Newspapers / Southern Weekly Post (Raleigh, … / March 4, 1854, edition 1 / Page 2
Part of Southern Weekly Post (Raleigh, N.C.) / About this page
This page has errors
The date, title, or page description is wrong
This page has harmful content
This page contains sensitive or offensive material
50 H U MISCELLANEOUS: From the North Carotin University Mag&xine. "ON THE BANKS OF THE TAB." Messrs. Editors : As a matter of course, every one has spent a very p'easant vacation, in cluding a "merry Christmas" and "happy new year." Each of the many students of the Uni versity, have during the holidays shaken the hand of relation or friend ; received the warm . embrace of kind mother or affectionate sisters; listened to the wise advice of father or friend ; shared in the joys of beloved brothers ; or per nios, like myself, "a stranger in a strange land," have formed new friends, and grappled them to our souls with hooks of steel,"bich will serve as connecting links to the good old State, when the purposes for which we visited North Caro lina are completed and we have returned to our distant homes. It has often interested as well as amused me; when my friends at the beginning of the session " hath into bondage .."- Brought iny too diligent ear " by relating the different manner in which they have, spent their vacation and have ' with o greedy ear devoured up the discourse of my companions as did Desdemona that of her loved : - Moor reciting his "hair-breadth 'scapes i' the imminpnt deadly breach." i-' My western friend . will tell me or fccenery grander far than any Switzerland can boast of. He will have his adventures among the moun tain crags ; of dangers met and overcome, and situations in which he was placed,, compared to which, the vulture guarded position of Arthur , Philipson, over, the abyss of Mount Pilate was.as Then a friend from one of the larger towns of asked ancy, (the names are changed, not be the State has interesting narratives of balls, par- anv afratd the partus may read, this V., .... 7T,Unf t. One sketch and become offended, but merely to imi- :K. . t.n:4 t .lU.nt tlirtaiion. I .. ...:,.. .u f nfi.nce. - ; . . , fmon and lavish ? a1 a f a nrpnuinft courtshiD. ot many ana. lavisn. f - o . . . - . I protestations of love ; (which with a collegian is binding until he meets another interesting or susceptible lady,) or claims my attention by in forming me of the changes in the love market; how one young friend is " laid on the table you know", and another taken off, or perhaps how one has been kicked under the table and an "out sider" taken his place. (Here I should like to A - make a quotation suitable, but I know none.) Then again an eastern friend will tell. but ' 'read and I will relate an incident or two, which - .happened during my last vacation spent "On the Banks of the Tar. V: .- I will not be so palpably guilty of tautology as to say that I spent a pleasant six weeks. Nor ' would I be able in any reasonable space' to tell many pleasant adventures and enjoyments, but - will select two incidents which I witnessed and mentally jotted down at the time, to illustrate quite different points.. The first to point out what a baneful, influence the" opinions and writ ings of Judge Edmonds have upon the people ; and the last, to 6how, what every southern resi- ' ident and traveler. knows, that Mrs. Stowe wrote a WYx-liber. On or about the 20th December, my friend, with whom I was spending the vacation, propos- . . ed that, for the day, we should suspend our usu- al sport, viz : hunting (my friend, who is leaning over my shoulder, wishes me to say that it was hunting game 'not ''wives and let me add only by way of a. double parenthesis, that he is a very modest young man,) and 'ride over'to where a " spirit," according to the neighborhood gossip, was to astonish hf Natives, in the way of hold- ing converse with & Tittle negro girl, belonging . to ' the estate' of the person whose ghost was about to "revisit the glimpses of the sun" to " tell .Why his canoniz'd bones, hearsed in death, Hare burst their cerements." .: Not wishing to be contrary I consented and off we started, taking care to fill our " tickler" with some old " Apple Jack," rightly supposing that all the spirits . they would have, would be made for the occasion. We arrived an hour or so before the moment appointed for the " curtain to rise," which we occupied in looking at the promiscuous assembly of men, women and children, mostly negroeSj and listening to the various conversations con cerning the approaching " performance." Here a county dignitary, full of lip-wisdom, was ex--i plaining the causes why this "spirit " was "doom'd for a certain term to walk the earth." Here two or three old ladies, whose features we were compelled ";to 'spy,' down a leghorn, lane," and whose dresses were equally as unfashion .: able, were discussing the destiny of the world and oracularly devining what such manifesta tions as they were about to witness, foreboded. Arid here and there were collected 6quads of ne groes,! very bad spirits, surmising " what the spent would say." ' "As the hour drew .near, we collected into a room in which was seated the " medium." The : crowd by this time were on the qui vive for. the ' mysterious knockings and grave voice of the 1 " spirit." The conjectures as to the exact di rection of approach and other doubts were freely discussed, until the clock struck twelve, the ap pointed hour, when three 'distinct knocks, in what direction no one could tell, were heard. A silence as mysterious and profound as that caus ed by the sudden appearance of the Black Priest of St. Paul's in the top room of Meinherr John Mengs, followed these spiritual manifestations. The "medium," who sat with her back to the crowd, informed us that the ghost of her departed master had appeared to her and wished to have some conversation withjher, if .they would re main silent tor a few moments. But this last request was useless, for each " sat like his grand- sire cut in alabaster." Then commenced a series of questions bv the " spirit," which seemed to be below, and answers : by the girlj concerning the old man's- worldly friends and possessions, which would be unin teresting to the reader. For some fifteen min utes lasted these questions 'and answers, the crowd, especially the. women, during the time becoming "small by degrees and beautifully less," perhaps it might have been, as they said because their curiosity- was gratified, but I thought it was from fear. My frind and ray self, the only representatives of the a highest lit erary institution in the State," were rather ex pected to solve the mystery. . We soon formed . our plan, which iny friend promised to execute, to see if the girl was not a ventriloquist, and by this means, playing upoa the credulity of the crowd. The " medium" w sitting near, the foot f a bed, and could only be approached by getting under it, which would, serve as a screen. Under the bed my friend crawls, (rather an un dignified position for a sen:or) amt-dfew near the girl. " Just as the spirit was about to ask a question, he placed his hand upon her breast, (here is the place for Mrs. Partington to blush) and the ventriloquist was unable to stop asking the question, in time ta escape being cauglpt. Perfectly satisfied, mv friend withdrew. The "spirit," at once became enraged atthis atro city and threatened direful calamity upon the perpetrator and witnesses, which very 'much ter rifled the assembly, and they, like the guests at Macbeth 's east, " stood not upon the order of their going,' but went at once, In-a few, minutes every person was on their way home in a great hurry, and wild confusion except my friend and myself. We explained the whole affair and only waited to see tbe gir! decently whipped, concluding that the "spirit' would not shortly revisit those scenes. It was ( !. . a well planned scheme to accomplish an object. but was thus foiled If the reader has got puciaaly through the firsl incident and is willing to follow me through another, I will g'e an account of a marriage during t.li Christmas holidays, ainonirthe " CO- 0 -v , , , lored population." -On Christinas day, the negroes had collected ;n from their different homes during the pas' year, preparatory to a grand gala week, preced ing " hiring day." Night nd day their feet ' kept time with the music of the fiddle and banjo, and truly "all went merry as a marriage bell It appears that during the week before, Bob had tate the exampb of writers of true tales, ) ? ,Decome his " better or worse. The wed- ding was to take place during the latter part pt & r - the week, and of course expectation was on tip-toe concerning the approaching ceremonies, especially as it was hinted that it was to be rath er a grand affair. As the day approached, on which was to be consummated the earthly happi ness of these tivo persons, quite, a stir was. made among the poultry, and the cooks were busily engaged. - The only difference between the happy pair was respecting the manner by which the knot was to be tied. Do not misunderstand roe. I do not mean that one wished to be marrietf by the deremony of a particular church, at.d the other by another. But Bob, who wa rather an " Old Fogy," and had all the superstition natural to his race, did not wish to be married "by the books," as it was ascertain forerunner of bad luck, but wished to imitate the example of his parents, by dispensing with all ceremony and be declared " man and wife "simply by "jumping the broom stick." Nancy who had spent some time in a city and had there seen marriage ceremonies performed with great pomp, was entirely too aristocratic for that trivial manner of entering into en corinuA omrt. She insisted on be ng married by the regular ceremonies I of the church. Bob; making necessity a virtue, gave way, for she would have her will, nor could she be blamed, imitating her betters. This being .settled, another difficulty sprung up, caused by the man giving way, which is gen erally the case. There was no minister near, and as for a magistrate, they had a natural fear for -the name. The only- alternative left was that my friend or myself should perform the cere mony, which, at the earnest solicitations of the parties, we promised to do." After a long debate as to who should act as parson, it was decided that I shouldtake the part, on the ground that I could lok the character better. (Was the de cision a compliment?) The day, on which the wedding was to take place, was rather a quiet one, being the only day, since the beginning of the week, that there was a cessation f dancing. The wedding was the entire theme of conversation. I: had, bv way of preparation, been reading repeatedly the ceremony, (barring the prayers,) and by the time the marriage was to take place, concluded that 1 could go through very well. . t . When the appointed hour drew near I don ned my best suit of black, with white cravat and hair loaehed up, .presenting, on the whole, an appearance that a young theologian might have envied, and started, with my friend, to the house of joy. As we entered rather a broad grin sat upon the countenances of many of the guests, for they had already collected; awaiting the approach bt the bride and groomjbut it was suddenly chilled by the sacerdotal dignity of my appearance. We waited but ajfew moments for the happy Couple, who soon approached follow ed by a number of young attendants.- The girl, although she had not, after the manner of mod ern brides, consulted for the greater part of the day, her " Psyche," looked extremely well. Her dress, pure white, including gloves, formed a re markable contrast with the ebon hue of her com plexion. As a matter of course, she had seen too much of society not to blush, therefore, I suppose I must say, she blushed, concluding that she was ; one of those flowers, so beautifully described by Gray that was "born to blush unseen." The bridegroom was indeed a fine looking specimen of his-race, something, I imagined, similar in complexion to fair Portia's suitor '? The shad pw'd livery of the burnish'd, sur ." He, too, was appropriately dressed and presented an appear ance in accordance with his happy feelings. The waiters were arranged in the usual manner, the " candle holders " being near the minister. My friend was standing near enough to 1 the MuA- ing pair to make known to them, by means of a sharp stick, which he held in his hand, when they should answer, Every thing being in 'readiness, I arose with becoming dignity and went through the cere- roony with an accent and modulation, " suiting the action to the words and the words to the ac tion," that would have done credit (how vain) to the Bishop himself. My visible faculties were only once excited during th marriage. When Bob was asked whether he would tak? Nancy for his wedded wife, dec., he answered, reminded by a vigorous poke from my friend, very emphati cally, - yes sir, Master." When they were pro nounced " man and wife," I gave the direction "to salute the bride," a scene ensued utterly in discribable, only the noise which arose was more like the distant roar of the discharged musket of an undrilled company of artillery, than, any thing that I can ! now think of. It is needless to say that the salutation was not confined to the bride and groom. When order was restored the dancing began, which my sicred office debarred, roe from wit nessing, bnt I was invited by the bride to take a peep at the supper, which was indeed a fine re pass After this I left, having received the thanks of the happy couple and the promise that the first boy should be named after me. Before we retired for the night, one of the bride's ' maids presented, in the name of the bride, to my friend and myself, some very nice cake, accompanied with the hope that we would have pleasant dreams of our . "V e placed the cake under our pillows, with some names, pretty ones too, but we thought a change would improve them, (excuse" me for not saying who,) and we did have pleasant dreams. My friend insists that his shall not be toldrb-! dreamed 1 forget whether I was asleep or not) of a mar riage at which I played a more "important part than parson, but it was only a dream, which will cause me ever to remember the marriage "On the Banks of the Tab." - "COUSIN JOE." THE TURNPIKE-BOY AND THE BANKER It was during a panic, some years since, that j a gentleman, whom we shall now call Mr. Thompson, w:as seated,- with something of a melancholy look in his dreary back room, watch ing his clerks paving away thousands of pounds hourly. Thompson was a banker of excellent credit ; there existed perhaps in the city of London no safer concern than -that of Messrs. Thompson fc Co., but at a moment such as I 6peak of, no rational reflection was admitted, ho former stability was looked to ; a general distrust was felt, and every one rushed to his banker's to withdraw his hoard, fearful that the next instant would be too late, forgetting entire ly that this step was, of all others, the most likely to insure the rain he sought to avoid. But to return.' The wealthy citizen sat gloomily, watching the outpouring of his gold, and with a grim smile listening to the clamor ous demands on his cashier ; for, although he felt perfectly easy and secure as to the ultimate strength of his resources, yet he could not re- i press a feeling -of bitterness as he saw con- j stituent after constituent rush in, and those whom j he always fondly imagined to be his dearest freinds, eagerly assisting in the run upon his strong box. Presently the door was opened, a stranger was ushered in, who, after gazing for a moment ' - ' j and abruptly addressed hiin. - r 1 You will pardon me, sir, for asking rather a strange question ; but I am a plain man, and like to come straight to the point." " Well, sir 1" impatiently interrupted the other. i -"I have heard that you have a run on your bank, sir." "Well!" " Is it true 2" " Really, sir, I must decline replying to your very extraordinary query. If, however, you have any money in the bank, you had better at once draw it out, and so satisfy yourself ; our cashier will instantly pay you ;" and the banker rose, as a hint for the stranger to withdraw. "Far from it, sir ; I have not a sixpence in your hands. " Then may I ask you what is your business here ?" " I wish to know if a small sum would aid you at this moment ?'' " Why do you ask that question ?" " Because, if it would, I should gladly pay in a small deposit." The money dealer started. " You seem surprised ; you don't know my person or-4ny motive. I II at once explain. Do you recollect some twenty years ago, when you resided in Essex !" "Perfectly." " Well then, sir, perhaps you have not for gotten the turnpike gate through which you passed daily ? My father kept that gate, and was very often honored with a few minutes, chat with you. One Christmas mornino', my father was sick, and I attended the toll bar. On that day you passed through, and I opened the gate. Do you recollect it, sir ?" " No, sir, few such men remember their kind deeds, hut those benefitted by them seldom for get them. ' I am perhaps prolix ; listen however, for a few moments, and I have done." j The banker, who began to feel interested, at j once assented. . " Well, sir as I said before, I threw open the gate for you, and as I considered myself in duty bound, I wished you a happy Christmas. Thank you my lad,' replied you ; " thank you, and the same to you ; here is a trifle to make it so ;' and you threw me a seven shilling piece. It was the first money I ever possessed, and I never shall forget my joy on receiving it, or your kind smile when bestowing it. I long treasured it, and as I grew up added a little to it, till I was able to rent a toll myself. You soon after left that part of the country, and I lost sight of you. Yearly however, I have been gaining on ; your present brought a goood fortune with it ; I am now comparativelyj rich and to you I consider I owe all. So this morniner, hearinsr accidental- ly that three was run on your bank, I collect ed alLniy capital and have brought it to lodge with you in case it can be of any use ; here it is, sir here it is ;" and he handed a bundle of bank notes to the agitated Thompson. " In a few days I'll call again ;" and snatching up his hat, the stranger, throwing down his card, im mediately walked out of the. room. Thompson opened the roll; it contained 30, 000 ! The stern-hearted banker for all bankers must be stern burst into tears. The firm did not require this prop ; but the motive was so noble, that even a millionaire sobbed he could not help it. The firm is still one of the first in the city, of London. The 30,000 of the turnpike-boy is now grown into some 200,000. Fortune has well disposed of her gifts. Characteristic. The London correspondent of the Boston Post has the following real good one ; t Whatever may be said of other of our foreign embassiesand I know of nothing disparaging to their position it is certain that we ware never better Jin every best sense of the word) represented in the, chief, secretary and attache, at the court of St James, than the present time. To say nothing of thedignified and independant course of Mr. Buchanan, wh ich inspires univer sal respectnor of the regrets expressed at the temporary absence of Colonel Lawrence from a position which ..'he, always fills ,with great ae: ceptance to all Americans abroad, Mr. Sickles, the secretary of the embassy, is achieving for himself a reputation ,not only as a man of rare ability and fine acquirements, but as a thorough genteman, highly honorable to himself aud his country, An anecdote is told of him in the upper circles : willi a good deal of gusto. He was standing in a public saloon with a lighted cigar in his hand, when two Englishmen passed by him smoking. Addressing one of them, he courteously asked for a light. " Yonder is a light," replied the person addressed, pointing to a burning lamp "Yes," was the reply of Mr. Sickles, 1 see yonder is a light, and I thought here was a gentleman John Bull like, the insult was pocketed without a remark. YOTJ WILL BE WANTED. Take courage, my lad. What if you are but an humble,-obscure apprentice a poor, neglect ed orphan a scoff and a bye-word to the thoughtless and gay, who despise virtue in rags, because of its falters. Have you a viruous aim a pure desire, and an honest heart ? Depend upon it, one of these days, you will be wanted, j The time may be long deferred. You may grow to manhood, And you may even reach your prime, ere the call is made, but virtuous aims, pure.desires, and honest hearts are too few and sacred not to be appreciated not to be wanted. Your virtues shall not always wrap you about as with a mantle obscurity shall not always veil you from the multitude. V Be chivalric in your combat with circumstances. Be ever active, .however small may be your sphere of action. It will surely enlarge with every movement, and your influence will have coi tinual increment. " In the world's broad field of battle, In the bivouac of life, Be not like dumb driven cattle, Be a hero in the strife." Work onv for surely you will be wanted, and then comes your reward. Lean upon, the sacred verity, " I have never seen the righteous for saken or his seed begging bread." Never des pair for the lives of good men abundantly testify that often when clouds are blackest, and the tempest is fiercest, and hope is faintest, a ' still small voice " will be heard, saying, " Come hither, you are wanted," and all your powers will find ample employment. ; Therefore, take heart, young man, tor ere long you will be , , 0 , , J7 ' wanted. bchool Visitor. The 'Umbrela Bird. The next morning my hunter arrived, and immediately went out in his canoe among the islands, where the um brella birds are found. In the evening after dark he returned, bringing one fine specimen. This singular bird is about the size of a raven, and is of a similar color, but its feathers have a more scaly appearance, from being margined with a different shade of glossy blue. It is also allied to the crow in its structure, being very similar to it in his feet and bill. On its head it bears a crest, different from that of any other bird. It is loimed of feathers more than two inches long, very thick set, and with hairy plumes curving over the end. These can be laid back so as to be hardly visi ble, or can be erected and spread out on every side, forming a hemi-spherical, or rather a hemi- clliposidal dome,, completely coveting the head, and even reaching beyond the point of the beak ; the individual feathers then stand out something like the down-bearing seeds of the dandelion. Besides this, there is another ornamental ap pendage on the breast, formed by a fleshy tu bercle, as thick as h quill and an inch and a half long, which hangs down from the neck, and is thickly covered with glossy feathers, forming a large pendant plume or tassel. This also the bird can either press to its breast so as almost to conceal the forepart of its body. ; In the female the crest and the neck plume are less developed, and she is altogether a smaller and much less handsome bird. It in habits the flooded islands of the Rio Negro' and the Solimoes, never appearing on the main-land. It feeds on fruits, and utters a loud, hoarse cry, like some deep musical instrument, whence its Indian name Ueramimbe, " trumpet bird." The whole of the neck, where the plume of feathers springs from, is covered internally ; with a thick coat of hard, muscular fat, very difficult to be cleaned away whi h, in preparing the skins, must be done, as it would putrefy, and cause the feathers to drop off. The Amazon and the Rio Negro. . METROPOLITAN C0ERESP0RDENCE. LETTER JtXXV. New York, Feb. 18, 1854. The Weather New York in a fog The Metropol itan Street-Sweeper buried in Effigy A Total Matter Poultry and Puppies Shanghais and Swans Crowing and Quackery A Chro nologicat Notability A. New Grand Musical Hall The Opera House Music in ihe Metro polis The Opera at Church Musical Purvey ors The Illustrated Pecord of the Crystal Pa lace Chaucer's Prophecy Realized The Calo ric Ship again.. My Dear Post : It is quite impossible to avoid beginning this letter with an allusion to the weather of the week just ended it has been so notably bad I Monday, Tuesday, Wednes day, Thursday rain and mist and snow above, and mud and slush below. Hood's description of a London November which if I recollect aright I quoted from in its season- was realized here to the very letter ! The man with eyes and the man with no eyes, were-exactly upon a par, as to " the other side of the way " for it was generally invisible to both j and had the limits of vision been the boundary lines of the city, New York would have had no metropoli tan extent to boast of! Through the smoking, reeking streets, ever coming out of and ever going into a misty obscure, there poured, as usual, a tide of human beings, all of them look ing intensely damp and uncomfortable. The shop windows streamed with condensed fog through which the gas lights struggled in vain to glow brightly. At night the illuminated dial of the great clock on the City Hall gleamed with a feeble and ghostly pallor; : and the senti nel gas-lamps along the streets looked like rows of faint halos around invisible beads. Yesterday the sky cleared, and frost succeed ing to the thaw, the slush became ice upon the by-ways of the city. Fortunately the pavements had been cleaned off the day before. But the streets alas ! in what language shall I describe them ! Thev were intolerable and I might al most say they are still so. At this juncture too, Mr. Arculanus, the metropolitan street-sweep er has resigned his office prospectively it is true, but then nobody is green enough to ima- I gine that he will do any thing at all towards the purification of the city in the six weeks which intervene his proposed and actual retirement. I have before time introduced this gentleman to your readers, but before he sinks into the deep mud of our streets no Dardon me I meant into the oblivion of private life, I must say some thing more concerning him. He is probably the most unpopular, and certainly ought to be the most unhappy man in New York at this time. His resignation was unanimously ac cepted by the Aldermen, and unanimously ap proved by the people. The next day he was buried in effigy, in the mud of our streets. Hat and boots and broom sticking out of a mud heap were his fitting apotheosis! Notwithstanding the weather of the week has been so notoriously foul we have Ijad some thing foider still to occupy our attention. I al lude of course, to the grat National Poultry show at Barnum's Museum. There have been congregated all-imaginable varieties of fowls shanghais, cochin-chinas, bantams, peafowls, ducks, geese, turkeys, swans, pigeons, et id om ne genus, besides rabbits, gazelles and terriers These last named animals would seem to be out of place in a poultry show but we learn that they are of essential service in the fowl-yard, and hence the are included in the great exhibi- j tion. This Convention of 'useful and ornamental' bipeds (barring the terriers, gazelles and rab bits !) has laid a'great obligation upon the news papers of the ci.ty, which have been all the week hatching bad puns and fowl jokes therefrom. The Tribune has crowed amazingly loud, and other papers have generally cackled in concert The front of the Museum has been decorated with fac similes of mammoth shanghais and oth er Asiatic varieties of roosters while inside the great " curiosity shop," there has been a con stant crowd of visitors -inspecting the live speci mens. I certainly never saw such remarkable " chickens " aud as for ducks why quackery has advanced fifty per cent, since they appeared amongst us. I could readily fill my sheet with amusing incidents of this interesting exhibition, but perhaps some of your readers might consid er such cacMing quite repre-Acn-sible and there fore I will content ymyself by observing that it must be Regarded by all as oner of the most v?7-straordinary events in modern cro'-nology. The recent destruction by tire of the Lafaige Hotel was regrttted chiefly for the loss of our magnificent musical hall which was compre hended in that edifice. It is now announced, and I believe there is no doubt of the truth of the statement that the spacious property of the National Academy of Design adjoining the ruins of the Lafaige Hotel has been purchased for te erection of another grand Conceit Hall, in which the veiy patent delects of the Metropolitan Saloon will be avoided. The new hall will have besides ti e grand saloon two or three 6ne rooms-of more moderate size available for con certs and led i. res. A company of wealthy and enterprising gentlemen has taken .this matter in hand, and the execution of the design is entrust ed to Mr. Walter Hard ng a gentleman of great energy and admirable tact who will i i.i t . i ' x-r ti .i doubtless maKe tue iew nail tne very ne puis uiira or elegance aim commerce, ine gound lies upon Mercer street like that of the old Metropolitan Hall but has a front of twenty-five feet upon Broadway, serving for a grand 1 1 1 r 1 , fr-,i ornamental entrance passage. The new opera houe, upon Fourteenth Street, has been carried up with great dispatch, and bids fair to be an aihiteetural ornament to that beautiful street. It is not yet positively known whether it is to be opened with Grisi and Mario or not ; though this impression generally pre vails. Music now ranks as the first amusement of the metropolis. Opera and concert rule the day. Even the sanctuary is invaded by the role of Italian music, and the fashionable habitues of Grace Church are frequently regaled by strains from Somnambuia and Norma. I would not have your readers understand me as intimating that operatic airs an common in our churches, for this is n t the case; but they are. heard in that temple of the " upper teu " which I have just namec. While I am discoursing not music but about music I will take the opportunity of V counselling any of your readers who may havef ueed of musical purveyors ire this city to entrust their business to Messrs. William Hall & Son These gentlemen are the largest music publish ers in this country, and they make and import every species of musical instrument in use. Their store, which is situated on Broadway, near the City Hall, is the grand rendezvous of musical celebrities, and, I may say without exaggeration, the great musical centre of the new world. I cannot too highly extol the courtesjyliberality and affability of the Messrs. Hall father and son in all their dealings with their customers I think I mentioned in one of my letters that they had upon exhibition in the Crystal Palace unquestionably the most magnificent piano forte of American manufacture To-day I have seen the last instalment of the Illustrated Record of the New York Crystal Palace, and I should do injustice to the liberal spirit of the publishers of this magnificent work if I failed to bestow upon it at least the lowest mark of favor recognized by the Crystal Palace juries that is an " honorable mention!" It deserves vastly more than this for it is the chief excellence and trophy of the Exhibition. Messrs Putnam & Co. have fulfilled their pledge to the public in the handtomest possible manner. They have spent thousands of dollars in the production of this great work, and now that it is complete, I feel bound to commend it to the favor of the whole American public as a work of great artis tic excellence and of vast and varied interest. It is a folio volume of 200 pages, embellished with 500 original engravings embracing nearly every thing that was rare and beautiful in the Crystal Palace, which in the hey-day of its glory realized the gorgeous and prophetic fancy of Chancer, as recorded in his exquisite M House of Fame" Vr ; But a I slept me xnette I was Within a temple ymade of glas, T - In which there were mo images ' Of gold standing in sundry stages, v -; ' in mo rich tabernacles V-' ' v '-And with perrie mo pinnacles - And mo curious portraitures,; ' ?"r And queint manner of figures Of gold work, than I saw ever." If any of your readers desire to possess an epi tome of the World's Art and Industry, they should procuie the beautiful work which I am now speaking of. The Caloric ship " Ericson " is moving again, and a public trial trip is soon to be made. It is confidently asserted by those who ought to kn .w that the trial will result in the complete triumph of the new motive power. I do not think that I can protract this letter to the edification of your readers, and I will therefore bid them all " good night." COSMOS. THE RALEIGH, MARCH 4, 1854. WILLIAM D. COOKE, EDITOR AND PROPKIETOR. Terms TWO DOLLARS PER ANNUM, in Advance. CLUB PRICES: Three Copies,. $5 full price, $6, Eight Copies......... 12 " 16, Ten Copies 15 " . .20, Twenty Copies....... 20 " ..40. (Payment in all cases in advance.. i&- Where a club of eight, ten or twenty copies is sent, the person making up the club will be entitled to a copy extra i&" Postmasters are authorized to act as Agents tor ihe Southern Weekly rost. Mr. H. P. Doutbit is our authorized agent for the State of Alabama, Mississippi and I ennssee OUR COMMON SCHOOLS. The resolution adopted by the Whig State Convention, recently 'held in this city in favor of Common Schools, must excite in every part of .the State new interest for that important cause. We take it for granted that the Democratic Con vention, which will assemble here in April," will, express itself on the subject in terms equally strong. Both of the great parties have, no doubt, clearly perceived that devotion to this de partment of the public interest is essential to the integrity of any platform that may be erect ed. We hail this evidence of the popularity of Common Schools with profound satisfaction. They are, indeed, the touchstone of parties, by which we may fairly test the genuine democra cy of their faith. It would be useless in any man, or body of men, to boast of fidelity to the true interests of the people, and at the same time be indifferent to the moral and intellectual improvement of their children. The present is an appropriate occasion for presenting the claims of this cause to the most earnest devotion of our public men. Hitherto, our statesmen and legislators have sought to distinguish their public career by an active and zealous advocacy of distant and sometimes obso- lete measures of federal policy, r by skill and tact in manceuvering on the floor of the legisla ture, in behalf of some sectional or neighbor hood scheme of internal improvement. Their ambition seems to have been to identify them selves with measures of inferior and subordinate dignity, whilst few seem to have aspired to that more enduring celebrity which a zeal for h'gher objects can alone secure. Some of our represen tatives have appeared to imagine that political business connected with Washington city is! the great cone rn of a state Legislature, whilst others! have been t-qualy impressed with the delusion that the purpose tor whuh it is elected, is; the construction of the greatest number of rads, with the least possible amount of money,! and we verily believe that many have been ignorant ly honest in these opinions. But the days of these narrow and contracted views of tire duties and responsibilities of statesmanship are happi ly passing away, and with the increase of gener al intelligence, a far more elevated and corhpre hensive view, begins to be entertained. Men are beginning to enquire what constitutes a State, and to believe that moral and intellectual pbwer in the people are quite are essential to its progress and prosperity as the advantages of nature or the achievements of art. We take this ground, both because the peo ple have a right to make ample provision for the education of their children, by the adoption of some cheap and efficient general system, and be cause the State cannot safely and prosperously maintain her position in the sisterhood of States without it. We cannot see how any one who approves of the endow ment of a University and Collfores. ran hpsitnt nlinit tUo 7 v ww l vjl t: 1J l(IU justice of organizing and sustaining a system of schools for the education of the children of the people. The reasons that have led to the estab lishment of the former, would seem to applv with ten-fold force, to the lafer. In a govern ment like ours, itwouM require uncommon har dihood to deny the fostering care of the legisla ture for the education of youth to the great body of our citizens, which is in many cases so libe rally and bountifully bestowed upon the child ren of the wealthy and more infl ueutial classes. Such distinctions can no longer be safelv made in an American commonwealth. All classes are recognized as equally entitled to the benefits of gcod government, and as the protection of law is extended with perfect impartiality over high and low, rich and poor,, it is also understood that an enlightened legislation should be direct, ed without distinction to the benefit of all. But even if there were differences in the.eye of justice, in respect to the claims of different classes of citizens to the benefits of legislation, all such differences ought to .vanish from view when we reflect upon the necessity that exists for the general diffusion of intelligence. If men would only remember that the duration of so ciety, under the circumstances of our country, depends upon the acquaintance of the people with their rights, and with the principles of go vernment that the permanence of liberty, as well as the security of property,,can onlv be'se cured by qualifying each generation of youth for the duties of citizens, there could be no mis giving in regard to the policy of Common Schools, and they would be willing to endure still heavier burthens than, they do for the pur pose of increasing their efficiency. We have now, in North Carolina, a promising system of schools, presided over by a Superin tendent who is warmly devoted tothe'eause and -tvhose. labors in its behalf have bee Hill!,, universally commended and encouraged. X,, that-a generous rivalry seems about to i., up between the two political parties of the St each endeavoring to excel in earnest zeal tUt . advancement of the system, we hope :i,-u . more general interest in its favor will be nianj. feiied throughout the State," and that North rolina may soon become as distinguihei in tjlt union ior iuo iiJLcingvuc ui un j.v vrj.n. us is now for her sound currency and unimpi.aulia. ' . ' t ble credit. , MODERATION- i It was a reniarK oi.jeau i aui, mai it wi the easiest thing in the world to do more ;luu right; the most difficult thing to do right am! no more." ' The sentiment is not precisely con- sonant with our experience, nor we presume wi tthat of, the generality of 'mankind, as all niu have felt, how hard it is to stem the current of our natural propensities. But the remark tin- f bodies and e-vpresses one great tiuth which i; E would be well that men should keep habitual, y in view a truth which every day's observati(.n tends more fully to confirm, viz : that hard as it is to do right, it is stiil harder to avoid pusli insr our conduct into extremes, and committing those extravagances which are unfortunately more agreeable to human nature than rectitude itseu. 10 use a nomeiy ngure, the canoe win fc rock in the most placid stream, if it is not kejt steady by a cool head aud a skilful hand. We have often thought of Chid's beautiful fable of Phaeton, as one of the most instructive m the whole compass of ancient mythology. The f adventurous youth, true to the instincts of lib jl age, aspired to guide alone the chariot; of tlx sun. A more glorious frolic could hardly ex- 1 cite the ambition of a high spirited boy, and the indulgent sire is represened by the poet, with ' true fidelity to the failings of a nature less di vine, as reluctantly yielding to the importunitis , of hi Hnvions fcoii ami riri'imrinrr him for Iik perilous expedition, by timely warning and suit- . able instruction. Among the most emphatic in- junctions dictated by the paternal wisdom an " care, was that conveyed in those familiar words, "medio tutissimus ibis." We think a whole some lesson in politics, morals, and religion, mav L be deduced from this celestial fable, penned as it was by one of the most immoral of the llomau poets. ' f But to return to the sentiment of Jean Pau . ! we suppose very few will dispute the genera; proposition, that it is difficult to stop at preeiseiv the right point when once- a man has aquired th m( msntnm neoessarv to carrv him ur to tin t line of his duty. It is,' however, less obvio , , what is the usual cause of this propensity. r think it may generally be attributed to the' in- t patience produced by the resistance so frequent- i ly encountered in the conflict between theclmra pions of good and evil. Men who have tak. : ; any good object under their especial charge are verv apt to be chafed by the opposition of thuse who from good or bad motives differ from the.ni. Impelled by their anxiety to ove.come such up- position, they are betrayed into a zeal Which is largely made up of egotism and passion. Their views, through frequent repetition and; intent soul. They are a part of the man's beirg, a I second self, whose claims are as imperative as- $ the cravings of nature; No wonder that suih I persons, in their eagerness' to do good in a par- I ticular way, are carried by their impetuosity be- yond the goal of sober usefulness, and plun .ed into the boiling vortex of fanaticism. LOOK TO YOUR GARDENS. If we arvj not si riou.ly mistaken, it is a com- ' mon fault of Southern farmers that they under rate the value of their gardens, and consider the labor bestowed upon them as almost -lost. This is a grave error", which has cost us au incalcula ble amount of money, and interfered with the. general thrift of our agriculture to a greater li tem, perhaps, than any other cause. Ii would be no difficult task, if we were dispose 1 log into a minute calculation, to show that a will cultivated garden, is relatively the most profita ble part of an ordinary plantation. Not to speak of the luxuries it may be'made to furnish, the amount of nutritious food it contributes to the table during the year,, is generally far greater in proportion to the labor expended upoh it than that from any otbei source. It is, moreover, a laboratory of iustructibu, where the man of ob servationmay constantly learn the most usd'u! practical lesions in he art'of husbandry. A good garden is a ruodelof neat, refined, an J pro ductive, culture, and the farmer who acquires ly experience, the tact necessary for successful gardening, can hardly fail of success in the ap plication of his knowledge upon a more extend ed theatre. The season has now arrived when the diligent hand must be employed iu all the various bran ches of cultivation, and the garden e.-peoialW will demand early and punctual attention. This department is often left ' to the management of the mistress of. the ftSnily, and the proprietor seems to consider on r,f r .r. l.n unworthy of his care. Many a conflict ccurs, on account of the supposed conflicting interests of the gar den and the plantation, and the useless labor of at ignorant field hand is occasionally conceded by the sovereign of the soil' in reluctant tkf r ence to his wife's importunities. All this we contend, is miserably bad economy. The gar den should be cultivated, as a primary object, by an, intelligent laborer, and the farmer should re flect that such a hand will produce ten times s much, for equal times, in the garden as in the field. We do not intend to argue the question, but only to suggest that our rural readers sha:l take a little pains to convince themselves. It seems to jus to require but little reflection. ' A little experience will at any rate suffice to establish ihe truth of our proposition. We hope the sug gestion we throw out will prompt some who have hitherto neglected this .department of in dustry to turn their attention that way, and we i, conclude by reminding them that travelers ge nerally compare a well cultivated country to a. garden, which seems to us sufficient' to proe that good gardening ia the recognized standard of successful husbandry. Nkw Post Ojfjce A new Post Office has been established on the Greenville fc Koanoke Railroad three miles from Gaston, called Spring Bill, John Arena, Esq., Poaunebter, j
Southern Weekly Post (Raleigh, N.C.)
Standardized title groups preceding, succeeding, and alternate titles together.
March 4, 1854, edition 1
2
Click "Submit" to request a review of this page. NCDHC staff will check .
0 / 75