If there be a sudden accession of fortune, the earliest use of it is in
passing over to the continent; if misfortunes occur, the first
suggestion is that of seeking solace in another land. The assumption of
the _toga virilis_ by our youth, may be practically translated, the
putting on of the travelling cloak. Marriage, instead of being the means
of more extended family union, is the plea for immediate separation; and
the newly-married pair drive from the church to the packet-boat. If the
elders of a family are snatched away by death, the first idea which
occurs to their successors, is that of distant removal from home.
Sorrows are not endured, but fled from; and misfortune becomes the
signal for dispersion to those who survive it.--_Q. Rev._
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Christoval Acosta, speaking of the _pine-apple_, says that "no medicinal
virtues have been discovered in it, and it is good for nothing but to
eat."
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