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VOLUME II.
OXFOIII), N. C., WELXESDAY, MAY 10, 1876.
NUMBER 19.
XIIJE Olil'IlAN OIRJL.
Abnc, alone !—no other face
Wears kindretl smile or kindred line;
And yet they say my mother’s eyes,
They say my father’s brow, is mine;
And either had rejoiced to see
The other’s likeness in my face,
Bnt now it is a stranger’s eye
’That finds some long-forgotten trace.
I heard them name my father’s death.
His home and tomb alike the wave ;
And 1 was early taught to weep
Beside my youthful mother’s grave*
I wish I could recall one look,
But only one familiar tone ;
If I had aught of memory,
I should not feel so all alone.
JIv heart is gone beyond the grave
In search ol love I cauuot Bud,
Till I could fancy southiug words
Arc whisper’d by the evening wind;
I gaze upon the watching stars,-
So clear, so beautiful, above.
Till [ could dream they look on me
With something of an answc’riug love.
My mother, docs thy gentle eye
Book from those distant stars on me?
Or does the wind at evening bear
A message to thy child from thee ?
Dost thou pine tor me, as I pine
Again a irarent’s love to share ?
I often kneel beside thy grave.
And wish to be a shmper there.
'rile vesper bell!—’tis eventide,
I will not weep, but I will pray ;
God of the fatheilcss, ’tis Thou
Alone caust bo thi’-orpiian's stay !
Earth’s meanest lluwer, heaven's inightic t
star,
Are tokens of their Maker’s love ;
And i can say, “Thy will be done,”
With eyes that fix their hopes above.
BELLS.
ture. Perhaps no instrument of
music (for it is ranked by musi
cians among' the musical instru
ments of percussion) is more inti
mately associated with the reli
gious and imaginative, as well .as
with the most joyous and most
sad feelings of the liuman heart.
A quaint old writer has described
the hell’s threefold duties thus :—
In civilization, the bell has play
ed an important part, and its his
tory is among the most interest-
ino* of narratives, whether it bo ol
its rude early state, or ot that
period when science added to its
vibrations, the tones and harmo
nies of music. While the found
ing of bells is not so complicated
a process as the manutacture ot
watches or steam-engines, yet it
requires the exercise of the nicest
discrimination ; for the delicacy,
exactness, and perfect sense of ad
justment of that sensitive organ,
the ear, is to be gratified or dis
pleased b}” the bell to be made ;
and in its power to produce
agreeable sounds lies all its util
ity. Tlie first manufacture of
bells was necessarily,veiT imper
fect,—little better than common
kettles,—since nothing was tlien
known of tliat nice combination
of sounds with reference to the
elect of each and all upon the
s )und produced, or of the shap
ing of the instrument to modify
the vibrations, or of the elevation
and kind of tower in which to
hang it—all affecting sound. To
the* genius of a later day was it
left to develoj) these scientific
facts, and fix their relation to the
efficiency of the bell.
History gives us no definite ac
count of the origin of bells.
Small, tinkling instruments are
mentioned by the old Hebrew'
W’riters as having been used as
appendages to the dress worn by
high priests and persons of dis
tinction ; but of their shape noth
ing is recorded. The origin of
the name “bell” is the antique
Saxon word bellan, to bawl or
bellow. The Hebrew word trans
lated by our word “bell” is sus
ceptible of other translations.
The bell is used to this day in
Catliolic countries for a similar
purpose to that recorded in Scrip-
“ To call the fold to church in time,
We chime.
When joy and mirth are on tho wing,
We ring.
When \vc lament a departed soul,
AVe toll.’'
The first use of bells in Chris
tian churches to call people to
service, of which we have records,
w'as by S't. Paulinas, in Campa
nia, about the year 395 of our
era. The practice of naming bells
is also an earl3- one. Tho Vesper
bell, which has been immortalized
by poets, is the call to evening*
pra3’er. Tlie “passing boll” was
rung, among tho ancient customs,
■n order to remind the hearers to
pra3’ for tho soul that was leaving
the world. From this old cus
tom is probably derived that of
tolling bells at funei'als, as prac
tised to-da}'.
Some liistorians tell us that
William th; Conqueror, introdu ced
into England from France, the
custom of ringing the Curfew
bell, which “tolled the knell of
parting da3'.” Others say that
King Alfred introduced the cus
tom. It consisted of ringing a
bell at eight or nine o’clock in the
evening, when ever3' one was
commanded to extinguish lights
and cover up the fires in the
house. (“Curfew” is derived from
the I’rench words convre feu—
cover fire.) Tiie practice of ring
ing a bell at certain hours was
not peculiar to England, but ob
tained to considerable extent on
the Continent. Most buildings
being then of wood, it was in
tended as a precaution against
fires, which were common. The
passing and curfew bell are still
represented in some American
villages, especially in New Eng
land. *
Schiller has given us the “Song
of tho Bell,” in which all the joys,
sorrows, pangs, emotions, terrors,
and blessings, attendant on hu-
manitv', in connection with the
part which the boll pla3'S, are
most vividly portrav'ed.
None the less beautiful, though
of a different vein of sentiment, is
tho poem of Edgar A. Poe, so
familiar to nearl3' all readers.
Longfellow, in one of his most
delicious poems, has sounded the
praise of the Christmas bells.
And England’s poet laureate,
Tennyson, has given to the bells
some of Ins choicest imagery, on
the death of the year.
“Eing out, wild bells, to tbc wild sky,
The Hying clouds, the frosty light:
The year is dying in the night;
King out, wild bells, and let him die," etc.
—Great Industries of the U. S.
SAVE TliE SIG1I1'.
EY W. W. HALL A. M., M. D.
Avoid the use of the eyes, as
much as possible, in reading,
writing, drawing and sewing, be
tween sunset and sunrise ; doing
these things by twilight or artifi
cial light, ruins the eyes of very
many persons, especiall3'students,
every year to such an extent, that
care and moderation lor all sub
sequent life are necessary, to
have even a moderate use of
them. Sewing on a dark mater
ial is especially injurious, as much
so as reading fine print, for such
a use of them causes inflammation,
that is, draws so much blood to
them, as to cause great redness,
and various kinds ot discomfort,
sharp pain, dull pain, watering,
or a sensation as if sand were in
them, hence the feet should be
kept absolutely warm so as to
keep the blood .at tlie other end
of the body ; the room should be
cool, the light should fall oblique
ly over the loft shoulder, and
never directly in front of the eyes;
in .addition there should be no
binding of buttons or strings or
cravats; everything about the
neck should be very' loose and
open, so as to promote a free cir
culation of the blood.
Persons should learn to sit as
erect ,as posible in reading or
sewing, allowing only the Lead
to be bent over the work, and
not the shoulders;'’ and at no
time, liowevei* strong the eyes
may seem to be, should any- one
read fine print or do' very' fine
se’iving, more especially' by artifi
cial light, longer than an hour at
a time A seamstress ■who neg
lected this prec.aution, was com
pelled from the severity of the in
juries done to tlie oy'es, fo omit
sewing ol all kinds for six montlis,
and for two months of the time
had to sit in a dark room and do
nothing, thus losing more tinie
than all the night sewing for fi\ e
or ten years. A student, com
mencing Greek, using Schrevel-
lers’ Lexicon several hours every'
night, could not use his eyes for
nighf-study during his whole col
lege and summer course, and for
twelve years of professional life
afterwards; certainly a severe
penalty'. But very' many' students
waste daylight, and make it up
in night study'. Any student out
of bed at study' later than ten
o’clock at night, should consider
himself most wickedly reckless,
and so of night sewing. The
great sculptor Gre,enough, was
said by' bis ivlfe to have brought
on a fat.al amauroses, inflamma
tion and disorganization of the
interior of the ey'e, from an inve
terate habit, jiersisted in against
professional warnings, by reading
while ly'ing down. Habitual
reading in r.ailway cars while in
motion, is little less pernicious
from tho overstrain upon the
nerve of the eye, to nullify the
constant jo.stlliig of the cars.
When a person begins to wink
voluntarily' in reading or sewing,
the eyes are tired, the occupation,
should be instantly' intermitted
and exercise taken) directing the.
sight to very distant objects. But
of all means if there is any an
noy'ing sensation or appearance
about the eyes, if you have the
millionth part of an atom of com
mon sense, consult a respectable
physicia.n, or rather an oculist, of
extended reputation, no peripate
tic.
KNOWLEDGE, ITci ESE AND
ABES 'J.
‘Wliat an excellent thing is
knowledge!’ said asharp-lookii g.
bustling little man to one who was
much older llian himself. ‘Knowl
edge is an excellent thing,’ re
peated he ; ‘my' boys know more
at six and seven years of age
than I did at twelve. They (an
read all sorts of books, and talk
on all sorts of subjects. The
world is a great deal wiser than
it used to be. Everybody knows
s imething of every'thing now.
IJo voii not think. Sir, that knowl-
elge is an excellent thing?’
‘Why, sir,’ replied the old man
looking gravely', ‘that depends
entirely upon the use to which it
is applied. It may' be a blessing
or a curse. Knowledge is only
an encrease of power, and power
may be a bad as well as a good
thing.’
‘That is what I cannot iinder-
sla'id,’ said tlie bustling little
man : ‘how can power be a bad
thing ¥
‘I will tell y'oii,’ meekly replied
the old man, and thus went on :
‘When the power of a horse is un
der restraint, the animal is useful,
bearing burdens,, drawing loads,
and earry'ing his master; but
wlien that power is unrestrained,
tho horse breaks his bridle, dashes
the carriage that he is drawing
to pieces, or throivs his rider.’
‘I see ! I see 1’ said the little
man.
‘When the water of a largo
pond is properly conducted by
trenches, it renders the fields
a oiind f rtile ; but when it bursts
hrough its banks it sweeps every
thing before it, and destroys the
produce of the field.’
‘I see 1 I see 1’ said the little
man, ‘I see 1’
‘When the ship is steered aright,
the sail that she hoists up enables
her tlie sooner to get into port;
but if steered wrong, the more
sail she carries the further she
will go out of her course.’
‘I see 1 I see 1’ said the little
man, ‘I see clearly' 1’
‘Well then,’ continued the old
man, ‘if you see these things so
clearly', I . hope y'ou can see too
that knowledge, to be a good
thing, must bo rightly applied.
God’s grace in the.heart will ren
der the knowledge of the head a
blessing; but without this it may
prove to us no better than a
curse.’
Heart Seed ».
HOW TO ADJOERN A LEGISLA-
TERE.
A member of the Kentucky
House of Representatives, the
other day', after many' abortive
attempts to adjourn bad been
made, sent one of the pages out
and procured a large piece of
middling meat, which be |fro-
ceeded to- broil on the coals in
one of the larger projecting fire
places. Soon the dinner-suggest
ing odors of that broiling meat
began to spread through the
house, and salute the olfactories of
battling, but hungry' members;
and in less than five minutes an
other motion to adjourn was made
and carried.
A man’s Life.
According to a French, statisti
cian, taking the mean of many
accounts, a man of fifty years of
age has slept 6,000 day's, worked
6,500 days, walked 800 day's,
amused himself 4,000 day’s, was
eating 1,500, was sick 500 day's,
etc. He has eaten 17,000 pounds
of bread, 16,000 pounds of meat,
4,600 pounds of vegetables, eggs
and fish, and drank 7,000 gallons
of liquid, viz ; water, coffee; tea,
beer, wine, etc.,, altogether. This
would make a respectable lake of
300 square feet surface and three
feet deep, on which small steam
boats could navigate. And all
this makes up the routine of aa
averasre man’s life.
Like flakes of snow, that fall
unperceived upon the earth, the
seemingly unimportant events of
life succeed one another. As the
snow gathers together, so are onr
habits for med. No single flake that
is added to the pile, produces a sen
sible change. No single action
creates, however it may' exhibit,
a man’s character; but as the tem
pest hurls the avalanch down tlie
mountain, and overwhelms the in
habitant and his habitation, so pas
sion, acting upon the elements of
mischief, which pernicious habits
have brought together by imper
ceptible aocumlatio.n, may over
throw the edifice of truth and vir
tue.—Bentliam.
If you cannot be a great river,
bearing great vessels of blessings
to the world, y'Ou can be a little
spring by the dusty way’side of
life, singing merrily all day and
night, and giving a cup of cold
water to every weary, thirsty' one
who passes by.
The heart is like a plant in the
tropics, which all the y'ear round
is bearing flowers and ripening
seeds, and le'.tiug them fly. It
shaking off memories and drop
ping associations. The joys of
last year are ripe seeds that will
come up in joy again next year.
Thus the heart is planting seeds
in every nook and corner ; and as
a wind which serves to prostrate
a plant is only a sower coming
forth to sow its seeds, planting
some of them in rocky crevices,
some of them by river courses,
some among mossy stones, some
by' warm hedges, and some in
garden and open field, so it is
with our experiences of life, that
sway and bow us either with joy
or sorrow. They plant everything
round about us with heari seed;.
A Beautiful Thought.—The sea
is the largest of all cemeteries, and
itsslu'mberers sleep without monu
ment. All other graveyards, show
some distinction between the
great andthe small, the rich and the
poor; bnt in the great ocean cemete
ry, tlie king and clown, prince and
peasant, are alike undistinguished.
The same waves roll over all; the
same requiem of the ocean is sung
to their honor. Over their re
mains the same storms beat, and
same sun shines, and there, un
marked, the weak and the power
ful, the pi limed and the nnhonored,
will sleep on until awakened by
the same trump.
Education.—Some suppose that
every learned man is an educated
man. That man is educated who
knows himself, and takes accurate
common sense views of men and
things around him. ' Some very
learned men are the greatest fools
in the world; the reason is tliey
are not educated men. Learning
is only the means, not the end ;
its value consists in giving the
means of acquiring the use of
which, properly' managed, en-
light*3UB the mind: