_The adventure of the monkeys concluded――strange
animals――weariness, despair――a terrible incident._
My readers can hardly imagine the bewildered state of my mind,
occasioned by the scenes described in my last chapter. The little
apes, who grinned, chattered, frisked, and frolicked in the moonlight
around me, appeared like so many fantastic sprites, and I could
scarcely believe that it was not all a dream. Never shall I forget
some of their quizzical countenances and grotesque gestures, as they
peeped at me between the branches of the trees. After they had hung
around me for several minutes, one of them uttered a shrill cry, and
with many a leap, and jirk, and bound, they disappeared. They seemed
to run along upon the trees, passing from the branches of one to
another, as easily as a rabbit upon the solid ground.
They were indeed supplied with limbs to accomplish this. They had not
only four hands, but they were furnished with a tail, which seemed
amazingly convenient and useful. Never was any instrument employed
with more dexterity and success. They wound it around the limbs of the
trees, where they hung suspended, or swung from branch to branch. When
they were travelling upon the giddy heights of the forests, they held
it erect, in order to keep them steady, thus using it as a rope-dancer
does his balance pole.
At this time I knew very little about these creatures, but I
afterwards learned that the forests of Guiana, as well as other warm
parts of South America, abound in various kinds of monkeys, and that
the species who made me the nocturnal visit I have described, are
called _howlers_. They are particularly noisy at night, and make the
forests ring with their elvish din. It is common for one of them to
mount a tree, and seem to address the assembled group around him,
embellishing his discourse with the most extraordinary grimaces,
gestures, and contortions. One can hardly look upon a scene of this
sort, and not feel it to be a sort of satire upon human oratory.
I did not close my eyes again that night. Morning at last came, and I
attempted to grope my way back through the thickets, to the path I had
lost. But I was encompassed by lofty forests, and my mind was in some
degree bewildered, I rambled about the whole day, and at night found
myself at the precise spot from which I had started in the morning.
My heart was now full. The prospect of perishing in the wilderness,
was before me; I had eaten the last morsel of food that remained in my
wallet; it seemed impossible, therefore, that I should escape. The
thoughts of never again seeing my mother and my home――of dying without
a friend at my side, and leaving my form to be torn limb from limb, by
wild beasts, all rushed upon me with frightful force, and for a few
moments, I gave way to despair.
But these feelings gradually subsided, and though no situation could
be more hopeless than mine, still, hope revived, and I determined to
make another effort the next morning, to effect my escape. Having
formed this resolution, I stretched myself out upon the ground and
fell asleep, and nothing remarkable occurred during the night. At
early dawn, I arose, and set forward with the determination of being
more wary than before, in order to avoid a similar result. I was very
hungry, but I soon found some berries, which I ventured to eat, though
I was not sure that they were wholesome. I pushed forward, as I
imagined, in a direct line toward the path. But when one’s head is
turned, south seems north, and north south――so that a great part of
the day, I travelled in the direction opposite to that which I
intended to follow.
Toward evening, I came in sight of a lake, and as I was exceedingly
thirsty, I approached it. It was encircled with tall trees and thickly
matted shrubbery, except on the side where I was. Here was a little
opening, and as I came to the edge of the water, I was about to stoop
down and quench my thirst; but what was my astonishment to behold
before me a huge beast, bearing a resemblance to a large black hog. It
was completely in the water, but I could distinctly see it walking on
the bottom and approaching the shore. Being not a little alarmed at
this strange apparition, I ran hastily back from the lake, and
concealed myself in a thicket, at the distance of several yards. My
position was such, however, as to command a view of the water.
I could soon perceive an undulation on its glassy surface, and shortly
after the bristly back of the animal became visible. He leisurely come
to the shore, looked around, snuffed the air, a little suspiciously,
and then began to devour the coarse herbage that grew along the margin
of the water. The whole aspect of this creature was swinish, and I
should have set him down as one of the hog family, but for two
reasons. He was twice as big as any specimen of that race, I had ever
seen; and he had a long, flexible snout, which he used like an
elephant’s trunk. I watched him narrowly, and never have I seen a more
extraordinary looking creature. He seemed, indeed, to be half hog and
half elephant, though his manners resembled the former, rather than
the latter. He seemed to feel perfectly at home, ate voraciously,
flourished his little tail, and at last, sat down upon his rump, like
a tired dog.
I had now remained for half an hour in my concealment, and being weary
of inaction, I rushed out from the thicket, club in hand, and suddenly
stood before the beast. Never have I seen such a gaze of stupid
wonder, as the monster at first exhibited. But he soon made up his
mind to retreat, and uttering a grunt by way of exclamation, he
plunged into the water, and I saw him no more. I afterwards learned
that this animal is common in the waters of South America, and
probably is known to most of my readers, under the name of _tapir_.
Night soon followed this scene, and I was obliged again to find a
pillow beneath the boughs of the forest; I slept soundly, however, and
again in the morning began my rambles. My strength, however, was
impaired; my courage was gradually ebbing away; still I continued to
roam about, making the best effort I could for my deliverance. I was
not alone in the forest, for innumerable parrots were chattering among
the branches of the trees, and birds of many forms and hues, were
glancing through the air, or reposing in the leafy shade of the
wilderness.
[Illustration: (coati)]
I frequently met with monkeys, skipping from tree to tree, and as they
grinned at me from above, I could fancy that there was a sneering and
malicious expression in their faces, as if they understood and
rejoiced in my forlorn condition. I once saw an animal bounding along
upon the ground, which greatly resembled a raccoon, and a momentary
flash of pleasure came over my bosom, at being thus reminded of a
creature with which I was familiar in my native woods. But I soon
perceived that the animal had a longer tail and snout than the
raccoon. He speedily bounded up a tree, and coiling his tail around
one of the branches, looked down upon me with a gaze of curious
wonder. I learned that this creature was the _coaiti_; an animal which
is famous for eating up his own tail!
Another and another day followed, my strength and spirits gradually
failing beneath the efforts I was making, particularly as the food I
procured, consisting wholly of berries, seemed to give me but little
sustenance. It was, I believe, on the sixth day after I had wandered
from my path, that I sat down, overpowered with heat, exhaustion, and
despair. I felt that my final hour was come――that I had found my
resting place, and that I must prepare in solitude to die. The anguish
of my feelings was not so great as might have been imagined――I was
worn out both in body and mind, and was contemplating my release, if
not with satisfaction, at least with some degree of composure, when a
fearful spectacle arrested my attention.
At the distance of about thirty feet, lay an object, which at first, I
had taken to be the fallen branch of a tree. But its dull, earthy
colors, gradually changed to the most brilliant hues; its relaxed and
flattened form, became rigid, rounded, and curved. Its head rose with
a slow motion, and I could now perceive that it was an enormous
serpent, gliding with a noiseless motion towards me. Its eye was fixed
upon me with a glassy and terrific stare; its jaws were expanded; its
tongue brandished, ready to strike the fatal blow. I had sufficient
recollection to know that this must be an anaconda, and I expected the
next instant to be crushed in its folds. The thought was too horrible
to be endured. I felt a faintness come over me, and while a rushing
sound filled my ears, my senses departed.
The Old Man in the Corner.
NO. VI.
PETER AND THE PIG.
There was once a youth, who being born in poverty, was brought up to
labor for his living. But being of an indolent turn, he felt this to
be a great hardship. He was also as unwilling to study his books, as
he was to perform other tasks. He hated all exertion; and seemed
indeed to think that toil was the only curse, and idleness the only
bliss. If he was not the same youth, who, when asked what he deemed
the highest state of happiness, replied――“swinging on a gate, with
one’s mouth full of molasses candy,”――he was still, of much the same
way of thinking.
Now lazy Peter, as he was called, went one day to feed the pig. The
animal was very fat, and even when he heard the corn rattle into his
trough, he only uttered a kind of affected grunt, pricked up his ears,
wagged his tail, and kept his place. Peter looked into the stye, and
beheld with unaffected admiration, the luxurious beast, imbedded in
straw, and too happy in the enjoyment of his digestion and repose,
even to get up and eat. “This is the perfection of comfort,”――said
Peter to himself. “How pleasant it must be to have nothing to do, but
to eat and sleep; no chores to do; no boots and shoes to put on; no
jackets and trowsers to button up; no musty books to learn; no
Emerson’s Arithmetic to make one’s head muzzy; no awful looking
schoolmaster, whose very countenance makes one’s stomach ache, to
watch over him; no sharp voice to call him at 5 o’clock in the
morning! No, no――he eats and sleeps and sleeps and eats――gets up and
goes to bed just as he pleases. Really, I half wish I was a pig!”
Thus mused lazy Peter――while he rested his chin upon the edge of the
pig-stye, and gazed with dreamy eyes upon the lord of the manor. At
length, urged by a sense of imperious necessity――for the idea of duty,
had not yet taken possession of his head――he tore himself away from
these agreeable contemplations.
At night Peter went to bed as usual, but the scene of the pig-stye had
made such an impression upon his mind, that it stole in among the
visions of his sleep. He dreamed that he was sauntering along upon a
highway, and bound upon some long journey. Weary at length, he sat
down and began to grumble at the necessity of travelling such a
distance, and over such a tiresome road. While he was thus occupied, a
Fairy came to him, and said――“Peter, I have heard your complaints, and
have come to relieve them! You think it hard to travel this road,
though its borders are decorated with flowers; though it leads through
delightful regions, and finally terminates in a happy home, where
friends gather around to minister to every want and gratify every
desire. Your difficulty is, that you must take the trouble to pick the
flowers, to visit these happy regions, to travel to this final home of
peace. Well, you shall have your way: you want idleness, and deem that
this is bliss. I have a stye, in which is the fattest pig you ever
saw: you shall be his companion, share his bed and board, and thus
find the fulfilment of your wishes!”
Strange as it may seem, Peter accepted the offer, and was soon
domesticated in the stye. For a time, he enjoyed himself to the
utmost: to be sure the perfume of the place offended him a little at
first――but the luxury of having nothing to do but to eat and sleep,
prevailed over every other feeling, and he deemed himself perfectly
happy.
Thus time rolled on――until one night he chanced to hear certain
ominous preparations going on outside of the stye. He heard the
rolling of a large tub, and chanced to hear the mistress of the place
give directions to a man to butcher her two pigs the next morning.
“Two pigs!” said Peter to himself――“and so I am one of them: but I’ll
give them the slip!” He waited till all around was quiet, and then
attempted to rise, for the purpose of making his escape. But alas he
was so fat and unwieldly, and the fence was so high, that he could by
no possibility get out of the pen. And there was one thing, which
struck him with absolute horror: he now perceived that he had four
legs――cloven feet, a long snout, and a tail! Nor was this all――long
wiry bristles stood up along his back――his sides were coated with
coarse hair, and while he tugged to get out of his prison, he grunted
like his companion. “I am, at last, a pig then!” said Peter; “and yet,
I am not altogether a pig. I know more than this lazy beast by my
side; I know what is to happen to-morrow, and while he is at rest, I
am in an agony of fear. I wish I were really a pig, for then I should
know no fear, and the butcher’s knife would finish me. But it is
really horrible to have the mind of a human being, and the body and
habits of a hog.”
Poor Peter in the agony of his dream made a great outcry, but it was
like the squealing of a pig; the fairy heard it, however, and came at
the call. “What is the matter?”――said she. “Let me out! let me out!”
said Peter in his frenzy. “I can’t let you out,” said the fairy: “you
weigh at least fifteen score, and beside, you are a pig, now; for you
must know that if a human being adopts swinish habits and keeps
swinish company, he gradually becomes assimilated to the brute he
imitates. But there is one difference: the pig, though he enjoys
indolence, is able to do so, only because of his ignorance. He has no
mind which paints higher and nobler enjoyments; no desire of long
life; no looking forward to the future; no sense of right and wrong;
no conscience to disturb him. It is otherwise with you. You have a
mind, and though you may abuse it, you cannot annihilate it. It is a
lamp――it may become dim for a time, but you cannot put it out. It will
burn forever, and will forever show you, and make you feel the
degradation you have reached, and the happiness you have lost.” Thus
saying, the fairy departed.
It is not possible to tell the agony of the dreamer; he now saw his
folly, and bitterly lamented it. But at last, in his vision, the
morning came. He heard the hot, hissing water poured into the tub, to
scald off his hair; he heard a lively whetting of knives, and at last
saw the goggling eyes of the butcher, taking a look over the edge of
the pig-stye. His agony was beyond bounds; he uttered a piercing
shriek, and in the paroxysm of his distress, he awoke. It was,
however, a lucky dream, for the youth took warning by it, and
conquering his indolence, he became industrious, and grew up a
prosperous and happy man.
Reader, if thou art given to indolence, take heed by Peter’s dream;
and like him, turn from the error of thy ways. Deem not that indolence
is bliss――but believe me――the ways of industry are ways of
pleasantness, and her paths lead to peace.
――――
WHAT’S IN A NAME?――“My name is Norval!” said a runaway youth, who was
playing that character in a small theatre at Annapolis, some years
since. “That’s a whapper!” said an officer in the crowd――“your name is
Bill Brown, and you owes Mrs. Knipper three dollars and a half for
board, washing and lodging――and here’s a writ, so come along, my
darling!”
The Five-Dollar Bill.
The following story has been published in many of the newspapers, but
it is so good, that we give it a place in our columns. It not only
shows how proper and necessary it is to pay small accounts, but it
shows the use of money. What a wonderful thing, that little pieces of
paper may perform such important offices in society, as we see that
they do, by the story of the “Five-Dollar Bill.”
――――
“Sir, if you please, boss would like you to pay this bill to-day,”
said, for the tenth time, a half-grown boy in a dirty jacket, to a
lawyer named Peter Chancery, and whose office was in Philadelphia.
The attorney at length turned round and stared the boy full in the
face, as if he had been some newly discovered specimen of zoology,
gave a long whistle, thrust his inky finger first into one pocket and
then into the other of his black cloth vest, and then gave another
long whistle and completed his stare at the boy’s face.
“Ho, ha, hum! that bill, eh?” and the legal young gentleman extended
the tips of his fingers towards the well worn bit of paper, and
daintily opening it, looked at its contents.
“Hum! for capping and heel-tapping, six shillings――for foxing, ten and
sixpence, and other sundries, eh! So your master wants me to settle
this bill, eh?” repeated the man of briefs.
“Yes, sir. This is the nineteenth time I have come for it, and I
intend to knock off at twenty and call it half a day.”
“You’re an impudent boy.”
“I’s always impudent to lawyers, coz I can’t help it――it’s catchin’.”
“Your eye-teeth are cut, I see!”
“That’s what boss sent _me_ for, instead o’ the ’prentices as was
gettin’ their teeth cut. I cut mine at nine months old, with a
hand-saw. Boss says if you don’t pay that bill he’ll sue you.”
“Sue _me_? I’m a lawyer!”
“It’s no matter for that! Lawyer or no lawyer, boss declares he’ll do
it――so fork over!”
“Declares he’ll sue me?”
“As true as there’s another lawyer in all Filadelphy.”
“That would be bad!”
“Wouldn’t it?”
“Silence, you vagabond. I suppose I must pay this,” muttered the
attorney to himself. “It’s not my plan to pay these small bills! What
is a lawyer’s profession good for, if he can’t get clear paying his
own bills? He’ll sue me! ’Tis just five dollars! It comes hard, and he
don’t want the money! His boy could have earned it in the time he has
been sending him to me to dun for it.――So your master will sue for it
if I don’t pay?”
“He says he will do it, and charge you a new pair o’ shoes for me.”
“Hark’ee. I can’t pay to-day; and so if your boss will sue, just be so
kind as to ask him to employ me as his attorney.”
“You?”
“Yes; I’ll issue the writ, have it served, and then you see I shall
put the costs into my own pocket, instead of seeing them go into
another lawyer’s. So you see if I have to pay the bill I’ll make the
costs. Capital idea.”
The boy scratched his head a while, as if striving to comprehend this
“capital idea,” and then shook it doubtingly. “I don’t know about
this; it looks tricky. I’ll ask boss though, if as how you say you
won’t pay it no how without being sued.”
“I’d rather be sued if he’ll employ me, boy!”
“But who’s to pay them costs――the boss?”
The lawyer looked at once very serious, and then gave another of those
long whistles peculiar to him.
“Well, I am a sensible man, truly! My anxiety to get the costs of the
suit blinded me to the fact that they had got to come out of one of my
own pockets before they could be safely put into the other pocket! Ah;
well, my boy, I suppose I must pay. Here is a five-dollar bill. Is it
receipted?――it is so dirty and greasy I can’t see.”
“It was nice and clean three months ago when boss gin it to me, and
the writin’ shined like Knapp’s Blackin’――it’s torn so of a dunnin’ so
much.”
“Well, here’s your money,” said the man of law, taking a solitary
five-dollar note from his watch fob; “now, tell your master, Mr. Last,
that if he has any other accounts he wants sued, I will attend to them
with the greatest pleasure.”
“Thank’ee,” answered the boy, pocketing five, “but you is the only
regular dunnin’ customer boss has, and now you’ve paid up, he hasn’t
none but cash folks. Good day to you.”
“Now there goes a five-dollar note that will do that fellow, Last, no
good. I am in great want of it, but he is not. It is a five thrown
away. It wouldn’t have left my pocket but that I was sure his patience
was worn out, and that costs would come out of it. I like to have
costs, but I don’t think a lawyer has anything to do with paying
them.”
As Peter Chancery, Esq. did not believe in his own mind that paying
his debt to Mr. Last was to be of any benefit to him, and was of
opinion that it was “money thrown away,” let us follow the fate of
this five-dollar bill through the day.
“He has paid,” said the boy, placing the five-dollar bill in his
master’s hand.
“Well, I am glad of it,” answered Mr. Last, surveying the bank-note
through his glasses; “and it’s a current bill, too. Now run with it
and pay Mr. Furnace the five dollars I borrowed of him yesterday, and
said I would return to-morrow. But I’ll pay it now.”
“Ah my lad, come just in time,” said Furnace, as the boy delivered his
errand and the note. “I was just wondering where I could get five
dollars to pay a bill which is due to-day. Here, John,” he called to
one of his apprentices, “put on your hat and take this money to
Captain O’Brien, and tell him I came within one of disappointing him,
when some money came in I didn’t expect.”
Captain O’Brien was on board his schooner at the next wharf, and with
him was a seaman, with his hat in his hand, looking very gloomy as he
spoke with him.
“I’m sorry, my man, I can’t pay you――but I have just raised and
scraped the last dollar I can get above water to pay my insurance
money to-day, and have not a copper left in my pocket to jingle, but
keys and old nails.”
“But I am very much in need, sir; my wife is ailing, and my family are
in want of a good many things just now, and I got several articles at
the store expecting to get money of you to take ’em up as I went along
home. We han’t in the house no flour, no tea, nor――――”
“Well, my lad, I’m sorry. You must come to-morrow. I can’t help you
unless I sell the coat off my back, or pawn the schooner’s kedge.
Nobody pays me.”
The sailor, who had come to get an advance of wages, turned away
sorrowful, when the apprentice boy came up and said, in his hearing,
“Here, sir, is five dollars Mr. Furnace owes you. He says when he told
you he couldn’t pay your bill to-day, he didn’t expect some money that
came in after you left the shop.”
“Ah, that’s my fine boy! Here, Jack, take this five-dollar bill, and
come Saturday and get the balance of your wages.”
The seaman, with a joyful bound, took the bill, and touching his hat,
sprung with a light heart on shore and hastened to the store where he
had already selected the comforts and necessaries which his family
stood so much in need of.
As he entered, a poor woman was trying to prevail on the store-keeper
to settle a demand for making his shirts.
“You had better take it out of the store, Mrs. Conway,” he said to
her; “really, I have not taken half the amount of your bill to-day,
and don’t expect to. I have to charge every thing, and no money comes
in.”
“I can’t do without it,” answered the woman: “my daughter is very ill,
and in want of every comfort; I am out of fire-wood, and indeed I want
many things which I have depended on this money to get.”
“I’m very sorry, Mrs. Conway,” said the store-keeper, looking into his
money-drawer; “I have not five shillings here, and your bill is five
dollars and ninepence.”
The poor woman thought of her invalid child, and wrung her hands.
“A sailor was here a while ago and selected full five dollars’ worth
of articles, here on the counter, and went away to get his wages to
pay for them; but I question if he comes back. If he does and pays for
them, you shall have your money, madam.”
At this instant Jack made his appearance in the door.
“Well, ship-mate,” he cried, in a tone much more elevated than when he
was discovered speaking with the captain; “well, my hearty, hand over
my freight. I’ve got the document, so give us possession!” and
displaying his five-dollar note, he laid hold of his purchases.
The store-keeper, examining and seeing the note was a good one, bade
him take them with him, and then sighing, as he took another and last
look at the bill, he handed it to the poor widow, who, with a joyful
smile, received it from him and hastened from the store.
In a low and very humble tenement, near the water, was a family of
poor children, whose appearance exhibited the utmost destitution. On a
cot-bed near, lay a poor woman, ill and emaciated. The door opened,
and a man in coarse, patched garments entered with a wood-saw and
cross, and laid them down by the door side, and approached the bed.
“Are you any better, dear?” he asked in a rough voice, but in the
kindest tones.
“No――have you found work? If you could get me a little nourishing
food, I should regain my strength.”
The man gazed upon her pale face a moment, and again taking up his saw
and cross, went out. He had not gone far before a woman met him, and
said she wished him to follow her and saw some wood for her. His heart
bounded with hope and gratitude, and he went after her to her
dwelling, an abode but little better than his own for its poverty, yet
wearing an air of comfort. He sawed the wood, split and piled it, and
received six shillings, with which he hastened to a store for
necessaries for his sick wife, and then hurried home to gladden her
heart with the delicacies he had provided. Till now he had had no work
for four days, and his family had been starving; and from this day his
wife got better and was at length restored to her family and to
health, from a state of weakness to which another day’s continuance
would probably have proved fatal.
These six shillings, which did so much good, were paid him by the poor
woman from the five dollars she had received from the store-keeper,
and which the sailor had paid him. The poor woman’s daughter, also,
was revived and ultimately restored to health; and was lately married
to a young man who had been three years absent and returned _true to
his troth_. But for the five dollars which had been so instrumental in
her recovery, he might have returned to be told that she, whose memory
had so long been the polar star of his heart, had perished.
So much good did the five-dollar bill do which Peter Chancery, Esq. so
reluctantly paid to Mr. Last’s apprentice boy, though little credit is
due to this legal gentleman for the results that followed. It is thus
that Providence often makes bad men instruments of good to others. Let
this story lead those who think a “small bill” can stand because it is
a small bill, remember how much good a five-dollar bill has done in
one single day――and that in paying a _series_ of twenty bills, they
may dispense good to hundreds around them.
The Lark.
A GERMAN ALLEGORY.
In the balmy morning of a spring day, a farmer walked with his son
into the field. The cool morning wind played with the silver locks of
the old man, and lifted the blooming stems of the field, so that they
appeared like a cloud over the waving grain.
And the old man said, “Behold how active nature is for our good! With
the same breath which cools our cheeks, she makes our fields fruitful,
so that our barns are filled.
“Eighty years have I witnessed this, and still it is as pleasing to me
as though I saw it to-day for the first time. It may easily be the
last! For have I not reached the limit of human life!”
Thus the old man spake. Then the son pressed his hand and was grieved
in his heart.
But the father said, “Why do you mourn? Behold, my day is ended, and
my evening has come. If a new morning is to break upon me, it must
first be night. But it will appear to me like a night of summer, cool,
and lovely, when the evening twilight melts into the twilight of
morning.”
“Oh my father,” said the son, “how can you speak so composedly of
that, which will be to us the cause of severe affliction? You have
given me an emblem of your death. Oh give me an emblem of your life,
my father!”
Then the old man replied, “That I can easily do. For the life of a
farmer is simple, like nature, which surrounds him. See the lark
yonder; do you observe how it arises out of the grain-field singing!
It does not soar so near the farmer for nothing! For it is the emblem
of his life.
“Behold, it is born and matured in the lap of maternal earth, and
feeds itself in the nourishing furrow. Among the waving stems it
builds its nest and hatches its eggs, and takes care of its young. And
the animating exhalations of the ground and the green field strengthen
its wings, and the voice of its bosom. But now it arises towards
heaven, and looks down from above on the stems and grain, and the
tender mother, and upwards at the light, which rears the stems, and in
the cloud, which sends dew and rain on the earth. As soon as morning
begins to dawn, it is on the wing, to salute the early messenger of
approaching day. And when the evening sun is sinking below the
horizon, it rises again to drink of his last celestial beams. Thus it
lives a two-fold life, the one silently in the still shade of the
nourishing furrow and the green stems, and the other, singing in the
bright regions of a higher world of light. But its two-fold life is
only one. For behold, it rises only to descend, and descends only to
rise again!”
Thus the old man spake. And the son fervently pressed the hand of his
father, and said, “Ah yes, my father, such has been your life! Oh, may
it be a source of joy to us for a long time to come!”
Thereupon the old man replied, “The clod is too heavy for me! Why do
you envy me the undivided life of pure harmony and brighter light?
“The day is sultry. Come, let us return home.”
Origin of the Names of the several United States.
Maine was so called, as early as 1623, from Maine in France, of which
Henrietta Maria, Queen of England, was at that time proprietor.
New Hampshire was the name given to the territory conveyed by the
Plymouth Company to Captain John Mason, by patent, November 7th, 1629,
with reference to the patentee, who was Governor of Portsmouth, in
Hampshire, England.
Vermont was so called by the inhabitants in their Declaration of
Independence, January 16th, 1777, from the French, _verd mont_, the
green mountain.
Massachusetts was so called from Massachusetts Bay, and that from the
Massachusetts tribe of Indians in the neighborhood of Boston.
Massachusetts is said to signify “Blue Hills.”
Rhode Island was so called, in 1644, in reference to the Island of
Rhodes, in the Mediterranean.
Connecticut was so called from the Indian name of its principal river.
Connecticut is a Moheakanneew word, signifying _long river_.
New York was so called in 1664, in reference to the Duke of York and
Albany, to whom this territory was granted by the King of England.
New Jersey was so called in 1664, from the Island of Jersey, on the
coast of France, the residence of the family of Sir George Carteret,
to whom this territory was granted.
Pennsylvania was so called in 1681, after William Penn.
Delaware was so called in 1703, from Delaware Bay, on which it lies,
and which received its name from Lord de la War, who died in this bay.
Maryland was so called in honor of Henrietta Maria, Queen of Charles
I., in his patent to Lord Baltimore, June 30, 1632.
Virginia was so called in 1584, after Elizabeth, the virgin Queen of
England.
Carolina was so called by the French in 1564, in honor of King Charles
IX. of France.
Georgia was so called in 1732, in honor of King George II.
Alabama was so called in 1817, from its principal river.
Mississippi was so called in 1800, from its western boundary.
Mississippi is said to denote the _whole river_, that is, the river
formed by the union of many.
Louisiana was so called in honor of Louis XIV. of France.
Tennessee was so called in 1796, from its principal river. The word
Ten-assee is said to signify a _curved spoon_.
Kentucky was so called in 1792, from its principal river.
Illinois was so called in 1809, from its principal river. The word is
said to signify _the river of men_.
Indiana was so called in 1809, from its being, for a long time,
occupied by several large Indian tribes.
Ohio was so called in 1802, from its southern boundary.
Missouri was so called in 1821, from its principal river.
Michigan was so called in 1805, from the lake on its border.
Arkansas was so called in 1819, from its principal river.
Florida was so called by Juan Ponce de Leon, in 1572, because it was
discovered on Easter Sunday, in Spanish _Pascua Florida_. Some say it
was so called from its _florid_ appearance, in consequence of the
great number of flowers it produced.
Columbia was so called in reference to Columbus.
Wisconsin was so called from its principal river.
Iowa is so called from its principal river.
Oregon is so called from its principal river.
Battle between a Rat and a Crab.
The following incident is related in a late English journal:
In the year 1812, a sailor in company with several persons, at
Sunderland, a short time before, perceived a crab which had wandered
to the distance of about three yards from the water side. An old rat,
on the look-out for food, sprang from his lurking-place and seized the
crab, who, in return, raised his forcep claws, and laid fast hold of
the assailant’s nose, who, when opportunity offered, hastily retired,
squeaking a doleful chant, much surprised, no doubt, at the unexpected
reception he had experienced.
The crab, finding itself at liberty, retreated, as speedily as crab
could do, towards its own element; but after a short space of time, it
was arrested in its progress by Mr. Rat, who renewed the contest, and
experienced a second rude embrace from his antagonist. The rat, as
before, retreated, bemoaning such violent treatment. Frequent and
severe were the attacks; on view of his enemy, the crab always
prepared for action by raising its fore claws in a threatening
attitude.
After a bloodless contest of half an hour, the crab, though much
exhausted, had nearly reached the sea, when the rat, almost despairing
of conquest, made a last and daring effort to overcome his antagonist,
and succeeded (to use the seaman’s term) in capsizing his intended
victim, a situation of which the rat immediately took advantage,
seizing, like an able general, the vanquished prey, and dragging the
creature by the hind legs (proceeding backwards) into his den. After a
short interval, he made his escape, and appeared to the spectators,
mutilated and deprived of most of the small legs; the rat soon
followed in pursuit of the fugitive, and forced him back to his den,
where, no doubt, he regaled his wife and family.
Bill and the Boys,
OR WIT AND WEALTH.
As we have finished Bill Keeler’s story of the lottery ticket, we will
now proceed to relate another tale which was told by one of the boys
who belonged to the story-telling circle of Salem, and which we shall
entitle Wit and Wealth.
A great many years ago, and in a far-off country, there were two
boys――one of them was the son of the king and bore the name of Selim;
the other was the child of a poor man and was called Bazeen.
Selim was brought up in luxury and permitted to have his own way. He
was dressed in the richest silks; his ears were decorated with
diamonds, and jewels of great price glittered upon every part of his
person. He was surrounded with servants, who were attentive to his
wishes, and prompt to gratify every passion and caprice.
But while so much pains were taken to amuse the young prince and
minister to his pleasures, his education in most respects was
neglected. He was instructed in horsemanship, music, dancing and
military exercises, but he had a contempt for books, and utterly
refused to learn to read. He seemed to think it was enough to be a
prince――that by birth he was superior to all others. He made, indeed,
a mistake common enough among people of high fortune, in feeling that
the rank and condition in which he was born gave him a right to claim
superiority in every respect over all around him. He forgot that there
is no royal road to learning――that the prince as well as the plebeian
must study to acquire knowledge, and that a person with a full purse
may be a pauper with respect to brains.
Young Bazeen was very different from all this. His father, as we have
said, was poor. He had no jewels with which to decorate the person of
his son, nor could he do more in respect to dress than to clothe him
in the plainest attire. But he had still the power of giving his boy
an education, for learning was little prized in that country, and the
schoolmaster undertook the education of Bazeen for a very small
compensation. Thus, the boy was taught the learning of that day, and
among other things was made acquainted with several different
languages.
When the two youths we have described were approaching the period of
manhood, they joined the army of their country and went on an
expedition against a distant enemy. Bazeen was attached to Selim’s
corps, which consisted of a troop of horse, and though a private
soldier, he attracted the notice of the youthful prince. They at last
met the enemy, and their army being defeated in the terrible
engagement which followed, they were both taken and carried into
captivity.
The appearance of Selim marked him as a person of some consequence,
and he was therefore ordered into the presence of the king whose
soldiers had made him prisoner. Bazeen accompanied him as his
attendant. The young prince had taken care to decorate his person in
the most costly manner, expecting in this way to dazzle the eyes of
the monarch, before whom he was to appear.
The two prisoners were soon led into the presence of the sovereign. He
received the young prince graciously, and began to ask him questions
about the battle, and the country from which he came. But he soon
perceived that Selim was ill informed upon these subjects, and that he
was, in fact, deficient in intelligence and observation. He then
turned his attention to Bazeen, and put nearly the same questions to
him that he had done to Selim. Bazeen answered modestly, and with some
hesitation, doubting whether it was proper to show himself superior in
knowledge to his royal master. The monarch penetrated his feelings,
and commanded him to reply. The youth was therefore forced to answer,
and soon showed himself to possess a great deal of knowledge. “Bring
me a book!” said the king to one of his servants. The book was brought
and handed to Selim; but he shook his head disdainfully, and remarked
that at his father’s court, princes scorned the drudgery of learning
to read. “Such tasks,” said he, “are reserved for our slaves. Give the
book to Bazeen, he can read!”
The lip of the monarch curled, but he did not speak. The book was
handed to Bazeen, and he read the passage that was pointed out. “It is
well,” said the king, “and now hear my decree. Bazeen shall be my
secretary, for he has learning; and his mind, which is the noblest
part of man, fits him to be the companion of princes. Selim despises
learning, and shows that while the body――the inferior part――is
glittering with jewels, he has still a base and grovelling mind! Selim
is at heart a slave, and slavery shall be his doom. This is my
decree.”
The sentence of the king was put in immediate execution. Bazeen was
raised to a high station in the palace, and Selim was compelled to
perform the meanest offices of the household. But the former was
scarcely less unhappy than the latter. He performed his duties
faithfully, but he did not enter heartily into the service of a king
who was the enemy of his country. The condition of Selim was also a
constant source of misery to him. He therefore entered into a scheme
for effecting the escape of his young master and his own. In
endeavoring to carry this into effect, they were both detected and
thrown into prison.
It was some consolation to the two youths that they were permitted to
be together, but after they had been confined for several months, time
hung heavily on their hands. Their dungeon consisted of a small room,
with scarcely a ray of light. Selim soon sunk into a miserable state
of despair. He was permitted to retain his jewels, but how worthless
were they now! They seemed, indeed, to mock his degradation, and even
to embitter his misery. But Bazeen had jewels of another kind――those
of the mind, which could even illuminate the darkness, and were of
inestimable value even in the dungeon. They enabled him to support his
confinement; his range of knowledge furnished him with constant
sources of thought, reflection and emotion. He was thus not only able
to keep his own mind in a cheerful state, but he often communicated
the light of his mind to that of his dejected companion.
A year had now passed, when at last the jailer in making his rounds
entered the apartment, attended by a person holding a lamp in one
hand, and a scroll in the other. The latter addressed the prisoners as
follows: “I am instructed by the king, my master, to present to you
this writing, and he that can read it is pardoned, and permitted to
return to his own country.” Upon this he held out the paper, first to
the prince and then to Bazeen. The latter ran his eye over it, but
shook his head, saying “It is a hard task you give us; we have been
confined in a dungeon for a year, and now you bring us a light which
dazzles our eyes. Leave us the lamp for an hour, and when we are
accustomed to the light, return and put us upon the trial.”
The messenger of the king acceded to this proposition, and departed.
As soon as he was gone, Bazeen, who had read the paper, told Selim the
precise words it contained. He made him repeat them again and again,
until they were fixed in his memory.
At the time appointed the messenger returned. Selim took the paper,
and repeated the words it contained, thus seeming to read it
accurately. He was therefore released from the prison, and taking
leave of Bazeen, departed from the dungeon. He was taken before the
king, where Bazeen also was summoned. “I have heard the story of your
wit,” said he to the latter, “and you have used it generously in
behalf of your master. He shall have his liberty, for I have promised
it; but you shall accompany him. He may depart; but let him carry with
him the consciousness that wit is better than wealth, and the mind
infinitely more worthy of decoration than the person.”
Blue Beard and his Castle.
The ruins of the Chateau de la Verriere, on the banks of the Erdre, in
the department of the Loire Inferieure, are, according to the
tradition of the neighboring peasantry, those of the castle of the
celebrated Blue Beard, the hero of the well known nursery tale. This
formidable personage, who is not altogether a creature of fancy, was
Giles de Retz, who lived in the reign of Charles VII., and was a
vassal of John V., duke of Bretagne. He was tried at Nantes, on
suspicion of having destroyed a number of children, who had been seen
to enter the castle, and were never heard of afterwards.
The bodies of several were afterwards found, he having caused them to
be put to death to make use of their blood in writing charms and
forming incantations to raise infernal spirits, by whose means he
believed, according to the horrible superstitions of the times, that
buried treasures would be revealed to him. On his trial he confessed
the most horrible acts of atrocity, and was sentenced to be burnt
alive; but the duke caused him to be strangled before he was tied to
the stake. This execution took place December 25th, 1440, and a
detailed account of it is still preserved in a manuscript in the
archives of Nantes.
――――
A HORSE STUNG TO DEATH BY BEES.――We learn from the Hartford
(Connecticut) Patriot, that Mr. William Russell, of Spring Hill, tied
his horse near a bee-hive, a few days ago, when the swarm set upon the
horse and stung him until he sunk down in the greatest agony and
immediately died. Before he fell, Mr. Russell made every effort to
remove the horse, but the poor brute seemed spellbound, and refused to
stir. The day was warm, and Mr. Russell had been driving fast.
――――
THE FLOWERS OF SPRING.――The shower of rain that was falling a few
minutes ago, is passed away; the sun is shining bright, the drops of
rain are glittering like diamonds on the young leaves. How sweet is
the smell of the sweetbriar after the rain! How pleasant does the
garden look! A few weeks ago there were little signs of life anywhere,
but now every border is full of flowers, and fresh buds are still
showing their heads above the ground. Among the low green leaves, we
see colors of blue, and red, and yellow, and orange, and purple. Where
were these beautiful flowers in winter? Were they dead? They were
buried, indeed, in the ground, and their fair blossoms were not then
unfolded, but there was life in their roots. There was life, too, in
the seeds which were sown a little while ago, though they did not
spring up till the rain and sunshine came.
Your kind heavenly Father sends you flowers, not only to teach you
wisdom, but to give you sweet and innocent pleasure. So now, my little
ones, enjoy the sunshine, for it will soon pass away. The clouds are
gathering again. Look for violets and primroses in the sunny banks,
gather the cowslips and tie them into yellow balls, and let no
innocent joy of spring pass by you.――_English magazine._
――――
BOISTEROUS PREACHING.――A celebrated divine, who was remarkable in the
first period of his ministry for a loud and boisterous mode of
preaching, suddenly changed his whole manner in the pulpit, and
adopted a mild and dispassionate mode of delivery. One of his brethren
observing it, inquired of him what had induced him to make the change?
He answered: “When I was young, I thought it was the _thunder_ that
killed the people; but when I grew wiser, I discovered it was the
_lightning_――so I determined to thunder less and lighten more in
future.” It is a pity that all preachers had not made the discovery.
Letter to Peter Parley,
AND HIS ANSWER.
_Belleville, Gloucester county, Va.,
March 26th, 1844._
DEAR MR. PARLEY:
I am very much interested in your little book on the sun,
moon, and stars; I understand it very well. The last lesson
I read was about the centrifugal and centripetal forces. I
have read a good many of your books of Asia, Africa, Europe,
the Christmas Gift, and your magazine.
I should like to have accompanied you in your journeys on
the terrestrial and celestial globes; were you not afraid of
being melted in Mercury and freezing in Uranus? I think I
should have been.
I have lately been reading the history of Virginia, which is
the state in which I live. I think it very interesting. It
tells when the state was first settled, and it gave me a
great deal of information about the colonies. I did not know
of Nathaniel Bacon, or the rebellion which he caused, before
I read the book, although he lived and died within a few
miles of our house. His remains were buried in Petsworth
church. Nor did I know, before I read the history, that
Charles 2d’s coronation robe was woven in Gloucester county.
You may be sure I was very glad to have a knowledge of such
facts. The Virginians were very loyal subjects, and would
have continued so, had it not been for the manner in which
they were treated by the king and his parliament.
Are you a whig or a democrat? Mr. Parley, do you think we
shall ever have as good a president as Washington? I fear
not, but hope we may. Mr. Parley, where did you acquire so
much information as you have given your little readers? My
brother, who went to Cambridge College, says he has often
passed your house; if I had been in his place, I would have
stepped in and made your acquaintance. I am for Mr. Clay.
I wish you would write a book on mythology. I would like to
know something more than I do of the heathen gods. I have
read a good deal of them, but not by you. Your method being
so good to convey information, furnishes a reason why I
should like to read a book on this subject by you. I have
seen your geography, and think it very good for youth; it
gives such a good description of the earth.
Your little reader,
EDWIN T*******.
PETER PARLEY’S ANSWER.
MY DEAR YOUNG FRIEND:
Your kind letter, written in March last, was received by me
some weeks since; but I have not been able to answer it till
now. You speak very pleasantly of my little books, and tell
me that they have given you a great deal of instruction. I
am glad to hear this, and I shall be still more pleased to
learn, that as they have added to your stock of knowledge,
and increased your enjoyment, they have also shown you, that
our goodness ought to increase with our learning. I shall at
least indulge the belief that it will prove so in your case,
and that you will thus, in after life――show yourself worthy
of the name you bear.
You speak with great interest of Virginia――and this is
right――for it is your birth-place. It is natural to love our
native land, and this love, which is called patriotism, is a
virtuous and praiseworthy sentiment. How many beautiful and
glorious actions have sprung from it! What a noble spectacle
does the life of Washington present, who lived for his
country! A true patriot is indeed a great man, and commands
the admiration of the world. You may be proud of a state
that produced Washington, but though I am a Yankee, he was
my countryman, and I am proud of him too.
You ask if I am a whig, or a democrat. If Washington was a
whig, so am I. I do not know that, in all respects, we shall
ever again have so faultless a character to preside over our
nation; but I hope to see the next president, whoever he may
be, willing to walk in his footsteps――willing to imbibe his
spirit――willing to set an example of patriotism to the whole
country and the whole world. If Henry Clay is this kind of
man――and I am told he is――I shall rejoice to see him
president. They say he has a noble, generous, patriotic
heart――and an excellent head too. This union makes a great
man. Without it no man can be truly great.
I have hardly space to talk of politics, for you know it is
a mighty long-winded subject. The best way is for you to
call and see me, when you visit Boston. I live in a brown
house, four miles from the city, and am ever glad to see my
young friends. I always have a plate ready, somewhat in
Virginia fashion, for my juvenile visitors. If my table is
not so bountifully spread as yours, I will try to imitate
that warm-hearted hospitality for which Old Virginia is
famous. When you come, I will tell you whether I am a whig
or a democrat――and one thing you will find out――and that is,
that I like a _clever fellow_, whatever his politics may be.
We will also, when you visit me, talk over the affairs of
Mercury and mythology. If I do not tell you where I got all
my knowledge, I will try to satisfy you that a moderate
stock of learning, well employed, may do a great deal of
good in the world.
I am your sincere friend,
PETER PARLEY.
Our Correspondence.
We have this month our usual stock of letters from our good natured
friends,――but we can only find room to notice them briefly. We are
particularly well supplied with puzzles――enough, indeed, to get our
brains, and those of our readers too, into a snarl――if we were to
publish them all. There seems to be a great love for these things, and
abundance of talent to produce them; why don’t somebody set up a
Magazine entirely devoted to them? It might be called “THE UNIVERSAL
PUZZLER,” _or the_ “_Puzzler Puzzled_, consisting of puzzles, original
and select, foreign and domestic, and embracing the most celebrated
puzzles of ancient and modern puzzlers――edited by Peter Puzzle, Esq.,
aided by all the little Puzzles!” If any one is disposed to start the
work, we give him the title gratis. But to our correspondence.
H. D. W――――r, of Fruit Hill, Rhode Island, guesses that the answer to
the riddle of our Quincy subscriber, is North America; and that of the
one that comes from Portsmouth, is R. Merry’s Museum. Master Walker is
right――as are several other correspondents, who send us the same
answer.
The letter of F. H. B. of Quincy, is received, as is that of E. D. H.,
Elizabeth B――――g, &c., &c. The following deserves insertion as it has
travelled so far.
_Athens, (Georgia) April 19th, 1844._
MR. MERRY:
DEAR SIR,――I have received your Museum, and I am perfectly
delighted with it. I am trying to get you more subscribers
in our town, and I know that when I show the late numbers to
some of the other little girls and boys, I shall have some
new subscribers for you. I take a great deal of interest in
your _puzzles_, and every time that your Museum has some of
them in it, I sit down and try to solve them. Sometimes I
succeed, and sometimes I do not. I write this to you because
I see that you say in your last, that you love to hear from
your little subscribers; and I am also encouraged to do so,
seeing that you published a letter from a subscriber in
Decatur, which is not very far from this place. I have found
the answer to the Enigma of Frederick H. B. of Quincy; and I
also send one of my own, which you will please publish if
you think it deserves it. All that I have now to add is,
that you are not forgotten in Georgia.
Your young friend,
A. C. C******.
HERE IS THE ANSWER TO FREDERICK’S ENIGMA.
His 5, 8, 11, 4, 2 and 9, is Hector, a cape on a large island.
His 6, 3, 11, 4, 10 and 11, is Arctic――a large circle.
His 5, 12, 3 and 8, is Hard――the tribe of Indians that inhabit
British America.
His 5, 2, 9 and 1, is Cape Horn, of South America.
His 7, 12, 9, 7, 2, 3 and 12, is Marmora, a sea between Europe and
Asia.
His 1, 8, 10, 7 and 10, is Niemen, a river in Europe.
His 11, 3, 10, 7, 8 and 12, is Crimea, a portion of Russia.
His 8, 4, 1 and 12 is Etna, a burning mountain.
His 11, 5, 10, 1 and 12, is China, a country in Asia.
His 5, 8, 3, 12 and 4, is Herat, the capital of a country in
Asia.
His 12, 11, 5, 8, 8 and 1, is Achun, a town on a large island.
His whole is North America――a large portion of the globe.
PUZZLE.
My whole consists of ten letters.
My 9, 8, 5 and 6, is very useful to fur traders.
My 5, 6 and 10, is an animal.
My 10, 9, 4 and 7, is a burning mountain in Europe.
My 9, 5 and 8, is manufactured in large quantities in the Southern
States.
My 1, 7 and 9, is an animal that goes out only at night.
My 10, 2, 3, 6 and 10, is a part of the Eastern Continent.
My whole is the name of a distinguished Emperor.
A. C. C.
――――
We are requested to express, in a particular manner, the thanks of the
Publishers to the post-master of Augusta, Georgia, for his kind
offices; and also to Mrs. D――――, who takes a special and efficient
interest in our humble periodical. Mrs. S. W. L., of Leighton,
Alabama, will also accept our acknowledgments for her kind offices in
behalf of our work. We hope it may prove worthy of such kindness.
[Music:] The Lily.
MUSIC COMPOSED BY GEORGE J. WEBB.
Two Voices.
By cool Siloam’s shady rill,
How sweet the lily grows!
How sweet the breath beneath the hill Of Sharon’s dewy rose!
Lo, such the child whose early feet
The paths of peace have trod;
Whose secret heart, with influence sweet,
Retard.
Is upwards drawn to God!
a tempo.
By cool Siloam’s shady rill
The lily must decay,
The rose that blooms beneath the hill
Must shortly fade away.
cres.
Must shortly fade,
Must shortly fade away,
dim.
Must shortly fade away.
And soon, too soon, the wintry hour
Of man’s maturer age,
Will shake the soul with sorrow’s power,
And stormy passion’s rage!
O Thou, whose infant feet were found
Within thy Father’s shrine!
Whose years with changeless virtue crowned,
Were all alike divine:――
Dependent on thy bounteous breath,
We seek thy grace alone,
In childhood, manhood, age, and death,
To keep us still thine own!
Footnotes:
[1] The substance of the following memoir is extracted from
an address delivered at the funeral of Dr. Channing, by his
colleague, the Rev. Ezra S. Gannett.
[2] The mode still pursued by the Egyptians is precisely the
same as that practised by them and other eastern nations
formerly, as described in Numbers xviii. 27; Deuteronomy
xxv. 4; Isaiah xxviii. 27, 28; Ruth iii. v. 2-9.
[3] Every city in Egypt has a _necropolis_, or burial-place,
so situated as to be secure from injury by the inundations
of the Nile. In Upper Egypt these “silent cities” are
hollowed out of the mountain-sides.
Transcriber’s Note:
This book was written in a period when many words had not become
standardized in their spelling. Words may have multiple spelling
variations or inconsistent hyphenation in the text. These have been
left unchanged unless indicated below.
Hyphenation of titles in the Table of Contents was adjusted to match
that of the text in the book.
Words and phrases in italics are surrounded by underscores, _like
this_. Footnotes were renumbered sequentially and were moved to the
end of the book. Obvious printing errors, such as backwards, upside
down, partially or unprinted printed letters, were corrected. Final
stops missing at the end of sentences and abbreviations were added.
Duplicate letters at line endings or page breaks were removed.
Illustrated drop capitals letters at beginnings of paragraphs are
indicated thus: [Illustration: J]une.
Descriptors to illustrations without captions or that do not precede a
chapter title are given in parentheses: [Illustration (sample)].
Lyrics to musical scores are presented as poetry after a notation
[Music:]
The following spelling corrections were made:
be / he hitched along
waiscoat / waistcoat pocket
uproarous / uproarious fits of laughter
walcome / welcome with the heartiest satisfaction
Domosthenes / Demosthenes, like Pericles