VOLIJJIK
OXFOIII), K. a, mONLiAY; AUUU8T i), 1875'
KtlMTlElt
1^4usi.oiiiik.UI Value of flascefw*
The 3Tassdr/fHiieffi- rhniffhnan
lias had a yerios c/t’artiido.s uu the
“llahit's of Inscots” from one of
-which we take the following, iu
regal'd to their uses :
“The Hottentots always rejo'ioe
in the arrival of a. swarm of locusts,
eat them in great luimliers and
make soup of their eggs. Thet'
are brought iu wagon loads t(»
Zez, in Africa, and are preserved
bv salting or smoking, d'he Moors
prefer them to [ligeons, and a
jierson may eat two or tliree hun
dred without feeling any ill effects,
'’riiey are usually, boiled in w'aler
lialf an hour, after tbro^ving away
the head, legs and wings, and
then fried with a little vinegar.
Tlieir use as fo(.)d is alluded to in
Iscripture, where the food of John
the Baptist is said to be locusts
and Wild honey. The ancient
Greeks con.sidored grasshoppers
as a great luxury, and th.e Chi
nese, who are unwilling to waste
anything, after unwinding the
silk from the cocoons of tlie silk
worm, send the insect to the ta
ble. The Hottentots again parch
the white ants and eat them as
we do corn. Mr. Smeathman tells
us that they taste like cream and
sugar, or almond cakes. There
are many other instai.ces of in
sects wliich serve for food to dif
ferent nations, though witli the
exception of a few individuals, as
indande, tlio great astronomer,
Avho was fend of spiders, tlieir use
is generally discarded by those
wliorh we consider the most ro-
ffned. Wo say generally, for one
species, the cheese mite, is often
c.onsiderel a luxury even among
these.
“Formerly a great variety of
insects were used in. medicine,
and were considered infallible
cures for many diseases—])owder
of silkwoi'm was considered excel
lent for convulsions, car-wigs to
strengthen the nerves, ff^'-water
for afflictions of the eyes, ticks
for St. Antlionv’.s fire, lady birds
for the colic and measles, beetles
for ln'dr()])liobia, ants for deafness
hikI weevils for the toothache.
These notions are now loft to the
uneducated, where some of ihoni
are still in force; and a very dis
gusting insect, vulgarly known
by the name of the sow-bug, was,
within the memory of many, and
perhaps .still is, occasionally pre
scribed. yoine of them, however,
are still used, orat least their pro
ductions. Spider-webs liave been
lately recommended for the ague,
and we could spare almost any
thing better from our materia
inedica, tliam the various species of
blistering- ffies. They are quite
inq)ortarit as supplying various
articles of domestic economy, ol*
Ornament. Some in some colin-
fi'ies yield soap' and other oUs.
I'll China the ladies embroider
their dresses' with the wing caps
of several btilliant beetles, and
m India fire-fftes inclosed iiv
gauze are used as ornaments for
die head;
“But tlfoso ai'o smiill matters,
and there are others much more
ihiportant; one of. those is tlie
gall, or nut gall as it is cominbu-
iy called, use I for the uvaiiuhict-
ure of ink an 1 black dye, an 1 for
whicli nog )) I s'lhstitiiteiskn iw.i.
"ll!iese’galh are the h-ibitatiou of
a‘speciei of hisocts, which- livh-s^-
upon tlie oak cf Turkey iu Asia,
from tlie i>orts of whicli it is ex
ported iu great mimbers. Anoth
er dyeing article, cochlnea]. is an
insect of Woutii An'ierica. Jdie
quantity oft.hese annually export
ed from 8outh America is said to
bo worth there, upwards of 500,
000 pounds sterling, or over two
milUoiis of dollars, and the ])iroc-
tors of the Kiiglish East India
company offered some years since
a reward of £0,000 to any one
who should iiitrodiice the most
vaiu'able species into tlieir settle
ments. Aiiotlier important article
in the arts, wliichis'the manufact
ure of insects, is lac, which is
used ill the making of sealing wax,
spirit varnishes and Japan ware,
the cementing of cracked cliina
and in dyeing, in which art it is
found to bo a good substitute for
cochineal.
“There is still another article
for which we are indebted to in
sects, which is yet more valuable;
•it is silk. This is the staple arti
cle in many large provinces of
tlie world, gives employment to
tens of thousands of the human
race, in its first production and
transportation, and furnishes sub
sistence to hundreds of thousands
more in its final manufacture, thus
becoming one of the most impor
tant instruments in the circula
tion of national wealth. The meth
od of procuring this valuable ar
ticle was kiJewn to the Chinese
and Indians some thousand years
ago, but was never introduced in
to Kurojie till about 550 years af
ter the Christian era, when the
eggs of the silkworm were
brought by some monks from In
dia to Constantinople, where they
speedily multiplieil, and were
thence introduced into Italy itsid
afterwards into France. The
common use of it is comparative
ly late in Great Britian. Queen
Elizalieth was among the first
wlio ^vore silk stoclcings in Eng
land, and James her successor,
when king of Scotland, was ob
liged to borrow a pair of the earl
of Mar, to appear in before tlie
English ambassador ; exclaiming
when the Earl hesitated “Ye
would not, sure liave your king
appear as a scrub before strang
ers.” When we consider the
abundance and comuion use of
silk at the present, we are apt to
consider ourselves far iu advance
of those times, and it is not im
probable that future generations
will find themselves as much iuad-
vaaice of us in some similar mat
ters.”
Tlrere is an old .‘rtof}’’ of an
oarsman who taUghf a couple of
belligerent divines a good' les'Son.
Their controversy uponAhe'real
merit of works and faitli, as relia
ble means of salvation,'
newed every time they crossed
the river in his boat. One day
they found he liad scrawled.
“Works” oh oiieOar, and “Faith”
on the otheE They smiled'at his
whim;- biif wlieii they found-otlt
what ho'mcant,-whdn,'in tlic'mid-
dlo of the stream, ho dixqiped
“Works” arid jiidled' only at
“Faith” gfolng round and round;
getting on never a' rod; Then,
taking “Works” alone, he had no
better success. Finally, with
“Faith” in one hand, and ‘Works’
iiithe otlicry he shot across the"
s-horb;'-
of Classical PJ!ia.ses.
ruNicA fUDEs;
Punic faith; ddiis phrase was
u;-ed by the romans to denote
the treacliery of the punics, or
Cart.bagenians. It now moans’
bad faith in a national sense.
RECTUS IN CURIA,
Upright in the Courts. When
any one c.ame into the courts of.
justice with clean hands, he was
said to be “rectu.s in curia.”
p’s and q’s.
The origin of the phrase,
“Mind your P’s and Q’s, ’ is not
generall}' known. In ale houses
where clialk scores were formerly
marked upon the wall, it was cus
tomary to put these initial letters
at the head of every piiaifs ac
count, to show the number of
pints and quarts for wliich ho
owed ; and when one was indul
ging too freely iu drink, a friend
wo'uld touch him on the shoulder,
and point to the scores on the
wall,'Saying: “John, mind your
P’s and Q’s” That is, notice the
pints and quarts now charged
against you and cease drinking.
NOVtTS HOMO.
“A new man.” A man vvlio arises
to distinction without famil}’aid
by his own efforts. Cicero uses
HGvl homines tlie plural of the
above, to signify, “the first nolylc-
iiian of their families.” A nVan
springing out of an obscure ffimi-
ly and becoming famous, would
be called by the Romans 7iovus
homo. The novl homines of Amer
ica are quite numerous.
EABOR OMNIA VIN'CIT.
“Labor conquers all things.”
There are few difficulties wliich
will not }’ield to persevering la
bor. Continuous toil surmounts
every difficulty. It makes the
wilderness of nature blossom as
the rose.
HURRAH.
The original of this' Slavonian
word, used fVotn the coast of Dal
matia to Behrings Straits, belongs
to the primitive idea,- that . every
man dying heroically foi’ bis
country, goes sti’ffiglit th Ileai'en.
It is derived from IIu mj, whicli
moans Heaven, Hurrah^ i. e., “to
Paradise” you will go, if you
fig'lit bravely. In the shocks of
battle, the Turks' cry “Allah,”
which has a similar meaning.'
Hurrah lias degenerated to mean'
no more in common use fliaU fo'
liurry, or aa exclamation of joy
or triumph.
ESI’RIT DE CORPS.
“The spirit- of the body,” is a
French term meaning that broth
erly feeling, whicli pervades pro
fessional bodies, such as the gen-
tleniGil of the bar, soldiers of am
army, clergyman, &v,.
NIL DESPARANDUSI.
“Let Ilk despair of nothing,^’ is
an expression found'ill tMe bbok
of Motace and often' liked'aV a
niattei' of heroic detefuiiuatioii:
M. M. Poineroy, editotofPdi?fk-
ro^-s Bemoerdt,, lias pfo'^fodJiiniself
a propliot Ht} pfedidted before
the close of last ydad that r^Y5’
would be remarkable for the num
ber of its disasters on land* and'
sea, murders,' suicides and'- dtlier
startling events.—With the earth
quakes, storms,- ih)ods,' pests';-
deaths by violence and' dtlidf-
wisG, this prophecy has'beeii'sin
gularly fulfflled:-
A‘ fe^V years siuCe in a Urge
prison, tiie convicts w(U'o gatliered
for Sabbath nuAuing service in
tlie ch'ap’el, -vvli'Ch a (‘dergyman’,
wild wns pfovideiitialh' in the
city,' occupied the chaplain’s' place.
In his appeal to their hearts,' he
moiitioned tli'e case of a waywafd
boy whose pi6us mbflier was in
heaven, and who, a'ftCr the suC-
ee^ivo steps of early depriivif}'-,
\Vas arrested by tlie Spirit of God
recalling the liailo'wed counsels
and tlie prayers of the departed
pai'cnt. He became a Christian,:
and entered the gospel ministry.'
The i>rcaclier added; ‘And 1 am
that wicked son, Oh, how much
I owe to a mother’:^ prayers.’
The religious exercises closed/
and the convicts went to their
cells; Ill the a,ftornooii, tlie chap
lain walked, as' was ids custom/
along the corriders, and looking'
through the grated door of a cell,
saw a prisoner sobbing as if Ins
heart wore broken; Sevei^al nnu-
utes passed before the prisoner
looked up and discovered the
chaplain. When he was kindly
asked what was the matter, he
answered, ‘Oh, it was the story
that minister told us about his
mother. I had just such a m’oth'-
er, and it brought her memory
back.’ Then, falling down upon
Ids face again, with convulsive
grief lie said, “It has alnyost kill
ed me ! I had just such a in'b'th-
er !”
There, uhthin the cold walls of
a pfison,' Unaffected by sermons
or prayers, the outcast became as
a weeping child b'efore the hua'g-
iiiai’} presence of a' pious mother
-^condUg \villi iit’.r fainilliar tear
ful faCe,: and voice of maternal
love, to his dismal abode. Moth
ers ! ymu exercise a solehin res-
ponsibilityx The inffueiice of
your example and' pfayei’s may
be felt long after you are laid in
the gi’avG.—Church Union.
One’s Self,'
“Wlien I was a boy,” said an
old man, “we had a schoolmaster
who had an odd way of catcldng
tlie idle boys; OiVe day lie Called'
out to us, “Boys, I must have
elosef attention to your books.
The first one that sees another
idle I want you to inform me,'and
I will attend to the Case.’
“ ‘Ah !” thought I to niyself,
‘tlieue is’ Joe Simmons, that I
d'on’flike; I’ll watch' him,' and'
if I see him look off his books,
riitciL'
“It wasTibt lon§- before I sa-vE
Joe look off Ilia book,' and’ iinme-
diately I infofnied'tllb master.
“‘indeed'!’said he/ ‘lloW did’
you know he wa-s' idle f
“ ‘I saw him,’ said 1.
“‘You did? And were your
eyes oii your book when you saiv
him V
“I \Vas' daiight, and' J: never
watched for idlo boys again.”
^ If we are siifficicmtly watlichfnl'
over our own cifudUct we sliall
have nO' tune tO find ffuilt' witli
the Conduct of others.
There are but tlifee .waVs'of
living,'as some one has said; by
■d’orking, by begging or by Steal-'
ing. Those iVho dO liot' ivork,-
disgiiise it in whatev’eiGn^etty lUii-
.giutg-o A'e pleas'e,'' ale dbiiigfoiie'
iOf'tlie otheU tSYo.—Bxehangc.
I\)O.L'S(’A.t PaUeR--ItS (jRldlN.—'
‘fjie term’. ‘.‘Foolscap” to desig
nate a certain size of paper, no
doubt h/is ]j)iizzled inahy an anxi-
oUs iiKjuirer.' If appears that
GhattSs' I;; of Eiiglahd; gfante(i
numcrons monopolies for the sup
port of the Goven'nent, a'rnong
others the niffiiuf^ctufe,oT paper/
The Aater-mark of tfie, finest ^sort'
\vas the roval arms of Eng^ Tlie
Consunififiou of fins ailicld was
great, find large foftiUies Avere
niade by those iVho purchased'
the exch'Uivb right t6 vend it.'
This^, aiiun'T"' otiioi: ftjonopolies,
ivas sent asicic by the I’iu-Jiaiiieiit'
tliat Ijro'.tg'ht cliai-les I.' to the'
scafl’oht, and by -iVay of sho-wiiig-
contempt for the king' they or
dered fh6 foyal arhis to be taken'
froi'i the f)ap6r, and & fool -with'
his cap aiid 1)611 to be Sub
stituted.' It is Iioiv over two
hundred }-ears Sfnde the fool’s cap
waS' taked frofn the paper,' but
still the paper of the .siz^ which
the Kunip Parl.’alnien't ondered h i.
theii' jotmtals bears tlie name of
file watef-maitk',placed' there as’
an indig’nity to King Charles.
The now tn’entj:-6e’ht‘. silver
pi'eCe K ifoi-v, ready for distribu
tion at th'C iVfini The obverse is’
smii'lar to tlie quart'er dolilar, with'
the ex'cepfioh of the word' “Liber
ty” is raised and the , design is’
smaller in jsTOpql'tioTi' to’ the size
of the cdiVi.' On the reverse is an
eag'le hdldi'ng in his talohS the ol-'
ive brance and fliCCC arrows. At
each Old of the mScripti'dn, “Uni
ted States of America,;” i's a six-^
poinfed star. BCheatlf the star
are llie words “T-iVebt}’ Cents.”
Th'e edge of the coin is not milled,!
d's in (he Ca’S'e of all; pflier United'
States silver coh'is,' tins difference
prohaby b’ein'g in'tend'e'd’ to dis-
(iiigiiisiy the new piece from the
qn'a'tter dollar. ..The , words, “In'
(jfod aVe Tr'iisd,” •s^hl'ch have dp-,
peated pn most' 6b the national'
coihk of late veats are’ ohVitted!
The TV’ord “tote” (carry), so’
universally in use at the South,'
has a classic origin ciaitn'ed for
it.' , , ,,
The other dtij) d G'edi'gia paper
said tliat Mr. A. "ll. Stephens could
not have made a certain remark,
because lie understood tlie En-'
glish'language (66-well to make;
use of such a siting w6rS&i “tote.”
"lyc fdsent the indigiiityt cast upon'
“tote.” We cling to “tote” as the'
Anglb-Saxoh natibhs cling’ to Mag-i
nk Charta. It reminds' us of
our descent from a Kbertyloving
people, arid preserves' the niemorv
of ju'stice. The writ by 'ivliich a
peasant’ aggrieved in’ the Baron’s’
Court was uiiahlb'to'carry (toilere)'
his case up to the County Court"
was known as the writ of foK,'prof'
n'bunced commonly foii, 'I’liiS'
privilege which tlie' hiiinble farm
er had' of tiVtiilg his cfise up from
his' o-vihi landlord to a less- jireju-
diCed court was dear' tb every En-
glisliiiian/,, The people of the'
South' -sViir not siirr'ender that
word. It’ is" as” dear to our yen-'
men as the' common law itself.'
r—‘Mobile (Ala.) Iteg&tSr.
The iiitegi'it'y of the upright
shall guide them ; but the jier--,'
v'er'seiiess of ti’ansgrcssOrs shsJf’
destroy them.’