quite Indifirent to the good or evil report of the world, finds that true happiness is to be found not in pleasing everybody, (which the prevers'eness of men will nut allow even the Creator to do,) but in first pleasing one's self in the choice of a wife, and in then being content with pleasing one's conscience and her. And what better moral do you aek to a story, fair lady, than this ? I say, you darkie," said a tall Ken tuckian to a negro who was taking an awful big horn at the bar of a western swam boat---" I say, you dat kie, do you belong to the Temperance Society." " No mass, belongs to Misses Hall," was the reply. A Western editor says :—A gentleman the other day, on asking a market man the price of Immured, " Eggs are eggs now." "~1 am glad to hear it with all my heart ; fur the last 1 bought of you weal half thickens." It is said that however well young la dies may be versed in gran finer, very lew of them can DECLINE matrimony. The last abstraction is the boiling ti pi lOLtal to Olatitaillttlit 011.