VOL. III.
OXFORD, N. C., WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4, 1877.
NO. 14.
THE WAIF.
Oh ! ])Oor, little, bare-footed hollow-
checked thing;,
How early dost thou with tliy destiny
meet!
Neither bright bud nor blossom thou
comest in Spring,
But a windfall of childhood,struck down
at our feet!
How aged and how cold the sad light
of those eyes;
And how quenched every tint on that
sorrowful face!
Where we find as we seek for thy lips’
rosy dyes,
But the trembling, blue lines of dead
joy in their peace !
Lonely waif, tossed about in the winds
and the rain.
In this terrible struggle for shelter and
bread.
Oh! 'tis well that thou hast but one
feeling of jiain—
That of hunger or cold all the other.s
are dead!
But come to my arms, meanly clad as
thini art.
Till tlie anguish that wastes thee, for
once is beguiled:
Lay thy head on my breast with thine
car to my heart.
Till it roc!;s tliee to sleep, iny poor,
barefooted child !
ABWFT CFlilOlIS TUBES.
Useful trees have their place,
and so have oriuiiiientul trees.
But, in addiliou to these, tliere
is a class which may be culled
distinctively curious ; aiidol these
a lew notes may he iiitercsiino.
The cow-tree is a native ol
Venezuela, S-mth America. It is
olteii found g-fowiiiu on the jioor-
oid iiio.st rocky soi
Ost ail
*aves are
drv
its
ind leathery in
apperiraiice, and several months
ot tile year not a shower falls to
moisten its root and branches.
A'et, by piercin;r the bark, it
\ields a liquid resembling ^ milk,
tvhicli is sweet and nourishing.
At sunrise this fluid seems to be
espociallv abundant, and at tills
lumr the natives go in oreat num
bers to the trees to get their daily
supply.
'I’he sorrowful-tree is found
near Bombay, India. It is so
called from its habit of blooming
onlv at night. While the sun is
shining, not an expanded flower is
t’isible ; yet in half an Iionr af
ter the sun is below tlie horizon,
the tree is full of them. There
is little beautv in them, though
the odor is pleasant,
the jietiils close up
the ground. This tree, it would
seem, must have some sort ot
relation to the night-blooming
cereus.
The dwarf tree is found upon the
high lands near Cape Horn. Its
niaximuui height is two and a
half feet, and the spread of its
branches about four feet, and a
stiff, thorny mat, at that.
The mammotli trees of Califor
nia are worthy of note here.
They are found 300 feet high,
and 29 feet in diameter, at five
feet from the ground. A hollow
section of a trunk was lately
exhibited at San I rancisco, whicii
presented a large carpeted room,
with a piano and seats far 40 per
sons. On a recent occasion, 140
children were admitted without
inconvenience.
The ivory-nut tree is found in
South America, and belongs to
At sunrise
or drop to
110 palm tribe. The natives use
it in building their huts ; and out
of its nuts they make buttons and
various trinkets. Of late years
the nuts liave found their w.ay
to other countries, where they
are worked up into all sorts of fan
cy articles.
The cannon-ball tree grows
only in the tropics. It rises about
sixty-feet high, lias beautiful
crimson flowers, in clusters, and
very fragrant. The resemblance
of the fruit to cannon-balls has
given it its martial name. When
fully ripe, thd balls burst with a
loud report. The shells are
worked into cups, and a great
variety of other useful and orna
mental honseliold utensils.
The bread-fruit tree is some-
tliing useful, as well as curious.
Would tliat it grew somewhere
besides in the island.s of the Pa
cific. The fruit attains the size
of the head of a child ten years
of age. If wanted for food, it
need.s to be gathered a little be
fore iti.s fully ripe, and then baked,
likealioecake. in liot ashes. Wlien
properly cooked, it resembles not
a little the taste of a good wlieat-
611 loaf. Nor is tins the only use
of the tree. Its timber is excel
lent for hoiise-huilding, for
making canoes, and agricultural
iiiiplinients. The sap is a gummy
substance, very useful as a pitch
for calking the seams of ves.sels.
rile fibre of tlie inner bark is u.sed
liy the native.s for making cloth,
whieli in that climate answers a
goo.l purpose. It is tiie favorite
tree ot its native region ; and well
it may be.
The upas-tree—“the deadly
upas,” of which we have all read
and luard from childhood, which
Wris supposed to diffuse a poison
ous air, fatal to aiiiinals or men
who came beneath its branches—
has no existence, and never had.
The only possible ground for the
superstition was this : On a cer
tain island of tlie East Indies
there is a vallej’ in which tliere
is a constant deposition of Car
bonic acid gas. This gas spreads
itself among a few trees of the
neighborhood ; and of course, if
birds, animals, or men inhale
much of this gas, it will quite
surelj' be fatal to them. But
this is no fault of the trees, which
have been found to possess no
poisonous qualities.
The tallow-tree is a veritable
fact. It lives in China, and yields
an oil}' substance resembling
tallow, and which answers well
as a substitute for it. The tree
is only of medium size at matu
rity.
Tlie varnish-tree is Japanese,
though found also sparingly in
China. This is the tree which
produces the black Japan var
nish, so useful an article of com
merce. It resembles, in general
appearance, the white-ash tree.
It does not furnish its peculiar
liquid in large quantities until
nine or ten years old.—Sunday
Magazine.
THE WISJIOP AAT» THE BEES.
JEWS P«AF1.\M AT TilE WAEE
OF SOEOMOSI’S TEMPLE.
We find the following good
story in a foreign journal: “A
French Bi.sliop, being about to
make his annual visitation, sent
word to a certain curate, whose
ecclesiastical benefice was ex
tremely triflling, that he meant to
dine with liim, at the same time
requesting that he would not put
himself to an}' extraordinary ex
pense. The curate promised to
attend to the Bishoji’s suggestion;
but he did not keep his word, for
he provided a most sumptuous
entertainment. Ilis lorship was
much suprised, and could not
help censuring the conduct of the
curate; observing that it was
liighlv ridiculous in a man whose
circumstances were so narrow to
launch out in such expense ; nay,
almost to dissipate his annual in
come in a single day. “Do not
he uneasy on that score, my lord,”
replied the curate, “for I can as-
suo you that what you now see
is not the produce of mv curacy,
which I bestow exclusively upon
the poor.” “Then you have a
patrimony, sir!” said the Bishop.
“No, my lord.” “Yon speak in
riddles,” rejoined his lordship;
“how do you contrive to live in
this manner I” “My lord. I have
a convent of young damsels here,
who do not let me want anything.”
“How ! :(/0M have a convent? 1
did not know there was one in
this neighborhood. This is all
verv strange, very unaccountable,
-Mr. Curate.” “You are jocular,
mv lord.” But come, sir, I en
treat that you would solve tlie
enigma; 1 would fain .see the
convent.” “So you shall, ni}
lord, after dinner ; and 1 jiromise
that your lordship will he satis
fied with my conduct.” Accord
ingly, when dinner was over, the
curate conducted the prelate to a
large inclosure, entirely occupied
by bee-hives, and pointing to the
latter, observed, “This my lord,
is the convent which gave us a
dinner; it brings me in about
eighteen hundred livres a year,
upon which I live very conforta-
ble, and with which I contrive to
entertain my guests genteelly.”
The supprise and satisfaction of
the Bishop may be im.agined.”
“A S^EAKE MEAL.’
The slang oxiiressioii for death,
‘kicking the bucket,’ had its origin
from one Bolsover, who, in England,
committed suicide by standing on a
bucket, and when he had adjusted a
rope to a beam above him, and to his
neck, he kicked the bucket from under
him,
Last Sabbath Hr. Burkhead, as he
is required to do once a year, read the
“General Rides” to his people, and in
stead of preaching a sermon, he com
mented at length, upon the duties of
Gliristians, basing his remarks upon
the Rules of the Church as laid down
ill the Biscipline.
Speaking of visiting the sick and ad
ministering to the wants of the needy
he urged his members to visit the
jioor—and not only to visit but to
lielp them. Praying with and for the
poor he said, was all right; but many
times a good square meal would do
man more good than praying for them.
The Hoctor was correct. When
man is hungry prayers do not meet the
case; but if the good Samaritan car
ries a loaf of bread and a beef steak to
apiiease hunger then spiritual food will
next be in order. Feed the hungry
clothe the naked, warm the chilly,
and, then, sing and pray.
AVe know this much from experi
ence, that $2 will cheer an editor’s
soul more than a string of resolutions
I a mile long.—Friend of Xmperanee.
Though Israel, as a nation, has
been long scattered to the winds,
and her children constrained to
find a liome on every shore, still
her love of country and tlie pride
of her ancient glory and lineage
cmain with her. True to Jems
alem, as the north star to tlie pole,
the Hebrew heart turns toward
the holy city in tlie liour of trib
Illation, of sickness or death ; and
the desire to rest even for a briel
space within its ruined walls,
goe.s forth with an earne.stness the
most sincere.
It is not surprising, then, that
ever since the destruction of the
city of Titus, and the total dis
ruption of the Jewish people, the
generations have been marked by
frequent pilgrimages to this
mighty shrine, and that, even
now in this, our own day, when
the end.s of the earth are so drawn
together, and the brotherhood ol
man begins to bear sweet fruit,
the deep yearning for one hour
if prayer, before it, is felt by all
the children of its bosom.
It has been well observed, that
there are jilaces and circumstances
which seem to extend an invisi
ble liand and draw aside the veil
between man and lieaven, so that
his prayer pierces the sky. Jer
usalem is to the Jew that place,
of all others. Here we perceive
two Jews, pilgrims no doubt,
standing at the wall of the tem
ple of Solomon, in deep prayer
ind meditation. They have put
their shoes from off their feet,
believing, as they do, that they
trend on holy ground. The idea is
most impressive, as every idea
should he, pertaining to man,
whether Jew or Gentile, in au
dience with his God.—Sunday
Magazine.
The King took the piece of gold,
but hesitated. Finally he said :
“I remember in my younger days
that I have filciied money from
my father’s treasury which was not
mine. I have reuenteu of the sin,
but yet I hardly say my hand is
clean. 1 pass it, therefore, to my
Prime Minister.”
The latter after a brief consul
tation, answered : “It were a pity
to break the charm through a
possible blunder. 1 receive taxes
from the people, and as I am ex-
[losed to many temptations, how
can I be sure tliat I have been
perfectly honest? I must give it
to the Govenor of our citadel.”
“No, no,” cried the Governor,
drawing liack. “Eemember that
1 have the serving out of pay and
provision to the soldiers. Let
tlie Higli Priest plant it,”
And the High Priest said:
“You forget; 1 have the collect
ing of titles and the disbursements
of sacrifice.”
At length the thief exclaimed:
“Your Majesty , I tliink it would
be better for society that all
five of us should be hanged, since
it appears that not an honest man
can be found among us.”'
In spite of the lamentable ex
posure the King laughed ; and so
pleased was he with the thiePs
cunning expedient, that he grant
ed him pardon.—Sunday Maya-
zine.
HOW A IlIABOO 'I'HIEF SE-
CERED A PARMOIV FROM
THE KINO.
There is a fable among the
Hindoos that a thief, having been
detected and condemned to die,
happily hit upon an expedient
which gave him hope for life. He
sent for his jailer and told him
that lie had a secret of great im
portance winch he desired to im
part to the King, and when it
had been done he would be pre
pared to die. Upon receiving
this piece of intelligence the King
at once ordered the culprit to be
conducted to his presence. The
thief replied that he knew the
secret of causing trees to grow
which would bear fruit of pure
gold. The experiment might be
easily tried, and His Magesty
would not lose the opportunity ;
so, accompanied by his Prime
Minister, his courtiers and his
chief priest, he went with the thief
to a spot selected near the city
wall, where the latter performed
a series of solemn incantations.
This was done the condemned
man produced a piece of gold and
declared that if it should be plan
ted it would produce a tree, every
branch of which would bear pure
gold.
“But,” he added, “this must be
put into the ground by a hand
that has never been stained by a
dishonest act. My hand is not
clean therefore I pass it to Your
Majesty.”
Not a Chicken.—At precisely
two o’clock by the bells the
other morning a policeman who
was walking up Beaubien street
cauglit sight of a negro who was
skulking along a fence, and he
called upon him to stop.
“Ize in a big hurry to ketch de
mawning train for Toledo ?” cal
led back the African.
The officer threatened to shoot
if he did not stop, and the skul
ker halted.
“Does you imagine that I hez
dun got a chicken heah ?” he ask
ed, as the officer approached.
“Yes, sir that’s exactly what I
imagine.”
And if I hezen’t got a chicken I
kin go right down to de depot
kin I ?”
“I guess you can.”
“Well, sail, den gaze on dis
yere an’ tell me if de name is
chicken!” said the man, as he
pulled a big goose around in
front of him.
, The officer went back on his
word, and took the negro under
arrest, and the victim was explain
ing:
“Whar’s de use ob tryin’ to get
along wid dem p’licemen ? De
best ■v^ay is to drop de goose an’
make fur de woods.”
“My son,” said a doting mother
to her eight-year-old, “What
pleasure do you feel like giving
up during lenton season 1”
“Well, ma, I guess I’ll stay away
from school,” was the reply.
An honest blacksmith, when
urged to start a libel suit answer
ed, I can hatnmei out a better
reputation on my anvil than all
the lawyers in Christendom can
give me.”
“Papa, ought the teacher to flog a
fellow for what he didn’t do ?” “Cer
tainly not, my boy.” “'Well, then, he
flogged me to-day when f didn’t do
uiv sum.”