42
1
7j
toy white dore, when "seated i . h nt, bare of
little ones tuider her wings. .' .
the brentaeHeparts; be returns with
the grandmother. , ' , uU . ,
"Itannot find your dove," he says, 44 but I
bare found an over-ripe apple ; an apple wrink
led by the sun and the wind, that has hung a
long time on the tree among the leaves; put it
into vour pocket and give it to your pigeon to
eat, and he will mourn no more." . .
1 Want not your ear of corn, nor your wrink
led apple, but my little idove ; and seek her I
will" ",; j ' ' . ,
'.'- Good heavens 1" have patience, fnend, re
plies the young lady's advocate ; - your little
1 dove is not lost; she is well taken care of in my
a'lamber, in cage of ivory, with bars of gold and
silver; to gay j io sweet, so beautiful, my little
dove IV . '
At length after this awful delay the fair be
trothed is produced. The father of the family
also makes hia appearance, and brings a. horse's
girth ; while he fastens this rude appendage,
the brentaer slugs an appropriate but by no
mean delicate song. . '
Other ceremonies and songs follow, and it is
Jonfr aftfheinarriage is concluded before the
exactions on tae wedded pair cease.- in parts ot
Brittany, in Leon, for example, the. bride and
the bridegroom, are the subjects of the "fete of
the cupboard," a piece of furniture of that des
cription being presented to them as a bridal gift..
It is-commonly made of walnut -tee, highly'
polished and ornamented. Decorated with gar
lands, it is convjyed to the house of the newly
married pair, in a car drawn by horses, whose
manes and tails! are adorned with glittering rib
bons.. The mistress of the house covers the cup
board with a gilded, cloth, upon which she places
two piles of pancakes, a jug of wine, and a drink
ing cup. The oldest member of the family of
the husband fills the cup and presents it to the
eldest of the parents of his bride. After still
further ceremonies, all present partake of the
wine and eatables, ant the cupboard, amid the
cheers of the assembled guests, is placed in the
most conspicuous situation in the mansion. The
day after the marriage the poor of the parish, or
father the mendieants, wait upon the bride 'and
bridegroom, and divide the remnants of the
marriage feast. The young wife, with her petti
coats tucked up, attends upon the females, and
her husband -upon the male portion of their
guests. At the conclusion of the repast the hus
band offers his arm to the most respectable of
therwomen, and his, wife, following his example,
gives her hand to the best dressed beggar, and
the entertaiment ends with a dance and a
song. The latter, " Le Chant des Pauvres," is
addressed for the most part in praise of the
newly constituted mistress of the house, who is
extolled as the most : beautiful creature in the
parish : 44 as amiable as pretty, with feet light as
those of the fawn and yes bright as two drops
of dew."- Tail's Magazine.
THE NOBLE-HEARTED ACTOR.
A most popuWr actor, who had just played a
?EffeTot CDaractT?fS"...t.,n gteat efifcet, had re
marked every evening in' front of the curtain a
young person of extreme beauty, who had watch
ed his playing with an attention in which it was.
difficult to believe the motive a single one. Our
actor knew well that he had inspired a profound
passion, and he did not hesitate to respond to it
with a full heart, lalthougir completely ignorant
who this young lady was, that night after night
cast on him her burning-looks. " .
In the meantime, a wealthy personage wished
our actor to put himself- to the trouble of call
ing at his residence.
Monsieur,' said the banker, 'I have an im
mense service to ask of you. It is to name the
sum that will induce you to leave the city for a
few years.' j "
To this strangej proposition the actor replied
with a loud laugh
'What do you think, Monsieur! . I am not
yet at the climax of my reputation and glory,
which are my fortune. I would not leave for a
million. ' " ;
4 Well, I offer it to you. Leave and I will
instantly count you 4out a million that will
. materialize the fumes of glory.' j
. But, Monsieur can I know the powerful mo
tives which induce you to make me such, an of
for!' : v .
Yes, I will tell you. My daughter my on-
ly daughter, I wish to marry her cousin, a
young man .destined for the highest office in the
kingdom, and she js foolishly enamored of you.
t cannot give her to you. It is necessary there
fore that you should leave.'
' Monsieur,' replied the actor, after he had
surmounted the first of his pride, '.if that be all,
make your mind easy. 'Is will leave j you shall
'not spend a million ; and your daughter shall
marry her eousin.'
4 What do you mean!'
Ietivia m for. dinner to-day, and place me
near her.' .
At first the banker dared not to trust , him,
but the actor insisted, and the other yielded.
There were manyi of the wealthy to partake of
the dinner; among others, several bankers and
their wives. The j guests had already arrived,
- and the young lady, of the house appeared at
the same, time. .7 j ... .
But what was the surprise, the chagrin, and
regret of the actor in recognising in this young
lady the very one for whom he had been so pas
sionately enamored in front of the scenery of his
theatre.
. , She, stupefield at seeing him at her father's,
stammered out a few words, and accepted his
arm to go to the table, for the actor was deter
mined, let the consequences be what thej might,
to keep the promise he had made to the father
of his love. J,
And he did keep it in truth, and so well that
the young lady, on -seeing what kind of a coarse,
abject person, of a clown she had given her heart
to, felt as if it wooald break. In fact, the actor
: had caused a thousand inconveniences, and con-
j eluded by insulting i the guest so grossly that
most of them were anxious to leave. In a word,
j the scene became so stirring, that as soon as din-
j ner was over tin young lady herself, indignant
I and outraged, bad the servants called, and the ac-
' . tor pushed outside the door.
; But her coasioj her affianced, arrived in the
evening. He recognised the celebrated actor
, The latter related to Vm how he had just brok-
q m own fcanmiiiiatea nunsejf by an odious
t is SL?J' BMdy of th hon tos-
he told him the whole affair. The young lady
discovered that she had been duped by an ad
mirable rnse that the man she had loved, and
who loved her, had been immolated to the exi
gencies "of her father. She saw her cousin no
more with pleasure. She detested, him from
that time forth, and when pressed to determine
on being married to him, she would give way
to her feelings in reproaches, and disappear.
The whole of the next day was passed in des
pair by the banker, and in uneasiness and jeal
ousy by . the cousin. They finally concluded
that the yonng lady had gone to join her lover,
and they hastened to take her from him. A fact
soon proved to them that their suspicion was
well; founded ; then the justices were applied to,
in; order to have the ravisher arrested, j "
But the actor had not accepted the sacrifice of
the youjhg lady. He avowed his courageous
subterfuge of the previous evening, and . that lie
loved his admirer to distraction ; but he did not
wish that she should be lost, dishonored lie
catechized her, persuaded her, and carried "Eer
back to her father at the very moment that the'
latter was in search of him. The father under
stood the legal better than passionate expression
of this unexpected denouement, and gradually
touched moved-onquered it struck him
that he could do nothing better than to give the
actor his daughter, he being the most honorable
and honest man he had ever met.
" Well, who is the hero of this tale?"- will
probably be asked. Bressante, Brirideaux, Lat
entains, or some eloquent lover of gymnasium,
or of tbe Comedie Francaise
No. It happened to be the actor Garrick,
who was so much esteemed, that at his death
his; funeral pall was borne by the Dake of De
vonshire, Lord Camden, Earl Spencer, and Vis
count Pa.merston, followed by fifty mourning
carriages, containing the most of the English
nobility. But M. Melville, who has made a
comedy out of this anecdote, has attributed it to
George Sullivan, and it is under the title of Sul
livan, that the piece obtained at the Theatre
Francaise such brilliant success. 'l I
Literary Items. Samuel Lover has married
a rich old woman since his return from Ameri
ca, and has written ' Songs and Sayings of Sam
uel Lover," which a Mr. Hime is to deliver in
public. j
William Chamber's Edinburg Journal ; is go
ing to have its plan somewhat changed. It wi.l
include a higher range of fiction than it has yet
had, and notice literature and science. Leitch
Ritchie, the editor, opens the new year with a
continuous novel, and Chambers will give his
"Things as they Are" in the United States and
Canada. j
Mrs. Harrison Gray Ots, of Boston, it is said
is the authoress of a novel, about to appear from
the press of Ticknor & Co., in that city, called
" The Barclays of Boston."
Lord J. Russell's " Life and Letters of Moor
goes on. Two more volumes are ojUembel
lished with vignettes, by T5j5lclCf Moore's
residences in Wiltshire, shd Paris, with a por
trait of Mr. Gorfle, one of Moore's oldest friends,
and one ofLord John Russell
Alafic A. Watts, the poet, has been placed
On the pension list of England for 100 per
year.
John E. Durivage is th- author of a new, lo
cal sketch, made out of the "Potiphar Papers"
in Putnam, at Burton's, New York.
Cornelius Mathews is said to be the author of
a comedy, called " Married by Force," produced
at the same theatre.
Thomas I. Benton's " Thirty Years in the Sen
ate," is making a sensation in advance of its
publication. 50,000 copies have already been
subscribed for, it is said. ,
Henry T. Tuckerman, the poet, has in prepa
ration a-complete and uniform edition of .his
.works, to appear in a half dozen volumes,; simi
lar to those of the .latter editions of Irving and
: Cooper. "
USEFUL RECEIPTS
- Celery Sacce for Boiled Fowl or , Tcr-KEY.--Take
the inside leaves of two or three
heads of celery, wash w-ell, and cut across into
slices about a quarter of an inch thick, and boil
them for five minutes and drain off the water.
Beat up a teacupful of cream, two teaspoonfuls
of flour, and two ounces of butter ; as soon as
this is warm put in the celery, and keep ii well
stirred over the fire for ten or twelve minutes.
Pain de Pomme. Boil a dozen dumpling
apples till they are soft ; peel and core them,
.break them up, and force the pulp through a
" coarse sieve ; mix this with twice its weight of
dough ; make the whole into small loaves, and
bake in a slow oven. I ,
Scarcity in France. It appears from an
article in the London Times, that France will be
compelled to spend 18 millions sterling very
nearly a hundred millions dollars to supply the
deficincy of breadstuff's in that country. ; The
Government has taken the matter in hand, for
its existence depends on it and has sent agents
and orders all over the world to purchase flour
and : grain. And it is not only providing food
for tbe masses, but it is undertaking to give
them employment. Public works are being
constructed, and millions appropriated to keep
the laboring population occupied. Bankruptcy,
under such circumstances, would seem inevita
ble at no distant day. A foreign war by. with
drawing the superfluous mouths from France,
and feeding them by the plunder of other coun
triesj might defer the evil day.
, Be Carefcl to Whom You Talk. Two
young ladies were once singing a duet in a con
cert room. A, stranger, who had heard better
performances, turned round to his neighbor, say
ing: . ; J
" Does not the lady in white sing wretchedly !"
Excuse me, sir," replied he, V I, hardly feel
it liberty to express my sentiments, being not
mpartial in the cases; she is my sister.".
" I beg your pardon, sir," .answered the stran
ger, in much confusion ;' "I meant the lady in
blue." j
"You are perfectly right there," replied the
neighbor; " I have often told, her so myself;
she is my wife !" .
Fenelon observed to a priest who was com
plaining to him of the dances of the peasantry ;
My friend, neither you nor myself need to
dance -we can be happy in our own way;
but if dancing makes these poor people happy,
who have so few sources of enjoyment, why
jsbxld they not &mcfe f
v New Printing Press. A new printing
press, called the "Self-Feeding and Self-Registering
Power Press,' has been on exhibition in
Boston for several days. It feeds itself, works
both sides of the sheets if desired, and drops the
sheet when printed instead of throwing it off.
The paper is wet upon a reel and rolled off, as
in the case of the telegraph slip, and cut by the
press itself to the right size. It performs doa
ble the amount of 44 Hoe's Cylinder Press " at the
same speed. It is provided with a register,
which accurately countsHhe sheets and tokens.
A bell strikes at the completion of every token,
and an alarm dial may be set to any number of
sheets or tokens desired. These are some of lis
pecularities, which are regarded as quite won
derful. The inventor js Mr. Carpenter.
Something Serious. Sheridan's answer to
Lord Lauderdale was excellent On the latter
saying he would repeat some good thing Sheri
dan had mentioned to him, he said, " Pray
don't, my dear Lauderdale : a joke in your
mouth, is no laughing matter,."
" Do you believe in this table-talking, Matil
da, that there's such a fuss about" "Oh, dean
o! why the other evening a table was asked
how old I was, and "it rapped out forty ! Ridi
culous ; when Fin not three-and-twenty till next
March !"' " .' .
CONTRIBUTIONS.
METK0P0TITAN CORRESPONDENCE.
LETTER XXXIV.
New York, February 13tb, 1854.
The Condition of Europe Imminent protpect of a
general War Significant alliance of England
and France The moral aspect of the conflict
New Fori Historical Society Discourse on
Great Cities New York Apotheosized The fu
ture of the American Metropolis A great Pub
lishing House Edition of " The Spectator"
Putnam's, Monthly Magazine Its rank and
claims The British Poets Dry den Cooke's
London Books Pope's Works White's Natu
ral History of Selborne ShicVs " Sketch of
the Irish Bar" The Old Brewery.
My Dear Post : I seldom occupy my al
lotted space in your columns with those topics
which, from their very nature, fill the public
eye and engross the public thought. Of this
kind is the condition of Europe. Our public
journals are full of rumors and opinions and
speculations, all of which change with the suc
cessive incomings of the foreign steamers. I
avoid such topics, not because it is difficult to
write upon them, but because it is difficult to
write to any other purpose, than merely to fill
paper and perplex the reader. I have content
ed myself with themes and subjects less obtru
sive, and upon which, I have reasonably sup
posed, your readers to be less variously and vo
luminously informed than they are upon such
rBSttefTas the European war. I may be allow
ed, however, now and then, to write about what
every body talks about, and so I have to-day
included the Eastern troubles in my bulletin.
It cannot be doubted that the prospect of a
general European war is imminent. The haugh
ty Czar of the Russias seems to be bent upor?
disturbing the long repose which has benefi
cently covered the old battle-fields of the Eas
tern hemisphere. He may not be in " real ear
nest," as boys are want to express it, but it re-ally-hwks
as if he is. His effrontery in pushing
measures to such a verge of conflict can hardly
be explained upon any other supposition. His
ear is closed against counsel. Even the rare
and significant alliance of England and France,
ia an embassy of peace, seems to produce in his
mind no alarmiwg apprehension of peril to him
m his belligerent attitude and in his tvrannous
threats. I called the present alliance of Eng
land and France significant. It certainly is so.
Enemies or rivals at the best for so long a
period, these two nations the exponents of the
liighest civilization and fartherst progress of the
modern world, -have, at last joined hands in
an effort to arrest the spread of despotism and
to shield the victim of tyranny from the grasp
of unhallowed power. It is a sight to gladden
the eyes and hearts of all Christendom, and one
may almost be pardoned for impatience at the
repeated delay of that grand conflict which it
presages. Much as I deprecate war and I am
fully persuaded with the. poet that
" War is a fame
Which were their people wise kings would not play at"
much, I say, as I deplore the existence of a state
of war, I am a little eager to hear of the strik
ing of the first blow in this threatened crusade
a crusade agaist irresponsible despotism by
constitutional liberty. If I look only at the
probable results of the war to the great cause
of human enfranchisement, I cease to dread it,
btut when I remember the immediate desolations
which it involves I am led to wish fervently
that the Czar may yet listen to the k interces
sion of the now-fraternal nations which repre
sent the freedom and conservativism of the Old
World.
I was present at the last regular monthly
meeting of the " New York Historical Society,"
and listened to a very long, but certainly very
interesting discourse upon great cities. The
lecturer was a Dr. Bacon a litterateur of con
siderable local reputation and, in spite of a
very miserable manner in reading, he made
quite an impression upon the andience by the
number and singularity of his allusions to the
rise, progress and decline of the great cities of
antiquity, and by his illustrations of the com
parative growth and grandeur of modern cities.
The most potent object of the discourse, howe
ver, was the glorification of New York and it
would not have been natural in the auditors to
find fault with the author for finding in our own
great metropolis, the rapidly developing germ
of a modern Thebes, the queen of all the great
cities of the past! It was not a little amusing
I must confess, to see the broad, honest face of
Governor Bradish the President of the Socie
ty and the fine features of Vice President Doc
tor De .Witt overflowing with laughter at the
successive oracular predictions of the greatness,
grandeur and glory of Manhattan. It was tru
ly an apotheosis of Saint Gotham and I am
half inclined to pray that I may live fifty years
longer or at least until the year 1900 to see
the verification of all the Doctor's magnificent
prophecies concerning this goodly city, which,
at present,' it must be acknowledged, is consid
erably smaller than at least several, if not more !
cities of the Eastern world, some of which, hav
sprang into existence since the first cemtowory
oiNew York was celebrated. I am not le'.
me say however-at all doubtful of the futurt
greatness of the American Metropolis albeit )
seem a little disposed to be merry over the.
beatific visions of the Historical Society's lec
turer. It was with a Very firm faith ' m the su
premacy of New York upon the roll of Ameri
can cities that I discussed a sandwich and a cup
of coffee in the withdrawing room of the Socie
ty after its ad journmen t: Nor should I have quar
relledat least Coiitrance-mth any one who
had expressed his belief in the Doctor's opinion,
that London would, by and by, hide its dimin
ished head before "its only rival New York."
Our city is indeed a magnificent theme for the
pen of the writer and for the tongne of the
prophet
It may be'eome all that the lecturer foretold
and this possibility takes the hue of probability
when we look at the progress of the city for the
last decade; But of its ; future-iwn verrons.
Let us wait.'
In a recent letter I mectioned the removal o.
the great ' publishing house of D. Appleton
Co., to their magnificent store, formerly the So
ciety Library's Building.: I suppose Chat their,
palace o,ltefnre is without a parallel in the
world! - Ihabeen looking over the catalogue
of their publications, and its extent is truly as
tonishing. Their list of 'text-books of itself is
formidably long, and embraces works of the high
est authority in nearly every branch of human
knowledge. Their books, such for example, as
Perkins' Mathematics, Arnold's Greek and Latin
Classics, Dews and Taylor's Histories, their su
perb French, and German, and Spanish Diction
aries, Ollendorf's Modern Languages, and still
others which I cannot mention, are the manuals
most approved in the very highest schools of our
land, and are rapidly finding their way into all
first class institutions of learning.
The miscellaneous publications of this house
are very numerous and of the most admirable
character. Their recent Edition of The Specta
tor, in six octavo volumes, does honor to their
liberality and taste. It will be hailed, even in
England, as the best edition extant of that
" Early English Classic." But I did not intend
to say half as much concerning their truly great
enterprise, as I have been betrayed into saying
by the expansiveness of the topic.
It has been on my mind, at divers times, to
commend very earnestly to your readers, Put
nam's Magazine, as the best, and indeed, almost
sole exponent of the higher literary taste, cul
ture, and opinion of the country. I rejoice to
know that the patronage or rather support, al
ready afforded to this work, is adequate to en
sure its continuance ; but I am reasonably soli
citious to have its circulation increased five-fold,
that its influence may be proportionably aug
mented. A bare livelihood for such a work as
this admirable magazine, is not up to the credit
point of the public Scholars, readers of judg
ment and taste, should not fail to lend a helping
hand to this work, whose rank in criticism,
belles lettres, and aesthecal philosophy is unap
proached by any other American monthly.
The publication of Little, Brown & Co.'s . un
! surp'Ssederies'ottnTBritish Poets, progresses
with commendable rapidity. Since I noticed it
last, five other volumes, comprising the complete
poetical works of the philosophic Dryden have
appeared. I again express my conviction thit
a more perfect or cheaper edition of the British
Poets than this will scarcely be produced within
the nineteenth century. It is all that the schol
ar and bibliopole can require. Twenty-one vol
umes have ajready appeared.
I have, perhaps, once before noticed the beau
tiful cheap publications of Mr. Nathaniel Cooke,
of London. He issues at regular intervals a se
ries of volumes called the London Illustrated.
Library, handsomely bound duodecimos of 300
pages on fine paper and with numerous well ex
ecuted engravings, at seventy five cents a volume.
Among the latest issues of this series which I
have examined, are the Life and Works of Al
exander Pope, comprised in four volumes, mak
ing incomparably the handsomest edition, for
the price, that is extant.
Your readers may not be familiar with a book,
included in the series X am speaking'of, enti
tled, "The Natural History of Selborne." If
they are not, and have any fondness for nature,
in her most fascinating guises, let them hasten
to possess GilberUWhite's most charming vol
ume. It is by far the most felicitous description
of rural life, and of English rural life above all,
which has ever come from the pen of either na
turalist 0or poet. In'deed, the whole book is a
poem, or a picture, whichever conveys to the
mind the greatest idea of beauty and delight.
A noteworthy book of the present month is
the "Sketches of the Irish Bar," by Shiel; with
a memoir of the author, by the Editor, Dr. Mac
kenzie. It is in two volumes, brimful of anec
dote, biography, Irish wit, and Irish enthusiasm.
These are the elements of a wide popularity.
The work is published y Redfield.
I haw left myself barely room to chronicle tbe
'appearance of a book entitled "The Old Brew
ery and the New Mission House at the Five
Points." It was published only last Wednesday,
and already twenty thousand copies have been
sold! It goes off even fasten than did "Hot
Corn," which book it vastly surpasses in its claims
to the approbation of the press and of the public.
It is the "plain unvarnished tale" of the " Five
Points" as it was, and d it is. The uarrative
was prepared by several ladies of the mission,
and this fact alone is a guaranty of the purity
of the book, even when it ventures upon details
of crime and misery and sin. It is a book of
wonderful contrasts, exhibiting the wonderful
efficacy of simple, but earnest reformatory meas
ures, even in the most repulsive and unpromis
ing circumstances. The book is published by
Stringer & Townsend, who pay a most generous
copy right to the mission.
Yours, ab.uptly,
. COSMOS.
For the Southern Weekly Post.
j- WASTED TIME
We no unfrequently hear people complaining
of the want of time; they have no time to read,
no time to study, no time to devote in any way
to the improvement of the mind. Bat, if these
overbusy1 persons will examine themselves close
ly, theyjwill find that in at least nine times out of
every n'the great obstacle . which lies in the
; way C mental " improvement is tot a want of
time, bet a want of disposition.
ThereS-e few individuals in this good old
State of ours, who are necessarily so bound
down to toil that they might not find time to
read and study if they had the disposition, and
considered it, as it is, a thing of primary impor
tance. Twenty-four hours consitute a day and
night; twelve hours are enough for any individ
ual, male or female, to devote to manual labor.
When it comes to field labor, ten hours are
enough, and we hold that a roan who works
when he does work, can perform as much in the
year by laboring ten hours per day as he could
by laboring twelve or fourteen. Ten from twenty-four
leaves fourteen. Seven hours are amply
sufficient for sleep ; but we will nllow two hours
to be consumed at meal times, and other inci
dental matters. After making all these deduc
tions, we have five hours left. How is this su
perfluous time to be disposed of. We have per
formed our day's labor, taken our recreation, and
still have time for something more. Let three,
of the remaining five hours, be devoted to use
ful reading, and the other two to study, medita
tion and thought He who daily devotes three
hours to reading, will in the course of the year,
read a great deal, and if his books and papers
are well selected, and he reads carefully and un
derstanding hewill find himself wiser aUbei
termination or tne year than he was at the com
mencement. Let our young men and our young
ladies learn to appreciate, knowledge, and then
learn to econmise their time, and they will find
abundant opportunity for mental improvement.
Let them consider, that although the Creator
has made a difference, yet education is the prin
cipal thing which makes one man superior to
another. Let them consider that industiy and
mental toil are the price of knowledge. And
every one who would be learned and great, must
be so by his own exertions. Money will not buy
knowledge without some effort on the part of
the recipient. The child of fortune may be
born to wealth and affluence; but learning and
greatness must be in a great measure the fruit
of his own labor. The son of the illiterate hus
bandman is too much disposed to despair of ever
rising to any degree of eminence. He sees the
sons of the wealthy neighbors enjoying abun
dantly all the means of acquiring an education,
and pushed on by influential friends, and
scarcely attaining to anything great or noble
with all these advantages, he considers it vain
for him to try. If the rich man's son, placed on
the high vantage ground, and aspiring to use
fulness and fame, often' fall short of great suc
cess, is it not absurd for me, with my poor op
portunities, to dream of becoming distinguished
in any of the great professions or callings of life
Let those who are -disposed to give way to
these desponding reflections read biography.
Let them read the life of a Columbus, of a Dr.
Franklin, of a Henry Clay, and the lives of
other distinguished individuals, and they will
find that many, if not a majority of the most
eminently useful men that our country has pro
duced, rose from humble beginnings. Many of
them were orphans in indigent circumstances,
without money, and without influential friends.
Their time was their only capital, but they early
learned to make a wise disposition of that capi
tal, they early leaned to economise their time.
With time, an indomitable energy, and a never
failing perseverance they encountered every diffi
culty, rose superior to every obstacle, and blessed
the world by living in: it. So may every one
who learns theart of improving each moment
as it. passes. X. B.
For the Southern Weekly Post.
Messrs. Editors : As an Alumnus of Middle
bury College, the recent announcement of the
death of its late venerated President, must have
fallen heavily upon the ear of one of your num
ber. There are other ; Alumni, scattered over
our whole country, south as well as north, to
whom the announcement has recalled man in
teresting reminiscences and -associations of things
and scenes long since past, but never to be for
gotten in all of which he stands prominent
His dignified form ; his kind, benevolent face ;
his polished manners, affording a remarkable
type of the true, Christian gentleman ; his valua
ble instructions, never more appreciated than
when the opportunities for listening to them
were forever past, rise up in lively remembrance,
and cause an involuntary tear of affectionate re
cognition to start from eyes unused to weep. To
such, a few of the prominent events in the life of
Dr. Bates may not prove unaccepted.
Rev. Joshua Bates, D. D., was born in Coh as
set, Mass., March 20,1776. He graduated at
Harvard University in 1800, and in 1803 was or
dained Pastor of the first Congregational Church
in Dedham, Mass., where he labored acceptably
for fifteen years. Having been elected President
of Middlebury College, he resigned his charge,
and was inducted into his new office, March 18,
1818. The writer of this brief notice, then a
lad only nine years old, can yet remember with
vivid distinctness the enthusiasm manifested by
the people on" this occasion. The village was
brilliantly illuminated, and an illuminated trans
parent portrait of the new incumbent, that re
ceiving its coloring from youthful recollections,
still looms up in his imagination as the perfec
tion of art was suspended in a conspicuous place.
During no period of its history, has Middle
bury College been more prosperous, than under
the Presidency of Dr. Bates. Skillful as a Met
aphysician ; happy in his modes of imparting
instruction ; uniting firmness with mildness in
the administration of government ; and withal
thoroughly acquainted with human nature, he
was eminently fitted for the sphere to which he
was called, securing not only the love and esteem
of his immediate pupils, but the entire confidence
of the people at large.
More than one half of the Alumni of the Col
lege were educated under his Presidency, who
will eer hold him in affectionate remembrance.
In 1839, he resigned his office and returned
to his native Stae, where, though he had reached
the age when most men desire to retire from the
responsibilities of active life, he again entered
upon the duties of the pastoral relation. In
1843, he was installed pastor over the Congre
gational Church at Dudley, Mass., where he con
tinued to labor in the cause of his master to the
day of his death, performing all the duties of his
station with a vigor of! mind and body seldom
to be met with, in one who like him had nearly
reached Tiis fourscore years.
He died on the 14tb day of January, 1854,
at the advanced age of seventy -eight.
' ! R. L. a .
Bloomfield, N. J Feb. 8, 1844.
THE v -
RALEIGH, FEB. 18, 1854.
WILLIAM D. COOKE,
f editor abd nsniiioi.
Term TWO DOLLARS FES AXCTTX, in Advance.
CLUB PRICES:
Three Copies,. . ,
Eight Copies,. . ,
Ten Copies
Twenty Copies,.
, . . .$5 full pricr, $6,
....12 " ......16,
13 " 20.
...20 " 40.
(Payment in all eases in advance..
83r Where a'clnbof eight, ten or twenty copies it sent,
the person making up the club will be entitled to a copy
extra
i -
Postmasters are authorized to act as Agents lor
the Southern Weekly Poat.
Mr. H. P. Pouthit is our authorized agent for the
State of Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee
1 A CHANGE.
This week the u Post" has undergone what we
hope will be' regarded by our subscrihra as a
decided impifvement. It has been so enlarged
as to contain about one-fourth more matter than
before, anal has otherwise been altered so us more
effectually to7 recommend it to the" public. --iW
'ask tha-v"'jprf nflHiijffiifil jn 1hct faxt
and request them as modestly as we can to in
troduce our enlarged sheet tp the circle of their
acquaintance. This enlargement will enable us
to restore the Advertisements to their original
place in the " Post." - '
To those engaged in commerce, manufactures,
and other branches of industry or enterprise', it
is hardly necessary to point out the policy of
availing themselves of such an advertising me
dium. We invite the particular attention of
heads 0 Literary Institutions, and of teachers
generally, o the opportunity now offered them
of presenting their respective claims to the pub
lic, in the columns of a paper which now. enjoys
an extensive patronage and is destined, we fond
ly hope, to .a rapid increase in every direc
tion. When we began the publication of the 44 Post"
two years ago, we did not issue a prospectus, as
is usual, giving notice that it was our intention,
if we met with sufficient encouragement, to
publish a family paper in North Carolina, but
we made a beginning at once, relying upon the
lovers of literature in the South, to come to our
rescue, and. give us a liberal patronage. That
we have succeeded beyond our most sanguine ex
pectations, we are free to admit ; but at the same
time, we cannot refrain from making allusion to
the glaring fact, that there are now taken in
North Carolina, a very large number of literary
papers, published in the North, which must ne
cessarily take from the one in our own State
that nuans, which would enable us to furnish
to our readers such a paperas would do away,
to a great extent, the demand for those publish
ed elsewhere.
We do not hesitate to say that the "Southern
; Weekly Post " one of the Cheapest Lite
rary Papers published in the United States.
With but little exertion, any person may fob
tain in their neighborhood twenty subscribers,
to whom the cost of" the paper will be only One
Dollar, 'ana the person getting up the club will
receive a copy of the " Revolutionary History of
North Carolina," and "The New Form Book,"
together with an extra copy of the paper for
himself. .
In order that the 44 Post "may have a more
extensive circulation, we have entered into an ar
rangement with tlie Editors of the Universi
ty Magazine and the Editor of the Farm
er's Journal, both published at this office, by
which these periodicals can be fumhhed at the
following rates ; The 11 Southern Weekly
Post" and tJie "University Magazine" 'one
year for 13,00; The "Southern Weekly Post"
and the 44 Farmer's Journal" one year for
$2,50, or the 44 Post," 44 Magazine" and Jour
nal, each one year, for $,400.
We have also secured the services of 44 COS
MOS," a most accomplished correspondent, re
sident in New York, who will continue to tn-
rich the columns of the Post with a faithful
weekly record of events in that Metropolis of the
Union, and those familar with the graphic pro
ductions of his pen will not need to be inform
ed how much his future contributions may lend
to the value and interest of its pages.
In order to sustain the character of the pa
per and render it truly efficient in its various
departments, the Proprietor has secured the
services of several Collaborators, in whose qua
lifications he has entire confidence.
" Dr. James A. Waddell, will continue, as
heretofore, to contribute regularly to tce edito
rial columns.
ALL ABOARD!
According to promise we present our readers
this week with a paper considerably enlarged,
and, we think, improved. We are now .fairly
embarked for another year's voyage. We give
our 6ails and flag to the breeze, and cheerfully
commit ourselves to the winds and waves of
fortune.
The friends of the Post are once more re
quested "most earnestly to interest themselves
in its behalf, and give it such recommmend-'
ations as its merits fairly considered will justify.
A little conversation in regard to it among their
neighbors and acquaintance, would cost them
very little trouble, and bring the Post exten
sively into notice. We have a host of friends in
various parts of the country whose influence
we know would sffice, if exercised, to ensure
the complete triumph of our enterprise. They
have done much for the cause already, but we
do not wish them to stop. Let them only per
severe in their good works, and they will have
the satisfaction at last of having deserved well
of their country ! 1
The Post is not without faults, we are well
aware. Where is the paper thai" is! As Horace
" MAU ett ab omni
Parte Beatum."
In everything earthly there are defects that
counterpoise its positive merits, But we may
be. permitted to say that it is our aim to furnish
our readers with a paper which will instruct
without offending, and entertain without mis
leading them ; a paper faithful to the best in
terests of the country, and combining, as far as
-possible, the advocacy of good principles with a
correct taste and a charitable spirit. These are
our aims, if not our attainments, and we ask of
the public only such support as such a paper in
their judgment deserves.
THB CAVAHEB AND THE PUEixaj
The,yirginians in Washington city haverc..
cently organized an association called-tj,
Jamestown Society, the object of which is
annual celebration of the first permanent syte.
ment of the United States. The sons 0f the
Old Dominion will every where recti ve this an
nouncement with hearty delight, arid the ap.
proaching month of May will probably wkney
one of I the most animating scenes wind, a re
viving patriotism can display. One of the hap.
piest results we might reasonably expect from
such a celebration, would be an increased inter
est among our youth in the early history of the
-country;, and a greater familiarity with thos
successive steps by which the sistef colonies
were led, from various points of origin, (to assimi
lation in their sentiments and habits, and the
adoption of those great principles in1 common
which form the basis of our present union, free
dom, and prosperity. To this end it is very de
sirable that these occasions should W observ.
ed in such a manner as to revive the fraternal
spirit which subsisted ,on earlier times betw
1
'een
the inhabitants of flie different colonies W.
ihat those historical allusions which would tend
to -intensifyirather . than abate our present sec-
ConaTfiiUpaQSes, should be carefullv exehdeJ'
from a review of the past legitimately idesiffiied
to cement the bonds of the union and shed new
hope upon our national future. j
Viewing the; proposed celebration! in this
light, we were pained and mortified on reading
a late article on the subject in the Richmond
Dispatch, in which the writer takes occasion
from the design to revive in .the bosom of jiis
readers the recollection ofthe old animosity be
tween Puritan and Cavalier, and to indulge in
language of unusual bitterness against j the me
mory of the Pilgrims of Plymouth. lVe were
the more grieved at this unseasonable expres
sion of apocryphal opinions, because it came
from so respectable and estimable a source, sel
dom chargeable with intemperate utterance, or
inexcusable violations of the harmony of socie
ty. That we may not expose ourselves to the
suspicion of having attributed to a respected co
temporary an offence which has not been com
mitted, we quote a few of those expressions
which seem to us unwarranted by history or
charity. 44 A band of sturdy and iitoleront
zealots, whose history in the new world abonndt
in deeds of persecution, fraud, and violence, look
ed at through the coloring glasses of a dinner
festivity. 1 become immaculate models 'of niPtr
' . j I V
and virtue !" And again : 44 Virginians have
been hitherto content to let the memory of their
fathers vindicate itself against the arrogant as-
sumptions or me present funtanical rape, which
inherits the old Puritan peculiarities of self
righteousness, pharisaic pride, self deception and
deception of others ; whose idea of freedom con
sists in having its own vftty in religion and poli
ties, and nsver permitting other people to have
theirs ; which burns and hangs in one 6ge, and
despoils of reputation or prosperity inanother,
all who do not conform io the Puritanic stand
ard of religion and liberty. It is time that Vir
ginians should show at least as much respect to
the memory Of the . mx 2 founders of liberty awl
civilization on mis continent, as is manifested
by the sons of New England for men ; who never
had the first clear and just conception rf civil
and religious liberty " We submit it to the
calm judgment of the reader, and of the editor
of the Dispatch himself, whether such language
becomes an occasion like that to which his arti-
v-iv. 110.1 11 t-anj occiiia iu us sauiv ppposeu
to that spirit of fraternal harmony which bound
our fathers together- and . nerved them for a
ou uggn. , nuivu jnuuueu lue sons oi
the old Dominion, with Washington at their
head, tp make common cause with tnemenof
New England in council and on the Held, and
mingled the blood of the united parties iin libe
ral effusion for their mutual defence. Surely if
the descendants of the Pilgrims were such as
they are represented above, in the early idays'of
the Revolution, the first Confederation and the
present Union were two great political mistakes,
which reflect little credit upon the intelligence,
sagacity, 1 or patriotism of those whoi rjiade
them, and the idea generally entertained by
foreigners, that American liberty was secured
by the harmonious devotion of a band ofi broth
ers to great principles held by them in com
mon, is a mere myth, derived from the poetical
license of ian enthusiastic age, and unwojrtby of
sober credence at the present day. I
We feel all the more freedom in thusexpress
ing ourselves in regard to the extraordinary
language of the Dispatch, because we will not
be suspected, where we -are known, of any want
of partiality towards Virginia, or of any luke
warmness iin our resentment towards tine base
policy of the abolitionists of our own time.
The coming celebration of the settlem"111 at
Jamestown will have attractions for us in which
perhaps the editor of the Dispatch cannot par
ticipate, and he certainly cannot surpass us in
a hearty detestation of the conduct and princi
ples of those degenerate descendants of tjie Pil
grims against whom his wrath is so empliatic.il
ly demonstrated. What we desire is to protest
against the impropriety of making a dislike of
the Puritans the test of an orthodox faith in
the claims of Virginia to the first nlace in our
affections and our patriotic homage.
o - I
"rt'e can
conceive of nothing more inconsistent w
th the
teachings of history, or the sentiments
of the
English liberty were laid by that noble) party
in the, days of Charles the First, which was com
posed of a political and a religious element.
There was no antagonism . between theie ele
ments, when Vane, Hampden, and Million, so
nobly sustained the cause of civil and rehgiu3
liberty; nor were they thrown into an attitude
of mutual hostility by their actual' location m
different parts of the Western Continent. He
political leaders of Virginia during the Revolu-
e
their cause with that of Hancock, Warrep and
Adams, and it is almost irreverent tq their
memories now to blacken the character oil those
with' whom they formed and cherished st inti
mate an alliance.
We are among those who, though natives
the South,! and bound by indissoluble ties to
her cause in the sectional issues of the present
day, have always regarded the early settlement
of the Puritans at Plymouth Rock as a specta
cle which presents many striking features j)f he
moral sublime. ; Notwithstanding their errors,
their history is one that can hardly be paraU
O