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&a8s8BaBgfe a:Bte'EaaaA fea4.a"aa
VOL. I.
GREENSBOROUGII, FRIDAY MORNING, DECEMBER 23, 183G.
NO. 30.
THOUGHT.
All searching, secret, magic rpell,
In dark recetwes hid,
What human visioil e'er did dwell
, Upon thy bidden bed
Or what quirk eye could ever trace,
" 'Mid rrorW thy- pathless, way !
Or mark with wond'rous ken the place
"Where thy deep wand'rings stray !
What chains can bind ! what prison doors
Impede thy rapid flight 1
The tempest's force that round us roars,
The fleeter wings of light,
E n time's swift -pinions cannot vie,
With thy uncaquall'd Fpced,
Through realms remote, uYf rojknw high.
Through depths of darken'd deed.
But thou immeasurable pow er,
Unfctter'd in thy sphere,
When stniggling pangs bespeak the hour
Of dissolution here
When life gives o'er the parting ga?p,
And dust to dust is brought,
When nature yields to death's cold grasp,
Where art thou then ? Oh 2 Thought.
THE TWIN FLOWEHS.
Will you buy my flowers," said a neat
looking little girl, addressing herself to a
young lady iu Chesnut street, and holding
out at the same time a small basket con
taining some beautiful roses','" they are
new ly blown and fresh ; buy a fed rose for
your "hair, miss ; here's one that will look
delightful twined among those pretty locks."
" Not a rose my child," said the young la
dy, " tllero are thorns among theni but
I'll take this little flower, it looks so lively
and sweet ; oh its a Forget me not !"
Pardon me miss," reptiod the child,
' That flower is engaged." " To whom ?"
"To master, Charles Iceland." 'Charles
Leland, indeed," said the lady Well
but here's another, what a beautiful pair !"
V They are Twn flowers, they are both for
a fig for htm," said the young lady, but an
arch smile played upon her check as; she
paid it, and something sparkled in her beau
tiful dark eye that told a tale her lips re
fused to utter, while she ingeniously mark
ed both the favorite flowers, and returned
theni to the basket ; then choosing a httlo
bunch of roses, she walked honie, leaving
the flower girt to visit the rest of her cus
tomers. Love is impatient; and Harriet counted
tedimis rmnntes as she sat at ar win
dow and listened for the well known
The clock struck nine, and yet Leland did I gazed in astonishment ; it was Leland
not appear; she thought he had been go-1 himself, and he recognized Harriet, though
gloctful of late ; but then the flowers ; lie almost half a century had passed since they
knew they were favorites of hers, and she j ,a, niCt, and before they parted the mis
thought to receive them from his hand, and ( c)iir made by the twin flowers was all
to hear him say, "Harriet, forget me not," Cnlairied away, and mi "lit have been 40
would be a sweet atonement for many lit
tle offences past. But once the thought
stole to her bosom : perhaps they were des
tined for another ! She banished it with a
sigh, and it had hardly escaped her ere
Charles Iceland entered. She rose to re
ceive him, and he- gently took- her hand !
" Acecpt " said he, "my humble offering
and forget me " Harriet interrupted him
. jas he attempted to place a single flower in
4fter bosom "where is- the- ther," said
.' "she as she playfully put back his hand. A
moment's silence ensued ; Charles appeared
embarrassed, and Harriet, recollecting her
self blushed deeply and turned it off; but
. the flower was not offered again and Charles
had onlr said forget me !
'I'hia rnnld not Have been an no lnrcnn
cd to My,.butxruitual.XcJcl'verc
remainder of the evenmg eomv mriHa"H
' iaitpid ; arid when Leland: took hirienve,
Harriet felt more than ever dissatisfied.
As it was not yet late in the evening she
;,resQlved:4o dissipate the melancholy that
this little interview, in spite of all her ef
forts to laugh at it, left on her mind, by
spending a few minutes at a neighbour's,
w here three daughters were her most inti
mate companions.
Tlic youngest of these ladies was a gay
arid interesting girl ; and was the first to
meet and welcome her young friend, but
us she held out her hand Harriet discover
ed a little flower in it ; it was a forget
me, not," she examined it it was one of
Leland's. The mark she had made upon
It when she took it from the basket of the
flower girl was there. This was at the
moment an unfortunate discovery. ,. She
had heard that Charles frequently visited
this family, and that he even paid atten
tion to Jane, but she had never before be
lieved it; and now she shuddered at the
idea of admitting that for once rumour told
truth. "Where did you get this pretty
flower Jane," said she. "Oh a beau, to
be sure," said Jane, archly ; " dont you
a Forget mo not
and as she took !
back the flower, " I should not like to tell
you where I got it ; I'll wear it in my bo
som though come sing ;
" I'll dearly love this pretty flower,
For his own sake who bid me keep it
. I'll wear it in my bosom's
"Hush Jane," said Harriet, interrupting
her, " my head aches, and yoursinging dis
tracts inc." " Ah ! it's your heart," said
Jane, " or you would not look so dull."
" Well, if it is my heart," said Harriet, as
she turned to conceal her tears, " it cfaaj
not become a friend to trille with it," She
intended to coivey a double meaning in
the reply, but it was not taken, and as soon
as possible she returned home.
A sleepless night followed ; llar.net felt
that she was injured ; and the more she
thought about it the more she felt. She
had engaged her hand to Inland six months
before ; the tunc appointed for their union
was approaching fast, and he ncted thus.
" If he wants to be free from his engage
ment," said she to herselfi" I will give
him no trouble ;" and die W down and
wrote, requesting him to discontinue his
visits. She wept over it a flood of tears ;
but she was resolute until she had dispatch
ed the note to his residence. Then she
repented of it, and then again reasoned
herself into the belief that she had acted
right. She waited for the result, not with
out many anxiously cherished hopes that
he would call for an explanation. But she
only learned that the note was delivered
into his hands; and about a mqjuth after
wards he sailed for England.
This was an end to the matter,1 Charles
went into business in Liverpool, hot never
married; and Harriet remained single, tie
voted her life to the rare of her aged moth
er, and the distressed around her.
About 40 ycJirs after Iceland left rilila--,
delphia, Harriet paid a visit to New York,
id dining in a large company one day, an
old gentleman, who it seemed was a bach
elor, being called upon to defend the fra
terM the as-
pe r sions of fom '"oT 'tlic cpnf-lblifTf.''
story abiHtt I'hiladetpliiav aud a corrrtyhip j
and an ngag nicnt, which he alleged was
broken oil" bv his capricious mistres.", for,
no other reason than his offering her a
; swret new blown forget mo not. six weeks
before she was to have been his wile.
"But was there no other cause," asked
Harriet, who sat nearly opporto the ?tritn
ger,and eyed him with intense curiosity
" xVono to my knowledge, as heaven is my
other flower !" said Harriet; the stranger
..ii - ' '
vcars before, had diaries said he bad lost
one of the forget me not's, or had Jane
said she had found it. The couple never
married ; but they corresponded constant
ly afterwards, and I always tho'l Harriet
looked happier aftor this meeting than she
ever looked before.
Now I have only to say at (he conclusion
of my story, to my juvenile reader; never
let an attachment be abruptly broken oil';
let an interview and a -candid explanation.
spcedilv follow every misunderstanding.
For the tenderest and most valuable afl'ec
tjons, when won will bo the easiest wounded-;
and believe me, there is much truth
in Tom Moore's sentiment :
" A POmething light as air-i-a hxik,
A word unkind or wrongly taken
loMj'that tuiiipestTtevef-wht
-A bceatli a. touch like. thi&Ma. shaken
"INFLUENCE QE I JTfiRATURE ON NA
TlONAL HAPPINESS."
It has been tho fate of the last century to
notirish and bring to maturi ty, among" some
of the polished nations of Europe, strange
principles of human conduct, and ideal no
tions of moral perfectibility. The" perusal
of some, and indeed many of the most gift
ed productions included in the last age,
leads to detect the germ and bud of infidel
sentiments, engrafted even upon their very
excellencies. It was indeed an age of
scepticism! when those lessons of virtuous
truth, which had entwined themselves a
round the most sacred feelings of the heart,
were stifled by the then very prevalent sen
timents generated by human weakness.
The events that transpired too, exhibit to
the enlightened philologist, in what mazes
of error man will insensibly bury himself,
when his nature is wrought up and kindled
by the intensity of passion.
The experiment of inquiry into the sourc
es of that thirst for infidelity, which was
licensed for a season to scourge, and, as
we trust, to reform the nations of Europe,
would be beneficial, but, perhaps, impossi
blc. The important question why, after
the intellectual and moral powers of that
faroured continent had witnessed suchpver
whelming impulses to improvement as sue
ccssivoly mark the sixteenth and seven
teenth centuries, theiiuman mind aposta-l
iisca irom mat uisunguusucu eminence 10
which it had been so honourably, elevated
by the aid of splendid discovery, remains
yet unanswered.
It seems to have been the gradual work
of a protracted succes.-ion of years, and
might probably have been rj-PTing at tlic
distant period of the reformation
Patronised and accelerated by some of
the most celebrated French and English
talents reiterated by the trumpet of pub
lic opinion, this storm of human pride ami
scepticism stood suspended for a while in
! tlte horizon- of the Ivuropeaa .sky-;--and
while the Statesman was gazing with anx
ious astonishment, it uklenly burst, and
levelled into one mighty - rubbish of des
truction, the ancient and venerable throne
of the ik)urbons. .Nor was the issue sus
pended here it ceased not till it had batter
ed the bulwark of our hopes had washed
away in its swelling fiond those nol)!fi bea-
com oi numan security, the
re.-trainta of
moral and religious 'liutli.
The period of the French revolution ex
hibits to our mind:; the first strange exam
ple, (and would to .God it wt-re the la.stl
of the concentrated energies of a splendid
empire, roused into actio:!, and plunged in
j to anarchy liy t!ie sole influence of corrupt
led trneli. ..It seems to. Jiac been a con-
i;est ot scepticism and corruption, over
v irti:u anJ religion. Jietcnded too as these
s Dt i merits Averc, by some of the leading
spirits of the age, tiiy could not but tor
i no moment iiouiiyi): es, ami me mauei
essays of an eminent English historian will
be propelled by tho same breeze and waft
ed by the pamo current, which secure to
the most distant generations, his excellent
and inspired history; A most noted French
dramatic witer, has so interwoven hia xo
to wprincittlerwit h vMAKwt
tlMrt no -wrtliaary 1 h.'rmfRvtifn w 111- sepa. J
rate thermnptMind. W,vu sentiments in the
hands and under (be patronage of eoinij.and-
j liig talents uiciii.'d !n ! Mcr.)".-; ii' tiv-
it-y, :U:d mi used into the tJiousJiiul eliamn
whieh roiiiiiiiinieiite wuli puid'c opm;.
mv so dist-Hsc fi H 'lionV mnv rs'jonrce
ii.
is
that t!i re.iir,iin,if i:iH.uLc. c;l an ai.e.. u.i.ll Ik
insutlicicnt for the u dist'oriremeiit. Chang-
es may be brought to act uno'a their more
collected and orgunis' lor ineir pro.aia.
tion laudable exertion.-, may be rua.(!c to
recall this corrupt naJiwna! ta-le. but when
tliev arc infused into the body of a nation's
Literature, they will not ccac to art and
renr-t until the reaction has spent itstdf,
and their own burdensome weight crushes
the fabric.
Hence Literature, which is nothing but
the embodied feelings of the age, can never
be .o dangerous to national happiness, as
when united as it frequently-is with a taste
perverted by infidelity and scepticism.
Under this transformation, Literature,
whose one great object, should be to link
together the happy.inter' sts of the human
kind, is a death-angel the strength of t!i
lion and tho rancorous uiliguity of thu vi
per, are united and iiidentitied.
Cicnius cannot make up for the want of
chastity of sentiment, ani! vvc can easily fan
cy the period when by some mysterious
perversion, the eye of the public i vitiated.,
and .will not. be gratified but by s.ome direct
or indirect caricatures n moral and rclt
however, for the
moral interests of "society, such periods of
epidemic depravation-re Kw-ind . far be
tween ; and we confidently hope, 'that whi le
a good Literary taste shall find supporters
and admirers, this and every other enlight
ened nation will be the -watchful guardiati-s
of its welfare.
The question has been frequently put,
and perhaps as many times answered, What
are the prospects of this nation in regard to
its future Literary, .and consequently, its
moral and intellectual situation ? In a gov
ernment framed and supported as this is,
embracing within its pale, such a variety
of complicated interests of local, and per
haps incurable prejudices, many conject
ures which may now appear rational, will
perhaps never be realised.
The political regeneration of this repub
lic, is a great and doubtful experiment,
and whether it will be brought out with
complete and happy success, our posterity
must witness, and decide. It is to our na
tional dignity, however, that our Literature
has not been retrograde or stationary since
the declaration of 1775.
-E.ven now, were Franklin permitted to
visit bis-country, and was made acquainted
with the advanced improvements of this
day, he would not pronounce us the same
nation with that which he but a half centu
ry ago contributed so much to emancipate.
The moulding of our future aggrandize
ment or ruin, depends much, if not alto
gether upon the good or bad influence of
our Literature. 'Its importanco in raising
us to an elevated advancement, and that
score of influence which if cannot fail ex
erting on our daily unfolding destinies, can
not he snhine.trd to a enmnutatinn.
It is a power which nothing but great ta-
lents can wield and regulate, wnicn u viu-
ated nothing but great and well disposed
tajents can restore. ;
Wafting in its channel the united nation
al opinion, disposing as it does of every
thing which is destined to be of any advan
tage or detriment to our hopeful prospects,
jit must be watched and -protected. If it
be left to itself and there 13 no healthy
counteraction when demanded, it may con
nect itself with a bad moral taste ; and our
boasted public opinion, upon which now so
eal'ely. rests the superstructure of republic
anism with a hundred heads and a thousand
hands will violently lay hold of the pillows
j of this government, and rend theni piece-
j meal ; and the miserable poiiev 61 our states
men will be,
"To push eternity from human thought,
And smother souls imuiori-il m tr l'i-t."
But thanks to Heaven ! there is a reme
dy, for the application of which the high
talents of this nation and the well-wishes
of its prosperity, must not fail to contribute
their influence. So long as inridcl senti
ment is shut out from those higher and more
; refined channels of American Literature, it
j grovel and be extinguished in humble
obscurity. But let it once be the watch
. won o 1 1 natinn.n coimei s n.i he mos
influential ranks of society be not impervi
ous to its advancement, and thi-j now thriv
inK. and. happy land, will be but one extend
ed wild of solitary desolation, and the then
necessarily disorganized government wi
be like a floating island, which has been
thrown into UottCc bYhisttrljqkern
i rocked at -the--mercy- of the merciless bil
lows. Buf present appearances justify no
such suspicions; and should the period ever
arrive when the resources of these Lnited
' ! StaU
halt be thrown bac k into the scale
el degradation in which C recce for ccntu
lies has. been; when the cultivation of our
national resources ; may have passed into
other hands and another government shall
here give laws to- another peopte our only
iioix that some future generation mav re
cruize and claim this as classical ground,
wit Ii the same delightful enthusiasm with
which we now lay claims to Greece.
CONSIDER TUK KMX
1 he shape and character which our lives
assume, are so uniformly the result of our
actions, that if it were possible to foresee
the course of conduct which a young man,
setlinc out in life, would pursue, there
would be no difficulty in foretelling, with
great precision, the result. So invariably
do we shape our destinies, and so uniform
ly and universally do causes and effects
travi 1 with each other. Hence the often
repeated Maxim, 'A man may be what he
will be,'
It is tho want of due consideration, not
the want of good sense, thatruins thousands :
the neglect to exercise the thinking and
reasoning powers which they have, rather
than any natural .dc.ficiency of - intellect,
which makes so many shipwrecks along the
vnyasreof life... It is, that .men in.multi.
tudes yield to tejrnrdations, and indulge in
habits and lend themselves to ipracftccs"of
which fliev do "riot consider the end.
Have you a reader just setting but in the
habit of Oamblixg? If this should meet
the eye of such an one, let mc ask have you
considered the endULIajre, jou deliberately
considered it T Have you ever run your eye
back over the race of gamblers that have
gone before you counted how many be
came beggars how many hopeless drunk
ards how all became knaves how all
lived without character all died without
hope some convicts others maniacs, and
many suicides! Have you considered how
certainly these are the ends of the paths
in which you are entering? If any voice
says there is no harm in it, it is the voice
of your evil genius; consider the end.
Another common vice upon which the
young by thousands, heedlessly enter, is
i.vtemperaXce, in some or all of its various
forms. It is a vioc which comes in a thous
and shapes; intemperate eating, drinking,
chewing, smoking, and snufling. I will
not and cannot enumerate them all. But
in every case the great mistake is made in
the beginning: and the warning is bv all
the evils which every where you witness,
springing from these sourscs by all tuc j
wretchedness of drunkenness by all tho
miseries of disease, and poverty, and ruin
do not enter upon any of these habits, un
til you well and deliberately consider tho
end.
.-s Again in Jhf ordinary business of life,
there are constantly presented a thousand
temptations and opportunities for the prac
tice of DrsirowEsnr pin other words, of -taking
advantage of others. I have moro
particular allusions to that class of little
frauds . which the law does not reach, and
w hich, in society arc not considered dis
reputable, pass off rather with censure.-
This you may with implicit confidence rely
upon mat every departure trom the most
rigid rules of honesty in your dealing will
be sure to harm 'you in the end. Gains
unfairly acquired are - like self-righteousness
the more a man gets the worse bo is
off. Besides the frittering of publicconfi
dence, the wear and tear of conscience and
the loss of conscious integrity, there ia&
curse that forever follows them. Before
you allow yourself to enter upon such a
course, consider the end.
'The indulgence of a Passionate Tex-r-EK,
is perhaps, one of tho most unhappy
of human vices; because there are but few
others which so perpetually prey upon the
peacfi and serenity of the mind. This strong,
sturdy enemy to human enjoyment, in tho
vast majority of cases, is left to grow with
our growth and strengthen withour strength,
until its ascendancy is complete. It pro
gresses in its dominion step by step eve.
ry indulgence adds to. its power, and every
acquisition of power increases its thirst
for indulgence. Yet it can be controlled
and brought into perfect subjection. Ho
who is not master of himself, no matter
what else he is master of, is a slave and
whatever cllbrts can be induced by the con
sideration of liberty, peace, happiness, and
a comparative exemption from a thousand
dangers to which passion exposes us in life,
should be made to guard ,ourselves in this
particular. Never indulge. in passion un
Consider .well the end in every thing
you do- the end ! not the immediate re
sults tho momentary gratification the ap
parent gain or advantage for the time' but
the end of all your course of conduct.-
Look into the future until you clearly see
it. and not imagine the consequences aro
to terminate in an hour, a day, a week, a
month, a year, or even an -age. The end
the'-etui, is far beyond in eternity. -Few
indeed
which meet with" no''rctrmulion'1iie?euT
fering comes w ith every vice as its insep
arable companion. But the end, I repeat,
is not now and it is the end I pray you
consider. Trenton Emvorium.
GREAT WALL OF CHINA.
Tins stupendous wall, which extends a.
cross the northern boundary of the Chineso
Empire, is deservedly ranked among tho
grandest labours of art. It is conducted
over the summits of high mountains, sev
eral of w hich have an" elevation of not less
than 5225 feet, (nearly a mile) across deep
vallies and over wide rivers, .by means of
arches: in many parts it is doubled or treb
led, to command important passes ; and at
the distance of nearly every hundred yards
is a tower or massive bastion. Its extent
is computed at 1500 miles; but in soino
parts, where less danger is apprehended,
it is not equally strong-or complete, and to
wards the N. W. consists merely of i strong
rampart of earth. Near Koopckoo it is ,
twenty-five feet m height; and the top about
fifteen feet thick : some of the towers,
wIiicITbW
and about foxty jfet m
employed in the-foundations, anglcs1 &o,
is a strong grey granite; but the materials
for the greater part consists of bluish bricks,
and . the morter is remarkably pure, and
wuiie. i . . ,
The area of the constitution of this great
barrier, which has been and will continue
to be the wonder and admiration of ages, is
considered by Sir George Staunton'as hav.
ing been absolutely ascertained; and he as
serts that it has existed for two thousand
years. In this assertion be appears to have
followed Du Halde, who. informs us that
" this prodigious work was constructed two
hundred and fifteen years before the birth
of Christ, by order of the first Emperor of
the family of Tsin, to protect three large
provinces from the irruptions of the Tar
tars." However, in the History of China,
contained in his first volume, he ascribes
this erection to the second Errrperor of the
dynasty of Tsin, named Chi Hoang Ti ;
and the date immediately preceding the nar
rative of this construction is the year 137
before the-birth of Christ. Hence suspi.
cions may arise, not only concerning the
epoch wneq thjs work was undertaken, but
XT
.... .r