,,the ,,atlantic ,,monthly4  ,a         
,,magazine ,,of ,,literature1 ,,art1    
,,and ,,politics4  ,,vol4               
,,iv4--,,august1 #ahei4--,,no4 ,,xxii4  
,,the ,,dramatic ,,element ,,in ,,the   
,,bible4   ,we say dramatic element in  
the ,bible1 not dramatic element of the 
,bible1 since that of which we speak is 
not essential1 but incidental2 it is an 
aspect of the form of the book1 not an  
attribute of its inspiration4  ,by the  
use of the term dramatic in this        
connection1 let us1 in the outset1 be   
understood to have no reference whatever
 to the theatre and stage-effect1 or to 
the sundry devices whereby the playhouse
 is made at once popular and            
intolerable4 ,nor shall we anticipate   
any charge of irreverence2 since we     
claim the opportunity and indulge only  
the license of the painter1 who1 in the 
treatment of ,scriptural themes1 seeks  
both to embellish the sacred page and to
 honor his art1--and of the sculptor1   
and the poet1 likewise1 each of whom1   

ranging divine ground1 remarks upon the 
objects there presented according to the
 law of his profession4 ,as the         
picturesque1 the statuesque1 the        
poetical in the ,bible are legitimate   
studies1 so also the dramatic4  ,but in 
the premises1 is not the term dramatic  
interdicted1--since it is that which is 
not the ,bible1 but which is foreign to 
the ,bible1 and even directly           
contradistinguished therefrom8 ,the     
drama is representation1--the ,bible is 
fact2 the drama is imitation1--the      
,bible narrative2 the one is an         
embodiment1--the other a substance2 the 
one transcribes the actual by the       
personal1--the other is a return to the 
simplest originality2 the one exalts its
 subjects by poetic freedom1--the other 
adheres to prosaic plainness4  ,yet are 
there not points in which they meet1 or 
in which1 for the purposes of this      
essay1 they may be considered as coming 
together1--that is1 admitting of an     
artistical juxtaposition8  ,in the first

 place1 to take ,shakspeare for a type  
of the drama1 what1 we ask1 is the      
distinguishing merit of this great      
writer8 ,it is his fidelity to ,nature4 
,is not the ,bible also equally true to 
,nature8 ,it is the praise of           
,shakspeare1 says ,dr4 ,johnson1 that   
his plays are the mirror of life4 ,was  
there ever a more consummate mirror of  
life than the ,bible affords8           
,shakspeare copied the manners of the   
world then passing before him1 and has  
more allusions than other poets to the  
traditions and superstitions of the     
vulgar4 ,the ,bible1 perhaps1 excels all
 other books in this sort of            
description4 ,shakspeare was an exact   
surveyor of the inanimate world4 ,the   
,bible is full of similar sketches4 ,an 
excellence of ,shakspeare is the        
individuality of his characters4 ,they  
are real beings of flesh and blood1 the 
critics tell us2 they speak like men1   
not like authors4 ,how truly this       
applies to the persons mentioned in     

sacred writ6 ,goethe has compared the   
characters of ,shakspeare to watches    
with crystalline cases and plates1      
which1 while they point out with perfect
 accuracy the course of the hours and   
minutes1 at the same time disclose the  
whole combination of springs and wheels 
whereby they are moved4 ,a similar      
transparency of motive and purpose1 of  
individual traits and spontaneous       
action1 belongs to the ,bible4 ,from the
 hand of ,shakspeare1 the lord and the  
tinker1 the hero and the valet1 come    
forth equally distinct and clear4 ,in   
the ,bible the various sorts of men are 
never confounded1 but have the advantage
 of being exhibited by ,nature herself1 
and are not a contrivance of the        
imagination4 ,shylock1 observes a recent
 critic1 seems so much a man of         
,nature's making1 that we can scarce    
accord to ,shakspeare the merit of      
creating him4 ,what will you say of     
,balak1 ,nabal1 ,jeroboam8 ,macbeth is  
rather guilty of tempting the ,weird    

,sisters than of being tempted by them1 
and is surprised and horrified at his   
own hell-begotten conception4 ,saul is  
guilty of tampering with the ,witch of  
,endor1 and is alarmed at the ,ghost of 
,samuel1 whose words distinctly embody  
and vibrate the fears of his own heart1 
and he falls straightway all along on   
the earth4 ,the exquisite refinement of 
,viola triumphs over her masculine      
attire4 ,the exquisite refinement of    
,ruth triumphs in the midst of men4  ,we
 see there are points in which dramatic 
representation and ,scriptural          
delineation mutually touch4  ,a         
distinguished divine of ,connecticut    
said he wanted but two books in his     
library1 the ,bible and                 
,shakspeare1--the one for religion1 the 
other to be his instructor in human     
nature4 ,in the same spirit1 ,st4       
,chrysostom kept a copy of ,aristophanes
 under his pillow1 that he might read it
 at night before he slept and in the    
morning when he waked4 ,the strong and  

sprightly eloquence of this father1 if  
we may trust tradition1 drew its support
 from the vigorous and masculine        
,atticism of the old comedian4  ,but    
human nature1 in every stage of its     
development and every variety of its    
operation1 is as distinctly pronounced  
on the pages of ,scripture as in the    
scenes of the dramatist4 ,of            
,shakespeare it is said1 ,he turned the 
globe round for his amusement1 and      
surveyed the generations of men1 and the
 individuals as they passed1 with their 
different concerns1 passions1 follies1  
vices1 virtues1 actions1 and motives4   
,he has been called the thousand-minded1
 the oceanic soul4 ,the ,bible creates  
the world and peoples it1 and gives us a
 profound and universal insight into all
 its concerns4  ,another peculiarity of 
,shakspeare is his self-forgetfulness4  
,in reading what is written1 you do not 
think of him1 but of his productions4   
,the perfect absence of himself from his
 own pages makes it difficult for us to 

conceive of a human being having written
 them4 ,this remark applies with obvious
 force to the ,bible4 ,the authors of   
the several books do not thrust         
themselves upon your notice1 or         
interfere with your meditations on what 
they have written2 indeed1 to such an   
extent is this self-abeyance maintained1
 that it is impossible1 at this period  
of time1 to determine who are the       
authors of some of the books4 ,the      
narrative of events proceeds1 for the   
most part1 as if the author had never   
existed4 ,how navely and perspicuously  
everything is told1 without the         
colouring of prejudice1 or an infusion  
of egotism on the part of the writer6   
,coleridge says1 ,shakspeare gives us no
 moral highwaymen1 no sentimental       
thieves and rat-catchers1 no interesting
 villains1 no amiable adulteresses4 ,the
 ,bible even goes farther than this1 and
 is faithful to the foibles and         
imperfections of its favorite           
characters1 and describes a rebellious  

,moses1 a perjured ,david1 a treacherous
 ,peter4  ,in nothing does ,shakspeare  
so deeply and divinely touch the heart  
of humanity as in the representation of 
woman4 ,we have the grandeur of ,portia1
 the sprightliness of ,rosalind1 the    
passion of ,juliet1 the delicacy of     
,ophelia1 the mournful dignity of       
,hermione1 the filial affection of      
,cordelia4 ,how shall we describe the   
,pythian greatness of ,miriam1 the      
cheerful hospitality of ,sarah1 the     
heroism of ,rahab1 the industry of      
,dorcas1 the devotion of ,mary8 ,and we 
might set off ,lady ,macbeth with       
,jezebel1 and ,cleopatra with ,delilah4 
,but the ,bible1 it may be said1 so far 
as the subject before us is concerned1  
is chiefly historical1 while ,shakspeare
 is purely dramatic4 ,the one is        
description1--the other action2 the one 
relates to events1--the other to        
feelings2 the department of the one is  
the general course of human             
affairs1--that of the other1 the        

narrower circle of individual           
experience2 the field of the one is that
 which the eye of philosophy may        
embrace1--while that of the other is    
what the human frame may portray4       
,however this may apply to the average  
of history1 it will be found that the   
,bible1 in its historical parts1 is not 
so strictly historical as to preclude   
associations of another sort4 ,the      
,bible is remarkable for a visual and   
embodied relief1 a bold and vivid       
detail4 ,we know of no book1 if we may  
except the compositions of professed    
dramatists1 that contains so much of    
personal feeling and incident4 ,in      
simplicity and directness1 in freedom   
from exaggeration1 and in the general   
unreserve of its expression1 it even    
exceeds the most of these4 ,in it we may
 discover a succession of little dramas 
of ,nature that will affect us quite as 
profoundly as those larger ones of ,art4
  ,if the structure of the drama be     
dialogistic1 we find the ,bible formed  

on the same model4 ,if the writers of   
the former disappear under the          
personages of their fancy1 the writers  
of the latter disappear under the       
personages of fact4 ,as in the one1 so  
in the other1 strangers are introduced  
to tell their own story1 each in his own
 way4  ,in the commencement of the      
,bible1 after a brief prologue1 the     
curtain rises1 and we1 as spectators1   
look in upon a process of interlocution4
 ,the scene is the green1 sunny garden  
of ,eden1 that to which the memory of   
humanity reverts as to its dim golden   
age1 and which ever expresses the bright
 dream of our youth1 ere the rigor of   
misfortune or the dulness of experience 
has spoilt it4 ,the dramatis personae   
are three individuals1 ,adam1 ,eve1 and 
the ,serpent4 ,there are the mysterious 
tree1 with its wonderful fruit1--the    
beautiful1 but inquisitive woman1--the  
thoughtful1 but too compliant man1--and 
the insinuating reptile4 ,one speaks1   
the other rejoins1 and the third fills  

up the chasm of interest4 ,the plot     
thickens1 the passions are displayed1   
and the tragedy hastens to its end4     
,then is heard the voice of the ,lord   
,god walking in the cool 7the wind7 of  
the garden1 the impersonal presence of  
,jehovah is1 as it were1 felt in the    
passing breeze1 and a shadow falls upon 
the earth1--but such a shadow as their  
own patient toil may dissipate1 and     
beyond the confines of which their hope1
 which has now taken the place of       
enjoyment1 is permitted ever to look4   
,without delaying on the moral of this  
passage1 what we would remark upon is   
the clearness and freedom of the        
dialogue1--a feature which we find      
pervading the whole of the sacred       
writings4  ,in the account of ,cain1    
which immediately succeeds1 the         
narrative is inelaborate1 casual1       
secondary2 the dialogue is simple and   
touching4 ,the agony of the fratricide  
and his remorse are better expressed by 
his own lips than could be done by any  

skill of the historian4  ,in the        
deception which ,abraham put upon the   
,egyptians1 touching his wife1--which it
 is no part of our present object to    
justify or to condemn1--what a stroke of
 pathos1 what a depth of conjugal       
sentiment1 is exhibited6 ,thou art a    
fair woman to look upon1 and the        
,egyptians1 when they see thee1 will    
kill me and save thee alive4 ,say1 ,i   
pray thee1 thou art my sister2 that it  
may be well with me for thy sake1 and my
 soul shall live because of thee4       
,viola appears very interesting and very
 innocent1 when1 in boy's clothes1 she  
wanders about in pursuit of a lover4 ,is
 not ,sarah equally interesting and     
equally innocent1 when1 under cover of  
an assumed name1 and that a sister's1   
she would preserve the love of one who  
has worthily won it8  ,will it be said  
that the dialogue of the ,bible lacks   
the charm of poetry8--that its action   
and sentiment1 its love and its sorrow1 
are not heightened by those efforts of  

the fancy which delight us in dramatic  
authors8--that its simplicity is bald1  
and its naturalness rough8--that its    
excessive familiarity repels taste and  
disturbs culture8 ,if we may trust      
,wordsworth1 simplicity is not          
inconsistent with the pleasures of the  
imagination4 ,the style of the ,bible is
 not redundant1--there is little        
extravagance in it1 and it has no       
trickery of words4 ,yet this does not   
prevent its being deep in sentiment1    
brilliant with intrinsic thought or     
powerful effect4  ,in the ,two          
,gentlemen of ,verona1 ,valentine thus  
utters himself touching his betrothed3--
    ,what light is light1 if ,sylvia be 
not seen8   ,what joy is joy1 if ,sylvia
 be not by8   ,except ,i see my ,sylvia 
in the night1   ,there is no music in   
the nightingale4   ,unless ,i look on   
,sylvia in the day1   ,there is no day  
for me to look upon4   ,she is my       
essence2 and ,i cease to be1   ,if ,i be
 not by her fair influence   ,fostered1 

illumined1 cherished1 kept alive4       
,compare with this the language of      
,abraham4 ,thou art fair1 my wife4 ,say1
 ,i pray thee1 thou art my sister2 that 
it may be well with me for thy sake1 and
 my soul shall live because of thee4    
,the first is an instance of poetic     
amplification and abandon2 we should    
contend1 for the last1 that it expresses
 poetic tenderness and delicacy4 ,in the
 one case1 passion is diffuse1--in the  
other1 concentrated4 ,which is the more 
natural1 others must judge4  ,euthanasy1
 ,theron and ,aspasio1 the ,phaedon of  
,plato are dialogues1 but they are not  
dramatic4 ,it may be1 that1 for a       
composition to claim this distinction1  
it must embody great character or deep  
feeling1--that it must express not only 
the individuality1 but the strength of  
the passions4  ,observing this          
criticism1 we think we may find any     
quantity of dramatic dialogue in        
,scripture4 ,the story of ,joseph1 the  
march in the wilderness1 the history of 

,david1 are full of it4  ,there are not 
only dramatic dialogue and movement1 but
 dramatic monologue and episode4 ,for   
illustration1 we might refer to ,hagar  
in the wilderness4 ,her tragic          
loneliness and shuddering despair alight
 upon the page of ,scripture with the   
interest that attends the introduction  
of the veiled ,niobe with her children  
into the ,grecian theatre4  ,there are  
those who say1 that the truth of        
particular events1 so far as we are     
conscious of it1 is a drawback on the   
pleasure as well as the dignity of the  
drama1--in other words1 that the ,bible 
is too true to afford what is called    
dramatic delight1 while the semblance of
 truth in ,shakspeare is exactly        
graduated to this particular affection4 
,between the advocates of this theory1  
and those who say that ,shakspeare is   
true as truth itself1 we can safely     
leave the point4  ,the subject has      
another aspect1 which appears in the    
inquiry1 ,what is the true object of the

 drama8 ,if1 as has been asserted1 the  
object of the drama be the exhibition of
 the human character1--if1 agreeably to 
,aristotle1 tragedy purifies the        
affections by terror and pity1--or if1  
according to a recent writer1 it        
interests us through the moral and      
religious principles of our nature1--or 
even if1 according to ,dr4 ,johnson1 it 
be the province of comedy to bring into 
view the customs1 manners1 vices1 and   
the whole character of a people1--it is 
obvious that the ,bible and the drama   
have some correspondence4 ,if1 in the   
somewhat heated language of ,mrs4       
,jameson1 whatever in religion is holy  
and sublime1 in virtue amiable and      
grave1 whatever hath passion or         
admiration in the changes of fortune or 
the refluxes of feeling1 whatever is    
pitiful in the weakness1 grand in the   
strength1 or terrible in the perversion 
of the human intellect1 be the domain of
 tragedy1 this correspondence increases 
upon us4  ,if1 however1 it be the object

 of the drama to divert1 then it        
occupies a wholly different ground from 
the ,bible4 ,if it merely gratifies     
curiosity or enlivens pastime1 if it    
awakens emotion without directing it to 
useful ends1 if it rallies the          
infirmities of human nature with no     
other design than to provoke our        
derision or increase our conceit1 it    
shoots very1 very wide of the object    
which the sacred writers propose4  ,it  
is worthy to be remarked1 that the ,jews
 had no drama1 or nothing that answers  
to our idea of that term at the present 
time2 they had no theatres1 no writers  
of tragedy or comedy4 ,neither are there
 any traces of the dramatic art among   
the ,egyptians1 among whom the ,jews    
sojourned four hundred years1 nor among 
the ,arabs or the ,persians1 who are of 
kindred stock with this people4 ,on the 
other hand1 by the ,hindoos and         
,chinese1 the ,greeks and ,romans1      
histrionic representation was cultivated
 with assiduity4  ,how shall we explain 

this national peculiarity8 ,was it      
because the religion of the ,jews       
forbade creative imitation8 ,is it to be
 found in the letter or the spirit of   
the second commandment1 which interdicts
 the making of graven images of any     
pattern in earth or heaven8 ,we should  
hardly think so1 since the object of    
this prohibition is rather to prevent   
idolatry than to discourage the         
gratification of taste4 ,thou shalt not 
bow down to them nor serve them4 ,the   
,jews did have emblematic observances1  
costume1 and works of art4 ,yet1 on the 
other hand1 the ,jews possessed         
something resembling the drama1 and that
 out of which the dramatic institutions 
of all nations have sprung4 ,the        
question1 then1 why the ,jews had no    
drama proper1 and still preserved the   
semblance and germ thereof1 will be     
partially elucidated by a reference to  
the early history of dramatic art4  ,in 
its inception1 the drama1 among all     
nations1 was a religious observance4 ,it

 came in with the chorus and the ode4   
,the chorus1 or1 as we now say1 choir1  
was a company of persons who on stated  
occasions sang sacred songs1            
accompanying their music with           
significant gesture1 and an harmonious  
pulsation of the feet1 or the more      
deliberate march4 ,the ode or song they 
sang was of an elevated structure and   
impassioned tone1 and was commonly      
addressed to the ,divinity4 ,instances  
of the ode are the lyrics of ,pindar and
 ,david4 ,the chorus was also divided   
into parts1 to each of which was        
assigned a separate portion of the song1
 and which answered one another in      
alternate measures4 ,a good instance of 
the chorus and its movement appears     
after the deliverance of the ,jews from 
the dangers of the ,red ,sea4 ,then sang
 ,moses and the children of ,israel this
 song unto the ,lord3 ',i will sing unto
 the ,lord1 for he hath triumphed       
gloriously1' etc4 ,and ,miriam the      
prophetess took a timbrel in her hand1  

and all the women went out after her    
with timbrels and with dances2 and      
,miriam answered them1 ',sing ye to the 
,lord1 for he hath triumphed            
gloriously4' ,at a later period1 in     
,jewish as in ,greek history1 choral    
exercises became a profession1 and the  
choir constituted a detached portion of 
men and women4  ,those who have studied 
the history of ,grecian antiquities1    
says ,archbishop ,potter1 and collected 
the fragments which remain of the most  
ancient authors1 have all concurred in  
the opinion1 that poetry was first      
employed in celebrating the praises of  
the gods4 ,the fragments of the ,orphic 
hymns1 and those of ,linus and ,musaeus1
 show these poets entertained sounder   
notions of the ,supreme ,being than many
 philosophers of a later date4 ,there   
are lyric fragments yet remaining that  
bear striking resemblance to ,scripture4
  ,so1 says ,bishop ,horne1 ,the poetry 
of the ,jews is clearly traceable to the
 service of religion4 ,to celebrate the 

praises of ,god1 to decorate his        
worship1 and give force to devout       
sentiments1 was the employment of the   
,hebrew ,muse4  ,the choral song1 that  
is1 a sacred ode united with appropriate
 action1 distinguished the ,jews and    
,greeks alike4 ,at a later period of    
,jewish history1 the chorus became      
perfected1 yet without receiving any    
organic change4 ,among the ,greeks1     
however1 the chorus passed by degrees   
into the drama4 ,to simple singing and  
dancing they added a variety of         
imitative action2 from celebrating the  
praises of the ,divinity1 they proceeded
 to represent the deeds of men1 and     
their orchestras were enlarged to       
theatres4 ,they retained the chorus1 but
 subordinated it to the action4 ,the    
,jews1 on the other hand1 did no more   
than dramatize the chorus4 ,so1 ,bishop 
,horsley says1 the greater part of the  
,psalms are a sort of dramatic ode1     
consisting of dialogues between certain 
persons sustaining certain characters4  

,in these psalms1 the persons are the   
writer himself and a band of            
,levites1--or sometimes the ,supreme    
,being1 or a personation of the         
,messiah4  ,we find1 then1 the ,jews and
 the ,greeks running parallel in respect
 of the drama1 or that out of which the 
drama sprung1 the chorus1 for a long    
series of years4 ,the practice of the   
two nations in this respect exhibits a  
striking coincidence1 indeed1 ,lowth    
conceives that the ,song of ,solomon    
bears a strong resemblance to the ,greek
 drama4 ,the chorus of virgins1 he says1
 seems in every respect congenial to the
 tragic chorus of the ,greeks4 ,they are
 constantly present1 and prepared to    
fulfil all the duties of advice and     
consolation2 they converse frequently   
with the different characters2 they take
 part in the whole business of the poem4
 ,they fulfilled1 in a word1 all the    
purpose of the ,greek chorus on the     
,greek stage4  ,on certain occasions1   
the ,greek chorus celebrated divine     

worship in the vicinity of the great    
altar of their god4 ,clad in magnificent
 vestments1 they move to solemn measures
 about it2 they ascend and descend the  
steps that lead to it2 they offer       
sacrifices upon it2 they carry in their 
hands lighted torches2 they pour out    
lustral water2 they burn incense2 they  
divide into antiphonal bands1 and sing  
alternate stanzas of their sacred songs4
  ,so1 in their religious festivals1 the
 ,jewish chorus surrounded the high     
altar of their worship1 gorgeously      
dressed1 and with an harmonious tread2  
they mounted and remounted the steps2   
they offered sacrifices2 they bore      
branches of trees in their hands2 they  
scattered the lustral water2 they burnt 
incense2 they pealed the responsive     
anthem4  ,but while we follow down the  
stream of resemblance to a certain      
point1 it divides at last3 on the ,greek
 side1 it is diverted into the lighter  
practice of the theatre2 on the ,jewish 
side1 it seems to deepen itself in the  

religious feeling of the nation4        
,aeschylus1 the father of tragedy1      
seizing upon the chorus1 elaborated it  
into the drama4 ,the religious idea1    
indeed1 seems never to have deserted the
 gentile drama2 for1 at a later period1 
we find the ,romans appointing          
theatrical performances with the special
 design of averting the anger of the    
gods4 ,a religious spirit1 also1        
pervades all the writings of the ancient
 dramatists2 they bring the gods to     
view1 and the terrors of the next world1
 on their stage1 are seen crowding upon 
the sins of this4  ,on the other hand1  
,david1 who may be denominated the      
,alfred of the ,jews1 seems to have     
contented himself with the chorus2 he   
allotted its members1 disciplined its   
ranks1 heightened its effect1 and       
supplied new lyrics for its use4        
,another exemplification of singular    
coincidence and diversity between the   
two nations appears in this1 that the   
goat was common in the religious        

observances of both2 a similar ritual   
required the sacrifice of this animal3  
but with the ,jews the creature was an  
emblem of solemnity1 while with the     
,greeks he was significant of joy2 the  
,jews sacrificed him on their           
fasts1--the ,greeks in their feasts4    
,and here we may observe1 that tragedy1 
the most dignified and the primitive    
form of the drama1 deduces its origin   
from the goat1--being1 literally1 the   
song of the goat1 that is1 the song     
accompanying the sacrifice of the goat4 
,let us now endeavor to answer the      
question1 ,why1 since the drama was     
generally introduced among surrounding  
nations1 and ,jewish customs and life   
comprised so many initial dramatic      
materials1 this art was not known among 
that people8  ,it was owing to the      
earnestness and solemnity of their      
religious faith4 ,we find the cause in  
the simple1 exalted1 and comparatively  
spiritual ideas they had of the ,supreme
 ,being2 in a word1 we shall state the  

whole ground to be this1--that the      
,greeks were polytheists1 and the ,jews 
monotheists4  ,let us bear in mind that 
the chorus1 and the drama that was built
 upon it1 had a religious association1  
and were employed in religious devotion4
 ,we may add1 moreover1 that the ,greeks
 introduced their gods upon the stage2  
this the ,jews could not do4 ,the       
,greeks1 of course1 had a great deal of 
religious feeling1 but they could not   
cherish that profound reverence for the 
object of their worship which the ,jews 
entertained towards theirs4 ,the ,jews  
accompanied the ,greeks in the use of   
the chorus1 but they could not go with  
them any farther4 ,they both united in  
employing music and the dance1 and all  
the pomp of procession and charm of     
ceremony1 in divine worship2 but when it
 came to displaying the object of their 
adoration in personal form to the       
popular eye1 and making him an actor on 
the stage1 however dignified that stage 
might be1 the ,jews could not consent4  

,this1 we think1 will explain1 in part1 
why others of the ancient nations1 the  
,arabs and ,persians1 rich as they were 
in every species of literature1 had no  
theatre2 they were monotheists4  ,but   
there is the department of comedy1 of a 
lighter sort1 which does not converse   
with serious subjects1 or necessarily   
include reference to ,deity2 why do we  
find no trace of this among the ,jews8  
,we may remember1 that all festivals1 in
 very ancient time1 of every            
description1 the grave and the gay1 the 
penitential and the jubilant1 had a     
religious design1 and were suggested by 
a religious feeling4 ,we think the      
peculiar cast of the ,judaic faith would
 hardly embody itself in such a mode of 
expression4 ,moreover1 tragedy was the  
parent of comedy1--and since the ,jews  
had not the first1 we should hardly     
expect them to produce the last4 ,it is 
not difficult to perceive how the       
,greeks could convert their goat to     
dramatic1 or even to comic purposes2 but

 the ,jews could not deal so with       
theirs4  ,we approach another           
observation1 that there is no comedy in 
the ,bible4 ,there is tragedy           
there1--not in the sense in which we    
have just denied that the ,jews had     
tragedy1 but in the obvious sense of    
tragic elements1 tragic scenes1 tragic  
feelings4 ,in the same sense1 we say1   
there are no comic elements1 or scenes1 
or feelings4 ,there is that in the      
,bible to make you weep1 but nothing to 
move you to laughter4 ,why is this8 ,are
 there not smiles as well as tears in   
life8 ,have we not a deep1 joyous       
nature1 as well as aspiration1          
reverence1 awe8 ,is there not a         
free-and-easy side of existence1 as well
 as vexation and sorrow8 ,we assent that
 these things are so4  ,but comedy      
implies ridicule1 sharp1 corroding      
ridicule4 ,the comedy of the ,greeks    
ridiculed everything1--persons1         
characters1 opinions1 customs1 and      
sometimes philosophy and religion4      

,comedy became1 therefore1 a sort of    
consecrated slander1 lyric spite1       
aesthetical buffoonery4 ,comedy makes   
you laugh at somebody's expense2 it     
brings multitudes together to see it    
inflict death on some reputation2 it    
assails private feeling with all the    
publicity and powers of the stage4  ,now
 we doubt if the ,jewish faith or taste 
would tolerate this4 ,the ,jews were    
commanded to love their neighbor4 ,we   
grant1 their idea of neighbor was       
excessively narrow and partial2 but     
still it was their neighbor4 ,they were 
commanded not to bear false witness     
against their neighbor1 and he was      
pronounced accursed who should smite his
 neighbor secretly4 ,it might appear    
that comedy would violate each of these 
statutes4 ,but the ,jews had their      
delights1 their indulgences1 their      
transports1 notwithstanding the         
imperfection of their benevolence1 the  
meagreness of their truth1 and the      
cumbersomeness of their ceremonials4    

,the ,feast of ,tabernacles1 for        
instance1 was liberal and happy1 bright 
and smiling2 it was the enthusiasm of   
pastime1 the psalm of delectableness4   
,they did not laugh at the exposure of  
another's foibles1 but out of their own 
merry hearts4  ,will it be said1 the    
,bible is not true to ,nature1 if it    
does not represent the comical side of  
life1 as well as ,shakspeare does8 ,we  
think the comical parts of ,shakspeare1 
his extreme comical parts1 are rather an
 exaggeration of individual qualities   
than a fair portraiture of the whole    
species4 ,there is no ,falstaff in the  
,bible1 yet the qualities of ,falstaff  
exist in the ,bible and in ,nature1 but 
in combination1 and this combination    
modifies their aspect and effect4       
,there is laughter in the ,bible1 but it
 is not uttered to make you laugh4      
,there are also events recorded1 which1 
at the time1 may have produced effects  
analogous to comedy4 ,the approach of   
the ,gibeonites to the camp of ,israel  

in their mock-beggarly costume might be 
mentioned4 ,shimei's cursing ,david has 
always seemed to us to border on the    
ludicrous4  ,but to leave these matters 
and return to the general thread of     
thought4 ,dramas have been formed on the
 ,bible4 ,we hardly need name ,paradise 
,lost1 or ,samson ,agonistes1 or the    
,cain of ,byron1 the ,hadad of          
,hillhouse1 or ,mrs4 ,more's ,david and 
,goliah4 ,pilgrim's ,progress has a     
,scriptural basis4  ,moreover1 if we may
 trust the best critics1 certain        
portions of the sacred volume are       
conceived in a dramatic spirit1 and are 
propounded to a dramatic interpretation4
 ,these are the ,book of ,job1 the ,song
 of ,solomon1 and1 possibly1 the        
,apocalypse of ,st4 ,john4 ,if we were  
disposed to contend for this view1 we   
need but mention such authorities as    
,calmet1 ,carpzov1 ,bishops ,warburton1 
,percy1 ,lowth1 ,bossuet4  ,the ,book of
 ,job has a prose prologue and epilogue1
 the intermediate portions being poetic 

dialogue4 ,the characters are           
discriminated and well supported4 ,it   
does not preserve the unities of        
,aristotle1 which1 indeed1 are found    
neither in the ,bible nor in            
,nature1--which ,shakspeare neglects1   
and which are to be met with only in the
 crystalline artificialness of the      
,french stage4 ,it has no plot1 not even
 of the simplest kind1 says ,dr4 ,lowth4
 ,it has a plot1--not an external and   
visible one1 but an internal and        
spiritual one2 its incidents are its    
feelings1 its progress is the successive
 conditions of mind1 and it terminates  
with the triumph of virtue4 ,if it be   
not a record of actual conversation1 it 
is an embodiment of a most wonderful    
ideality4 ,the eternity of ,god1 the    
grandeur of ,nature1 the profundity of  
the soul1 move in silent panorama before
 you4 ,the great and agitating problems 
of human existence are depicted with    
astonishing energy and precision1 and   
marvellous is the conduct of the piece  

to us who behold it as a painting away  
back on the dark canvas of antiquity4   
,we said the ,jews had no drama1 no     
theatre1 because they would not         
introduce the ,divinity upon the stage4 
,yet ,god appears speaking in the ,book 
of ,job1 not bodily1 but ideally1 and   
herein is all difference4 ,this drama   
addresses the imagination1 not the eye4 
,the ,greeks brought their divinities   
into sight1 stood them on the stage1--or
 clothed a man with an enormous mask1   
and raised him on a pedestal1 giving him
 also corresponding apparel1 to         
represent their god4 ,the ,hebrew stage1
 if we may share the ordinary indulgence
 of language in using that term1 with an
 awe and delicacy suitable to the       
dignity of the subject1 permits the     
,divinity to speak1 but does not presume
 to employ his person2 the majesty of   
,infinitude utters itself1 but no       
robe-maker undertakes to dress it for   
the occasion4 ,in the present instance1 
how exalted1 how inspiring1 is the      

appearance of ,god6 how free from       
offensive diminution and costumal       
familiarity6 ,then the ,lord answered   
,job out of the whirlwind1 and said4    
,dim indeed is the representation1 but  
very distinct is the impression4 ,the   
phenomenon conforms to the purity of    
feeling1 not to the grossness of sense4 
,devotion is kindled by the sublime     
impalpableness2 no applause is enforced 
by appropriate acting4 ,the ,greeks1    
would have played the ,book of          
,job1--the ,jews were contented to read 
it4  ,and here we might remark a        
distinction between dramatic reading and
 dramatic seeing2 and in support of our 
theory we can call to aid so good an    
authority as ,charles ,lamb4 ,i cannot  
help being of opinion1 says this        
essayist1 that the plays of ,shakspeare 
are less calculated for performance on a
 stage than those of almost any other   
dramatist whatever4  ,how are the love  
dialogues of ,romeo and ,juliet1 by the 
inherent fault of stage representation1 

sullied and turned from their very      
nature by being exposed to a large      
assembly6 ,how can the profound sorrows 
of ,hamlet be depicted by a             
gesticulating actor8 ,so1 to see ,lear  
acted1 to see an old man tottering about
 the stage with a walking-stick1 turned 
out of doors by his daughters in a rainy
 night1 has nothing in it but what is   
painful and disgusting4 ,the            
contemptible machinery by which they    
mimic the storm in which he goes out is 
not more inadequate to represent the    
horrors of the real elements than any   
actor can be to represent ,lear4 ,in the
 acted ,othello1 the black visage of the
 ,moor is obtruded upon you2 in the     
written ,othello1 his color disappears  
in his mind4 ,when ,hamlet compares the 
two pictures of ,gertrude's first and   
second husband1 who wants to see the    
pictures8 ,but in the acting1 a         
miniature must be lugged out4 ,the truth
 is1 he adds1 the characters of         
,shakspeare are more the objects of     

meditation than of interest or curiosity
 as to their actions4  ,all this applies
 with force to what we have been saying4
 ,the ,jews1 in respect of their        
dramatic culture1 seem more like one who
 enjoys ,shakspeare in the closet2 the  
,greeks1 like those who are tolled off  
to the theatre to see him acted4 ,the   
,greeks would have contrived a pair of  
bellows to represent the whirlwind2     
mystic1 vast1 inaudible1 it passes      
before the imagination of the ,jew1 and 
its office is done4 ,the ,jew would be  
shocked to see his ,god in a human form2
 such a thing pleased the ,greek4 ,the  
source of the difference is to be sought
 in the theology of the two nations4    
,the theological development of the     
,jews was very complete1--that of the   
,greeks unfinished4  ,yet the ,jews were
 very deficient in art1 and the ,greeks 
perfect2 both failed in humanity4 ,the  
,greeks had more ideality than the      
,jews2 but their ideality was very      
intense2 it was continually1 so to      

speak1 running aground2 it must see its 
conceptions embodied2 and more1--when   
they were embodied1 ,pygmalion-like1 it 
must seek to imbue them with motion and 
sensibility4 ,the conception of the     
,jews was more vague1 perhaps1 but      
equally affecting2 they were satisfied  
with carrying in their minds the faint  
outline of the sublime1 without seeking 
to chisel it into dimension and         
tangibility4 ,they cherished in their   
bosoms their sacred ideal1 and          
worshipped from far the greatness of the
 majesty that shaded their imaginations4
 ,hence we look to ,athens for art1 to  
,palestine for ethics2 the one produces 
rhetoricians1--the other1 prophets4     
,so1 we see1 the theologico-dramatic    
forms of the two nations--and there were
 no other--are different4 ,the one      
pleases the prurient eye1--the other    
gratifies the longing soul2 the one     
amuses1--the other inspires2 the one is 
a hollow pageant of divine things1--the 
other is a glad1 solemn intimation from 

the unutterable heart of the universe4  
,the ,song of ,solomon1 that            
stumbling-block of criticism and pill of
 faith1 a recent writer regards as a    
parable in the form of a drama1 in which
 the bride is considered as representing
 true religion1 the royal lover as the  
,jewish people1 and the younger sister  
as the ,gospel dispensation4 ,but it is 
evidently conceived in a very different 
spirit from the ,book of ,job or the    
,psalms of ,david1 and its theological  
character is so obscured by other       
associations as to lead many to inquire 
whether an enlightened religious        
sensibility dictated it4  ,we cannot    
dismiss this part of our subject without
 allusion to a species of drama that    
prevailed in the ,middle ,ages1 called  
,mysteries1 or ,moralities4 ,these were 
a sort of scenical illustration of the  
,sacred ,scripture1 and the subjects    
were events taken sometimes from the    
,new ,testament and sometimes from the  
,old4 ,it is said they were designed to 

supply the place of the ,greek and      
,roman theatre1 which had been banished 
from the ,church4 ,the plays were       
written and performed by the clergy4    
,they seem to have first been employed  
to wile away the dulness of the         
cloister1 but were very soon introduced 
to the public4 ,adam and ,eve in        
,paradise1 the ,crucifixion1 the        
,resurrection were theatrized4 ,the     
effect could hardly be salutary4 ,the   
different persons of the ,trinity       
appeared on the stage2 on one side of   
the scene stretched the yawning throat  
of an immense wooden dragon2 masked     
devils ran howling in and out4  ,in the 
year #adcg1--we follow the literal      
history1 as we find it quoted in        
,d',israeli1--when the ,bishop of ,metz 
caused the ,mystery of the ,passion to  
be represented near that city1 ,god was 
an old gentleman1 a curate of the place1
 and who was very near expiring on the  
cross1 had he not been timely assisted4 
,he was so enfeebled that another priest

 finished his part4 ,at the same time   
this curate undertook to perform the    
,resurrection1 which being a less       
difficult task1 he did it admirably     
well4 ,another priest1 personating      
,judas1 had like to have been stifled   
while he hung on the tree1 for his neck 
slipped4 ,this being at length luckily  
perceived1 he was cut down1 and         
recovered4 ,in another instance1 a man  
who assumed the ,supreme ,being becoming
 nearly suffocated by the paint applied 
to his face1 it was wisely announced    
that for the future the ,deity should be
 covered by a cloud4 ,these plays1      
carried about the country1 taken up by  
the baser sort of people1 descended     
through all degrees of farce to         
obscenity1 and1 in ,england1 becoming   
entangled in politics1 at length        
disappeared4 ,it is said they linger in 
,italy1 and are annually reproduced in  
,spain4  ,the ,bible is incapable of    
representation4 ,for a man to act the   
,supreme ,being would be as revolting in

 idea as profane in practice4 ,one may  
in words portray the divine character1  
give utterance to the divine will4 ,this
 every preacher does4 ,but to what is   
the effect owing8 ,not to proprieties of
 attitude or arrangement of muscle1 but 
to the spirit of the man magnified and  
flooding with the great theme1 and to   
the thought of ,god that surrounds and  
subdues all2 in other words1 the        
imagination is addressed1 not the       
sight1--the sentiments and affections   
are engaged1 not the senses4 ,as ,lamb  
says of the ,lear of ,shakspeare1 it    
cannot be acted2 so1 with greater force1
 we may say of the ,bible1 it cannot be 
acted4 ,when we read or hear of the     
,passion of the ,saviour1 it is the     
thought1 the emotion1 burning and       
seething within it1 at which by         
invisible contact our own thought and   
emotion catch fire2 and the capabilities
 of impersonation and manufacture are   
mocked by such a subject4  ,but the     
,bible abounds in dramatic situation1   

action1 and feeling4 ,this has already  
been intimated2 it only remains that we 
indicate some examples4 ,the history of 
,david fulfils all the demands of       
dramatic composition4 ,it has the severe
 grandeur of ,aeschylus1 the moving     
tenderness of ,euripides1 and the       
individual fidelity of ,shakspeare4     
,could this last-named writer1 who1     
while he counterfeited ,nature with such
 success1 was equally commended for his 
historical integrity1--could ,shakspeare
 have performed that service on this    
history1 which ,milton1 ,more1 and      
others have undertaken on other portions
 of the sacred volume1--could he have   
digested it into a regular dramatic     
form1--he would have accomplished a work
 of rare interest4 ,it would include the
 characters of ,samuel and ,saul2 it    
would describe the magnanimous ,jonathan
 and the rebellious ,absalom2 ,nathan1  
,nabal1 ,goliah1 ,shimei1 would impart  
their respective features2 it would be  
enriched with all that is beautiful in  

woman's love or enduring in parental    
affection4 ,it is full of incident1 and 
full of pathos4 ,it verges towards the  
terrible1 it is shaken with the         
passionate1 it rises into the heroic4   
,pursued in the true spirit of ,jewish  
theology1 the awful presence of ,god    
would overhang and pervade it1 while the
 agency of his providence should attend 
on the evolutions of events4  ,there is 
one effect which1 in the present        
arrangement of the canon1 is entirely   
lost to view1 and which could be revived
 only by the synchronizing of the       
,psalms with their proper epochs4 ,for  
instance1 the eighth ,psalm is referable
 to the youth of ,david1 when he was yet
 leading a shepherd life4 ,the dramatic 
form of his history would detach this   
from its present place1 and insert it   
amid the occasions and in the years to  
which it belongs4 ,what a scene we      
should then have6 ,the youthful ,david1 
ruddy he was1 and1 withal1 of a         
beautiful countenance1 7marginal        

reading1 fair of eyes17 and goodly to   
look to2 and he was a cunning player on 
the harp4 ,there is the glow of poetic  
enthusiasm in his eyes1 and the fervor  
of religious feeling in all his moods2  
as he tends his flock amid the quietness
 and beauty of his native hills1 he     
joins to the aspirations of his soul the
 melodies of music4 ,so the night       
overtakes him1 the labors of the day are
 past1 his meditations withdraw him from
 the society of men1 he is alone with   
,nature and with ,god2--at such a moment
 the spirit of composition and utterance
 is upon him1 and he hymns himself in   
those lofty and touching stanzas1--     
,o ,jehovah1 our ,lord1   ,how excellent
 is thy name in all the earth6   ,when  
,i consider thy heavens1 the work of thy
 fingers1   ,the moon and the stars     
which thou hast ordained1   ,what is man
 that thou art mindful of him1   ,and   
the son of man that thou carest for him8
   ,yet thou hast made him a little     
lower than the angels1   ,thou hast     

crowned him with glory and honor2       
,thou hast given him dominion over the  
works of thy hand1   ,thou hast put all 
things under his feet1--   ,all sheep   
and oxen1   ,yea1 and the beasts of the 
forest1   ,the birds of the air1 and the
 fishes of the sea1   ,and whatsoever   
passes through the deep4   ,o ,jehovah1 
our ,lord1   ,how excellent is thy name 
in all the earth6  ,again1 the          
fifty-seventh ,psalm is assigned1 in    
respect of place1 to the cave of        
,en-gedi1 into which ,david fled from   
the vengeance of ,saul4 ,here1          
surrounded by lofty rocks1 whose        
promontories screen a wide extent of    
vale1 he breaks forth1--    ,have pity  
upon me1 ,o ,god1 have pity upon me1    
,for in thee doth my soul seek refuge6  
,yea1 in the shadow of thy wings do ,i  
take shelter1   ,until these calamities 
be overpast6  ,dramatically touched1 and
 disposed according to the natural      
unities of the subject1 these sublime   
and affecting songs would appear on     

their motive occasions1 and be          
surrounded by their actual              
accompaniments4  ,the present effect may
 be compared to that which would be     
felt1 if we should detach the songs of  
the artificial drama from their original
 impulse and feeling1 7for instance1 the
 willow dirge of ,desdemona1 and the    
fantastic moans of ,ophelia17 and       
produce them in a parlor4 ,not but that 
these lyrics have a universal fitness1  
and a value which no time can change or 
circumstance diminish2 but as we are    
looking at them simply in a dramatic    
view1 we claim the right to suggest     
their dramatic force and pertinency4    
,this effect1 we might remark1 is       
particularly and most truthfully        
regarded in the ,lament of ,david over  
,saul and ,jonathan4 ,that monody would 
be shorn of its interest1 if it were    
inserted anywhere else4 ,the ,psalms are
 more impersonal and more strictly      
religious than that1 and hence their    
universal application2 only we say1 we  

can easily conceive that the revival of 
them in the order of their history1 and 
in all the purity of their native       
pathos1 would render them more          
attractive4  ,in connection with what we
 would further observe of the ,psalms of
 ,david1 let us again call attention to 
the ancient chorus1--how it was a       
species of melodrama1 how it sang its   
parts1 and comprised distinct vocalists 
and musicians1 who pursued the piece in 
alternate rejoinder4 ,what we would     
observe is1 that many of the ,psalms    
were written for the chorus1 and1 so to 
speak1 were performed by it4 ,there are 
some of them which it is impossible to  
understand without attention to this    
dramatic method of rehearsal4 ,psalm    
cxviii41 for instance1 includes several 
speakers4 ,psalm xxiv4 was composed on  
the occasion of the transfer of the ark 
to the tabernacle on ,mount ,zion4 ,and 
,david1 we read1 and all the house of   
,israel1 brought up the ark with        
shouting and with the sound of the      

trumpet4 ,in the midst of the           
congregated nation1 supported by a      
varied instrumental accompaniment1 with 
the smoke of the well-fed altar surging 
into the skies1 the chorus took up the  
song which had been prepared to their   
hand1--one group calling out1 ,who shall
 ascend into the hill of the ,lord8--the
 other pealing their answer1 ,he that   
hath clean hands and a pure heart4      
,meanwhile1 they dance before the       
,lord1--that is1 we suppose1 preserving 
with their feet the unities of the      
music4  ,it was during a melodrama like 
this1 in the midst of its exciting      
grandeur and all-pervading transport1   
executed at the ,feast of ,tabernacles1 
in the open area of the ,temple1 when   
the ,jews were wont to pour upon the    
altar water taken from the pool of      
,siloam1 chanting at the same time the  
twelfth chapter of ,isaiah1 and one     
division of the chorus had just sung the
 words1--    ,with joy we draw water    
from the wells of salvation1  and before

 the other had replied1--it was at this 
moment1 that ,christ1 as ,dr4 ,furness  
very reasonably conjectures1 took up the
 response in his own person1 and        
overwhelmed attention by that memorable 
declaration1 ,if any man thirst1 let him
 come to me and drink2 and from within  
him shall flow rivers of living water4  
,it is what we may term the dramatic    
proprieties that give to many of the    
,psalms1 in the language of a recent    
commentator1 a greater degree of        
fitness1 spirit1 and grandeur2 and they 
impart to the history of ,david a       
certain decorousness of illustration and
 perspicuity of feature which it would  
not otherwise possess4 ,they would      
produce upon it the same result as is   
achieved by the sister arts on this and 
other portions of the sacred volume1    
without marring the text or doing       
violence to truth4 ,not1 let us repeat1 
that the ,bible can be theatrized4      
,neither church nor playhouse can revive
 the forms of ,judaism1 without         

recalling its lost spirit4 ,and that    
must be a bold hand1 indeed1 that shall 
undertake to mend again the shivered    
vail of the ,temple1 or collect from its
 ruins a ritual which ,he that was      
greater than ,solomon typically         
denounced in foretelling the overthrow  
of that gorgeous pile4 ,the ,bible1 as  
to its important verities and solemn    
doctrine1 is transparent to the         
imagination and affections1 and does not
 require the mediation of dumb show or  
scenic travesty4  ,it is not difficult  
to trace many familiar dramatic         
resemblances in the ,old ,testament4    
,shakspeare1 who was certainly well read
 in the ,bible and frequently quotes it1
 in the composition of ,lear may have   
had ,david and ,absalom in mind2 the    
feigned madness of ,hamlet has its      
prototype in that of ,david2 ,macbeth   
and the ,weird ,sisters have many traits
 in common with ,saul and the ,witch of 
,endor4 ,jezebel is certainly a         
suggestive study for ,lady ,macbeth4    

,the whole story has its key in that    
verse where we read1 ,there was none    
like unto ,ahab1 which did sell himself 
to work wickedness in the sight of the  
,lord1 whom ,jezebel1 his wife1 stirred 
up4 ,as in the play1 so in this         
,scripture1 we have the unrestrained and
 ferocious ambition of the wife         
conspiring with the equally cruel1 but  
less hardy ambition of the husband4     
,when ,macbeth had murdered sleep1 when 
he could not screw his courage to the   
sticking-point1 when his purpose looked 
green and pale1 his wife stings him with
 taunts1 scathes him with sarcasm1 and  
by her own energy of intellect and storm
 of will arouses him to action4 ,so     
,ahab came in heavy and displeased1 and 
laid him down on his bed1 and turned    
away his face1 and so his wife inflames 
him with the sharpness of her rebuke4   
,why art thou sad8 she asks4 ,dost thou 
now govern the kingdom of ,israel8      
,arise1 eat bread1 and be merry6 ,the   
lust of regal and conjugal pride1       

intermixed1 works in both4 ,jezebel1    
whose husband was a king1 would crown   
him with kingly deeds4 ,lady ,macbeth1  
whose husband was a prince1 would see   
him crowned a king4 ,jezebel would      
aggrandize empire1 which her unlawful   
marriage thereto had jeoparded4 ,lady   
,macbeth will run the risk of an        
unlawful marriage with empire1 if she   
may thereby aggrandize it4 ,jezebel is  
insensible to patriotic feelings1--,lady
 ,macbeth to civil and hospitable       
duties4 ,the ,zidonian woman braves the 
vengeance of ,jehovah1--the ,scotch     
woman dares the ,powers of ,darkness2   
the one is incited by the oracles of    
,baal1--the other by the predictions of 
witches4 ,lady ,macbeth has more        
intellectual force1--,jezebel more moral
 decision2 ,lady ,macbeth exhibits great
 imagination1--,jezebel a stronger will4
 ,as the character of ,lady ,macbeth is 
said to be relieved by the affection she
 shows for her husband1 so is that of   
,jezebel by her tenderness for ,ahab4   

,the grandness of the audacity with     
which ,jezebel sends after the prophet  
,elisha1 saying1 ,so let the gods do to 
me1 and more also1 if ,i make not thy   
life as the life of one of them by      
to-morrow about this time1 has its      
counterpart in the lofty terror of the  
invocation which ,lady ,macbeth makes to
 the spirits that wait on mortal        
thoughts1--    ,fill me1 from the crown 
to the toe1 top-full   ,of direst       
cruelty6 ,make thick my blood1   ,stop  
up the access and the passage of        
remorse6   4 4 4 4 ,come to my woman's  
breasts1   ,and take my milk for gall1  
ye murdering ministers6  ,but the last  
moments of these excessive characters   
are singularly contrasted4 ,jezebel     
scoffs at approaching retribution1 and1 
shining with paint and dripping with    
jewels1 is pitched to the dogs2 ,lady   
,macbeth goes like a coward to her      
grave1 and1 curdled with remorse1       
receives the stroke of doom4  ,if       
,shakspeare and the ,old ,testament are 

a just manifestation of human nature1   
the ,new is so different1 its           
representation would seem to be almost  
fanciful or fallacious2 or if the latter
 be accepted1 the former would seem to  
be discarded4 ,but both are faithful to 
the different ages and phases of man4   
,the one is a dispensation of           
force1--the other of love2 the one could
 make nothing perfect1--but the bringing
 in of a better covenant makes all      
things perfect4 ,through the tempest and
 storm1 the brutality and lust of the   
,greek tragedians1 and even of the      
barbarous times on which ,shakspeare    
builds many of his plays1 through the   
night of ,judaical back-slidings1       
idolatry1 and carnal commandments1 we   
patiently wait1 and gladly hail the     
morning of the ,sun of ,righteousness4  
,the ,new ,testament is a green1 calm1  
island1 in this heaving1 fearful ocean  
of dramatic interest4 ,how delightful is
 everything there1 and how elevated6 how
 glad1 and how solemn6 how energetic1   

and how tranquil6 ,what characters1 what
 incident1 what feeling6 ,yet how       
different6 ,so different1 indeed1 from  
what elsewhere appears1 that we are     
compelled to ask1 ,can this be that same
 old humanity whose passions1 they tell 
us1 are alike in all ages1 and the      
emphatic turbulence of which constitutes
 so large a portion of history8  ,but   
how shall we describe what is before us8
 ,the events open1 if we may draw a term
 from our subject1 with a prologue      
spoken by angels1--    ,peace on earth1 
and good-will towards men4  ,there had  
been ,jezebels and ,lady ,macbeths      
enough2 the memory of ,david still smelt
 of blood2 the ,roman eagles were       
gorging their beaks on human flesh2 and 
the ,samaritan everywhere felt the      
gnawing1 shuddering sense of hatred and 
scorn4 ,no chorus appears answering to  
chorus1 praising the god of battles1 or 
exulting in the achievements of arms2   
but the sympathies of ,him who was      
touched with the feeling of our         

infirmities answer to the wants and woes
 of the race1 and every thoughtful mind 
ecstatically encores4 ,the inexorable   
,fate of the ,greeks does not appear1   
but a good ,providence interferes1 and  
,heaven smiles graciously upon the      
scene4 ,there is passion1 indeed1 grief 
and sorrow1 sin and suffering1--but the 
tempest-stiller is here1 who breathes   
tranquillity upon the waters1 and pours 
serenity into the turbid deep4 ,the     
,niobe of humanity1 stiff and           
speechless1 with her enmarbled children1
 that used sometimes to be introduced on
 the ,athenian stage for purposes of    
terror or pity1 is here restored to     
life1 and she renders thanks for her    
deliverance and participates in the     
general joy to which the piece gives    
birth4 ,no murderers of the prophets are
 hewn in pieces before the ,lord2 but   
from the agonies of the cross and the   
depths of a preternatural darkness1 the 
tender cry is heard1 on behalf of the   
murderers of the ,son of ,god1 ,father1 

forgive them1 for they know not what    
they do6 ,no ,alcestis is exhibited1    
doomed to destruction to save the life  
of her husband1--but ,one appears1      
moving cheerfully1 voluntarily1         
forwards1 to what may be termed the     
funeral pile of the world1 from which1  
phoenix-like1 he rises1 and gloriously  
ascends1 drawing after him the hearts1  
the love1 the worship of millions of    
spectators4 ,the key of the whole piece 
is ,redemption1 the spirit that actuates
 is ,love4 ,the chief actors1 indeed1   
are ,christ and ,man2 but innumerable   
subsidiary personages are the           
,charities4 ,the elements of a          
spiritualized existence act their part4 
,humanity is not changed in its         
substance1 but in its tendencies2 the   
sensibilities exist1 but under a divine 
culture4 ,stephen is as heroic as       
,agamemnon1 ,mary as energetic as       
,medea4 ,little children are no longer  
dashed in pieces1--they are embraced and
 blessed4  ,but let us select for       

attention1 and for a conclusion to these
 remarks1 a particular scene4 ,it shall 
be from ,luke4 ,this evangelist has been
 fabled a painter1 and in the apotheosis
 of the old ,church he was made the     
tutelar patron of that class of artists4
 ,if the individuality of his           
conceptions1 the skill of his groupings1
 and the graphicness gave rise to such  
an idea1 it would seem to have its      
foundation as well in ,nature as in     
superstition4 ,matthew has more detail1 
more thought2 ,luke is more picturesque1
 more descriptive4 ,john has more deep  
feeling2 ,luke more action1 more life4  
,the ,annunciation1 the ,widow of ,nain1
 the ,prodigal ,son1 the ,good          
,samaritan1 the ,rich ,man and ,lazarus1
 and the incident to which we shall     
presently advert1 are found in ,luke    
alone4  ,the incident in question is the
 dining of ,christ at the house of      
,simon the ,pharisee1 and1 while they   
were reclining at meat1 the entrance of 
a woman which was a sinner1 who bathes  

the feet of ,jesus with tears1 and wipes
 them with the hair of her head4 ,the   
place is the city of ,nain2 the hour    
noon4 ,the dramatis personae are        
three1--,jesus1 ,simon1 and the         
,woman1--and1 if we choose to add them1 
the other guests1 who are silent        
spectators of what transpires4  ,let1 us
 consider1 first1 the ,woman4 ,she was a
 sinner4 ,this is all1 in fact1 that we 
know of her2 but this is enough4 ,the   
term sinner1 in this instance1 as in    
many others1 does not refer to the      
general apostasy in ,adam2 it is        
distinctive of race and habit4 ,she was 
probably of heathen extraction1 as she  
was certainly of a dissolute life4 ,the 
poetry of sin and shame calls her the   
,magdalen1 and there may be a           
convenience in permitting this name to  
stand4 ,the depth of her depravity      
,christ clearly intimates in his        
allusion to the debtor who owed five    
hundred pence1 and the language of      
,simon teaches that the infamy of her   

life was well understood among the      
inhabitants of the city4 ,if a          
foreigner1 she had probably been brought
 into the country by the ,roman soldiers
 and deserted4 ,if a native1 she had    
fallen beneath the ban of               
respectability1 and was an outcast alike
 from hope and from good society4 ,she  
was condemned to wear a dress different 
from that of other people2 she was      
liable at any moment to be stoned for   
her conduct2 she was one whom it was a  
ritual impurity to touch4 ,she was      
wretched beyond measure2 but while so   
corrupt1 she was not utterly hardened4  
,incapable of virtue1 she was not       
incapable of gratitude4 ,weltering in   
grossness1 she could still be touched by
 the sight of purity4 ,plunged into     
extremest vice1 she retained the damning
 horror of her situation4 ,if she had   
ever striven to recover her lost        
position1 there were none to assist her2
 the bigotry of patriotism rejected her 
for her birth1--the scrupulousness of   

modesty1 for her history4 ,the night1   
that consecrated so many homes and      
gathered together so many families in   
innocence and repose1 was to her blacker
 than its own blackness in misery and   
turpitude2 the morning1 that radiated   
gladness over the face of the world1    
revealed the extent and exaggerated the 
sense of her own degradation4 ,but the  
vision of ,jesus had alighted upon her2 
she had seen him speeding on his errands
 of mercy2 she hung about the crowd that
 followed his steps2 his tender look of 
pity may have sometimes gleamed into her
 soul4 ,stricken1 smitten1 confounded1  
her yearnings for peace gush forth      
afresh4 ,it was as if ,hell1 moved by   
contrition1 had given up its prey1--as  
if ,remorse1 tired of its gnawing1 felt 
within itself the stimulus of hope4 ,but
 how shall she see ,jesus8 ,wherewithal 
shall she approach him8 ,she has nothing
 to pay4 ,she has tears enough1 and     
sorrows enough1--but these are derided  
by the vain1 and suspected by the wise4 

,she has an alabaster box of ointment1  
which1 shut out as she is from honorable
 gain1 must be the product and the      
concomitant of her guilt4 ,but with     
these she must go4 ,we see her threading
 her lonely way through the streets1    
learning by hints1 since she would not  
dare to learn by questions1 where ,jesus
 is1 and stops before the vestibule of  
the elegant mansion of ,simon the       
,pharisee4  ,who is ,simon the          
,pharisee8 ,not necessarily a bad man4  
,we associate whatever is odious in     
hypocrisy or base in craft with the name
 ,pharisee1 while really it was the most
 distinguished title among the ,jews4   
,many of the ,pharisees were hypocrites2
 not all of them4 ,the name is          
significant of profession1 not of       
character4 ,he could not have been an   
unprincipled1 villanous man1 or he would
 never have tendered to ,jesus the      
hospitalities of his house4 ,indeed1    
,christ allows him1 in the sense of     
moral indebtedness1 to owe but fifty    

pence4 ,he was probably a rich man1     
which might appear from the generous    
entertainment he made4 ,he was a        
respectable man4 ,the sect to which he  
belonged was the most celebrated and    
influential among the ,jews2 and when   
not debased by positive crime1 a        
,pharisee was always esteemed for his   
learning and his piety4 ,he had some    
interest in ,christ1 either in his      
mission or his character1--an interest  
beyond mere curiosity1 or he would not  
have invited him to dine with him4 ,he  
betrays a sincere friendliness1 also1 in
 his apprehension lest ,christ should   
suffer any religious contamination4     
,the third person in the scene is       
,christ1 who1 to speak of him not as    
theology has interpreted him to us1 but 
as he appeared to the eyes of his       
contemporaries1 was the reputed son of  
,joseph and ,mary1 the ,bethlehemites2  
who by his words and deeds had attracted
 much attention and made some converts2 
now accused of breaking the ,jewish     

,sabbath1 now of plotting against the   
,roman sovereignty2 one who in his own  
person had felt the full power of       
temptation1 and who had been raised to  
the grandeur of a transfiguration2 so   
tender he would not bruise the broken   
reed1 so gentle his yoke was rest2      
raying out with compassion and love     
wherever he went2 healing alike the     
pangs of grief and the languor of       
disease2 whom some believed to be the   
,messiah1 and others thought a prophet2 
whom the masses followed1 and the       
priests feared2--this is the third      
member of the company4  ,the two last1  
with the other guests1 are engaged at   
their meal1 and in conversation4 ,the   
door is darkened by a strange figure2   
all eyes are riveted on the apparition2 
the ,magdalen enters1 faded1 distressed1
 with long dishevelled hair4 ,she has no
 introduction2 she says nothing2 indeed1
 in all this remarkable scene she never 
speaks2 her silence is as significant as
 it is profound4 ,she goes behind the   

couch where ,jesus1 according to        
,oriental custom1 is reclined4 ,she     
drops at his feet2 there her tears      
stream2 there the speechless agony of   
her soul bursts4 ,observe the workings  
of the moment4 ,see how those people are
 affected4 ,surprise on the part of     
,simon and his friends turns to scorn1  
and this shades into indignation4 ,jesus
 is calm1 collected1 and intently       
thoughtful4 ,the woman is overwhelmed by
 her situation4 ,the lip of ,simon      
curls1 his eye flashes with fire of     
outraged virtue4 ,jesus meets his gaze  
with equal fire1 but it is all of pure  
heavenly feeling4 ,simon moves to have  
the vagabond expelled2 ,christ          
interrupts the attempt4 ,but the honor  
of the house is insulted4 ,yes1 but the 
undying interests of the soul are at    
stake4 ,but the breath of the woman is  
ritual poison1 and her touch will bring 
down the curses of the law4 ,but the    
look of ,christ indicates that depth of 
spirituality before which the           

institutions of ,moses flee away as     
chaff before the wind4 ,simon has some  
esteem for ,jesus1 and in this juncture 
his sensations take a turn of pity1     
spiced1 perhaps1 with a little contempt1
 and he says with himself1--,surely1    
this man cannot be a prophet1 as is     
pretended1 or he would know who and what
 sort of woman it is that touches him2  
for she is a sinner2 she is unclean and 
reprobate4  ,simon6 says ,jesus1 with a 
tone that pierced to the worthy host's  
heart1 and arrested the force of his    
pious alarm1--,simon6  ,sir1 say on1 is 
the reply of the ,pharisee1 who is awed 
by this appeal into an humble listener4 
,whereupon ,jesus relates the story of  
the two debtors1 and1 with irresistible 
strength of illustration and delicacy of
 application1 breaks the prejudice and  
wins the composure of the ,jew4 ,if1    
then1 he continues1 he loves much to    
whom much is forgiven1 what shall we say
 of one who loves so much8  ,see1 he    
goes on1 pointing to the woman1 ,see    

this woman1--this wretch4 ,i entered thy
 house2 thou gavest me no water for my  
feet2 but she has washed my feet with   
her tears and wiped them with her hair4 
,she kisses my feet2 she anoints them   
with ointment4 ,wherefore ,i say unto   
thee1 her sins1 which are many1 are     
forgiven2 for she loved much4  ,this    
scene1 however inadequately it may be   
set forth1 contains all that is sublime 
in tragedy1 terrible in guilt1 or       
intense in pathos4 ,the woman represents
 humanity1 or the soul of human nature2 
,simon1 the world1 or worldly wisdom2   
,christ1 divinity1 or the divine        
purposes of good to us ward4 ,simon is  
an incarnation of what ,st4 ,paul calls 
the beggarly elements2 ,christ1 of      
spirituality2 the woman1 of sin4 ,it is 
not the woman alone1--but in her there  
cluster upon the stage all want and woe1
 all calamity and disappointment1 all   
shame and guilt4 ,in ,christ there come 
forward to meet her1 love1 hope1 truth1 
light1 salvation4 ,in ,simon are acted  

out doting conservatism1 mean           
expediency1 purblind calculation1 carnal
 insensibility4 ,generosity in this     
scene is confronted with meanness1 in   
the attempt to shelter misfortune4 ,the 
woman is a tragedy herself1 such as     
,aeschylus never dreamed of4 ,the       
scourging ,furies1 dread ,fate1 and     
burning ,hell unite in her1 and1 borne  
on by the new impulse of the new        
dispensation1 they come towards the     
light1 they ask for peace1 they throng  
to the heaven that opens in ,jesus4     
,simon embodies that vast array of      
influences that stand between humanity  
and its redemption4 ,he is a very       
excellent1 a very estimable man1--but he
 is not shocked at intemperance1 he     
would not have slavery disturbed1 he    
sees a necessity for war4 ,does ,christ 
know who and what sort of a woman it is 
that touches him8 ,will he defile       
himself by such a contact8 ,can he      
expect to accomplish anything by        
familiarity with such matters8 ,why is  

he not satisfied with a good dinner8    
,simon6 ,simon6  ,the silence of the    
woman is wonderful1 it is awful4 ,what  
is most profound1 most agitating1 most  
intense cannot speak2 words are too     
little for the greatness of feeling4 ,so
 ,job sat himself upon the ground seven 
days and seven nights1 speechless4 ,not 
in this case1 as is said of ,schiller's 
,robbers1 did the pent volcano find vent
 in power-words2 not in strong and      
terrible accents was uttered the hoarded
 wrath of long centuries of misrule and 
oppression4 ,the volcano1 raging1       
aching1 threw itself in silence into the
 arms of one who could soothe and allay 
it4 ,the thunder is noisy and harmless4 
,the lightning is silent1--and the      
lightning splits1 kills1 consumes4      
,humanity had muttered its thunder for  
ages4 ,its lightning1 the condensed1    
fiery1 fatal force of things1 leaped    
from the blackness of sin1 threaded with
 terrific glare the vision of man1 and1 
in the person of the woman1 fell hot and

 blasting at the feet of ,jesus1 who    
quenched its fire1 and of that          
destructive bolt made a trophy of grace 
and a fair image of hope4 ,she could not
 speak1 and so she wept1--like the raw1 
chilling1 hard atmosphere1 which is     
relieved only by a shower of snow4 ,how 
could she speak1 guilty1 remorseful     
wretch1 without excuse1 without         
extenuation8 ,in the presence of divine 
virtue1 at the tribunal of judgment1 she
 could only weep1 she could only love4  
,but1 blessed be ,jesus1 he could       
forgive her1 he can forgive all4 ,the   
woman departs in peace2 ,simon is       
satisfied2 ,jesus triumphs2 we almost   
hear the applauses with which the ages  
and generations of earth greet the      
closing scene4 ,from the serene         
celestial immensity that opens above the
 spot we can distinguish a voice1       
saying1 ,this is my beloved ,son2 hear  
ye him6  ,we speak of these things      
dramatically1 but1 after all1 they are  
the only great realities4 ,everything   

else is mimetic1 phantasmal1 tinkling4  
,deeply do the masters of the drama move
 us2 but the ,gospel cleaves1 inworks1  
regenerates4 ,in the theatre1 the       
leading characters go off in death and  
despair1 or with empty conceits and a   
forced frivolity2 in the ,gospel1       
tranquilly1 grandly1 they are dismissed 
to a serener life and a nobler          
probation4 ,who has not pitied the      
ravings of ,lear and the agonies of     
,othello8 ,the ,gospel pities1 but1 by a
 magnificence of plot altogether its    
own1 by preserving1 if we may so say1   
the unities of heaven and earth1 it also
 saves4  ,of all common tragedy1 we may 
exclaim1 in the words of the old play1--
    ,how like a silent stream shaded    
with night1   ,and gliding softly1 with 
our windy sighs1   ,moves the whole     
frame of this solemnity6  ,the ,gospel  
moves by1 as a pure river of water of   
life1 clear as crystal1 from the throne 
of ,god and the ,lamb2 on its surface   
play the sunbeams of hope2 in its       

valleys rise the trees of life1 beneath 
the shadows of which the weary years of 
human passion repose1 and from the      
leaves of the branches of which is      
exhaled to the passing breeze healing   
for the nations4     ,,the ,,ring       
,,fetter4   ,a ,,new ,,england          
,,tragedy4   ,there are long stretches  
in the course of the ,connecticut       
,river1 where its tranquil current      
assumes the aspect of a lake1 its sudden
 bends cut off the lovely reach of      
water1 and its heavily wooded banks lie 
silent and green1 undisturbed1 except by
 the shriek of the passing steamer1     
casting golden-green reflections into   
the stream at twilight1 and shadows of  
deepest blackness1 star-pierced1 at     
remoter depths of night4 ,here1 now and 
then1 a stray gull from the sea sends a 
flying throb of white light across the  
mirror below1 or the sweeping wings of a
 hawk paint their moth-like image on the
 blue surface1 or a little flaw of wind 
shudders across the water in a black    

ripple2 but except for these casual     
stirs of ,nature1 all is still1         
oppressive1 and beautiful1 as earth     
seems to the trance-sleeper on the brink
 of his grave4  ,in one of these        
reaches1 though on either side the heavy
 woods sweep down to the shore and hang 
over it as if deliberating whether to   
plunge in1 on the eastern bank there is 
a tiny meadow just behind the           
tree-fringe of the river1 completely    
hedged in by the deep woods1 and        
altogether hidden from any inland road2 
nor would the traveller on the river    
discover it1 except for the chimney of a
 house that peers above the yellow      
willows and seems in that desolate      
seclusion as startling as a daylight    
ghost4 ,but this dwelling was built and 
deserted and weather-beaten long before 
the date of our story4 ,it had been     
erected and inhabited during the        
,revolution1 by an old ,tory1 who1      
foreseeing the result of the war better 
than some of his contemporaries1 and    

being unwilling to expose his person to 
the chances of battle or his effects to 
confiscation1 maintained a strict       
neutrality1 and a secret trade with both
 parties2 thereby welcoming peace and   
independence1 fully stocked with the    
dislike and suspicion of his neighbors1 
and a large quantity of ,continental    
fairy-money4 ,so1 when ,abner ,dimock   
died1 all he had to leave to his only   
son was the red house on ,dimock's      
,meadow1 and a ten-acre lot of woodland 
behind and around the green plateau     
where the house stood4 ,these           
possessions he strictly entailed on his 
heirs forever1 and nobody being         
sufficiently interested in its          
alienation to inquire into the ,state   
laws concerning the validity of such an 
entail1 the house remained in the       
possession of the direct line1 and in   
the year #ah-- belonged to another      
,abner ,dimock1 who kept tavern in      
,greenfield1 a town of ,western         
,massachusetts1 and1 like his father and

 grandfather before him1 had one only   
son4 ,in the mean time1 the old house in
 ,haddam township had fallen into a     
ruinous condition1 and1 as the farm was 
very small1 and unprofitable            
chestnut-woodland at that1 the whole was
 leased to an old negro and his wife1   
who lived there in the most utter       
solitude1 scratching the soil for a few 
beans and potatoes1 and in the autumn   
gathering nuts1 or in the spring roots  
for beer1 with which ,old ,jake paddled 
up to ,middletown1 to bring home a      
return freight of salt pork and rum4    
,the town of ,greenfield1 small though  
it was1 and at the very top of a high   
hill1 was yet the county town1 subject  
to annual incursions of lawyers1 and    
such thrilling incidents as arise from  
the location of a jail and a court-room 
within the limits of any village4 ,the  
scenery had a certain summer charm of   
utter quiet that did it good service    
with some healthy people of             
well-regulated and insensitive tastes4  

,from ,greenfield ,hill one looked away 
over a wide stretch of rolling country2 
low hills1 in long1 desolate waves of   
pasturage and grain1 relieved here and  
there by a mass of black woodland1 or a 
red farm-house and barns clustered      
against a hill-side1 just over a wooden 
spire in the shallow valley1 about which
 were gathered a few white houses1      
giving signs of life thrice a day in    
tiny threads of smoke rising from their 
prim chimneys2 and over all1 the pallid 
skies of ,new ,england1 where the sun   
wheeled his shorn beams from east to    
west as coldly as if no tropic seas     
mirrored his more fervid glow thousands 
of miles away1 and the chilly moon      
beamed with irreproachable whiteness    
across the round gray hills and the     
straggling pond1 beloved of frogs and   
mud-turtles1 that ,greenfield held in   
honor under the name of ,squam ,lake4   
,perhaps it was the scenery1 perhaps the
 air1 possibly the cheapness of the     
place as far as all the necessaries of  

life went1 that tempted ,judge ,hyde to 
pitch his tent there1 in the house his  
fathers had built long ago1 instead of  
wearing his judicial honors publicly1 in
 the city where he attained them2 but1  
whatever the motive might be1 certain it
 is that at the age of forty he married 
a delicate beauty from ,baltimore1 and  
came to live on ,greenfield ,hill1 in   
the great white house with a gambrel    
roof and dormer windows1 standing behind
 certain huge maples1 where ,major ,hyde
 and ,parson ,hyde and ,deacon ,hyde had
 all lived before him4  ,a brief        
,northern summer bloomed gayly enough   
for ,adelaide ,howard ,hyde when she    
made her bridal tour to her new home2   
and cold as she found the aspect of that
 house1 with its formal mahogany chairs1
 high-backed1 and carved in grim        
festoons and ovals of incessant         
repetition1--its penitential couch of a 
sofa1 where only the iron spine of a    
,revolutionary heroine could have found 
rest1--its pinched1 starved1 and        

double-starched portraits of defunct    
,hydes1 ,puritanic to the very ends of  
toupet and periwig1--little ,mrs4 ,hyde 
was deep enough in love with her tall   
and handsome husband to overlook the    
upholstery of a home he glorified1 and  
to care little for comfort elsewhere1 so
 long as she could nestle on his knee   
and rest her curly head against his     
shoulder4 ,besides1 flowers grew1 even  
in ,greenfield2 there were damask roses 
and old-fashioned lilies enough in the  
square garden to have furnished a whole 
century of poets with similes2 and in   
the posy-bed under the front windows    
were tulips of ,chinese awkwardness and 
splendor1 beds of pinks spicy as all    
,arabia1 blue hyacinths heavy with      
sweetness as well as bells1 pi'nies     
rubicund and rank1 hearts-ease clustered
 against the house1 and sticky          
rose-acacias1 pretty and impracticable1 
not to mention the grenadier files of   
hollyhocks that contended with          
fennel-bushes and scarlet-flowered beans

 for the precedence1 and the hosts of   
wild flowers that bloomed by wood-edges 
and pond-shores wherever corn or        
potatoes spared a foot of soil for the  
lovely weeds4 ,so in ,judge ,hyde's     
frequent absences1 at court or conclave1
 hither and yon1 7for the ,judge was a  
political man17 it was his pretty wife's
 chief amusement1 when her delicate     
fingers ached with embroidery1 or her   
head spun with efforts to learn         
housekeeping from old ,keery1 the       
time-out-of-mind authority in the ,hyde 
family1 a bad-humored1 good-tempered old
 maid1--it was1 indeed1 the little      
,southerner's only amusement1--to make  
the polish and mustiness of those dreary
 front-parlors gay and fragrant with    
flowers2 and though ,judge ,hyde's sense
 of the ridiculous was not remarkably   
keen1 it was too much to expect of him  
that he should do otherwise than laugh  
long and loud1 when1 suddenly returning 
from ,taunton one summer day1 he tracked
 his wife by snatches of song into the  

company rooms1 and found her on the     
floor1 her hair about her ears1 tying a 
thick garland of red peonies1 intended  
to decorate the picture of the original 
,hyde1 a dreary old fellow1 in bands1   
and grasping a ,bible in one wooden     
hand1 while a distant view of ,plymouth 
,bay and the ,mayflower tried to        
convince the spectator that he was      
transported1 among other antediluvians1 
by that ,noah's ark1 to the ,new ,world4
 ,on either hand hung the little        
,flora's great-grandmother-in-law1 and  
her great-grandfather accordingly1 ,mrs4
 ,mehitable and ,parson ,job ,hyde1     
peering out1 one from a bushy ornament  
of pink laurel-blossoms1 and the other  
from an airy and delicate garland of the
 wanton sweet-pea1 each stony pair of   
eyes seeming to glare with ,medusan     
intent at this profaning of their state 
and dignity4 ,isn't it charming1 dear8  
said the innocent little beauty1 with a 
satisfaction half doubtful1 as her      
husband's laugh went on4  ,but for every

 butterfly there comes an end to summer4
 ,the flowers dropped from the frames   
and died in the garden2 a pitiless      
winter set in2 and day after day the    
mittened and mufflered schoolboy1       
dragging his sled through drifts of     
heavy snow to school1 eyed curiously the
 wan1 wistful face of ,judge ,hyde's    
wife pressed up to the pane of the south
 window1 its great restless eyes and    
shadowy hair bringing to mind some      
captive bird that pines and beats       
against the cage4 ,her husband absent   
from home long and often1 full of       
affairs of court and state1--her        
delicate organization1 that lost its    
flickering vitality by every exposure to
 cold1--her lonely days and nights1--the
 interminable sewing1 that now1 for her 
own reasons1 she would trust to no hands
 but her own1--conscious incapacity to  
be what all the women about her were1   
stirring1 active1 hardy housekeepers1--a
 vague sense of shame1 and a great dread
 of the future1--her comfortless and    

motherless condition1--slowly1 but      
surely1 like frost1 and wind1 and rain1 
and snow1 beat on this frail blossom1   
and it went with the rest4 ,june roses  
were laid against her dark hair and in  
her fair hands1 when she was carried to 
the lonely graveyard of ,greenfield1    
where mulleins and asters1 golden-rod1  
blackberry-vines1 and stunted           
yellow-pines adorned the last sleep of  
the weary wife and mother2 for she left 
behind her a week-old baby1--a          
girl1--wailing prophetically in the     
square bedroom where its mother died4   
,judge ,hyde did not marry again1 and he
 named his baby ,mehitable4 ,she grew up
 as a half-orphaned child with an       
elderly and undemonstrative father would
 naturally grow1--shy1 sensitive1 timid1
 and extremely grave4 ,her dress1 thanks
 to ,aunt ,keery and the minister's     
wife1 7who looked after her for her     
mother's sake17 was always well provided
 and neat1 but no way calculated to     
cultivate her taste or to gratify the   

beholder4 ,a district school provided   
her with such education as it could     
give2 and the library1 that was her     
resort at all hours of the day1         
furthered her knowledge in a singular   
and varied way1 since its lightest      
contents were histories of all kinds and
 sorts1 unless one may call the ,english
 ,classics lighter reading than ,hume or
 ,gibbon4  ,but at length the           
district-schoolma'am could teach        
,mehitable ,hyde no more1 and the ,judge
 suddenly discovered that he had a      
pretty daughter of fourteen1 ignorant   
enough to shock his sense of propriety1 
and delicate enough to make it useless  
to think of sending her away from home  
to be buffeted in a boarding-school4    
,nothing was left for him but to        
undertake her education himself2 and    
having a theory that a thorough course  
of classics1 both ,greek and ,latin1 was
 the foundation of all knowledge1 half a
 score of dusty grammars were brought   
from the garret1 and for two hours every

 morning and afternoon little ,miss     
,hitty worried her innocent soul over   
conjugations and declensions and        
particles1 as perseveringly as any      
professor could have desired4 ,but the  
dreadful part of the lessons to ,hitty  
was the recitation after tea2 no matter 
how well she knew every inflection of a 
verb1 every termination of a noun1 her  
father's cold1 gray eye1 fixed on her   
for an answer1 dispelled all kinds of   
knowledge1 and1 for at least a week1    
every lesson ended in tears4 ,however1  
there are alleviations to everything in 
life2 and when the child was sent to the
 garret after her school-books1 she     
discovered another set1 more effectual  
teachers to her than ,sallust or the    
,graeca ,minora1 even the twelve volumes
 of ,sir ,charles ,grandison1 and the   
fewer but no less absorbing tomes of    
,clarissa ,harlowe2 and every hour she  
could contrive not to be missed by      
,keery or her father was spent in that  
old garret1 fragrant as it was with     

sheaves of all the herbs that grow in   
field or forest1 poring over those old  
novels1 that were her society1 her      
friends1 her world4  ,so two years      
passed by4 ,mehitable grew tall and     
learned1 but knew little more of the    
outside world than ever2 her father had 
learned to love her1 and taught her to  
adore him2 still shy and timid1 the     
village offered no temptation to her1 so
 far as society went2 and ,judge ,hyde  
was beginning to feel that for his      
child's mental health some freer        
atmosphere was fast becoming necessary1 
when a relentless writ was served upon  
the ,judge himself1 and one that no man 
could evade2 paralysis smote him1 and   
the strong man lay prostrate1--became   
bedridden4  ,now the question of life   
seemed settled for ,hitty2 her father   
admitted no nursing but hers4 ,month    
after month rolled away1 and the numb   
grasp gradually loosed its hold on flesh
 and sense1 but still ,judge ,hyde was  
bedridden4 ,year after year passed by1  

and no change for better or worse       
ensued4 ,hitty's life was spent between 
the two parlors and the kitchen2 for the
 room her dead mother had so decorated  
was now furnished as a bedroom for her  
father's use2 and her own possessions   
had been removed into the sitting-room  
next it1 that1 sleeping or waking1 she  
might be within call4 ,all the family   
portraits held a conclave in the other  
front-parlor1 and its north and east    
windows were shut all the year1 save on 
some sultry summer day when ,keery flung
 them open to dispel damp and must1 and 
the school-children stared in           
reverentially1 and wondered why old     
,madam ,hyde's eyes followed them as far
 as they could see4 ,visitors came now  
and then to the kitchen-door1 and       
usurped ,keery's flag-bottomed chair1   
while they gossiped with her about      
village affairs2 now and then a friendly
 spinster with a budget of good advice  
called ,hitty away from her post1 and1  
after an hour's vain effort to get any  

news worth retailing about the ,judge   
from those pale lips1 retired full of   
disappointed curiosity to tell how stiff
 that ,mehitable ,hyde was1 and how hard
 it was to make her speak a word to one6
 ,friends were what ,hitty read of in   
the ,spectator1 and longed to have2 but 
she knew none of the ,greenfield girls  
since she left school1 and the only     
companion she had was ,keery1 rough as  
the east wind1 but genuine and          
kind-hearted1--better at counsel than   
consolation1 and no way adapted to fill 
the vacant place in ,hitty's heart4  ,so
 the years wore away1 and ,miss ,hyde's 
early beauty went with them4 ,she had   
been a blooming1 delicate girl1--the    
slight grace of a daisy in her figure1  
wild-rose tints on her fair cheek1 and  
golden reflections in her light brown   
hair1 that shone in its waves and curls 
like lost sunshine2 but ten years of    
such service told their story plainly4  
,when ,hitty ,hyde was twenty-six1 her  
blue eyes were full of sorrow and       

patience1 when the shy lids let their   
legend be read2 the little mouth had    
become pale1 and the corners drooped2   
her cheek1 too1 was tintless1 though yet
 round2 nothing but the beautiful hair  
lasted2 even grace was gone1 so long had
 she stooped over her father4 ,sometimes
 the unwakened heart within her dreamed1
 as a girl's heart will4 ,stately       
visions of ,sir ,charles ,grandison     
bowing before her1--shuddering          
fascinations over the image of that     
dreadful ,lovelace1--nothing more real  
haunted ,hitty's imagination4 ,she knew 
what she had to do in life1--that it was
 not to be a happy wife or mother1 but  
to waste by a bedridden old man1 the    
only creature on earth she loved as she 
could love4 ,light and air were denied  
the plant1 but it grew in               
darkness1--blanched and unblooming1 it  
is true1 but still a growth upward1     
toward light4  ,ten years more of       
monotonous patience1 and ,miss ,hyde was
 thirty-six4 ,her hair had thinned1 and 

was full of silver threads2 a wrinkle   
invaded either cheek1 and she was       
angular and bony2 but something         
painfully sweet lingered in her face1   
and a certain childlike innocence of    
expression gave her the air of a nun2   
the world had never touched nor taught  
her4  ,but now ,judge ,hyde was dead2   
nineteen years of petulant1 helpless1   
hopeless wretchedness were at last over1
 and all that his daughter cared to live
 for was gone2 she was an orphan1       
without near relatives1 without friends1
 old1 and tired out4 ,do not despise me 
that ,i say old1 you plump and rosy     
ladies whose life is in its prime of joy
 and use at thirty-six4 ,age is not     
counted by years1 nor calculated from   
one's birth2 it is a fact of wear and   
work1 altogether unconnected with the   
calendar4 ,i have seen a girl of sixteen
 older than you are at forty4 ,i have   
known others disgrace themselves at     
sixty-five by liking to play with       
children and eat sugar-plums6  ,one kind

 of youth still remained to ,hitty      
,hyde1--the freshness of inexperience4  
,her soul was as guileless and as       
ignorant as a child's2 and she was      
stranded on life1 with a large fortune1 
like a helmless ship1 heavily loaded1   
that breaks from its anchor1 and drives 
headlong upon a reef4  ,now it happened1
 that1 within a year after ,judge       
,hyde's death1 ,abner ,dimock1 the      
tavern-keeper's son1 returned to        
,greenfield1 after years of absence1 a  
bold-faced1 handsome man1 well-dressed  
and free-handed1 as the ,greenfield     
vernacular hath it4 ,nobody knew where  
,abner ,dimock had spent the last       
fifteen years2 neither did anybody know 
anything against him2 yet he had no good
 reputation in ,greenfield4 ,everybody  
looked wise and grave when his name was 
spoken1 and no ,greenfield girl cared to
 own him for an acquaintance4 ,his      
father welcomed him home with more      
surprise than pleasure2 and the whole   
household of the ,greenfield ,hotel1 as 

,dimock's ,inn was new-named1 learned to
 get out of ,abner ,dimock's way1 and   
obey his eye1 as if he were more their  
master than his father4  ,left quite    
alone1 without occupation or amusement1 
,miss ,hyde naturally grasped at        
anything that came in her way to do or  
to see to2 the lawyer who had been      
executor of her father's will had       
settled the estate and gone back to his 
home1 and ,miss ,hyde went with him1 the
 first journey of her life1 that she    
might select a monument for her father's
 grave4 ,it was now near a year since   
,judge ,hyde's death1 and the monument  
was on its way from ,boston2 the elder  
,dimock monopolized the cartage of      
freight as well as passengers to the    
next town1 and to him ,miss ,hyde       
intrusted the care of the great granite 
pillar she had purchased2 and it was for
 his father that ,abner ,dimock called  
on the young lady for directions as to  
the disposal of the tombstone just      
arrived4 ,hitty was in the garden2 her  

white morning-dress shone among the     
roses1 and the morning air had flushed  
her pale cheek2 she looked fair and     
delicate and gracious2 but her helpless 
ignorance of the world's ways and usages
 attracted the world-hardened man more  
than her face4 ,he had not spent a rou  
life in a great city for nothing2 he had
 lived enough with gentlemen1           
broken-down and lost1 it is true1 but   
well-bred1 to be able to ape their      
manners2 and the devil's instinct that  
such people possess warned him of ,hitty
 ,hyde's weakest points4 ,so1 too1 he   
contrived to make that first errand lead
 to another1 and still another1--to make
 the solitary woman depend on his help1 
and expect his coming2 fifty thousand   
dollars1 with no more incumbrance than  
such a woman1 was worth scheming for1   
and the prey was easily snared4  ,it is 
not to be expected that any country     
village of two streets1 much less       
,greenfield1 could long remain ignorant 
of such a new and amazing phase as the  

devotion of any man to any woman        
therein2 but1 as nobody liked to        
interfere too soon in what might only   
be1 after all1 a mere business          
arrangement1 ,greenfield contented      
itself with using its eyes1 its ears1   
and its tongues1 with one exception to  
the latter organ's clatter1 in favor of 
,hitty ,hyde2 to her no one dared as yet
 approach with gossip or advice4  ,in   
the mean time ,hitty went on her way1   
all regardless of the seraphs at the    
gate4 ,abner ,dimock was handsome1      
agreeable1 gentlemanly to a certain     
lackered extent2--who had cared for     
,hitty1 in all her life1 enough to aid  
and counsel her as he had already done8 
,at first she was half afraid of him2   
then she liked him2 then he was so good 
to me6 and then--she pitied him6 for he 
told her1 sitting on that hard old sofa1
 in the ,june twilight1 how he had no   
mother1 how he had been cast upon the   
charities of a cruel and evil world from
 his infancy2 reminded her of the old   

red school-house where they had been to 
school together1 and the tyranny of the 
big boys over him1--a little curly1     
motherless boy4 ,so he enlarged upon his
 life2 talked a mildly bitter           
misanthropy2 informed ,miss ,hyde by    
gradual insinuations that she was an    
angel sent on earth to console and      
reform a poor sinner like him2 and      
before the last ,september rose had     
droped1 so far had ,abner ,dimock       
succeeded in his engineering1 that his  
angel was astounded one night by the    
undeniably terrestrial visitation of an 
embrace and a respectfully fervid kiss4 
,perhaps it would have been funny1      
perhaps pathetic1 to analyze the mixed  
consternation and delight of ,mehitable 
,hyde at such bon-fide evidence of a    
lover4 ,poor woman's heart6--altogether 
solitary and desolate1--starved of its  
youth and its joy1--given over to the   
chilly reign of patience and            
resignation1--afraid of life1--without  
strength1 or hope1 or pleasure1--and all

 at once ,paradise dawns6--her cold1    
innocent life bursts into fiery and     
odorous bloom2 she has found her fate1  
and its face is keen with splendor1 like
 a young angel's4 ,poor1 deluded1       
blessed1 rapture-smitten woman6  ,blame 
her as you will1 indignant maidens of   
,greenfield1 ,miss ,flint1 and ,miss    
,sharp1 and ,miss ,skinner6 ,you may    
have had ten lovers and twenty          
flirtations apiece1 and refused         
half-a-dozen good matches for the best  
of reasons2 you1 no doubt1 would have   
known better than to marry a man who was
 a villain from his very physiognomy2   
but my heart must needs grow tender     
toward ,miss ,hyde2 a great joy is as   
pathetic as a sorrow4 ,did you never cry
 over a doting old man8  ,but when ,mrs4
 ,smith's son ,john1 a youth of ten1    
saw1 by the light of an incautious lamp 
that illuminated a part of the south    
parlor1 a good-night kiss bestowed upon 
the departing ,abner by ,miss ,hitty    
,hyde and absolutely returned by said   

,abner1 and when ,john told his mother1 
and his mother revealed it to ,miss     
,flint1 ,miss ,flint to ,miss ,skinner1 
and so forth1 and so on1 till it reached
 the minister's wife1 great was the     
uproar in ,greenfield2 and the ,reverend
 ,mrs4 ,perkins put on her gray bonnet  
and went over to remonstrate with ,hitty
 on the spot4  ,whether people will ever
 learn the uselessness of such efforts  
is yet a matter for prophecy4 ,miss     
,hyde heard all that was said1 and      
replied very quietly1 ,i don't believe  
it4 ,and as ,mrs4 ,perkins had no       
tangible proofs of ,abner ,dimock's     
unfitness to marry ,judge ,hyde's       
daughter1 the lady in question got the  
better of her adviser1 so far as any    
argument was concerned1 and effectually 
put an end to remonstrance by declaring 
with extreme quiet and unblushing       
front1--  ,i am going to marry him next 
week4 ,will you be so good as to notify 
,mr4 ,perkins8  ,mrs4 ,perkins held up  
both hands and cried4 ,words might have 

hardened ,hitty2 but what woman that was
 not half tigress ever withstood another
 woman's tears8  ,hitty's heart melted  
directly2 she sat down by ,mrs4         
,perkins1 and cried1 too4  ,please1     
don't be vexed with me1 sobbed she4 ,i  
love him1 ,mrs4 ,perkins1 and ,i haven't
 got anybody else to love1--and--and--,i
 never shall have4 ,he's very good to   
love me1--,i am so old and homely4      
,very good6 exclaimed ,mrs4 ,perkins1 in
 great wrath1 good6 to marry ,judge     
,hyde's daughter1 and--fifty thousand   
dollars1 ,mrs4 ,perkins bit off4 ,she   
would not put such thoughts into        
,hitty's head1 since her marriage was   
inevitable4  ,at any rate1 sighed       
,hitty1 on the breath of a long-drawn   
sob1 nobody else ever loved me1 if ,i am
 ,judge ,hyde's daughter4  ,so ,mrs4    
,perkins went away1 and declared that   
things had gone too far to be prevented2
 and ,abner ,dimock came on her         
retreating steps1 and ,hitty forgot     
everything but that he loved her2 and   

the next week they were married4  ,here1
 by every law of custom1 ought my weary 
pen to fall flat and refuse its office2 
for it is here that the fate of every   
heroine culminates4 ,for what are women 
born but to be married8 ,old maids are  
excrescences in the social              
system1--disagreeable                   
utilities1--persons who have failed to  
fulfil their destiny1--and of whom it   
should have been said1 rather than of   
ghosts1 that they are always in the     
wrong4 ,but life1 with pertinacious     
facts1 is too apt to transcend custom   
and the usage of novel-writers2 and     
though the one brings a woman's legal   
existence to an end when she merges her 
independence in that of a man1 and the  
other curtails her historic existence at
 the same point1 because the novelist's 
catechism hath for its preface this     
creed1--,the chief end of woman is to   
get married2 still1 neither law nor     
novelists altogether displace this same 
persistent fact1 and a woman lives1 in  

all capacities of suffering and         
happiness1 not only her wonted1 but a   
double life1 when legally and           
religiously she binds herself with bond 
and vow to another soul4  ,happy would  
it have been for ,hitty ,hyde1 if with  
the legal fiction had chimed the actual 
existent fact6--happy indeed for ,abner 
,dimock's wife to have laid her new joy 
down at the altar1 and been carried to  
sleep by her mother under the mulleins  
and golden-rods on ,greenfield ,hill6   
,scarce was the allotted period of      
rapture past half its term1 scarce had  
she learned to phrase the tender words  
aloud that her heart beat and choked    
with1 before ,abner ,dimock began to    
tire of his incumbrance1 and to invent  
plans and excuses for absence2 for he   
dared not openly declare as yet that he 
left his patient1 innocent wife for such
 scenes of vice and reckless dissipation
 as she had not even dreamed could      
exist4  ,yet for week after week he     
lingered away from ,greenfield2 even    

months rolled by1 and1 except for rare  
and brief visits home1 ,hitty saw no    
more of her husband than if he were not 
hers4 ,she lapsed into her old solitude1
 varied only by the mutterings and      
grumblings of old ,keery1 who had lifted
 up her voice against ,hitty's marriage 
with more noise and less effect than    
,mrs4 ,perkins1 and1 though she still   
staid by her old home and haunts1       
revenged herself on fate in general and 
her mistress in particular by a         
continual course of sulking1 all the    
time hiding under this general quarrel  
with life a heart that ached with the   
purest tenderness and pity4 ,so some    
people are made1 like chestnuts2 one    
gets so scratched and wounded in the    
mere attempt to get at the kernel       
within1 that it becomes matter of       
question whether one does not suffer    
less from wanting their affection than  
from trying to obtain it4 ,yet ,hitty   
,dimock had too little love given her to
 throw away even ,keery's habit of      

kindness to her1 and bore with her snaps
 and snarls as meekly as a              
saint1--sustained1 it is true1 by a hope
 that now began to solace and to occupy 
her1 and to raise in her oppressed soul 
some glimmer of a bright possibility1 a 
faint expectation that she might yet    
regain her husband's love1 a passion    
which she began in her secret heart to  
fear had found its limit and died out4  
,still1 ,hitty1 out of her meek1        
self-distrusting spirit1 never blamed   
,abner ,dimock for his absence or his   
coldness2 rather1 with the divine       
unselfishness that such women manifest1 
did she blame herself for having linked 
his handsome and athletic prime with her
 faded age1 and struggle daily with the 
morbid conscience that accused her of   
having forgotten his best good in the   
indulgence of her own selfish ends of   
happiness4 ,she still thought1 ,he is so
 good to me6 still idealized the villain
 to a hero1 and1 like her kind1         
predestined to be the prey and the      

accusing angel of such men1 prayed for  
and adored her husband as if he had been
 the best and tenderest of gentlemen4   
,providence has its mysteries2 but if   
there be one that taxes faith and       
staggers patience more than another1 it 
is the long misery that makes a good    
woman cringe and writhe and agonize in  
silence under the utter rule and        
life-long sovereignty of a bad man4     
,perhaps such women do not suffer as we 
fancy2 for after much trial every woman 
learns that it is possible to love where
 neither respect nor admiration can find
 foothold1--that it even becomes        
necessary to love some men1 as the      
angels love us all1 from an untroubled  
height of pity and tenderness1 that1    
while it sees and condemns the sin and  
folly and uncleanness of its object1 yet
 broods over it with an all-shielding   
devotion1 laboring and beseeching and   
waiting for its regeneration1 upheld    
above the depths of suffering and regret
 by the immortal power of a love so     

fervent1 so pure1 so self-forgetting1   
that it will be a millstone about the   
necks that disregard its tender clasping
 now1 to sink them into a bottomless    
abyss in the day of the ,lord4  ,now had
 one long and not unhappy autumn1 a     
lingering winter1 a desolate spring1 a  
weary summer1 passed away1 and from an  
all-unconscious and protracted wrestling
 with death ,hitty ,dimock awoke to find
 her hope fulfilled1--a fair baby       
nestled on her arm1 and her husband1 not
 all-insensible1 smiling beside her4    
,it is true1 that1 had she died then1   
,abner ,dimock would have regretted her 
death2 for1 by certain provisions of her
 father's will1 in case of her death1   
the real estate1 otherwise at her own   
disposal1 became a trust for her child  
or children1 and such a contingency ill 
suited ,mr4 ,dimock's plans4 ,so long as
 ,hitty held a rood of land or a coin of
 silver at her own disposal1 it was also
 at his2 but trustees are not women1    
happily for the world at large1 and the 

contemplation of that fact brought      
,hitty ,hyde's husband into a state of  
mind well fitted to give him real joy at
 her recovery4  ,so1 for a little while1
 the sun shone on this bare ,new        
,england hill-side1 into this grim old  
house4 ,care and kindness were lavished 
on the delicate woman1 who would scarce 
have needed either in her present       
delight2 every luxury that could add to 
her slowly increasing strength1 every   
attention that could quiet her          
fluttering and unstrung nerves1 was     
showered on her1 and for a time her     
brightest hopes seemed all to have found
 fruition4  ,as she recovered and was   
restored to strength1 of course these   
cares ceased4 ,but now the new instincts
 of motherhood absorbed her1 and1       
brooding over the rosy child that was   
her own1 caressing its waking1 or       
hanging above its sleep1 she scarce     
noted that her husband's absences from  
home grew more and more frequent1 that  
strange visitors asked for him1 that he 

came home at midnight oftener than at   
dusk4 ,nor was it till her child was    
near a year old that ,hitty discovered  
her husband's old and rewakened         
propensity1--that ,abner ,dimock came   
home drunk1--not drunk as many men are1 
foolish and helpless1 mere beasts of the
 field1 who know nothing and care for   
nothing but the filling of their        
insatiable appetite2--this man's nature 
was too hard1 too iron in its moulding1 
to give way to temporary imbecility2    
liquor made him savage1 fierce1 brutal1 
excited his fiendish temper to its      
height1 nerved his muscular system1     
inflamed his brain1 and gave him the    
aspect of a devil2 and in such guise he 
entered his wife's peaceful ,eden1 where
 she brooded and cooed over her child's 
slumbers1 with one gripe of his hard    
hand lifted her from her chair1 kicked  
the cradle before him1 and1 with an     
awful though muttered oath1 thrust      
mother and child into the entry1 locked 
the door upon them1 and fell upon the   

bed to sleep away his carouse4  ,here   
was an undeniable fact before ,hitty    
,dimock1 one she could no way evade or  
gloss over2 no gradual lesson1 no shadow
 of foreboding1 preluded the revelation2
 her husband was unmistakably1 savagely 
drunk4 ,she did not sit down and        
cry2--drearily she gathered her baby in 
her arms1 hushed it to sleep with       
kisses1 passed down into the kitchen1   
woke up the brands of the ash-hidden    
fire to a flame1 laid on more wood1 and1
 dragging old ,keery's rush-bottomed    
chair in front of the blaze1 held her   
baby in her arms till morning broke1    
careless of anything without or within  
but her child's sleep and her husband's 
drunkenness4 ,long and sadly in that    
desolate night did she revolve this new 
misery in her mind2 the fact was face to
 face1 and must be provided for1--but   
how to do it8 ,what could she do1 poor  
weak woman1 even to conceal this        
disgrace1 much more to check it8 ,long  
since she had discovered that between   

her and her husband there was no        
community of tastes or interests2 he    
never talked to her1 he never read to   
her1 she did not know that he read at   
all2 the garden he disliked as a useless
 trouble2 he would not drive1 except    
such a gay horse that ,hitty dared not  
risk her neck behind it1 and felt a     
shudder of fear assail her whenever his 
gig left the door2 neither did he care  
for his child4 ,nothing at home could   
keep him from his pursuits2 that she    
well knew2 and1 hopeful as she tried to 
be1 the future spread out far away in   
misty horror and dread4 ,what might not1
 become of her boy1 with such a father's
 influence8 was her first thought2--nay1
 who could tell but in some fury of     
drink he might kill or maim him8 ,a     
chill of horror crept over ,hitty at the
 thought1--and then1 what had not she to
 dread8 ,oh1 for some loophole of       
escape1 some way to fly1 some refuge for
 her baby's innocent life6              
,no1--no1--no6 ,she was his wife2 she   

had married him2 she had vowed to love  
and honor and obey1--vow of fearful     
import now1 though uttered in all       
pureness and truth1 as to a man who     
owned her whole heart6 ,love him6--that 
was not the dread2 love was as much her 
life as her breath was2 she knew no     
interval of loving for the brute fiend  
who mocked her with the name of husband2
 no change or chance could alienate her 
divine tenderness1--even as the pitiful 
blue sky above hangs stainless over     
reeking battle-fields and pest-smitten  
cities1 piercing with its sad and holy  
star-eyes down into the hellish orgies  
of men1 untouched and unchanged by just 
or unjust1 forever shining and forever  
pure4 ,but honor him6 could that be     
done8 ,what respect or trust was it     
possible to keep for a self-degraded man
 like that8 ,and where honor goes down1 
obedience is sucked into the vortex1 and
 the wreck flies far over the lonely    
sea1 historic and prophetic to ship and 
shore4  ,no6 there was nothing to do6   

her vow was taken1 past the power of man
 to break2 nothing now remained but     
endurance4 ,perhaps another woman1 with 
a strong will and vivid intellect1 might
 have set herself to work1 backed by    
that very vow that defied poor ,hitty1  
and1 by sheer resolution1 have dragged  
her husband up from the gulf and saved  
him1 though as by fire2 or a more       
buoyant and younger wife might have     
passed it by as a first offence1 hopeful
 of its being also the only one4 ,but an
 instinctive knowledge of the man bereft
 ,hitty of any such hope2 she knew it   
was not the first time2 from his own    
revelations and penitent confessions    
while she was yet free1 she knew he had 
sinned as well as suffered1 and the past
 augured the future4 ,nothing was left  
her1 she could not escape1 she must shut
 her eyes and her mouth1 and only keep  
out of his way as far as she could4 ,so 
she clasped her child more tightly1 and1
 closing her heavy eyes1 rocked back and
 forth till the half-waked boy slept    

again2 and there old ,keery found her   
mistress1 in the morning1 white as the  
cold drifts without1 and a depth of     
settled agony in her quiet eyes that    
dimmed the old woman's only to look at4 
,neither spoke2 nor when her husband    
strode into the breakfast-room and took 
his usual place1 sober enough1 but      
scarcely regretful of the over-night    
development1 did any word of reproach or
 allusion pass the wife's white lips4 ,a
 stranger would have thought her        
careless and cold4 ,abner ,dimock knew  
that she was heartbroken2 but what was  
that to him8 ,women live for years      
without that organ2 and while she lived1
 so long as a cent remained of the ,hyde
 estate1 what was it to him if she pined
 away8 ,she could not leave him2 she was
 utterly in his power2 she was          
his1--like his boots1 his gun1 his dog2 
and till he should tire of her and fling
 her into some lonely chamber to waste  
and die1 she was bound to serve him2 he 
was safe4  ,and she offered no sort of  

barrier to his full indulgence of his   
will to drink4 ,had she lifted one of   
her slender fingers in warning1 or given
 him a look of reproachful meaning1 or  
uttered one cry of entreaty1 at least   
the conscience within him might have    
visited him with a temporary shame1 and 
restrained the raging propensity for a  
longer interval2 but seeing her apparent
 apathy1 knowing how timid and          
unresisting was her nature1--that       
nothing on earth will lie still and be  
trodden on but a woman1--,abner ,dimock 
rioted and revelled to his full         
pleasure1 while all his pale and        
speechless wife could do was to watch   
with fearful eyes and straining ears for
 his coming1 and slink out of the way   
with her child1 lest both should be     
beaten as well as cursed2 for faithful  
old ,keery1 once daring to face him with
 a volley of reproaches from her shrill 
tongue1 was levelled to the floor by a  
blow from his rapid hand1 and bore      
bruises for weeks that warned her from  

interference4 ,not long1 however1 was   
there danger of her meddling4 ,when the 
baby was a year and a half old4 ,keery1 
in her out-door labors1--now grown      
burdensome enough1 since ,mr4 ,dimock   
neither worked himself nor allowed a man
 on the premises1--,keery took a heavy  
cold1 and1 worn out with a life of hard 
work1 sank into rest quickly1 her last  
act of life being to draw ,hitty's face 
down to her own1 wrinkled and wan as it 
was1 scarce so old in expression as her 
mistress's1 and with one long kiss and  
sob speak the foreboding and anxious    
farewell she could not utter4  ,only you
 now6 whispered ,hitty to her child1 as 
,keery's peaceful1 shrouded face was    
hidden under the coffin-lid and carried 
away to ,greenfield ,hill4 ,pitiful     
whisper6 happily all-unmeaning to the   
child1 but full of desolation to the    
mother1 floating with but one tiny plank
 amid the wild wrecks of a midnight     
ocean1 and clinging as only the         
desperate can cling to this vague chance

 of life4  ,a rough1 half-crazed girl1  
brought from the alms-house1 now did the
 drudgery of the family4 ,abner ,dimock 
had grown penurious1 and not one cent of
 money was given for comfort in that    
house1 scarce for need4 ,the girl was   
stupid and rude1 but she worked for her 
board1--recommendation enough in ,mr4   
,dimock's eyes2 and so hard work was    
added to the other burdens loaded upon  
his silent wife4 ,and soon came another1
 all-mysterious1 but from its very      
mystery a deeper fear4 ,abner ,dimock   
began to stay at home1 to be visited at 
late hours by one or two men whose faces
 were full of evil and daring2 and when1
 in the dead of the long nights1 ,hitty 
woke from her broken and feverish sleep1
 it was to hear muffled sounds from the 
cellar below1 never heard there before2 
and once1 wrapping a shawl about her1   
she stole down the stairways with bare  
feet1 and saw streams of red light      
through the chinks of the cellar-door1  
and heard the ring of metal1 and        

muttered oaths1 all carefully dulled by 
such devices as kept the sounds from    
chance passers in the street1 though    
vain as far as the inhabitants of the   
house itself were concerned4 ,trembling 
and cold1 she stole back to her bed1    
full of doubts and fears1 neither of    
which she dared whisper to any one1 or  
would have dared1 had she possessed a   
single friend to whom she could speak4  
,troubles thickened fast over ,hitty2   
her husband was always at home now1 and 
rarely sober2 the relief his absences   
had been was denied her entirely2 and in
 some sunny corner of the uninhabited   
rooms up-stairs she spent her days1     
toiling at such sewing as was needful1  
and silent as the dead1 save as her life
 appealed to ,god from the ground1 and  
called down the curse of ,cain upon a   
head she would have shielded from evil  
with her own life4  ,keen human         
legislation6 sightless justice of       
men6--one drunken wretch smites another 
in a midnight brawl1 and sends a soul to

 its account with one sharp shudder of  
passion and despair1 and the maddened   
creature that remains on earth suffers  
the penalty of the law4 ,every sense    
sobered from its reeling fury1 weeks of 
terribly expectation heaped upon the    
cringing soul1 and1 in full             
consciousness1 that murderer is         
strangled before men and angels1 because
 he was drunk6--necessary enough1 one   
perceives1 to the good of society1 which
 thereby loses two worse than useless   
members2 but what1 in the name of ,god's
 justice1 should ,his vicegerent1 law1  
visit upon the man who wrings another   
life away by slow tortures1 and torments
 heart and soul and flesh for lingering 
years1 where the victim is passive and  
tenacious1 and dies only after          
long-drawn anguish that might fill the  
cup of a hundred sudden deaths8 ,yet    
what escapes the vicegerent shall the   
,king himself visit and judge4 ,for ,he 
cometh6 ,he cometh to judge the earth2  
with righteousness shall he judge the   

world1 and the people with equity4  ,six
 months passed after ,keery's death1 and
 now from the heights of ,greenfield and
 her sunny window ,hitty ,dimock's white
 face looked out upon a landscape of    
sudden glory2 for ,october1 the         
gold-bringer1 had come1 pouring splendor
 over the earth1 and far and wide the   
forests blazed2 scarlet and green       
maples1 with erect heads1 sentinelled   
the street1 gay lifeguards of autumn2   
through dark green cedars the crimson   
creeper threaded its sprays of          
blood-red2 birches1 gilded to their     
tops1 swayed to every wind1 and drooped 
their graceful boughs earthward to      
shower the mossy sward with glittering  
leaves2 heavy oaks turned purple-crimson
 through their wide-spread boughs2 and  
the stately chestnuts1 with foliage of  
tawny yellow1 opened wide their stinging
 husks to let the nuts fall for squirrel
 and blue-jay4 ,splendid sadness clothed
 all the world1 opal-hued mists wandered
 up and down the valleys or lingered    

about the undefined horizon1 and the    
leaf-scented south wind sighed in the   
still noon with foreboding gentleness4  
,one day1 ,abner ,dimock was gone1 and  
,hitty stole down to the garden-door    
with her little child1 now just trying  
to walk1 that he might have a little    
play on the green turf1 and she cool her
 hot eyes and lips in the air4 ,as she  
sat there watching the pretty clumsiness
 of her boy1 and springing forward to   
intercept his falls1 the influence of   
sun and air1 the playful joy of the     
child1 the soothing stillness of all    
,nature1 stole into her heart till it   
dreamed a dream of hope4 ,perhaps the   
budding blossom of promise might become 
floral and fruitful2 perhaps her child  
might yet atone for the agony of the    
past2--a time might come when she should
 sit in that door1 white-haired and     
trembling with age1 but as peaceful as  
the autumn day1 watching the sports of  
his children1 while his strong arm      
sustained her into the valley of shadow1

 and his tender eyes lit the way4  ,as  
she sat dreaming1 suddenly a figure     
intercepted the sunshine1 and1 looking  
up1 she saw ,abner ,dimock's father1 the
 elder ,abner1 entering the little      
wicket-gate of the garden4 ,a strange1  
tottering old figure1 his nose and chin 
grimacing at each other1 his bleared    
eyes telling unmistakable truths of     
cider-brandy and ,new ,england rum1 his 
scant locks of white lying in confusion 
over his wrinkled forehead and cheeks1  
his whole air squalid1 hopeless1 and    
degraded1--not so much by the poverty of
 vice as by its demoralizing stamp      
penetrating from the inner to the outer 
man1 and levelling it even below the    
plane of brutes that perish4  ,good-day6
 good-day6 said he to his son's wife1 in
 a squeaking1 tremulous tone1 that drove
 the child to his mother's arms1--,abner
 to home8  ,no1 ,sir1 said ,hitty1 with 
an involuntary shudder1 that did not    
escape the bleared blue eye that fixed  
its watery gaze upon her4  ,cold1 a'n't 

ye8 ,better go in1 better go in6 ,come1 
come along6 ,how d'e do1 little feller8 
don't know yer grandper1 hey8  ,the     
child met his advances with an ominous  
scream1 and ,hitty hurried into the     
house to give him to the servant's      
charge1 while she returned to the       
sitting-room1 where the old man had     
seated himself in the rocking-chair1 and
 was taking a mental inventory of the   
goods and chattels with a momentary     
keenness in his look that no way        
reassured ,hitty's apprehensive heart4  
,so1 ,abner a'n't to home8  ,no1 ,sir4  
,don't know where he's gone1 do ye8     
,no1 ,sir4  ,don't never know where he  
goes1 ,i expect8  ,no1 ,sir4  ,well1    
when he comes home1--know when he's     
a-comin' home8  ,no1 ,sir4  ,well1 when 
he doos1 you tell him 't some folks come
 to the tavern last night1 'n' talked   
pretty loud1 'n' ,i heerd--,guess       
'ta'n't best1 though1 to tell what ,i   
heerd4 ,only you tell ,abner 't ,i come 
here1 and ,i said he'd better be        

a-joggin'4 ,he'll know1 he'll           
know1--h'm1 yes1 said the old man1      
passing his hand across his thin blue   
lips1 as if to drive away other words   
better left unsaid1--and then rising    
from his seat1 by the aid of either arm1
 gained his balance1 and went on1 while 
he fumbled for his stick3--  ,i'd ha'   
writ1 but black and white's a hangin'   
matter sometimes1 'n' words a'n't2 'n'  
,i hadn't nobody to send1 so ,i crawled 
along4 ,don't ye forget now6 don't ye6  
,it's a pretty consider'ble piece o'    
business2 'n' you'll be dreffully on't1 
ef you do forget4 ,now don't ye forget6 
,no1 ,i won't1 said ,hitty1 trembling as
 she spoke2 for the old man's words had 
showed her a depth of dreadful          
possibility1 and an old acquaintance    
with crime and its manoeuvres1 that     
chilled the blood in her veins4 ,she    
watched him out of the gate with a      
sickening sense of terror at her heart1 
and turned slowly into the house1       
revolving all kinds of plans in her head

 for her husband's escape1 should her   
fears prove true4 ,of herself she did   
not think2 no law could harm her child2 
but1 even after years of brutality and  
neglect1 her faithful affection turned  
with all its provident thoughtfulness   
and care at once to her husband2 all her
 wrongs were forgotten1 all her sorrows 
obliterated by this one fear4 ,well did 
,st4 ,augustine say1 ,god is patient    
because ,he is eternal3 but better and  
truer would the saying have been1 had it
 run1 ,god is patient because ,he is    
love3 a gospel that ,he publishes in the
 lives of saints on earth1 in their     
daily and hourly anguish of patience1   
preaching to the fearful souls that dare
 not trust ,his long-suffering by the   
tenacious love of those who bear ,his   
image1 saying1 in resistless human      
tones1 ,shall one creature endure and   
love and continually forgive another1   
and shall ,i1 who am not loving1 but    
,love1 be weary of thy transgressions1  
,o sinner8 ,and so does the silent and  

despairing life of many a woman weave   
unconsciously its golden garland of     
reward in the heavens above1 and do the 
,lord's work in a strange land where it 
cannot sing ,his songs4  ,the day crept 
toward sunset1 and ,hitty sat with her  
wan face pressed to the window-pane1    
hushing her child in his cradle with one
 of those low1 monotoned murmurs that   
mothers know2 but still her husband did 
not come4 ,the level sun-rays pierced   
the woods into more vivid splendor1     
burnished gold fringed the heavy purple 
clouds in the west1 and warm crimson    
lights turned the purple into more      
triumphant glory2 the sun set1 unstained
 with mist or tempest1 behind those blue
 and lonely hills that guard old        
,berkshire with their rolling summits1  
and night came fast1 steel-blue and     
thick with stars2 but yet he did not    
come1 the untouched meal on the table   
was untouched still4 ,hour after hour of
 starry darkness crept by1 and she sat  
watching at the window-pane2 overhead1  

constellations marched across the       
heavens in relentless splendor1 careless
 of man or sorrow2 ,orion glittered in  
the east1 and climbed toward the zenith2
 the ,pleiades clustered and sparkled as
 if they missed their lost sister no    
more2 the ,hyades marked the celestial  
pastures of ,taurus1 and ,lyra strung   
her chords with fire4 ,hitty rested her 
weary head against the window-frame and 
sent her wearier thoughts upward to the 
stars2 there were the points of light   
that the ,chaldeans watched upon their  
plains by night1 and named with mystic  
syllables of their weird ,oriental      
tongue1--names that in her girlhood she 
had delighted to learn1 charmed by that 
nameless spell that language holds1     
wherewith it plants itself ineradicably 
in the human mind1 and binds it with    
fetters of vague association that time  
and chance are all-powerless to         
break1--,zubeneschamali and             
,zubenelgunebi1 ,bellatrix and          
,betelguese1 sonorous of ,rome and ,asia

 both1 full of old echoes and the dry   
resonant air of ,eastern plains1--names 
wherein sounded the clash of ,bellona's 
armor1 and the harsh stir of palm-boughs
 rustled by a hot wind of the desert1   
and vibrant with the dying clangor of   
gongs1 and shouts of worshipping crowds 
reverberating through horrid temples of 
grinning and ghastly idols1 wet with    
children's blood4  ,far1 far away1 the  
heavenly procession and their           
well-remembered names had led poor      
,hitty's thoughts2 worn out with        
anxiety1 and faint for want of the food 
she had forgotten to take1 sleep crept  
upon her1 and her first consciousness of
 its presence was the awakening grasp of
 a rough hand and the hoarse whisper of 
her husband4  ,get up6 said he4 ,pick up
 your brat1 get your shawl1 and come6   
,hitty rose quickly to her feet4 ,one   
faculty wretchedness gives1 the power of
 sudden self-possession1--and ,hitty was
 broad awake in the very instant she was
 called4 ,her husband stood beside her1 

holding a lantern2 her boy slept in the 
cradle at her feet4  ,have you seen your
 father8 said she1 with quick instinct4 
,yes1 d--n you1 be quick6 do you want to
 hang me8  ,quick as a spirit ,hitty    
snatched her child1 and wrapped him in  
the blanket where he lay2 her shawl was 
on the chair she had slept in1 her hood 
upon a nail by the door1 and flinging   
both on1 with the child in her arms1 she
 followed her husband down-stairs1      
across the back-yard1 hitting her feet  
against stones and logs in the darkness1
 stumbling often1 but never falling1    
till the shadow of the trees was past1  
and the starlight showed her that they  
were traversing the open fields1 now    
crisp with frost1 but even to the       
tread1--over two or three of these1     
through a pine-wood that was a landmark 
to ,hitty1 for she well knew that it lay
 between the turnpike-road and another1 
less frequented1 that by various        
windings went toward the ,connecticut   
,hue1--then over a tiny brook on its    

unsteady bridge of logs1 and out into a 
lane1 where a rough-spoken man was      
waiting for them1 at the head of a      
strong horse harnessed to one of those  
wagons without springs that             
,new-,englanders like to make themselves
 uncomfortable in4 ,her husband turned  
to her abruptly4  ,get in1 said he2 get 
in behind2 there's hay enough2 and don't
 breathe loud1 or ,i'll murder you6     
,she clambered into the wagon and seated
 herself on the hay1 hushing her child1 
who nestled and moaned in her arms1     
though she had carried him with all     
possible care4 ,a sharp cut of the whip 
sent the powerful horse off at full     
speed1 and soon this ill-matched party  
were fast traversing the narrow road    
that wound about the country for the use
 of every farm within a mile of its     
necessary course1 a course tending      
toward the ,connecticut4  ,hour after   
hour crept by4 ,worn out with fatigue1  
poor ,hitty dozed and fell back on the  
soft hay2 her child slept1 too1 and all 

her troubles faded away in heavy        
unconsciousness1 till she was again     
awakened by her husband's grasp1 to find
 that dawn was gathering its light      
roseate fleeces in the east1 and that   
their flight was for the present stayed 
at the door of a tavern1 lonely and rude
 enough1 but welcome to ,hitty as a     
place of rest1 if only for a moment4    
,the sullen mistress of the house asked 
no questions and offered no courtesy1   
but1 after her guests had eaten their   
breakfast1 rapidly prepared1 she led the
 way to a bedroom in the loft1 where    
,abner ,dimock flung himself down upon  
the straw bed and fell sound asleep1    
leaving ,hitty to the undisturbed care  
of her child4 ,and occupation enough    
that proved2 for the little fellow was  
fretful and excited1 so that no hour for
 thought was left to his anxious and    
timid mother till the dinner-bell awoke 
her husband and took him downstairs4    
,she could not eat1 but1 begging some   
milk for her boy1 tended1 and fed1 and  

sung to him1 till he slept2 and then all
 the horrors of the present and future  
thronged upon her1 till her heart seemed
 to die in her breast1 and her limbs    
failed to support her when she would    
have dragged herself out of doors for   
one breath of fresh air1 one refreshing 
look at a world untroubled and serene4  
,so the afternoon crept away1 and as    
soon as night drew on the journey was   
resumed4 ,but this night was chill with 
the breath of a sobbing east wind1 and  
the dim stars foreboded rain4 ,hitty    
shivered with bitter cold1 and the boy  
began to cry4 ,with a fierce curse      
,abner bade her stop his disturbance1   
and again the poor mother had hands and 
heart full to silence the still         
recurring sobs of the child4 ,at last1  
after the midnight cocks had ceased to  
send their challenges from farm to farm1
 after some remote church-clocks had    
clanged one stroke on the damp wind1    
they began to pass through a large      
village2 no lights burned in the        

windows1 but white fences gleamed       
through the darkness1 and sharp gable   
ends loomed up against the dull sky1 one
 after another1 and the horse's hoofs   
flashed sparks from the paved street    
before the church1 that showed its white
 spire1 spectre-like1 directly in their 
path4 ,here1 by some evil chance1 the   
child awoke1 and1 between cold and      
hunger and fear1 began one of those long
 and loud shrieks that no power can stop
 this side of strangulation4 ,in vain   
,hitty kissed1 and coaxed1 and          
half-choked her boy1 in hope to stop the
 uproar2 still he screamed more and more
 loudly4 ,abner turned round on his seat
 with an oath1 snatched the child from  
its mother's arms1 and rolled it closely
 in the blanket4  ,hold on a minute1    
,ben6 said he to his companion2 this    
yelp must be stopped2 and stepping over 
to the back of the wagon1 he grasped his
 wife tightly with one arm1 and with the
 other dropped his child into the       
street4 ,now drive1 ,ben1 said he1 in   

the same hoarse whisper1--drive like the
 ,devil6--for1 as her child fell1 ,hitty
 shrieked with such a cry as only the   
heart of a mother could send out over a 
newly-murdered infant4 ,shriek on       
shriek1 fast and loud and long1 broke   
the slumbers of the village2 nothing    
,abner could do1 neither threat nor     
force1 short of absolute murder1 would  
avail1--and there was too much real     
estate remaining of the ,hyde property  
for ,abner ,dimock to spare his wife    
yet4 ,ben drove fiend-fashion2 but      
before they passed the last house in the
 village1 lights were glancing and      
windows grating as they were opened4    
,years after1 ,i heard the story of such
 a midnight cry borne past sleeping     
houses with the quick rattle of wheels2 
but no one who heard it could give the  
right clue to its explanation1 and it   
dried into a legend4  ,now ,hitty       
,dimock became careless of good or evil1
 except one absorbing desire to get away
 from her husband1--to search for her   

child1 to know if it had lived or died4 
,for four nights more that journey was  
pursued at the height of their horse's  
speed2 every day they stopped to rest1  
and every day ,hitty's half-delirious   
brain laid plans of escape1 only to be  
balked by ,abner ,dimock's vigilance2   
for if he slept1 it was with both arms  
round her1 and the slightest stir awoke 
him1--and while he woke1 not one        
propitious moment freed her from his    
watch4 ,her brain began to reel with    
disappointment and anguish2 she began to
 hate her husband2 a band of iron seemed
 strained about her forehead1 and a     
ringing sound filled her ears2 her lips 
grew parched1 and her eye glittered2 the
 last night of their journey ,abner     
,dimock lifted her into the wagon1 and  
she fainted on the hay4  ,what in hell  
did you bring her for1 ,dimock8 growled 
his companion2 women are d----d plagues 
always4  ,she'll get up in a minute1    
coolly returned the husband2 can't      
afford to leave a goose that lays golden

 eggs behind2 hold on till ,i lift her  
up4 ,here1 ,hitty6 drink1 ,i tell you6  
drink6  ,a swallow of raw spirit        
certainly drove away the faintness1 but 
it brought fresh fire to the fever that 
burned in her veins1 and she was        
muttering in delirium before the end of 
that night's journey brought them to a  
small village just above the old house  
on the river that figured in the        
beginning of this history1 and which we 
trust the patient reader has not        
forgotten4 ,abner ,dimock left his wife 
in charge of the old woman who kept the 
hovel of a tavern where they stopped1   
and1 giving ,ben the horse to dispose of
 to some safe purchaser1 after he had   
driven him down to the old house1       
returned at night in the boat that      
belonged to his negro tenant1 and1      
taking his unconscious wife from her    
bed1 rowed down the river and landed her
 safely1 to be carried from the skiff   
into an upper chamber of the old house1 
where ,jake's wife1 ,aunt ,judy1 as ,mr4

 ,dimock styled her1 nursed the wretched
 woman through three weeks of fever1 and
 doctored her with herbs and roots4     
,the tenacious ,hyde constitution1 that 
was a proverb in ,greenfield1 conquered 
at last1 and ,hitty became conscious1 to
 find herself in a chamber whose        
plastered walls were crumbling away with
 dampness and festooned with cobwebs1   
while the uncarpeted floor was checkered
 with green stains of mildew1 and the   
very old four-post bedstead on which she
 lay was fringed around the rickety     
tester with rags of green moreen1       
mould-rotted4  ,hitty sank back on her  
pillow with a sigh2 she did not even    
question the old negress who sat        
crooning over the fire1 as to where she 
was1 or what had befallen her2 but      
accepted this new place as only another 
misty delirium1 and in her secret heart 
prayed1 for the hundredth time1 to die4 
,slowly she recovered2 for prayers to   
die are the last prayers ever answered2 
we live against our will1 and tempt     

living deaths year after year1 when soul
 and body cry out for the grave's       
repose1 and beat themselves against the 
inscrutable will of ,god only to fall   
down before it in bruised and bleeding  
acquiescence4 ,so she lived to find     
herself immured in this damp and        
crumbling house1 with no society but a  
drinking and crime-haunted husband1 and 
the ignorant negroes who served         
him1--society varied now and then by one
 or two men revolting enough in speech  
and aspect to drive ,hitty to her own   
room1 where1 in a creaking chair1 she   
rocked monotonously back and forth1     
watching the snapping fire1 and dreaming
 dreams of a past that seemed now but a 
visionary paradise4  ,for now it was    
winter1 and the heavy drifts of snow    
that lay on ,dimock's meadow forbade any
 explorations which the one idea of     
finding her child might have driven her 
to make2 and the frozen surface of the  
river no white-sailed ship could        
traverse now1 nor the hissing           

paddle-wheels of a steamer break the    
silence with intimations of life1 active
 and salient1 far beyond the lonely     
precinct of ,abner ,dimock's home4  ,so 
the winter passed by4 ,the noises and   
lights that had awoke ,hitty at midnight
 in the house at ,greenfield had become 
so far an institution in this lonely    
dwelling that now they disturbed her    
sleep no more2 for it was a received    
custom1 that1 whenever ,abner ,dimock's 
two visitors should appear1 the cellar  
should resound all night with heavy     
blows and clinking of metal1 and red    
light as from a forge streamed up       
through the doorway2 but it disturbed   
,hitty no more2 apathy settled down in  
black mist on her soul1 and she seemed  
to think1 to care1 for nothing4  ,but   
spring awoke the dead earth1 and        
sleeping roots aroused with fresh forces
 from their torpor1 and sent up green   
signals to the birds above4 ,a spark of 
light awoke in ,hitty's eye2 she planned
 to get away1 to steal the boat from its

 hidden cove in the bushes and push off 
down the friendly current of the        
river1--anywhere away from him6         
anywhere6 though it should be to wreck  
on the great ocean1 but still away from 
him6 ,night after night she rose from   
her bed to hazard the attempt1 but her  
heart failed1 and her trembling limbs   
refused their aid4 ,at length moonlight 
came to her aid1 and when all the house 
slept she stole downstairs with bare1   
noiseless feet1 and sped like a ghost   
across the meadow to the river-bank4    
,poor weak hands6 vainly they fumbled   
with the knotted rope that bound the    
skiff to a crooked elm over-hanging the 
water1--all in vain for many lingering  
minutes2 but presently the obdurate knot
 gave way1 and1 turning to gather up her
 shawl1 there1 close behind her1 so     
close that his hot breath seemed to sear
 her cheek1 stood her husband1 clear in 
the moonlight1 with a sneer on his face1
 and the lurid glow of drunkenness1 that
 made a savage brute of a bad man1      

gleaming in his deep-set eyes4 ,hitty   
neither shrieked nor ran2 despair nerved
 her1--despair turned her rigid before  
his face4  ,well1 said he1 where are you
 going8  ,i am going away1--away from   
you1--anywhere in the world away from   
you6 answered she1 with the boldness of 
desperation4  ,ha1 ha6 going away from  
me6--that's a d--d good joke1 a'n't it8 
,away from your husband6 ,you fool6 you 
can't get away from me6 you're mine1    
soul and body1--this world and the next6
 ,don't you know that8 ,where's your    
promise1 eh8--'for better1 for          
worse6'--and a'n't ,i worse1 you cursed 
fool1 you8 ,you didn't put on the       
handcuffs for nothing2 heaven and hell  
can't get you away from me as long as   
you've got on that little shiny fetter  
on your finger1--don't you know that8   
,the maddened woman made a quick wrench 
to pull away from him her left hand1    
which he held in his1 taunting her with 
the ring that symbolized their eternal  
bonds2 but he was too quick for her4    

,hollo6 laughed he2 want to get rid of  
it1 don't you8 ,no1 no6 that won't      
do1--that won't do6 ,i'll make it safe6 
,and lifting her like a child in his    
arms1 he carried her across the meadow1 
back to the house1 and down a flight of 
crazy steps into the cellar1 where a    
little forge was all ablaze with        
white-hot coal1 and the two ill-visaged 
men she well knew by sight were busy    
with sets of odd tools and fragments of 
metal1 while on a bench near by1 and in 
the seat of an old chair1 lay piles of  
fresh coin4 ,they were a gang of        
counterfeiters4  ,abner ,dimock thrust  
his wife into the chair1 sweeping the   
gilt eagles to the floor as one of the  
men angrily started up1 demanding1 with 
an oath1 what he brought that woman     
there for to hang them all4  ,be quiet1 
,bill1 can't you8 interposed the other  
man4 ,don't you see he's drunk8 you'll  
have the ,devil to pay1 if you cross a  
drunk ,dimock6  ,but ,abner had not     
heard the first speaker2 he was too much

 occupied with tying his wife's arms to 
the chair1--a proceeding she could      
nowise interfere with1 since his heavy  
foot was set upon her dress so as to    
hold her own feet in helpless fixedness4
 ,he proceeded to take the ring from her
 finger1 and1 searching through a box of
 various contents that stood in one     
corner1 extracted from it a delicate    
steel chain1 finely wrought1 but strong 
as steel can be2 then1 at the forge1    
with sundry tools1 carefully chosen and 
skilfully used1 he soldered one end of  
the chain to the ring1 and1 returning to
 his wife1 placed it again upon her     
finger4  ,here1 ,bill1 growled he1      
where's that padlock off the tool-chest1
 eh8 give it here6 ,this woman's a      
fool1--ha1 ha1 ha6--she wanted to get   
away from me1 and she's my wife6        
,another peal of dissonant laughter     
interrupted the words4  ,what a d----d  
good joke6 ,i swear ,i haven't laughed  
before1 this dog's age6 ,and then she   
was goin' to rid herself of the ring6 as

 if that would help it6 ,why1 there's   
the promise in black and white1--'love1 
honor1 and obey1'--',i take thee1       
,abner1'--ha1 ha6 that's good6 ,but fast
 bind1 fast find2 she a'n't going to get
 rid of the ring4 ,i'll make it as tight
 as the promise2 both of 'em 'll last to
 doomsday4 ,give me the padlock1 you    
scoundrel6  ,bill1 the man he addressed1
 knew too much to hesitate after the    
savage look that sent home the last     
words1--and1 drawing from a bag of tools
 and dies a tiny padlock and key1 he    
handed them to ,dimock1 who passed the  
chain about ,hitty's thin white wrist1  
and1 fastening it with the padlock1     
turned the key1 and1 withdrawing it from
 the lock1 dropped it into the silvery  
heat of the forge1 and burst into a fit 
of laughter1 so savage and so inhuman   
that the bearded lips of his two        
comrades grew white with horror to hear 
the devil within so exult in his        
possession of a man4  ,hitty sat1       
statue-like1 in her chair2 stooping1 the

 man unbound her1 and she rose slowly   
and steadily to her feet1 looking him in
 the face4  ,look6 said she1 raising her
 shackled arm high in air1--,i shall    
carry it to ,god6--and so fled1 up the  
broken stairway1 out into the moonlight1
 across the meadow1--the three men      
following fast1--over the fallen boughs 
that winter had strewn along the shore1 
out under the crooked elm1 swift as     
light1 poising on the stern of the boat1
 that had swung out toward the          
channel1--and once more lifting her hand
 high into the white light1 with one    
spring she dropped into the river1 and  
its black waters rolled down to the sea4
     ,,the ,,end ,,of ,,all4            
,wandering along a waste   ,where once a
 city stood1   ,i saw a ruined tomb1    
,and in that tomb an urn1--    ,a sacred
 funeral-urn1   ,without a name or date1
   ,and in its hollow depths   ,a little
 human dust6    ,whose dust is this1 ,i 
asked1   ,in this forgotten urn8   ,and 
where this waste now lies   ,what city  

rose of old8    ,none knows2 its name is
 lost2   ,it was1 and is no more3       
,gone like a wind that blew   ,a        
thousand years ago6    ,its melancholy  
end   ,will be the end of all2   ,for1  
as it passed away1   ,the universe will 
pass6    ,its sole memorial   ,some     
ruined world1 like ours2   ,a solitary  
urn1   ,full of the dust of men6        
,,birds ,,of ,,the ,,night4   ,there are
 numerous swarms of insects and many    
small quadrupeds1 requiring partial     
darkness for their security1 that come  
abroad only during the night or         
twilight4 ,these would multiply almost  
without check1 but that certain birds   
are formed with the power of seeing in  
the dark1 and1 on account of their      
partial blindness in the daytime1 are   
forced by necessity to seek their food  
by night4 ,many species of insects are  
most active after dewfall1--such1       
especially1 as spend a great portion of 
their lifetime in the air4 ,hence the   
very late hour at which ,swallows retire

 to rest1 the hour succeeding sunset    
providing them with a fuller repast than
 any other part of the day4 ,no sooner  
has the ,swallow disappeared1 than the  
,whippoorwill and the ,night-,jar come  
forth1 to prey upon the larger kinds of 
aerial insects4 ,the ,bat1 an animal of 
an antediluvian type1 comes out at the  
same time1 and assists in lessening     
these multitudinous swarms4 ,the little 
,owls1 though they pursue the larger    
beetles and moths1 direct their efforts 
chiefly at the small quadrupeds that    
steal out in the early evening to nibble
 the tender herbs and grasses4 ,thus the
 night1 except the hours of total       
darkness1 is with many species of       
animals1 though they pursue their       
objects with comparative stillness and  
silence1 a period of general activity4  
,in this sketch1 ,i shall treat of the  
,birds of the ,night under two heads1   
including1 beside the true nocturnal    
birds that go abroad in the night to    
seek their subsistence1 those diurnal   

birds that continue their songs during a
 considerable portion of the night4     
,some species of birds are partly       
nocturnal in their habits4 ,such is the 
,chimney ,swallow4 ,this bird is seldom 
out at noonday1 which it employs in     
sleep1 after excessive activity from the
 earliest morning dawn4 ,it is seen     
afterwards circling about in the decline
 of day1 and is sometimes abroad in fine
 weather the greater part of the night1 
when the young broods require almost    
unremitted exertions1 on the part of the
 old birds1 to procure their            
subsistence4  ,the true nocturnal birds1
 of which the ,owl and the ,whippoorwill
 are conspicuous examples1 are          
distinguished by a peculiar sensibility 
of the eye1 that enables them to see    
clearly by twilight and in cloudy       
weather1 while they are dazzled by the  
broad light of day4 ,their organs of    
hearing are proportionally delicate and 
acute4 ,their wing-feathers also have a 
peculiar downy softness1 so that they   

fly without the usual fluttering sounds 
that attend the flight of other birds1  
and are able to steal unawares upon     
their prey1 and make their predal       
excursions without disturbing the       
general silence of the hour4 ,this      
noiseless flight is very remarkable in  
the ,owl1 as may be observed1 if a tame 
one be allowed to fly about a room1 when
 we can perceive his motions only by our
 sight4 ,it is a fact worthy of our     
attention1 that this peculiar structure 
of the wing-feathers does not exist in  
the ,woodcock4 ,nature makes no useless 
provisions for her creatures2 and hence 
this nocturnal bird1 which obtains his  
food by digging into the soil1 and gets 
no part of it while on the wing1 has no 
need of this contrivance4 ,neither      
stillness nor stealth would assist him  
in securing his helpless prey4  ,among  
the nocturnal birds1 the most notorious 
is the ,owl1 of which there are many    
species1 varying from the size of an    
,eagle down to the little ,acadian1     

which is no larger than a ,robin4 ,the  
resemblance of the ,owl to the feline   
quadrupeds has been a frequent subject  
of remark4 ,like the cat1 he sees most  
clearly by twilight or the light of the 
moon1 seeks his prey in the night1 and  
spends the principal part of the day in 
sleep4 ,the likeness is made stronger by
 his tufts of feathers1 that correspond 
to the ears of the quadruped1--by his   
large head1--his round1 full1 and       
glaring eyes1 set widely apart1--by the 
extreme contractility of the pupil1--and
 in his manners1 by his lurking and     
stealthy habit of surprising his        
victims4 ,his eyes are partially        
encircled by a disk of feathers that    
yields a peculiarly significant         
expression to his face4 ,his hooked bill
 turned downwards1 so as to resemble the
 nose in a human countenance1 the       
general flatness of his features1 and   
his upright position1 give him a grave  
and intelligent look2 and it was this   
expression that caused him to be        

selected by the ancients as the emblem  
of wisdom1 and consecrated to ,minerva4 
,the ,owl is remarkable also for the    
acuteness of his hearing1 having a large
 ear-drum1 and being provided with an   
apparatus by which he can exalt this    
faculty1 when under the necessity of    
listening with greater attention4       
,hence1 while he is silent in his own   
motions1 he is able to perceive the     
least sound from the motion of any other
 object1 and overtakes his prey by      
coming upon it in silence and darkness4 
,the stillness of his flight is one of  
the circumstances that add mystery to   
his character1 and which have assisted  
in rendering him an object of           
superstitious dread4  ,aware of his     
defenceless condition in the bright     
daylight1 when his purblindness would   
prevent him from evading the attacks of 
his enemies1 he seeks some obscure      
retreat where he may pass the day       
without exposing himself to observation4
 ,it is this necessity which has caused 

him to make his abode in desolate and   
ruined buildings1 in old towers and     
belfries1 and in the crevices of        
dilapidated walls4 ,in these places he  
hides himself from the sight of other   
birds1 who regard him as their common   
enemy1 and who show him no mercy when he
 is discovered4 ,here also he rears his 
offspring1 and with these solitary      
haunts his image is closely associated4 
,in thinly settled and wooded countries1
 he selects the hollows of old trees and
 the clefts of rocks for his retreats4  
,all the smaller ,owls1 however1 seem to
 multiply with the increase of human    
population1 subsisting upon the minute  
animals that accumulate in outhouses1   
orchards1 and fallows4  ,when the ,owl  
is discovered in his hiding-place1 the  
alarm is given1 and there is a general  
excitement among the small birds4 ,they 
assemble in great numbers1 and with loud
 chattering commence assailing and      
annoying him in various ways1 and soon  
drive him out of his retreat4 ,the ,jay1

 usually his first assailant1 like a    
thief employed as a thief-taker1 attacks
 him with great zeal and animation2 the 
,chickadee1 the ,nuthatch1 and the small
 ,thrushes peck at his head and eyes2   
while other birds1 less bold1 fly round 
him1 and by their vociferation encourage
 his assailants and help to terrify     
their victim4  ,it is while sitting on  
the branch of a tree or on a fence1     
after his misfortune and his escape1    
that he is most frequently seen in the  
daytime2 and here he has formed a       
subject for painters1 who have commonly 
introduced him into their pictures as he
 appears in one of these open           
situations4 ,he is likewise represented 
ensconced in his own select retreats1   
apparently peeping out of his           
hiding-place while half-concealed2 and  
the fact of his being seen in these     
lonely places has caused many           
superstitions to be attached to his     
image4 ,his voice is supposed to bode   
misfortune1 and his spectral visits are 

regarded as the forewarnings of death4  
,his connection with deserted houses and
 ruins has invested him with a          
peculiarly romantic character2 while the
 poets1 by introducing him to deepen the
 force of their gloomy and pathetic     
descriptions1 have enlivened these      
associations2 and he deserves1          
therefore1 in a special degree1 to be   
named among those animals which we call 
picturesque4  ,the gravity of the ,owl's
 general appearance1 combined with a    
sort of human expression in his         
countenance1 undoubtedly caused him to  
be selected by the ancients as the      
emblem of wisdom4 ,the moderns have     
practically renounced this idea1 which  
had no foundation in the real character 
of the bird1 who possesses only the sly 
and sinister traits that mark the feline
 race4 ,a very different train of       
associations and a new series of        
picturesque images are now suggested by 
the figure of the ,owl1 who has been    
portrayed more correctly by modern      

poetry than by ancient mythology4 ,he is
 now universally regarded as the emblem 
of ruin and desolation1 true to his     
character and habits1 which are         
intimately allied to this description of
 scenery4  ,i will not enter into a     
speculation concerning the nature and   
origin of those agreeable emotions which
 are so generally produced by the sight 
of objects that suggest the ideas of    
decay and desolation4 ,it is happy for  
us1 that1 by the alchemy of poetry1 we  
are able to turn some of our misfortunes
 into sources of melancholy pleasure1   
after the poignancy of grief has been   
assuaged by time4 ,nature has           
beneficently provided1 also1 that many  
an object1 which is capable of          
communicating no direct pleasure to our 
senses1 shall affect us agreeably       
through the medium of sentiment4 ,the   
image of the ,owl is calculated to      
awaken the sentiment of ruin1 and to    
this feeling of the human soul we may   
trace the pleasure we derive from the   

sight of this bird in his appropriate   
scenery4 ,two ,doves upon the mossy     
branch of a tree in a wild and beautiful
 sylvan retreat are the pleasing emblems
 of innocent love and constancy2 but    
they are not more suggestive of poetic  
fancies than an ,owl sitting upon an old
 gate-post near a deserted house4  ,i   
have alluded1 in another page1 to the   
faint sounds we hear when the ,night    
,birds1 on a still summer evening1 are  
flying over short distances in a        
neighboring wood4 ,there is a feeling of
 mystery excited by these sounds1 that  
exalts the pleasure we derive from the  
delightful influence of the hour and the
 season4 ,but the emotions thus produced
 are of a cheerful kind1 and not equal  
in intensity to the effects of the      
scarcely perceptible sound occasioned by
 the flight of the ,owl1 as he glides by
 in the dusk of the evening or in the   
dim light of the moon4 ,similar in its  
influence is the dismal voice of this   
bird1 which is harmonized with darkness1

 and1 though in some cases not          
unmusical1 is tuned1 as it were1 to the 
terrors of that hour when he makes      
secret warfare upon the sleeping        
inhabitants of the wood4  ,one of the   
most interesting of this tribe of birds 
is the little ,acadian ,owl1 7,strix    
,acadica17 whose note has formerly      
excited a great deal of curiosity4 ,in  
,the ,canadian ,naturalist1 an account  
is given of a rural excursion in ,april1
 in the course of which the attention of
 one of the party is called by his      
companion1 just after sunset1 to a      
peculiar sound proceeding from a cedar  
swamp4 ,it was compared to the measured 
tinkling of a cow-bell1 or regular      
strokes upon a piece of iron1 quickly   
repeated4 ,the one appealed to is able  
to give no satisfactory information     
about it1 but remarks1 that1 during the 
months of ,april and ,may1 and in the   
former part of ,june1 we frequently     
hear1 after nightfall1 the sound just   
described4 ,from its regularity1 it is  

thought to resemble the whetting of a   
saw1 and hence the bird from which it   
proceeds is called the ,saw-,whetter4   
,the author could not identify the bird 
that uttered this note1 but conjectured 
that it might be a ,heron or a ,bittern4
 ,it has since been ascertained that    
this singular note proceeds from the    
,acadian ,owl4 ,it is like the sound    
produced by the filing of a mill-saw1   
and is said to be the amatory note of   
the male1 being heard only during the   
season of incubation4  ,mr4 ,s4,p4      
,fowler1 of ,danvers1 informs me that   
the ,acadian ,owl has another note1     
which we frequently hear in the autumn1 
after the breeding season is over4 ,the 
parent birds1 then accompanied by their 
young1 while hunting their prey during a
 bright moonlight night1 utter a        
peculiar note1 resembling a suppressed  
moan or a low whistle4 ,the little      
,acadian1 to avoid the annoyance of the 
birds he would meet by day1 and the     
blinding light of the sun1 retires in   

the morning1 his feathers wet with dew  
and rumpled by the hard struggles he has
 encountered in seizing his prey1 to the
 gloom of the forest or the thick swamp1
 where1 perched on a bough1 near the    
trunk of the tree1 he sleeps through a  
summer's day1 the perfect picture of a  
used-up little fellow1 suffering from   
the sad effects of a night's carouse4   
,but he is an honest bird1              
notwithstanding his late hours and his  
idle sleeping days2 he is also domestic 
in his habits1 and the father of an     
interesting family1 close at hand1 in a 
hollow white-birch1 and he is ever ready
 to give them his support and           
protection4  ,the ,mottled ,owl1 7,strix
 ,asio7 or ,screech ,owl1 is somewhat   
larger than the ,acadian or ,whetsaw1   
and not so familiar as the ,barn ,owl of
 ,europe1 though resembling it in       
general habits4 ,he commonly builds in  
the hollow of an old tree1 also in      
deserted buildings1 whither he resorts  
in the daytime to find repose and to    

escape annoyance4 ,his voice is heard   
most frequently in the latter part of   
summer1 when the young ,owlets are      
abroad1 and use their cries for purposes
 of mutual salutation and recognition4  
,this wailing note is singularly wild1  
and not unmusical4 ,it is not properly a
 screech or a scream1 like that of the  
,hawk or the ,peacock1 but rather a sort
 of moaning melody1 half music and half 
bewailment4 ,this wailing song is far   
from disagreeable1 though it has a      
cadence which is expressive of          
dreariness and melancholy4 ,it might be 
performed on a small flute1 by          
commencing with ,d octave and running   
down by semitones to a fifth below1 and 
frequently repeating the notes1 for the 
space of a minute1 with occasional      
pauses and slight variations1 sometimes 
ascending as well as descending the     
scale4 ,the bird does not slur the      
passages1 but utters them with a sort of
 trembling staccato4 ,the separate notes
 may be distinctly perceived1 with      

intervals of about a semitone4  ,the    
,owl is not properly regarded as a      
useful bird4 ,the generality of the     
tribe deserve to be considered only as  
mischievous birds of prey1 and no more  
entitled to mercy and protection than   
the ,falcons1 to which they are allied4 
,all the little ,owls1 however1 though  
guilty of destroying small birds1 are   
very serviceable in ridding our fields  
and premises of mischievous animals4    
,they likewise destroy multitudes of    
large nocturnal insects1 flying above   
the summits of the trees in pursuit of  
them1 while at other times their flight 
is low1 when watching for the small     
animals that run upon the ground4 ,it is
 probably on account of its low flight  
that the ,owl is seldom seen on the     
wing4 ,bats1 which are employed by      
,nature for the same kind of services1  
fall victims in large numbers to the    
,owls of different species1 who are the 
principal means of preventing their     
multiplication4  ,i should wander from  

my present purpose1 were ,i to attempt a
 sketch of the large ,owls1 as ,i design
 only to treat of those birds which     
contribute1 either as poetic or         
picturesque objects1 to improve the     
charms of ,nature4 ,i shall say but a   
passing word1 therefore1 of the ,great  
,snowy ,owl1 almost exclusively an      
inhabitant of the ,arctic regions1 where
 he frightens both man and beast with   
his dismal hootings1--or of the ,cat    
,owl1 the prince of these monsters1 who 
should be consecrated to ,pluto1--or of 
his brother monster1 the ,gray ,owl1    
that will carry off a full-grown rabbit4
 ,there are several other species1 more 
or less interesting1 ridiculous1 or     
frightful4 ,i will leave them1 to speak 
of birds of more pleasing habits and a  
more innocent character4  ,the next     
remarkable family of nocturnal birds    
comprises the ,moth-,hunters1 including1
 in ,new ,england1 only two             
species1--the ,whippoorwill and the     
,night-,hawk1 or ,piramidig4 ,these     

birds resemble the ,owls in some of     
their habits2 but in their structure1 in
 their mode of subsistence1 and in their
 general traits of character1 they are  
like ,swallows4 ,they are shy and       
solitary1 take their food while on the  
wing1 abide chiefly in deep woods1 and  
come abroad only at twilight or in      
cloudy weather4 ,they remain1 like the  
,dove1 permanently paired1 lay their    
eggs on the bare ground1 and1 when      
perched upon the branch of a tree1 sit  
upon it lengthwise1 unlike other birds4 
,they are remarkable for their singular 
voices1 of which that of only one       
species1 the ,whippoorwill1 can be      
considered musical4 ,they are known in  
all parts of the world1 but are         
particularly numerous in the warmer     
parts of ,america4  ,the ,whippoorwill  
7,caprimulgus vociferus7 is well known  
to the inhabitants of this part of the  
world1 on account of his nocturnal song4
 ,this is heard only in densely wooded  
and retired situations1 and is          

associated with the solitude of the     
forest1 as well as the silence of night4
 ,the ,whippoorwill is1 therefore1      
emblematic of the rudeness of primitive 
,nature1 and his voice always reminds us
 of seclusion and retirement4 ,sometimes
 he wanders away from the wood into the 
precincts of the town1 and sings near   
some dwelling-house4 ,such an incident  
was formerly the occasion of            
superstitious alarm1 being regarded as  
an omen of some evil to the inmates of  
the dwelling4 ,the true cause of these  
irregular visits is probably the        
accidental abundance of a particular    
kind of insects1 which the bird has     
followed from his retirement4  ,i       
believe the ,whippoorwill1 in this part 
of the country1 is first heard in ,may1 
and continues vocal until the middle of 
,july4 ,he begins to sing at dusk1 and  
we usually hear his note soon after the 
,veery1 the ,philomel of our summer     
evenings1 has become silent4 ,his song  
consists of three notes1 in a sort of   

triple or waltz time1 with a slight     
pause after the first note in the bar1  
as given below3--  ,illustration3 ,,song
 ,,of ,,the ,,whippoorwill4             
,whip-poor-,will ,whip-p'r-,will        
,whip-p'r-,will ,whip-  ,i should       
remark1 that the bird usually commences 
his song with the second syllable of his
 name1 or the second note in the bar4   
,some birds fall short of these         
intervals2 but there seems to be an     
endeavor1 on the part of each           
individual1 to reach the notes as they  
are written on the scale4 ,a few sliding
 notes are occasionally introduced1 and 
an occasional preluding cluck is heard  
when we are near the singer4  ,the note 
of the ,quail so closely resembles that 
of the ,whippoorwill1 that ,i have      
thought it might be interesting to      
compare the two4  ,illustration3 ,,note 
,,of ,,the ,,quail4 ,bob ,white4 ,more  
,wet4  ,so great is the general         
similarity of the notes of these two    
birds1 that those of the ,quail need    

only to be repeated several times in    
succession1 without pause1 to be        
mistaken for those of the ,whippoorwill4
 ,they are uttered with similar         
intonations2 but the voice of the       
nocturnal bird is more harsh1 and his   
song consists of three notes instead of 
two4  ,the song of the ,whippoorwill1   
though wanting in mellowness of tone1 as
 may be perceived when he is only a     
short distance from us1 is to most      
people very agreeable1 notwithstanding  
the superstitions associated with it4   
,some persons are not disposed to rank  
the ,whippoorwill among singing-birds1  
regarding him as more vociferous than   
musical4 ,but it would be difficult to  
determine in what respect his notes     
differ from the songs of other birds1   
except that they approach more nearly to
 the precision of artificial music4 ,yet
 it will be admitted that considerable  
distance is required to lend enchantment
 to the sound of his voice4 ,in some    
retired and solitary districts1 the     

,whippoorwills are often so numerous as 
to be annoying by their vociferations2  
but in those places where only two or   
three individuals are heard during the  
season1 their music is the source of a  
great deal of pleasure1 and is a kind of
 recommendation to the place4  ,i was   
witness of this1 some time since1 in one
 of my botanical rambles in the town of 
,beverly1 which is1 for the most part1  
too densely populated to suit the habits
 of these solitary birds4 ,on one of    
these excursions1 after walking several 
hours over a rather unattractive region1
 ,i arrived at a very romantic spot1    
known by the unpoetical name of ,black  
,swamp4 ,nature uses her most ordinary  
materials to form her most delightful   
landscapes1 and often keeps in reserve  
prospects of enchanting beauty1 and     
causes them to rise up1 as it were1 by  
magic1 where we should least expect     
them4 ,here ,i suddenly found myself    
encompassed by a charming amphitheatre  
of hills and woods1 and in a valley so  

beautiful that ,i could not have        
imagined anything equal to it4 ,a neat  
cottage stood alone in this spot1       
without a single architectural          
decoration1 which ,i am confident would 
have dissolved the spell that made the  
whole scene so attractive4 ,it was      
occupied by a shoemaker1 whom ,i        
recognized as an old acquaintance and a 
worthy man1 who resided here with his   
wife and children4 ,i asked them if they
 could live contented so far from other 
families4 ,the wife of the cottager     
replied1 that they suffered in the      
winter from their solitude1 but in the  
spring and summer they preferred it to  
the town1--for in this place we hear all
 the singing-birds1 early and late1 and 
the ,whippoorwill sings here every night
 during ,may and ,june4 ,it was the     
usual practice of these birds1 they told
 me1 to sing both in the morning and the
 evening twilight2 but if the moon rose 
late in the evening1 after they had     
become silent1 they would begin to sing 

anew1 as if to welcome her rising4 ,may 
the birds continue to sing to this happy
 family1 and may the voice of the       
,whippoorwill never bode them any       
misfortune6  ,the ,night-,hawk1 or      
,piramidig1 7,caprimulgus ,americanus17 
is similar in many points to the        
,whippoorwill1 and the two species were 
formerly considered identical4 ,the     
former1 however1 is a smaller bird2 he  
has no song1 and exhibits more of the   
ways of the ,swallow4 ,he is marked by a
 white spot on his wings1 which is very 
apparent during his flight4 ,he takes   
his prey in a higher part of the        
atmosphere1--being frequently seen1 at  
twilight and in cloudy weather1 soaring 
above the house-tops in quest of        
insects4 ,the ,whippoorwill finds his   
subsistence chiefly in the woods1 and   
takes a part of it from the branches of 
trees1 while poising himself on the     
wing1 like a ,humming-,bird4 ,i believe 
he is never seen circling aloft like the
 ,night-,hawk4  ,the movements of the   

,night-,hawk1 during this flight1 are   
performed1 for the most part1 in        
circles1 and are very picturesque4 ,the 
birds are usually seen in pairs1 at such
 times1 but occasionally there are      
numbers assembled together2 and one     
might suppose they were engaged in a    
sort of arial dance1 or that they were  
emulating each other in their attempts  
at soaring to a great height4 ,it is    
evident that these evolutions proceed in
 part from the pleasure of motion2 but  
they are also connected with their      
courtship4 ,while they are soaring and  
circling in the air1 they occasionally  
utter the shrill and broken note which  
has been supposed to resemble the word  
,piramidig1 whence the name is          
derived1--and now and then they dart    
suddenly aside1 to seize a passing      
insect4  ,while performing these        
circumvolutions1 the male frequently    
dives almost perpendicularly downwards1 
a distance of forty feet or more1       
uttering1 when he turns at the bottom of

 his descent1 a singular note1          
resembling the twang of a viol-string4  
,this sound has been supposed to proceed
 from the action of the air1 as the bird
 dives swiftly through it with open     
mouth2 but this supposition is rendered 
improbable by the fact that the         
,european species makes a similar sound 
while sitting on its perch4 ,it has also
 been alleged that the diving motion of 
this bird is an act designed to         
intimidate those who seem to be         
approaching his nest2 but this cannot be
 true1 because the bird performs the    
manoeuvre when he has no nest to defend4
 ,this habit is peculiar to the male1   
and it is probably one of those         
fantastic motions which are noticeable  
among the males of the gallinaceous     
birds1 and are evidently their artifices
 to attract the attention of the female2
 very many of these motions may be      
observed in the manners of tame         
,pigeons4  ,the twanging note produced  
during the precipitate descent of the   

,night-,hawk is one of the picturesque  
sounds of ,nature1 and is heard most    
frequently in the morning twilight1 when
 the birds are busy collecting their    
repast of insects4 ,during an early     
morning walk1 while they are circling   
about1 we may hear their cry frequently 
repeated1 and occasionally the booming  
sound1 which1 if one is not accustomed  
to it1 and is not acquainted with this  
habit of the bird1 affects him with a   
sensation of mystery1 and excites his   
curiosity in an extraordinary degree4   
,the sound produced by the ,european    
species is a sort of drumming or        
whizzing note1 like the hum of a        
spinning-wheel4 ,the male commences this
 performance about dusk1 and continues  
it at intervals during a great part of  
the night4 ,it is effected while the    
breast is inflated with air1 like that  
of a cooing ,dove4 ,the ,piramidig has  
the power of inflating himself in the   
same manner1 and he utters this whizzing
 note when one approaches his nest4     

,the ,american ,woodcock 7,scolopax     
minor7 is a more interesting bird than  
we should infer from his general        
appearance and physiognomy4 ,he is      
mainly nocturnal in his habits1 and his 
ways are worthy of study and            
observation4 ,he obtains his food by    
scratching up the leaves and rubbish    
that lie upon the surface of the ground 
in damp and wooded places1 and by boring
 into the earth for worms4 ,he remains  
concealed in the wood during the day1   
and comes out to feed at twilight1      
choosing the open ploughed lands where  
worms are abundant2 though it is        
probable that in the shade of the wood  
he is more or less busy in scratching   
among the leaves in the daytime4  ,the  
,woodcock does not commonly venture     
abroad in the open day1 unless he be    
disturbed and driven from his retreats4 
,he makes his first appearance here in  
the latter part of ,april1 and at this  
season we may observe that soaring habit
 which renders him one of the           

picturesque objects of ,nature4 ,this   
soaring takes place soon after sunset1  
continues during twilight1 and is       
repeated at the corresponding hour in   
the morning4 ,if you listen at this time
 near the places of his resort1 he will 
soon reveal himself by a lively peep1   
frequently uttered1 from the ground4    
,while repeating this note1 he may be   
seen strutting about1 like a            
turkey-cock1 with fantastic jerkings of 
the tail and a frequent bowing of the   
head2 and his mate1 ,i believe1 is at   
this time not far off4 ,suddenly he     
springs upward1 and with a wide circular
 sweep1 uttering at the same time a     
rapid whistling note1 he rises in a     
spiral course to a great height in the  
air4 ,at the summit of his ascent1 he   
hovers about with irregular motions1    
chirping a medley of broken notes1 like 
imperfect warbling4 ,this continues     
about ten or fifteen seconds1 when it   
ceases1 and he descends rapidly to the  
ground4 ,we seldom hear him while in his

 descent1 but receive the first         
intimation of it by hearing a repetition
 of his peep1 resembling the sound      
produced by those minute wooden trumpets
 sold at the ,german toy-shops4  ,no    
person could watch this playful flight  
of the ,woodcock without interest2 and  
it is remarkable that a bird with short 
wings and difficult flight should be    
capable of mounting to so great an      
altitude4 ,it affords me a vivid        
conception of the pleasure with which ,i
 should witness the soaring and singing 
of the ,skylark1 known to me only by    
description4 ,i have but to imagine the 
chirruping of the ,woodcock to be a     
melodious series of notes1 to feel that 
,i am listening to that bird1 which is  
so familiarized to our imaginations by  
,english poetry that in our early days  
we always expect his greetings with a   
summer sunrise4 ,it is with sadness that
 we first learn in our youth that the   
,skylark is not an inhabitant of the    
,new ,world2 and our mornings seem      

divested of a great portion of their    
charms1 for the want of this poetical   
accompaniment4  ,there is another       
circumstance connected with the habits  
of the ,woodcock which increases his    
importance as an actor in the melodrame 
of ,nature4 ,when we stroll away from   
the noise and din of the town1 where the
 stillness permits us to hear distinctly
 all those faint sounds which are turned
 by the silence of night into music1 we 
may hear at frequent intervals the hum  
produced by the irregular flights of the
 ,woodcock1 as he passes over short     
distances in the wood1 where he is      
collecting his repast4 ,it resembles the
 sound of the wings of ,doves1 rendered 
distinct by the stillness of all other  
things1 and melodious by the distance4  
,there is a feeling of mystery attached 
to these musical nights that yields a   
savor of romance to the quiet           
voluptuousness of a summer evening4  ,it
 is on such occasions1 if we are in a   
moralizing mood1 that we may be keenly  

impressed with the truth of the saying1 
that the secret of happiness consists in
 keeping alive our susceptibilities by  
frugal indulgences1 rather than by      
seeking a multitude of pleasures1 that  
pall in exact proportion to their       
abundance4 ,the stillness and darkness  
of a quiet night produce this enlivening
 effect upon our minds4 ,our            
susceptibility is then awakened to such 
a degree1 that slight sounds and feeble 
sparks of light convey to our souls an  
amount of pleasure which we seldom      
experience in the daytime from sights   
and sounds of the most pleasing         
description4 ,thus the player in an     
orchestra can enjoy such music only as  
would deafen common ears by its crash of
 sounds1 in which they perceive no      
connection or harmony2 while the simple 
rustic listens to the rude notes of a   
flageolet in the hands of a clown with  
feelings of ineffable delight4 ,nature1 
if the seekers after luxurious and      
exciting pleasures could but understand 

her language1 would say to them1 ,except
 ye become as this simple rustic1 ye    
cannot enter into my paradise4  ,the    
,american ,snipe has some of the        
nocturnal habits of the ,woodcock1 and  
the same habit of soaring at twilight1  
when he performs a sort of musical      
medley1 which ,audubon has very         
graphically described in the following  
passage3--,the birds are met with in    
meadows and low grounds1 and1 by being  
on the spot before sunrise1 you may see 
both 7male and female7 mount high1 in a 
spiral manner1 now with continuous beats
 of the wings1 now in short sailings1   
until more than a hundred yards high1   
when they whirl round each other with   
extreme velocity1 and dance1 as it were1
 to their own music2 for1 at this       
juncture1 and during the space of five  
or six minutes1 you hear rolling notes  
mingled together1 each more or less     
distinct1 perhaps1 according to the     
state of the atmosphere4 ,the sounds    
produced are extremely pleasing1 though 

they fall faintly on the ear4 ,i know   
not how to describe them2 but ,i am well
 assured that they are not produced     
simply by the beatings of their wings1  
as at this time the wings are not       
flapped1 but are used in sailing swiftly
 in a circle1 not many feet in diameter4
 ,a person might cause a sound somewhat 
similar by blowing rapidly and          
alternately1 from one end to another1   
across a set of small pipes1 consisting 
of two or three modulations4 ,this      
performance is kept up till incubation  
terminates2 but ,i have never observed  
it at any other period4  ,among the     
,heron family we discover a few         
nocturnal birds1 which1 though not very 
well known1 have some ways that are     
singular and interesting4 ,goldsmith    
considered one of these birds worthy of 
introduction into his ,deserted         
,village1 as contributing to the poetic 
conception of desolation4 ,thus1 in his 
description of the grounds which were   
the ancient site of the village1 we     

read1--    ,along its glades1 a solitary
 guest1   ,the hollow-sounding ,bittern 
guards its nest4  ,the ,bittern is a shy
 and solitary bird2 it is never seen on 
the wing in the daytime1 but sits1      
generally with the head erect1 hid among
 the reeds and rushes of extensive      
marshes1 from whence it will not stir1  
unless disturbed by the sportsman4 ,when
 it changes its haunts1 it removes in   
the dusk of the evening1 and then1      
rising in a spiral direction1 soars to a
 vast height4 ,it flies in the same     
heavy manner as the ,heron1 and might be
 mistaken for that bird1 were it not for
 the singularly resounding cry which it 
utters1 from time to time1 while on the 
wing3 but this cry is feeble when       
compared with the hollow booming noise  
which it makes during the night1 in the 
breeding season1 from its swampy        
retreats4 ,from the loudness and        
solemnity of its note1 an erroneous     
notion prevails with the vulgar1 that it
 either thrusts its head into a reed1   

which serves as a pipe for swelling its 
note beyond its natural pitch1 or that  
it immerges its head in water1 and then 
produces its boomings by blowing with   
all its might4  ,the ,american ,bittern 
is a smaller bird1 but is probably a    
variety of the ,european species4 ,it   
exhibits the same nocturnal habits1 and 
has received at the ,south the name of  
,dunkadoo1 from the resemblance of its  
common note to these syllables4 ,this is
 a hollow-sounding noise1 but not so    
loud as the voice of the ,bittern to    
which ,goldsmith alludes4 ,i have heard 
it by day proceeding from the wooded    
swamps1 and am at a loss to explain how 
so small a bird can produce so low and  
hollow a note4 ,among this family of    
birds are one or two other nocturnal    
species1 including the ,qua-,bird1 which
 is common to both continents2 but there
 is little to be said of it that would  
be interesting in this connection4 ,the 
,herons1 however1 and their allied      
species1 are birds of remarkable habits1

 the enumeration and account of which   
would occupy a considerable space4 ,in  
an essay on the flight of birds in      
particular1 the ,herons would furnish a 
multitude of very interesting facts4    
,let us now turn our attention to those 
diurnal birds that sing in the night as 
well as in the day1 and which might be  
comprehended under the general          
appellation of ,nightingales4 ,these    
birds do not confine their singing to   
the night1 like the true nocturnal      
birds1 and are most vocal when inspired 
by the light of the moon4 ,europe has   
several of these minstrels of the night4
 ,beside the true ,philomel of poetry   
and romance1 the ,reed-,thrush and the  
,woodcock are of this character4 ,in the
 ,united ,states1 the ,mocking-,bird    
enjoys the greatest reputation2 the     
,rose-breasted ,grosbeak and the ,new   
,york ,thrush are also nocturnal        
songsters4  ,the ,mocking-,bird 7,turdus
 polyglottus7 is well known in the      
,middle and ,southern ,states1 but      

seldom passes a season in ,new ,england1
 except in the southern part of ,rhode  
,island and ,connecticut1 which seem to 
be the northern limit of its migrations4
 ,probably1 like the ,rose-breasted     
,grosbeak1 which is constantly extending
 its limits in an eastern direction1 the
 ,mocking-,bird may be gradually making 
progress northwardly1 so that fifty     
years hence both of these birds may be  
common in ,massachusetts4 ,the          
,mocking-,bird is familiar in his       
habits1 frequenting gardens and         
orchards1 and perching on the roofs of  
houses when singing1 like the common    
,robin4 ,like the ,robin1 too1 who sings
 at all hours excepting those of        
darkness1 he is a persevering songster1 
and seems to be inspired by living in   
the vicinity of man4 ,in his manners1   
however1 he bears more resemblance to   
the ,red ,thrush1 being distinguished by
 his vivacity1 and the courage with     
which he repels the attacks of his      
enemies4  ,the ,mocking-,bird is        

celebrated throughout the world for his 
musical powers2 but it is difficult to  
ascertain precisely the character and   
quality of his original notes4 ,hence   
some naturalists have contended that he 
has no song of his own1 but confines    
himself to imitations4 ,that this is an 
error1 all persons who have listened to 
him in his native wild-wood can testify4
 ,i should say1 from my own             
observations1 not only that he has a    
distinct song1 peculiarly his own1 but  
that his imitations are far from being  
equal to his original notes4 ,yet it is 
seldom we hear him except when he is    
engaged in mimicry4 ,in his native      
woods1 and especially at an early hour  
in the morning1 when he is not provoked 
to imitation by the voices of other     
birds and animals1 he sometimes pours   
forth his own wild notes with full      
fervor4 ,yet ,i have often listened     
vainly for hours to hear him utter      
anything but a few idle repetitions of  
monotonous sounds1 interspersed with    

some ludicrous varieties4 ,why he should
 neglect his own pleasing notes1 to     
tease the listener with his imitations  
of all imaginable discords1 is not      
easily explained4  ,though his          
imitations are the cause of his         
notoriety1 they are not the utterances  
upon which his true merit is based4 ,he 
would be infinitely more valuable as a  
songster1 if he were incapable of       
imitating a single sound4 ,i would add1 
that as an imitator of the songs of     
other birds he is very imperfect1 and in
 this respect has been greatly overrated
 by our ornithologists1 who seem to vie 
with one another in their exaggerations 
of his powers4 ,he cannot utter the     
notes of the rapid singers2 he is       
successful only in his imitations of    
those birds whose notes are simple and  
moderately delivered4 ,he is1 indeed1   
more remarkable for his indefatigable   
propensity than for his powers4 ,single 
sounds1 from whatever source they may   
come1 from birds1 quadrupeds1 reptiles1 

or machines1 he gives very accurately2  
but ,i have heard numbers of            
,mocking-,birds in confinement attempt  
to imitate the ,canary1 and always      
without success4 ,there is a common     
saying1 that the ,mocking-,bird will die
 of chagrin1 if placed in a cage by the 
side of a caged ,bobolink1 mortified    
because he cannot give utterance to his 
rapid notes4 ,if this were the cause of 
his death1 he would also die when caged 
in a room with a ,canary1 a ,goldfinch1 
or any of the rapidly singing ,finches4 
,it is also an error to say of his      
imitations1 as the generality of writers
 assert1 that they are improvements upon
 the originals4 ,when he utters the     
notes of the ,red-,bird1 the ,golden    
,robin1 or the ,common ,robin1 he does  
not improve them2 and when he gives us  
the screaming of the ,jay or the mewing 
of the ,cat1 he does not change them    
into music4  ,as an original songster1  
judging him by what he is capable of    
performing1 however unfrequently he may 

exercise his powers to the best         
advantage1 the ,mocking-,bird is        
probably equalled only by two or three  
of our singing-birds4 ,his notes are    
loud1 varied1 melodious1 and of great   
compass4 ,they may be compared to those 
of the ,red ,thrush1 more rapidly       
delivered1 and having more flute notes  
and fewer guttural notes and sudden     
transitions4 ,he also sings on the wing 
and with fervor1 like the ,linnet1 while
 the other ,thrushes sing only from     
their perch4 ,but his song has less     
variety than that of the ,red ,thrush1  
and falls short of it in as many        
respects as it surpasses it4 ,for the   
greater part of the time1 the only notes
 of the ,mocking-,bird1 when he is not  
engaged in mimicry1 are a sort of       
melodious whistle1 consisting of two    
notes about a fourth apart1 uttered in  
quick1 but not rapid1 succession1 and   
hardly to be distinguished from those of
 the ,red-,bird of ,virginia4  ,i heard 
the notes of the ,mocking-,bird the     

first time in his native wilds1 during a
 railroad journey by night1 through the 
,pine ,barrens of ,north ,carolina1 in  
the month of ,june4 ,the journey was    
very tiresome and unpleasant1 nothing   
being seen1 when looking out upon the   
landscape1 but a gloomy stretch of level
 forest1 consisting of tall pines1      
thinly scattered1 without any branches1 
except at their tops4 ,the dusky forms  
of these trees1 pictured against the    
half-luminous sky1 seemed like so many  
giant spectres watching the progress of 
our journey1 and increased the          
loneliness of the hour4 ,before         
daylight1 when the sky was faintly      
crimsoned around the place where the sun
 was to come forth1 the train made a    
pause of half an hour1 at one of the    
stations1 and the passengers alighted4  
,while ,i was looking at the dreary     
prospect of desert1 tired of my journey 
and longing for day1 suddenly the notes 
of the ,mocking-,bird came to my ear1   
and changed all my gloomy feelings into 

delight4  ,it is seldom ,i have felt so 
vividly the power of one little incident
 to change the tone of one's feelings   
and the humor of the occasion4 ,as a few
 drops of oil1 cast upon the surface of 
the waters1 will quiet the troubled     
waves1 so did the glad voice of this    
merry bird suddenly dispel all those    
sombre feelings which had been fostered 
by dismal scenes and a lonely journey4  
,nature never seemed so lovely as when  
the rising dawn1 with its tearful beams 
and purple radiance1 was greeted by this
 warbling salutation1 as from some      
messenger of light1 who came to announce
 that ,morning was soon to step forth   
from her throne1 and extend over all    
things her smiles and her beneficence4  
,of the other ,american birds that sing 
in the night ,i can say nothing from my 
own observation4 ,the most important of 
these is the ,new ,york ,thrush1        
7,turdus aquaticus17 which is said to   
resemble the ,river ,nightingale of     
,europe4 ,this bird1 which is common in 

the ,western ,states1 is said to sing   
melodiously night and day4 ,wilson      
remarks of this species1 ,they are      
eminently distinguished by the loudness1
 sweetness1 and expressive vivacity of  
their notes1 which begin very high and  
clear1 falling with an almost           
imperceptible gradation1 till they are  
scarcely articulated4 ,at these times   
the musician is perched on the middle   
branches of a tree1 over a brook or     
river-bank1 pouring out his charming    
melody1 that may be distinctly heard for
 nearly half a mile4 ,the voice of this 
little bird appeared to me so           
exquisitely sweet and expressive1 that  
,i was never tired listening to it4     
,this description is exactly applicable 
to the song of the ,veery1 supposed to  
be silent by ,wilson1 who could not have
 fallen into such an error1 except by   
having confined his researches chiefly  
to the ,middle and ,southern ,states4   
,the ,rose-breasted ,grosbeak 7,loxia   
rosea7 is said to be an excellent       

songster1 passing the greater part of   
the night in singing1 and continuing    
vocal in confinement4 ,this bird is     
common in the ,western ,states1 but     
until lately has seldom been seen in    
,new ,england4 ,i learn1 however1 from  
,mr4 ,fowler1 that the ,rose-breasted   
,grosbeak is found in ,essex ,county1   
and1 though formerly seldom seen1 is    
becoming every year more common4 ,like  
the ,wood ,thrush and ,scarlet ,tanager1
 it is retiring in its habits1 and is   
usually found in the most sheltered part
 of the wood1 where1 perched about      
midway on a tree1 in fancied            
concealment1 it warbles its soft1 clear1
 and melodious notes4 ,he thinks this   
bird is not heard so frequently by night
 as by day1 though it often sings in the
 light of the moon4  ,in connection with
 this theme1 we cannot help feeling a   
sense of regret1 almost like melancholy1
 when we reflect that the true          
,nightingale and the ,skylark1 the      
classical birds of ,european literature1

 are strangers to our fields and woods4 
,in ,may and ,june there is no want of  
sylvan minstrels to wake the morn and to
 sing the vespers of a sweet summer     
evening4 ,a flood of song wakes us at   
the earliest daylight2 and the shy and  
solitary ,veery1 after the ,vesper-,bird
 has concluded his evening hymn1 pours  
his few pensive notes into the very     
bosom of twilight1 and makes the hour   
sacred by his melody4 ,but after        
twilight is sped1 and the moon rises to 
shed her meek radiance over the sleeping
 earth1 the ,nightingale is not here to 
greet her rising1 and to turn her       
melancholy beams into the cheerfulness  
of daylight4 ,and when the ,queen ,moon 
is on her throne1    ,clustered around  
by all her starry ,fays1  the           
,whippoorwill alone brings her the      
tribute of his monotonous song1 and     
soothes the dull ear of ,night with     
sounds which1 however delightful1 are   
not of heaven4 ,we have become so       
familiar with the ,lark and the         

,nightingale1 by the perusal of the     
romance of rural life1 that neither     
breath of ,morn1 when she ascends       
without the charm of this her earliest  
harbinger1 nor silent ,night without her
 solemn bird1 seems holy1 as when we    
contemplate them in the works of        
pastoral song4 ,poetry has hallowed to  
our minds the pleasing objects of the   
,old ,world2 those of the ,new have to  
be cherished in song yet many more      
years1 before they will be equally      
sacred to our imaginations4  ,by some of
 our writers the ,mocking-,bird is put  
forward as equal in song to the         
,nightingale4 ,this assumption might be 
worthy of consideration1 if the         
,american bird were not a mimic4 ,but   
his mocking habits almost annihilate his
 value as a songster1--as the effect of 
a good concert would be spoiled1 if the 
players were constantly introducing1 in 
the midst of their serious performances1
 snatches of ridiculous tunes and       
uncouth sounds4 ,i have never heard the 

,nightingale2 but if ,i may judge from  
descriptions of its song1 and from the  
notes of those ,canaries which are said 
to give us perfect imitations of it1 we 
have no bird in ,america that equals    
this classical songster4 ,the following 
description1 by ,pliny1 which is said to
 be superior to any other1 may afford us
 some idea of the extent of its         
powers3--,the ,nightingale1 that for    
fifteen days and nights1 hid in the     
thickest shades1 continues her note     
without intermission1 deserves our      
attention and wonder4 ,how surprising   
that so great a voice can reside in so  
small a body6 ,such perseverance in so  
minute an animal6 ,with what musical    
propriety are the sounds it produces    
modulated6 ,the note at one time drawn  
out with a long breath1 now stealing off
 into a different cadence1 now          
interrupted by a break1 then changing   
into a new note by an unexpected        
transition1 now seeming to renew the    
same strain1 then deceiving expectation4

 ,she sometimes seems to murmur within  
herself2 full1 deep1 sharp1 swift1      
drawling1 trembling2 now at the top1 the
 middle1 and the bottom of the scale4   
,in short1 in that little bill seems to 
reside all the melody which man has     
vainly labored to bring from a variety  
of musical instruments4 ,some even seem 
to be possessed of a different note from
 the rest1 and contend with each other  
with great ardor4 ,the bird1 overcome1  
is then seen to discontinue its song    
only with its life4  ,the cause of the  
nocturnal singing of birds that do not  
go abroad during the night and are      
strictly diurnal in all their other     
habits has never been satisfactorily    
explained4 ,it is natural that the      
,whippoorwill1 which is a nocturnal     
bird1 should sing during his hours of   
wakefulness and activity4 ,there is also
 no difficulty in explaining why ,ducks 
and ,geese1 and some other social birds1
 should utter their loud alarm-notes1   
when they meet with any midnight        

disturbance4 ,these birds usually have a
 sentinel who keeps awake2 and if he    
give an alarm1 the others reply to it4  
,the crowing of the ,cock bears more    
analogy to the song of a bird1 for it   
does not seem to be an alarm-note4 ,this
 domestic bird may be considered1       
therefore1 a nocturnal songster1 if his 
crowing can be called a song2 though it 
is remarkable that we seldom hear it    
during evening twilight4 ,the ,cock     
sings his matins1 but not his vespers2  
he crows at the earliest dawn of day1   
and at midnight upon the rising of the  
moon1 and whenever he is awakened by    
artificial light4 ,many singing-birds   
are accustomed to prolong their notes   
after sunset to a late hour1 and become 
silent only to commence again at the    
earliest daybreak4 ,but the habit of    
singing in the night is peculiar to a   
small number of birds1 and the cause of 
it forms a curious subject of inquiry4  
,by what means are they enabled to      
sustain such constant watchfulness1     

singing and providing subsistence for   
their offspring during the day1 and     
still continuing wakeful and musical    
while it is night8 ,why do they take    
pleasure in singing1 when no one will   
come in answer to their call8 ,have they
 their worship1 like religious beings1  
and are their midnight lays but the     
outpouring of the fervency of their     
spirits8 ,do they rejoice1 like the     
clouds1 in the presence of the moon1    
hailing her beams as a pleasant relief  
from the darkness that has surrounded   
them8 ,or in the silence of night1 are  
their songs but responses to the sounds 
of the trees1 when they bow their heads 
and shake their rustling leaves in the  
wind8 ,when they listen to the          
streamlet1 that makes audible melody    
only in the hush of night1 do they not  
answer to it from their leafy perch8    
,and when the moth flies hummingly      
through the recesses of the wood1 and   
the beetle sounds his horn1 what are    
their notes but cheerful responses to   

these sounds1 that break sweetly upon   
the quiet of their slumbers8  ,wilson   
remarks1 that the hunters in the        
,southern ,states1 when setting out on  
an excursion by night1 as soon as they  
hear the ,mocking-,bird sing1 know that 
the moon is rising4 ,he quotes a writer 
who supposes that it may be fear that   
operates upon the birds when they       
perceive the ,owls flitting among the   
trees1 and that they sing1 as a timid   
person whistles in a lonely place1 to   
quiet their fears4 ,but the musical     
notes of birds are never used by them to
 express their fears2 they are the      
language of love1 sometimes animated by 
jealousy4 ,it must be admitted that the 
moonlight awakes these birds1 and may be
 the most frequent exciting cause of    
their nocturnal singing2 but it is not  
true that they always wait for the      
rising of the moon2 and if this were the
 fact1 the question may still be asked1 
why these few species alone should be   
thus affected4  ,since ,philosophy can  

give no explanation of this instinct1   
let ,fancy come to her aid1 and assist  
us in our dilemma1--as when we have     
vainly sought from ,reason an           
explanation of the mysteries of         
,religion1 we humbly submit to the      
guidance of ,faith4 ,with ,fancy for our
 interpreter1 we may suppose that       
,nature has adapted the works of        
creation to our moral as well as our    
physical wants2 and while she has       
instituted the night as a time for      
general rest1 she has provided means    
that shall soften the gloomy effects of 
darkness4 ,the birds1 which are the     
harbingers of all rural delights1 are   
hence made to sing during twilight2 and 
when they cease1 the nocturnal songsters
 become vocal1 bearing pleasant         
sensations to the sleepless1 and by     
their lulling melodies preparing us to  
be keenly susceptible of all agreeable  
emotions4   ,,to ,,the ,,mocking-,,bird4
     ,carolling bird1 that merrily1     
night and day1   ,tellest thy raptures  

from the rustling spray1   ,and wakest  
the morning with thy varied lay1        
,singing thy matins1--   ,when we have  
come to hear thy sweet oblation   ,of   
love and joyance from thy sylvan        
station1   ,why1 in the place of musical
 cantation1           ,balk us with     
pratings8    ,we stroll by moonlight in 
the dusky forest1   ,where the tall     
cypress shields thee1 fervent chorist6  
,and sit in haunts of ,echoes1 when thou
 pourest           ,thy woodland solo4  
,hark6 from the next green tree thy song
 commences3   ,music and discord join to
 mock the senses1   ,repeated from the  
tree-tops and the fences1               
,from hill and hollow4    ,a hundred    
voices mingle with thy clamor2   ,bird1 
beast1 and reptile take part in thy     
drama2   ,out-speak they all in turn    
without a stammer1--           ,brisk   
,polyglot6   ,voices of ,killdeer1      
,plover1 ,duck1 and ,dotterel2   ,notes 
bubbling1 hissing1 mellow1 sharp1 and   
guttural2   ,of ,cat-,bird1 ,cat1 or    

,cart-,wheel1 thou canst utter all1     
,and all-untaught4    ,the ,raven's     
croak1 the chirping of the ,sparrow1    
,the scream of ,jays1 the creaking of   
,wheelbarrow1   ,and hoot of ,owls1--all
 join the soul to harrow1           ,and
 grate the ear4   ,we listen to thy     
quaint soliloquizing1   ,as if all      
creatures thou wert catechizing1        
,tuning their voices1 and their notes   
revising1           ,from far and near4 
,sweet bird6 that surely lovest the     
noise of folly2   ,most musical1 but    
never melancholy2   ,disturber of the   
hour that should be holy1               
,with sound prodigious6   ,fie on thee1 
,o thou feathered ,paganini6   ,to use  
thy little pipes to squawk and whinny1  
,and emulate the hinge and              
spinning-jenny1           ,making night 
hideous6    ,provoking melodist6 why    
canst thou breathe us   ,no thrilling   
harmony1 no charming pathos1   ,no      
cheerful song of love without its       
bathos8           ,the ,furies take     

thee1--   ,blast thy obstreperous mirth1
 thy foolish chatter1--   ,gag thee1    
exhaust thy breath1 and stop thy        
clatter1   ,and change thee to a beast1 
thou senseless prater6--                
,nought else can check thee6    ,a      
lengthened pause ensues3--but hark      
again6   ,from the new woodland1        
stealing o'er the plain1   ,comes forth 
a sweeter and a holier strain6--        
,listening delighted1   ,the gales      
breathe softly1 as they bear along      
,the warbled treasure1--the delicious   
throng   ,of notes that swell accordant 
in the song1           ,as love is      
plighted4    ,the ,echoes1 joyful from  
their vocal cell1   ,leap with the wingd
 sounds o'er hill and dell1   ,with     
kindling fervor1 as the chimes they tell
           ,to wakeful ,even3--   ,they 
melt upon the ear2 they float away2     
,they rise1 they sink1 they hasten1 they
 delay1   ,and hold the listener with   
bewitching sway1           ,like sounds 
from heaven6     ,a ,,trip ,,to ,,cuba4 

,,havana--,,the ,,jesuit ,,college4     
,the gentlemen of our party go one day  
to visit the ,jesuit ,college in        
,havana1 yclept ,universidad de ,belen4 
,the ladies1 weary of dry goods1        
manifest some disposition to accompany  
them4 ,this is at once frowned down by  
the unfairer sex1 and ,can ,grande1     
appealed to by the other side1 shakes   
his shoulders1 and replies1 ,no1 you are
 only miserable women1 and cannot be    
admitted into any ,jesuit establishment 
whatever4 ,and so the male deputation   
departs with elation1 and returns with  
airs of superior opportunity1 and is    
more insufferable than ever at dinner1  
and thereafter4  ,they of the feminine  
faction1 on the other hand1 consult with
 more direct authorities1 and discover  
that the doors of ,belen are in no wise 
closed to them1 and that everything     
within those doors is quite at their    
disposition1 saving and excepting the   
sleeping-apartments of the ,jesuit      
fathers1--to which1 even in thought1    

they would on no account draw near4 ,and
 so they went and saw ,belen1 whereof   
one of them relates as follows4  ,the   
building is spacious1 inclosing a hollow
 square1 and with numerous galleries1   
like ,european cloisters1 where the     
youth walk1 study1 and play4 ,we were   
shown up-stairs1 into a pleasant        
reception-room1 where two priests soon  
waited on us4 ,one of these1 ,padre     
,doyaguez1 seemed to be the decoy-duck  
of the establishment1 and soon fastened 
upon one of our party1 whose ,protestant
 tone of countenance had probably caught
 his attention4 ,was she a ,protestant8 
,oh1 no6--not with that intelligent1    
physiognomy6--not with that talent6     
,what was her name8 ,julia 7pronounced  
,hulia74 ,hulia was a ,roman name1 a    
,catholic name2 he had never heard of a 
,hulia who was a ,protestant2--very     
strange1 it seemed to him1 that a ,hulia
 could hold to such unreasonable ideas4 
,the other priest1 ,padre ,lluc1        
meanwhile followed with sweet1 quiet    

eyes1 whose silent looks had more       
persuasion in them than all the innocent
 cajoleries of the elder man4 ,padre    
,doyaguez was a man eminently qualified 
to deal with the sex in general1--a     
coaxing voice1 a pair of vivacious eyes1
 whose cunning was not unpleasing1      
tireless good-humor and perseverance1   
and a savor of sincerity4 ,padre ,lluc  
was the sort of man that one recalls in 
quiet moments with a throb of           
sympathy1--the earnest eyes1 the clear  
brow1 the sonorous voice4 ,one thinks of
 him1 and hopes that he is              
satisfied1--that cruel longing and more 
cruel doubt shall never spring up in    
that capacious heart1 divorcing his     
affections and convictions from the     
system to which his life is irrevocably 
wedded4 ,no1 keep still1 ,padre ,lluc ,i
 think ever as you think now1 lest the  
faith that seems a fortress should prove
 a prison1 the mother a step-dame1--lest
 the high1 chivalrous spirit1 incapable 
of a safe desertion1 should immolate    

truth or itself on the altar of         
consistency4  ,between those two        
advocates of ,catholicity1 ,hulia       
,protestante walks slowly through the   
halls of the ,university4 ,she sees     
first a ,cabinet of ,natural ,history1  
including minerals1 shells1 fossils1 and
 insects1 all well-arranged1 and        
constituting a very respectable         
beginning4 ,padre ,lluc says some good  
words on the importance of scientific   
education4 ,padre ,doyaguez laughs at   
the ladies' hoops1 which he calls       
,malakoffs1 as they crowd through the   
doorways and among the glass cases2 he  
repeats occasionally1 ,hulia            
,protestante8 in a tone of mock         
astonishment1 and receives for answer1  
,s1 ,hulia ,protestante4 ,then comes a  
very creditable array of scientific     
apparatus1--not of the order employed by
 the judges of ,galileo1--electric and  
galvanic batteries1 an orrery1 and many 
things beside4 ,the library interests us
 more1 with some luxurious classics1 a  

superb ,dante1 and a prison-cage of     
forbidden works1 of which ,padre ,lluc  
certainly has the key4 ,among these were
 fine editions of ,rousseau and         
,voltaire1 which appeared to be intended
 for use2 and we could imagine a        
solitary student1 dark-eyed and pale1   
exploring their depths at midnight with 
a stolen candle1 and endeavoring1 with  
self-torment1 to reconcile the          
intolerance of his doctrine with the    
charities of his heart4 ,we imagine such
 a one lost in the philosophy and       
sentiment of the ,nouvelle ,hloise1 and 
suddenly summoned by the convent-bell to
 the droning of the ,mass1 the mockery  
of ,holy ,water1 the fable of the ,real 
,presence4 ,such contrasts might be     
strange and dangerous4 ,no1 no1 ,padre  
,lluc6 keep these unknown spells from   
your heart1--let the forbidden books    
alone4 ,instead of the ,confessions of  
,jean ,jacques1 read the ,confessions of
 ,st4 ,augustine1--read the new book1 in
 three volumes1 on the ,immaculate      

,conception1 which you show me with such
 ardor1 telling me that ,can ,grande1   
which1 in the vernacular1 is ,parker1   
has spoken of it with respect4 ,beyond  
the ,fathers you must not get1 for you  
have vowed to be a child all your life4 
,those clear eyes of yours are never to 
look up into the face of the ,eternal   
,father2 the show-box of the ,church    
must content them1 with ,mary and the   
saints seen through its dusty           
glass1--the august figure of the ,son1  
who sometimes reproved his mother1      
crowded quite out of sight behind the   
woman1 whom it is so much easier to     
dress up and exhibit4 ,what is this     
other book which ,parker has read8      
,padre ,doyaguez says1 ,hulia1 if you   
read this1 you must become a ,catholic4 
,padre ,lluc says1 ,if ,parker has read 
this book1 ,i cannot conceive that he is
 not a ,catholic4 ,the quick ,doyaguez  
then remarks1 ,parker is going to ,rome 
to join the ,romish ,church4 ,padre     
,lluc rejoins1 ,they say so4 ,hulia     

,protestante is inclined to cry out1    
,the day that ,parker becomes a         
,catholic1 ,i1 too1 will become one2    
but1 remembering the rashness of vows   
and the fallibility of men1 she does not
 adopt that form of expressing ,never4  
,parker might1 if it pleased ,god1      
become a ,catholic1 and then the world  
would have two ,popes instead of one4   
,we leave at last the disputed ground of
 the library and ascend to the          
observatory1 which commands a fine view 
of the city1 and a good sweep of the    
heavens for the telescope1 in which     
,padre ,lluc seemed especially to       
delight4 ,the observatory is commodious1
 and is chiefly directed by an          
attenuated young priest1 with a keen eye
 and hectic cheek2 another was occupied 
in working out mathematical tables2--for
 these ,fathers observe the stars1 and  
are in scientific correspondence with   
astronomers in ,europe4 ,this           
circumstance gave us real pleasure on   
their account1--for science1 in all its 

degrees1 is a positive good1 and a      
mental tonic of the first importance4   
,earnestly did we1 in thought1 commend  
it to those wearied minds which have    
undergone the dialectic dislocations1   
the denaturalizations of truth and of   
thought1 which enable rational men to   
become first ,catholics and then        
,jesuits4 ,for let there be no illusions
 about strength of mind1 and so         
on1--this is effected by means of a vast
 machinery4 ,as1 in the old story1 the  
calves were put in at one end of the    
cylinder and taken out leather breeches 
at the other1 or as glass is cut and    
wood carved1 so does the raw human      
material1 put into the machine of the   
,catholic ,church1 become fashioned     
according to the will of those who guide
 it4 ,hulia ,protestante6 you have a    
free step and a clear head2 but once go 
into the machine1 and you will come out 
carved and embossed according to the old
 traditional pattern1--you as well as   
another4 ,where the material is hard1   

they put on more power1--where it is    
soft1 more care2 wherefore ,i caution   
you here1 as ,i would in a mill at      
,lowell or ,lawrence1--,don't meddle    
with the shafts1--don't go too near the 
wheel1--in short1 keep clear of the     
machinery4 ,and ,hulia does so2 for1 at 
the last attack of ,padre ,doyaguez1 she
 suddenly turns upon him and says1 ,sir1
 you are a ,doctrinary and a            
,propagandist4 ,and the good ,father    
suffers her to depart in peace4 ,but    
first there is the chapel to be seen1   
with its tawdry and poor                
ornamentation1--and the dormitories of  
the scholars1 with long double rows of  
beds and mosquito-nettings4 ,there are  
two of these1 and each of them has at   
one end a raised platform1 with curtains
 and a bed1 where rests and watches the 
shepherd of the little sheep4 ,lastly1  
we have a view of the whole flock1      
assembled in their play-ground1 and one 
of them1 looking up1 sees his mother1   
who has kindly accompanied our visit to 

the institution4 ,across the distance   
that separates us1 we see his blue eyes 
brighten1 and1 as soon as permission is 
given1 he bounds like a young roe to her
 arms1 shy and tender1 his ,english     
blood showing through his ,spanish      
skin1--for he is a child of mixed race4 
,we are all pleased and touched1 and    
,padre ,lluc presently brings us a      
daguerreotype1 and says1 ,it is my      
mother4 ,to us it is an indifferent     
portrait of an elderly ,spanish         
woman1--but to him1 how much6 ,with     
kindest mutual regard we take leave1--a 
little surprised1 perhaps1 to see that  
,jesuit priests have mothers1 and       
remember them4     ,,san ,,antonio ,,de 
,,los ,,ba,,os4     ,far from my        
thoughts1 vain world1 begone6  ,however 
enchanting ,havana may prove1 when seen 
through the moonlight of memory1 it     
seems as good a place to go away from as
 any other1 after a stifling night in a 
net1 the wooden shutters left open in   
the remote hope of air1 and admitting   

the music of a whole opera-troupe of    
dogs1 including bass1 tenor1 soprano1   
and chorus4 ,instead of bouquets1 you   
throw stones1 if you are so fortunate as
 to have them1--if not1 boot-jacks1     
oranges1 your only umbrella4 ,you are   
last seen thrusting frantic hands and   
feet through the iron bars1 your wife   
holding you back by the flannel         
night-gown which you will persist in    
wearing in this doubtful climate4 ,at   
last it is over1--the fifth act ends    
with a howl which makes you hope that   
some one of the performers has come to  
grief4 ,but1 alas6 it is only a stage   
dnouement1 whose hero will die again    
every night while the season lasts4 ,you
 fall asleep1 but the welcome cordial   
has scarcely been tasted when you are   
aroused by a knock at the door4 ,it is  
the night-porter1 who wakes you at five 
by appointment1 that you may enjoy your 
early coffee1 tumble into a hired       
volante1 and reach1 half dead with      
sleep1 the station in time for the train

 that goes to ,san ,antonio4  ,now1     
whether you are a partisan of early     
rising or not1 you must allow that      
sunrise and the hour after is the golden
 time of the day in ,cuba4 ,so this hour
 of starting1--six o'clock1--so         
distasteful in our latitudes1 is a      
matter of course in tropical climates4  
,arriving at the station1 you encounter 
new tribulations in the registering and 
payment of luggage1 the transportation  
of which is not included in the charge  
for your ticket4 ,your trunks are       
recorded in a book1 and1 having paid a  
real apiece for them1 you receive a     
paper which entitles you to demand them 
again at your journey's end4 ,the ,cuban
 railways are good1 but dear1--the      
charge being ten cents a mile2 whereas  
in our more favored land one goes for   
three cents1 and has the chance of a    
collision and surgeon's services without
 any extra payment4 ,the cars have      
windows which are always open1 and      
blinds which are always closed1 or      

nearly so4 ,the seats and backs of seats
 are of cane1 for coolness1--hardness   
being secured at the same time4 ,one    
reaches ,san ,antonio in an hour and a  
half1 and finds a pleasant village1 with
 a river running through it1 several    
streets of good houses1 several more of 
bad ones1 a cathedral1 a cockpit1 a     
volante1 four soldiers on horseback1 two
 on foot1 a market1 dogs1 a bad smell1  
and1 lastly1 the ,american ,hotel1--a   
house built in a hollow square1 as      
usual1--kept by a strong-minded woman   
from the ,states1 whose ,yankee thrift  
is unmistakable1 though she has been    
long absent from the great centres of   
domestic economy4  ,mrs4 ,l----1 always 
on the watch for arrivals1 comes out to 
receive us4 ,we are very welcome1 she   
hints1 as far as we go2 but why are     
there not more of us8 ,the smallest     
favors should be thankfully received1   
but she hears that ,havana is full of   
strangers1 and she wonders1 for her     
part1 why people will stay in that hot  

place1 and roast1 and stew1 and have the
 yellow fever1 when she could make them 
so comfortable in ,san ,antonio4 ,this  
want of custom she continues1 during our
 whole visit1 to complain of4 ,would it 
be uncharitable for us to aver that we  
found other wants in her establishment  
which caused us more astonishment1 and  
which went some way towards accounting  
for the deficiency complained of8 wants 
of breakfast1 wants of dinner1 wants of 
something good for tea1 wants of towels1
 wants of candles1 wants of ice1 or1 at 
least1 of the cooling jars used in the  
country4 ,charges exorbitant1--the same 
as in ,havana1 where rents are an ounce 
a week1 and upwards2 volantes           
difficult1--,mrs4 ,l4 having made an    
agreement with the one livery-stable    
that they shall always be furnished at  
most unreasonable prices1 of which she1 
supposably1 pockets half4 ,on the other 
hand1 the village is really cool1       
healthy1 and pretty2 there are pleasant 
drives over dreadful roads1 if one makes

 up one's mind to the volante1 and      
delightful river-baths1 shaded by roofs 
of palm-tree thatch4 ,one of the best of
 these is at the foot of ,mrs4 ,l4's    
inclosure1 and its use is included in   
the privileges of the house4 ,the water 
is nearly tepid1 clear1 and green1 and  
the little fish float hither and thither
 in it1--though men of active minds are 
sometimes reduced to angle for them1    
with crooked pins1 for amusement4 ,at   
the hour of one1 daily1 the ladies of   
the house betake themselves to this     
refreshment2 and there is laughing1 and 
splashing1 and holding of hands1 and    
simulation of all the ,venuses that ever
 were1 from the crouching one of the    
bath1 to the triumphant ,cytherea1      
springing for the first time from the   
wave4  ,such are the resources of the   
house4 ,those of the neighborhood are   
various4 ,foremost among them is the    
cafetal1 or coffee-plantation1 of ,don  
,juan ,torres1 distant a league from the
 village1 over which league of stone1   

sand1 and rut you rumble in a volante   
dragged by three horses4 ,you know that 
the volante cannot upset2 nevertheless  
you experience some anxious moments when
 it leans at an obtuse angle1 one wheel 
in air1 one sticking in a hole1 the     
horses balking and kicking1 and the     
postilion swearing his best4 ,but it is 
written1 the volante shall not          
upset1--and so it does not4 ,long before
 you see the entrance to the plantation1
 you watch the tall palms1 planted in a 
line1 that shield1 its borders4 ,an     
avenue of like growth leads you to the  
house1 where barking dogs announce you1 
and ,don ,juan1 an elderly gentleman in 
slippers and a ,panama hat1 his hair1   
face1 and eyes all faded to one hue of  
grayness1 comes out to accost us4 ,here1
 again1 ,hulia ,protestante becomes the 
subject of a series of attacks1 in a new
 kind4 ,don ,juan first exhausts his    
flower-garden upon her1 and explains all
 that is new to her4 ,then she must see 
his blind ,chino1 a sightless ,samson of

 a ,cooly1 who is working resolutely in 
a mill4 ,canta6 says the master1 and the
 poor slave gives tongue like a hound on
 the scent4 ,baila6 and1 a stick being  
handed him1 he performs the gymnastics  
of his country1 a sort of war-dance     
without accompaniment4 ,el can6 and1    
giving him a broom1 they loose the dog  
upon him4 ,a curious tussle then        
ensues1--the dog attacking furiously1   
and the blind man1 guided by his        
barking1 defending himself lustily4 ,the
 ,chino laughs1 the master laughs1 but  
the visitor feels more inclined to cry1 
having been bred in those ,northern     
habits which respect infirmity4 ,a real 
dismisses the poor soul with a smile1   
and then begins the journey round the   
cafetal4 ,the coffee-blossom is just in 
its perfection1 and whole acres in sight
 are white with its flower1 which nearly
 resembles that of the small white      
jasmine4 ,its fragrance is said to be   
delicious after a rain2 but1 the season 
being dry1 it is scarcely discernible4  

,as shade is a great object in growing  
coffee1 the grounds are laid out in     
lines of fruit- trees1 and these are the
 ministers of ,hulia's tribulation2 for 
,don ,juan1 whether in kindness or in   
mischief1 insists that she shall taste  
every unknown fruit1--and as he cuts    
them and hands them to her1 she is      
forced to obey4 ,first1 a little negro  
shins up a cocoa-nut-tree1 and flings   
down the nut1 whose water she must      
drink4 ,one cocoa-nut she               
endures1--two1--but three8 no1 she must 
rebel1 and cry out1--,no mi gusta6 ,then
 she must try a bitter orange1 then a   
sour bitter one1 then a sweet lemon1    
then a huge fruit of triple verjuice    
flavor4 ,what is it good for8 she asks1 
after a shuddering plunge into its acrid
 depths4 ,oh1 says the ,don1 they eat it
 in the castors instead of vinegar4     
,then come sapotas1 mamey1 ,otaheite    
gooseberries4 ,does she like bananas8 he
 cuts a tree down with his own hand1 and
 sends the bunch of fruit to her        

volante2--,sugar-cane8 he bestows a huge
 bundle of sticks for her leisurely     
rodentation2--he fills her pocket with  
coral beans for her children4 ,having1  
at last1 exhausted every polite         
attention1 and vainly offered gin1 rum1 
and coffee1 as a parting demonstration1 
,hulia and her partner escape1 bearing  
with them many strange flavors1 and an  
agonizing headache1 the combined result 
of sun and acids4 ,really1 if there     
exist anywhere on earth a society for   
the promotion and encouragement of good 
manners1 it should send a diploma to    
,don ,juan1 admonishing him only to omit
 the vinegar-fruit in his further walks 
of hospitality4  ,we take the ,sunday to
 visit the nearest sugar-plantation1    
belonging to ,don ,jacinto ,gonzales4   
,sun1 not shade1 being the desideratum  
in sugar-planting1 there are few trees  
or shrubs bordering the sugar-fields1   
which resemble at a distance our own    
fields of ,indian corn1 the green of the
 leaves being lighter1 and a pale blue  

blossom appearing here and there4 ,the  
points of interest here are the         
machinery1 the negroes1 and the work4   
,entering the sugar-house1 we find the  
maquinista 7engineer7 superintending    
some repairs in the machinery1 aided by 
another white man1 a ,cooly1 and an imp 
of a black boy1 who begged of all the   
party1 and revenged himself with clever 
impertinence on those who refused him4  
,the maquinista was a fine-looking man1 
from the ,pyrenees1 very kind and       
obliging4 ,he told us that ,don ,jacinto
 was very old1 and came rarely to the   
plantation4 ,we asked him how the       
extreme heat of his occupation suited   
him1 and for an answer he opened the    
bosom of his shirt1 and showed us the   
marks of innumerable leeches4 ,the      
machinery is not very complicated4 ,it  
consists of a wheel and band1 to throw  
the canes under the powerful rollers    
which crush them1 and these rollers1    
three in number1 all moved by the       
steam-engine4 ,the juice flows into     

large copper caldrons1 where it is      
boiled and skimmed4 ,as they were not at
 work1 we did not see the actual        
process4 ,leaving the sugar-house1 we   
went in pursuit of the mayoral1 or      
overseer1 who seemed to inhabit         
comfortable quarters1 in a long1 low    
house1 shielded from the sun by a thick 
screen of matting4 ,we found him a      
powerful1 thick-set man1 of surly and   
uncivil manners1 girded with a sword1   
and further armed with a pistol1 a      
dagger1 and a stout whip4 ,he was much  
too important a person to waste his     
words upon us1 but signified that the   
major-domo would wait on us1 which he   
presently did4 ,we now entered the negro
 quarter1 a solid range of low          
buildings1 formed around a hollow       
square1 whose strong entrance is closed 
at nightfall1 and its inmates kept in   
strict confinement till the morning hour
 of work comes round4 ,just within the  
doorway we encountered the trader1 who  
visits the plantations every ,sunday1 to

 tempt the stray cash of the negroes by 
various commodities1 of which the chief 
seemed to be white bread1 calicoes1     
muslins1 and bright cotton              
handkerchiefs4 ,he told us that their   
usual weekly expenditure amounted to    
about twenty-five dollars4 ,bargaining  
with him stood the negro-driver1 a      
tattooed ,african1 armed with a whip4   
,all within the court swarmed the black 
bees of the hive1--the men with little  
clothing1 the small children naked1 the 
women decent4 ,all had their little     
charcoal fires1 with pots boiling over  
them2 the rooms within looked dismally  
dark1 close1 and dirty2 there are no    
windows1 no air and light save through  
the ever-open door4 ,the beds are       
sometimes partitioned off by a screen of
 dried palm-leaf1 but ,i saw no better  
sleeping-privilege than a board with a  
blanket or coverlet4 ,from this we      
turned to the nursery1 where all the    
children incapable of work are kept2 the
 babies are quite naked1 and sometimes  

very handsome in their way1 black and   
shining1 with bright eyes and           
well-formed limbs4 ,no great provision  
is made for their amusement1 but the    
little girls nurse them tenderly enough1
 and now and then the elders fling them 
a bit of orange or chaimito1 for which  
they scramble like so many monkeys4     
,appeals are constantly made to the     
pockets of visitors1 by open hands      
stretched out in all directions4 ,to    
these ,nada--,nothing--is the safe      
reply2 for1 if you give to one1 the     
others close about you with frantic     
gesticulation1 and you have to break    
your way through them with some         
violence1 which hurts your own feelings 
more than it does theirs4 ,on strict    
plantations this is not allowed2 but    
,don ,jacinto1 like ,lord ,ashburton at 
the time of the ,maine treaty1 is an old
 man1--a very old man2 and where        
discipline cannot be maintained1 peace  
must be secured on any terms4 ,we visit 
next the sugar-house1 where we find the 

desired condiment in various stages of  
color and refinement4 ,it is whitened   
with clay1 in large funnel-shaped       
vessels1 open at the bottom1 to allow   
the molasses to run off4 ,above are     
hogsheads of coarse1 dark sugar2 below  
is a huge pit of fermenting molasses1 in
 which rats and small negroes           
occasionally commit involuntary suicide1
 and from which rum is made4--,n4 ,b4   
,rum is not a wicked word in ,cuba2 in  
,boston everybody is shocked when it is 
named1 and in ,cuba nobody is shocked   
when it is drunk4  ,and here endeth the 
description of our visit to the         
sugar-plantation of ,don ,jacinto1 and  
in good time1 too1--for by this it had  
grown so hot1 that we made a feeble rush
 for the volante1 and lay back in it1   
panting for breath4 ,encountering a     
negress with a load of oranges on her   
head1 we bought and ate the fruit with  
eagerness1 though the oranges were      
bitter4 ,the jolting over three miles of
 stone and rut did not improve the      

condition of our aching heads4 ,arriving
 at ,san ,antonio1 we thankfully went to
 bed for the rest of the morning1 and   
dreamed1 only dreamed1 that the saucy   
black boy in the boiling-house had run  
after us1 had lifted the curtain of the 
volante1 screeched a last impertinence  
after us1 and kissed his hand for a     
good-bye1 which1 luckily for him1 is    
likely to prove eternal4     ,,the      
,,morro ,,fortress--,,the ,,university  
,,of ,,havana--,,the ,,beneficenza4     
,the ,spanish government experiences an 
unwillingness to admit foreigners into  
the ,morro1 their great stronghold1 the 
causes of which may not be altogether   
mysterious4 ,americans have been of late
 especially excluded from it1 and it was
 only by a fortunate chance that we were
 allowed to visit it4 ,a friend of a    
friend of ours happened to have a friend
 in the garrison1 and1 after some delays
 and negotiations1 an early morning hour
 was fixed upon for the expedition4     
,the fort is finely placed at the       

entrance of the harbor1 and is in itself
 a picturesque object4 ,it is built of a
 light1 yellowish stone1 which is seen1 
as you draw near1 in strong contrast    
with the vivid green of the tropical    
waters4 ,we approached it by water1     
taking a rowboat from the ,alameda4 ,as 
we passed1 we had a good view of a daily
 ,havana spectacle1 the washing of the  
horses4 ,this being by far the easiest  
and most expeditious way of cleaning the
 animals1 they are driven daily to the  
sea in great numbers1 those of one party
 being tied together2 they disport      
themselves in the surge and their wet   
backs glisten in the sun4 ,their        
drivers1 nearly naked1 plunge in with   
them1 and bring them safely back to the 
shore4  ,but for the ,morro4 ,we entered
 without difficulty1 and began at once a
 somewhat steep ascent1 which the heat1 
even at that early hour1 made laborious4
 ,after some climbing1 we reached the   
top of the parapet1 and looked out from 
the back of the fortress4 ,on this side1

 if ever on any1 it will be taken1--for1
 standing with one's back to the harbor1
 one sees1 nearly on the right hand1 a  
point where trenches could be opened    
with advantage4 ,the fort is heavily    
gunned and garrisoned1 and seems to be  
in fighting order4 ,the outer wall is   
separated from the inner by a paved     
space some forty feet in width4 ,the    
height of both walls makes this point a 
formidable one2 but scaling-ladders     
could be thrown across1 if one had      
possession of the outer wall4 ,the      
material is the coralline rock common in
 this part of the island4 ,it is a soft 
stone1 and would prove1 it is feared1   
something like the cotton-bag defence of
 ,new ,orleans memory1--as the balls    
thrown from without would sink in1 and  
not splinter the stone1 which for the   
murderous work were to be wished4 ,a    
little perseverance1 with much          
perspiration1 brought us to a high      
point1 called the ,lantern1 which is    
merely a small room1 where the          

telescope1 signal-books1 and signals are
 kept4 ,here we were received by an     
official in blue spectacles and with a  
hole in his boot1 but still with that   
air of being the chiefest thing on      
,god's earth common to all ,spaniards4  
,the best of all was that we brought a  
sack of oranges with us1 and that the   
time was now come for their employment4 
,with no other artillery than these did 
we take the very heart of the ,morro    
citadel1--for1 on offering them to the  
official with the hole1 he surrendered  
at once1 smiled1 gave us seats1 and     
sitting down with us1 indeed1 was soon  
in the midst of his half-dozenth orange4
 ,having refreshed ourselves1 examined  
the flags of all nations1 and made all  
the remarks which our limited ,spanish  
allowed1 we took leave1 redescended1 and
 rembarked4 ,one of our party1 an old   
soldier1 had meanwhile been busily      
scanning the points and angles of the   
fortress1 pacing off distances1 etc41   
etc4 ,the result of his observations    

would1 no doubt1 be valuable to men of  
military minds4 ,but the writer of this1
 to be candid1 was especially engaged   
with the heat1 the prospect1 the        
oranges1 and the soldiers' wives and    
children1 who peeped out from windows   
here and there4 ,such trifling creatures
 do come into such massive surroundings1
 and trifle still6  ,our ladies1 being  
still in a furious mood of sight-seeing1
 desired to visit the ,university of    
,havana1 and1 having made appointment   
with an accomplished ,cuban1 betook     
themselves to the ,college buildings    
with all proper escort4 ,their arrival  
in the peristyle occasioned some        
excitement4 ,one of the students came   
up1 and said1 in good ,english1 ,what do
 you want8 ,others1 not so polite1      
stared and whispered in corners4 ,a     
message to one of the professors was    
attended with some delay1 and our ,cuban
 friend1 having gone to consult with    
him1 returned to say1 with some         
embarrassment1 that the professor would 

be happy to show the establishment to   
the ladies on ,sunday1 at two1 ,p4,m41  
when every male creature but himself    
would be out of it2 but as for their    
going through the rooms while the       
undergraduates were about1 that was not 
to be thought of4 ,why not8 asked the   
ladies4 ,for your own sake1 said the    
messenger1 and proceeded to explain that
 the appearance of the skirted in these 
halls of learning would be followed by  
such ill-conduct and indignity of       
impertinence on the part of the shirted 
as might be intolerable to the one and  
disadvantageous to the other4 ,now there
 be women1 we know1 whose horrid fronts 
could have awed these saucy little      
,cubans into decency and good behavior1 
and some that we know1 whether          
possessing that power or not1 would have
 delighted in the fancied exercise of   
it4 ,what strong-minded company1 under  
these circumstances1 would have turned  
back8 ,what bolting1 tramping1 and      
rushing would they not have made through

 the ranks of the astonished professors 
and students8 ,the ,anniversary set1 for
 example1 who sweep the pews of men1 or1
 coming upon one forlorn1 crush him as a
 boa does a sheep4 ,our silly little    
flock only laughed1 colored1 and        
retreated to the volantes1 where they   
held a council of war1 and decided to go
 visit some establishment where possibly
 better manners might prevail4          
,returning on the ,sunday1 at the hour  
appointed1 they walked through the      
deserted building1 and found spacious   
rooms1 the pulpits of the professors1   
the benches of the students1 the        
,queen's portrait1 a very limited       
library1 and1 for all consolation1 some 
pleasant ,latin sentences over the doors
 of the various departments1 celebrating
 the solace and delights of learning4   
,this was seeing the ,college1          
literally2 but it was a good deal like  
seeing the lion's den1 the lion himself 
being absent on leave1--or like visiting
 the hippopotamus in ,regent's ,park on 

those days in which he remains          
steadfastly buried in his tank1 and will
 show only the tip of a nostril for your
 entrance-fee4 ,still1 it was a pleasure
 to know that learning was so handsomely
 housed2 and as for the little rabble   
who could not be trusted in the presence
 of the sex1 we forgave them heartily1  
knowing that soberer manners would one  
day come upon them1 as inevitably as    
baldness and paternity4  ,let me here   
say1 that a few days in ,havana make    
clear to one the seclusion of women in  
the ,east1 and its causes4 ,wherever the
 animal vigor of men is so large in     
proportion to their moral power1 as in  
those countries1 women must be glad to  
forego their liberties for the          
protection of the strong arm4 ,one      
master is better for them than many4    
,whatever tyranny may grow out of such  
barbarous manners1 the institution      
springs from a veritable necessity and  
an original good intention4 ,the        
,christian religion should change this1 

which is justifiable only in a          
,mohammedan country4 ,but where that    
religion is so loosely administered as  
in ,cuba1 where its teachers themselves 
frequent the cock-pit and the           
gaming-table1 one must not look for too 
much of its power in the manners and    
morals of men4  ,the ,beneficenza was   
our next station4 ,it is1 as its name   
signifies1 an institution with a        
benevolent purpose1 an orphan asylum and
 foundling hospital in one4 ,the ,state 
here charitably considers that infants  
who are abandoned by their parents are  
as much orphaned as they can become by  
the interposition of death1--nay1 more4 
,the death of parents oftenest leaves a 
child with some friend or relative2 but 
the foundling is cut off from all human 
relationship1--he belongs only to the   
hand that takes him up1 when he has been
 left to die4 ,despite the kind cruelty 
of modern theories1 which will not allow
 of suitable provision for the sufferer1
 for fear of increasing the frequency of

 the crime by which he suffers1 our     
hearts revolt at the miserable condition
 of those little creatures in our great 
cities1 confounded with hopeless        
pauperism in its desolate asylums1 or   
farmed out to starve and die4 ,they     
belong to the ,state1 and the ,state    
should nobly retrieve the world's       
offence against them4 ,their broken     
galaxy shows many a bright star here and
 there4 ,such a little wailing creature 
has been found who has commanded great  
actions and done good service among men4
 ,let us1 then1 cherish the race of     
foundlings1 of whom ,moses was the first
 and the greatest4 ,the princess who    
reared him saw not the glorious destiny 
which lay hid1 as a birth-jewel1 in his 
little basket of reeds4 ,she saw only1  
as some of us have seen1 a helpless1    
friendless babe4 ,when he dedicated to  
her his first edition of the            
,pentateuch--,but1 nay1 he did not2 for 
neither gratitude nor dedications were  
in fashion among the ,jews4  ,we found  

the ,beneficenza spacious1              
well-ventilated1 and administered with  
great order4 ,it stands near the sea1   
with a fine prospect in view1 and must  
command a cool breeze1 if there be any4 
,the children enjoy sea-bathing in      
summer4 ,the superintendent received us 
most kindly1 and presented us to the    
sisters who have charge of the children1
 who were good specimens of their class4
 ,we walked with them through the neat  
dormitories1 and observed that they were
 much more airy than those of the       
,jesuit ,college1 lately described4     
,they all slept on the sackings of the  
cots1 beds being provided only in the   
infirmary4 ,in the latter place we found
 but two inmates1--one suffering from   
ordinary ,cuban fever1 the other with   
ophthalmia4--,n4,b4 ,disease of the eyes
 does not seem to be common in ,cuba1 in
 spite of the tropical glare of the sun2
 nor do people nurse and complain of    
their eyes there1 as with us4 ,we found 
a separate small kitchen for the sick1  

which was neat and convenient4 ,the     
larger kitchen1 too1 was handsomely     
endowed with apparatus1 and the         
superintendent told us1 with a twinkle  
in his eye1 that the children lived     
well4 ,coffee at six1 a good breakfast  
at nine1 dinner at the usual hour1 bread
 and coffee before bed-time2--this      
seemed very suitable as to quantity1    
though differing from our ideas of      
children's food2 but it must be         
remembered that the nervous stimulus of 
coffee is not found to be excessive in  
hot climates2 it seems to be only what  
,nature demands1--no more4 ,the kind nun
 who accompanied us now showed us1 with 
some pride1 various large presses1 set  
in the wall1 and piled to the top with  
clean and comfortable children's        
clothing4 ,we came presently to where   
the boys were reciting their catechism4 
,an ecclesiastic was hearing them2--they
 seemed ready enough with their answers1
 but were allowed to gabble off the holy
 words in a manner almost               

unintelligible1 and quite indecorous4   
,they were bright1 healthy-looking      
little fellows1 ranging apparently from 
eight to twelve in age4 ,they had good  
play-ground set off for them1 and shady 
galleries to walk up and down in4       
,coming from their quarter1 the girls'  
department seemed quiet enough4 ,here   
was going on the eternal task of        
needlework1 to which the sex has been   
condemned ever since ,adam's discovery  
of his want of wardrobe4 ,oh1 ye        
wretched1 foolish women6 why will ye    
forever sew8 ,we must not only sew1 but 
be thankful to sew2 that little needle  
being1 as the sentimental ,curtis has   
said1 the only thing between us and the 
worst that may befall4  ,these incipient
 women were engaged in various forms of 
sewing1--the most skilful in a sort of  
embroidery1 like that which forms the   
border of pia handkerchiefs4 ,a few were
 reading and spelling4 ,one poor blind  
girl sat amongst them1 with melancholy  
arms folded1 and learned nothing1--they 

told us1 nothing2 for the instruction of
 the blind is not thought of in these   
parts4 ,this seemed piteous to us1 and  
made us reflect how happy are our       
blinds1 to say nothing of our deafs and 
dumbs4 ,idiocy is not uncommon here1 and
 is the result of continual             
intermarriage between near relations2   
but it will be long before they will    
provide it with a separate asylum and   
suitable instruction4  ,but now came the
 saddest part of the whole              
exhibition1--a sight common enough in   
,europe1 but1 by some accident1 hitherto
 unseen by us4 ,here is a sort of       
receptacle1 with three or four          
compartments1 which turns on a pivot4   
,one side of it is open to the street1  
and in it the wretched parent lays the  
more wretched baby1--ringing a small    
bell1 at the same time1 for the new     
admittance2 the parent vanishes1 the    
receptacle turns on its pivot1--the baby
 is within1 and1 we are willing to      
believe1 in merciful hands4  ,the sight 

of this made1 for the first time1 the   
crime real to me4 ,i saw1 at a flash1   
the whole tragedy of desertion1--the    
cautious approach1 the frightened       
countenance1 the furtive act1 and the   
great avenging pang of ,nature after its
 consummation4 ,what was ,hester        
,prynne's pillory1 compared to the heart
 of any of those mothers8 ,i thought1   
too1 of ,rousseau1 bringing to such a   
place as this children who had the right
 to inherit divine genius1 and deserting
 them for the sordid reason that he did 
not choose to earn their bread1--the    
helpless mother weeping at home1 and    
begging1 through long years1 to be      
allowed to seek and reclaim them4       
,well1 here were the little creatures   
kindly cared for2 yet what a piteous    
place was their nursery6 ,some of the   
recent arrivals looked as if ill-usage  
had been exhausted upon them before they
 were brought hither4 ,blows and drugs  
and starvation had been tried upon them1
 but1 with the tenacity of infancy1 they

 clung to life4 ,they would not         
die2--well1 then1 they should live to   
regret it4 ,some of them lay on the     
floor1 deformed and helpless2 the older 
ones formed a little class1 and were    
going through some elementary exercise  
when we passed4 ,the babies had a large 
room allotted to them1 and ,i found the 
wet-nurses apportioned one to each      
child4 ,this appeared a very generous   
provision1 as1 in such establishments   
elsewhere1 three and even four children 
are given to one nurse4 ,they had       
comfortable cribs1 on each of which was 
pinned the name of its little inmate1   
and the date of its                     
entrance2--generally1 the name and age  
of the child are found written on a slip
 of paper attached to its clothing1 when
 it is left in the receptacle4 ,i saw on
 one1 ,cecilio1 three weeks old4 ,he had
 been but a few days in the             
establishment4  ,of course1 ,i lingered 
longest in the babies' room1 and longest
 of all near the crib of the little     

,cecilio4 ,he was a pretty baby1 and    
seemed to me the most ill-used of all1  
because the youngest4 ,could they not   
bear with you three weeks1 little       
fellow8 ,i said4 ,i know those at whose 
firesides such as you would have been   
welcome guests4 ,that ,new ,york woman  
whom ,i met lately1 young1 rich1 and    
childless1--,i could commend you to her 
in place of the snarling little spaniel 
fiend who was her constant care and     
companion4  ,but here the superintendent
 made a polite bow1 saying1--,and now   
your ,worships have seen all2 for the   
chapel is undergoing repairs1 and cannot
 be visited4 ,and so we thanked1 and    
departed4     ,,daniel ,,gray4     ,if  
,i shall ever win the home in heaven    
,for whose sweet rest ,i humbly hope and
 pray1   ,in the great company of the   
forgiven     ,i shall be sure to find   
old ,daniel ,gray4    ,i knew him well2 
in fact1 few knew him better2     ,for  
my young eyes oft read for him the      
,word1   ,and saw how meekly from the   

crystal letter     ,he drank the life of
 his beloved ,lord4    ,old ,daniel     
,gray was not a man who lifted     ,on  
ready words his freight of gratitude1   
,and was not called upon among the      
gifted1     ,in the prayer-meetings of  
his neighborhood4    ,he had a few      
old-fashioned words and phrases1        
,linked in with sacred texts and ,sunday
 rhymes2   ,and ,i suppose1 that1 in his
 prayers and graces1     ,i've heard    
them all at least a thousand times4     
,i see him now1--his form1 and face1 and
 motions1     ,his homespun habit1 and  
his silver hair1--   ,and hear the      
language of his trite devotions         
,rising behind the straight-backed      
kitchen-chair4    ,i can remember how   
the sentence sounded1--     ,help us1 ,o
 ,lord1 to pray1 and not to faint6      
,and how the conquering-and-to-conquer  
rounded     ,the loftier aspirations of 
the saint4    ,he had some notions that 
did not improve him3     ,he never      
kissed his children1--so they say2      

,and finest scenes and fairest flowers  
would move him     ,less than a         
horseshoe picked up in the way4    ,he  
could see nought but vanity in beauty1  
,and nought but weakness in a fond      
caress1   ,and pitied men whose views of
 ,christian duty     ,allowed indulgence
 in such foolishness4    ,yet there were
 love and tenderness within him2        
,and ,i am told1 that1 when his ,charley
 died1   ,nor ,nature's need nor gentle 
words could win him     ,from his fond  
vigils at the sleeper's side4    ,and   
when they came to bury little ,charley1 
,they found fresh dew-drops sprinkled in
 his hair1   ,and on his breast a       
rose-bud1 gathered early1--     ,and    
guessed1 but did not know1 who placed it
 there4    ,my good old friend was very 
hard on fashion1     ,and held its      
votaries in lofty scorn1   ,and often   
burst into a holy passion     ,while the
 gay crowds went by1 on ,sunday morn4   
,yet he was vain1 old ,gray1 and did not
 know it6     ,he wore his hair         

unparted1 long1 and plain1   ,to hide   
the handsome brow that slept below it1  
,for fear the world would think that he 
was vain6    ,he had a hearty hatred of 
oppression1     ,and righteous words for
 sin of every kind2   ,alas1 that the   
transgressor and transgression     ,were
 linked so closely in his honest mind6  
,yet that sweet tale of gift without    
repentance1     ,told of the ,master1   
touched him to the core1   ,and tearless
 he could never read the sentence3      
,neither do ,i condemn thee3 sin no     
more4    ,honest and faithful1 constant 
in his calling1     ,strictly attendant 
on the means of grace1   ,instant in    
prayer1 and fearful most of falling1    
,old ,daniel ,gray was always in his    
place4    ,a practical old man1 and yet 
a dreamer1     ,he thought that in some 
strange1 unlooked-for way1   ,his mighty
 ,friend in heaven1 the great ,redeemer1
     ,would honor him with wealth some  
golden day4    ,this dream he carried in
 a hopeful spirit     ,until in death   

his patient eye grew dim1   ,and his    
,redeemer called him to inherit     ,the
 heaven of wealth long garnered up for  
him4    ,so1 if ,i ever win the home in 
heaven     ,for whose sweet rest ,i     
humbly hope and pray   ,in the great    
company of the forgiven     ,i shall be 
sure to find old ,daniel ,gray4         
,,the ,,minister',s ,,wooing4           
,continued4   ,,chapter ,,xviii4   ,the 
,doctor sat at his study-table4 ,it was 
evening1 and the slant beams of the     
setting sun shot their golden arrows    
through the healthy purple clusters of  
lilacs that veiled the windows4 ,there  
had been a shower that filled them with 
drops of rain1 which every now and then 
tattooed1 with a slender rat-tat1 on the
 window-sill1 as a breeze would shake   
the leaves and bear in perfume on its   
wings4 ,sweet1 fragrance-laden airs     
tripped stirringly to and fro about the 
study-table1 making gentle confusions1  
fluttering papers on moral ability1     
agitating treatises on the great end of 

creation1 mixing up subtile distinctions
 between amiable instincts and true     
holiness1 and1 in short1 conducting     
themselves like very unappreciative and 
unphilosophical little breezes4  ,the   
,doctor patiently smoothed back and     
rearranged1 while opposite to him sat   
,mary1 bending over some copying she was
 doing for him4 ,one stray sunbeam fell 
on her light brown hair1 tinging it to  
gold2 her long1 drooping lashes lay over
 the wax-like pink of her cheeks1 as she
 wrote on4  ,mary1 said the ,doctor1    
pushing the papers from him4  ,sir1 she 
answered1 looking up1 the blood just    
perceptibly rising in her cheeks4  ,do  
you ever have any periods in which your 
evidences seem not altogether clear8    
,nothing could show more forcibly the   
grave1 earnest character of thought in  
,new ,england at this time than the fact
 that this use of the term evidences had
 become universally significant and     
understood as relating to one's right of
 citizenship in a celestial1 invisible  

commonwealth4  ,so ,mary understood it1 
and it was with a deepening flush she   
answered gently1 ,no1 ,sir4  ,what6     
never any doubts8 said the ,doctor4  ,i 
am sorry1 said ,mary1 apologetically2   
but ,i do not see how ,i can have2 ,i   
never could4  ,ah6 said the ,doctor1    
musingly1 would ,i could say so6 ,there 
are times1 indeed1 when ,i hope ,i have 
an interest in the precious ,redeemer1  
and behold an infinite loveliness and   
beauty in ,him1 apart from anything ,i  
expect or hope4 ,but even then how      
deceitful is the human heart6 how       
insensibly might a mere selfish love    
take the place of that disinterested    
complacency which regards ,him for what 
,he is in ,himself1 apart from what ,he 
is to us6 ,say1 my dear friend1 does not
 this thought sometimes make you        
tremble8  ,poor ,mary was truth itself1 
and this question distressed her2 she   
must answer the truth4 ,the fact was1   
that it had never come into her blessed 
little heart to tremble1 for she was one

 of those children of the bride-chamber 
who cannot mourn1 because the bridegroom
 is ever with them2 but then1 when she  
saw the man for whom her reverence was  
almost like that for her ,god thus      
distrustful1 thus lowly1 she could not  
but feel that her too calm repose might1
 after all1 be the shallow1 treacherous 
calm of an ignorant1 ill-grounded       
spirit1 and therefore1 with a deep blush
 and a faltering voice1 she said1--     
,indeed1 ,i am afraid something must be 
wrong with me4 ,i cannot have any       
fears1--,i never could2 ,i try          
sometimes1 but the thought of ,god's    
goodness comes all around me1 and ,i am 
so happy before ,i think of it6  ,such  
exercises1 my dear friend1 ,i have also 
had1 said the ,doctor2 but before ,i    
rest on them as evidences1 ,i feel      
constrained to make the following       
inquiries3--,is this gratitude that     
swells my bosom the result of a mere    
natural sensibility8 ,does it arise in a
 particular manner because ,god has done

 me good8 or do ,i love ,god for what   
,he is1 as well as for what ,he has     
done8 and for what ,he has done for     
others1 as well as for what ,he has done
 for me8 ,love to ,god which is built on
 nothing but good received is not       
incompatible with a disposition so      
horrid as even to curse ,god to ,his    
face4 ,if ,god is not to be loved except
 when ,he does good1 then in affliction 
we are free4 ,if doing us good is all   
that renders ,god lovely to us1 then not
 doing us good divests ,him of ,his     
glory1 and dispenses us from obligation 
to love ,him4 ,but there must be1       
undoubtedly1 some permanent reason why  
,god is to be loved by all2 and if not  
doing us good divests ,him of ,his glory
 so as to free us from our obligation to
 love1 it equally frees the universe2 so
 that1 in fact1 the universe of         
happiness1 if ours be not included1     
reflects no glory on its ,author4  ,the 
,doctor had practised his subtile mental
 analysis till his instruments were so  

fine-pointed and keen-edged that he     
scarce ever allowed a flower of sacred  
emotion to spring in his soul without   
picking it to pieces to see if its      
genera and species were correct4 ,love1 
gratitude1 reverence1                   
benevolence1--which all moved in mighty 
tides in his soul1--were all compelled  
to pause midway while he rubbed up his  
optical instruments to see whether they 
were rising in right order4 ,mary1 on   
the contrary1 had the blessed gift of   
womanhood1--that vivid life in the soul 
and sentiment which resists the chills  
of analysis1 as a healthful human heart 
resists cold2 yet still1 all humbly1 she
 thought this perhaps was a defect in   
herself1 and therefore1 having          
confessed1 in a depreciating tone1 her  
habits of unanalyzed faith and love1 she
 added1--  ,but1 my dear ,sir1 you are  
my best friend4 ,i trust you will be    
faithful to me4 ,if ,i am deceiving     
myself1 undeceive me2 you cannot be too 
severe with me4  ,alas6 said the        

,doctor1 ,i fear that ,i may be only a  
blind leader of the blind4 ,what1 after 
all1 if ,i be only a miserable          
self-deceiver8 ,what if some thought of 
self has come in to poison all my       
prayers and strivings8 ,it is true1 ,i  
think1--yes1 ,i think1 said the ,doctor1
 speaking very slowly and with intense  
earnestness1--,i think1 that1 if ,i knew
 at this moment that my name never would
 be written among those of the elect1 ,i
 could still see ,god to be infinitely  
amiable and glorious1 and could feel    
sure that ,he could not do me wrong1 and
 that it was infinitely becoming and    
right that ,he should dispose of me     
according to ,his sovereign pleasure4 ,i
 think so2--but still my deceitful      
heart6--after all1 ,i might find it     
rising in rebellion4 ,say1 my dear      
friend1 are you sure1 that1 should you  
discover yourself to be forever         
condemned by ,his justice1 you would not
 find your heart rising up against ,him8
  ,against ,him8 said ,mary1 with a     

tremulous1 sorrowful expression on her  
face1--against my ,heavenly ,father8    
,her face flushed1 and faded2 her eyes  
kindled eagerly1 as if she had something
 to say1 and then grew misty with tears4
 ,at last she said1--  ,thank you1 my   
dear1 faithful friend6 ,i will think    
about this2 perhaps ,i may have been    
deceived4 ,how very difficult it must be
 to know one's self perfectly6  ,mary   
went into her own little room1 and sat  
leaning for a long time with her elbow  
on the window-seat1 watching the pale   
shells of the apple-blossoms as they    
sailed and fluttered downward into the  
grass1 and listened to a chippering     
conversation in which the birds in the  
nest above were settling up their small 
housekeeping accounts for the day4      
,after a while1 she took her pen and    
wrote the following1 which the ,doctor  
found the next morning lying on his     
study-table3--  ,,my ,,dear1 ,,honored  
,,friend1--,how can ,i sufficiently     
thank you for your faithfulness with me8

 ,all you say to me seems true and      
excellent2 and yet1 my dear ,sir1 permit
 me to try to express to you some of the
 many thoughts to which our conversation
 this evening has given rise4 ,to love  
,god because ,he is good to me you seem 
to think is not a right kind of love2   
and yet every moment of my life ,i have 
experienced ,his goodness4 ,when        
recollection brings back the past1 where
 can ,i look that ,i see not ,his       
goodness8 ,what moment of my life       
presents not instances of merciful      
kindness to me1 as well as to every     
creature1 more and greater than ,i can  
express1 than my mind is able to take   
in8 ,how1 then1 can ,i help loving ,god 
because ,he is good to me8 ,were ,i not 
an object of ,god's mercy and goodness1 
,i cannot have any conception what would
 be my feeling4 ,imagination never yet  
placed me in a situation not to         
experience the goodness of ,god in some 
way or other2 and if ,i do love ,him1   
how can it be but because ,he is good1  

and to me good8 ,do not ,god's children 
love ,him because ,he first loved them8 
,if ,i called nothing goodness which did
 not happen to suit my inclination1 and 
could not believe the ,deity to be      
gracious and merciful except when the   
course of events was so ordered as to   
agree with my humor1 so far from        
imagining that ,i had any love to ,god1 
,i must conclude myself wholly destitute
 of anything good4 ,a love founded on   
nothing but good received is not1 you   
say1 incompatible with a disposition so 
horrid as even to curse ,god4 ,i am not 
sensible that ,i ever in my life        
imagined anything but good could come   
from the hand of ,god4 ,from a ,being   
infinite in goodness everything must be 
good1 though we do not always comprehend
 how it is so4 ,are not afflictions     
good8 ,does ,he not even in judgment    
remember mercy8 ,sensible that          
'afflictions are but blessings in       
disguise1' ,i would bless the hand that1
 with infinite kindness1 wounds only to 

heal1 and love and adore the goodness of
 ,god equally in suffering as in        
rejoicing4  ,the disinterested love to  
,god1 which you think is alone the      
genuine love1 ,i see not how we can be  
certain we possess1 when our love of    
happiness and our love of ,god are so   
inseparably connected4 ,the joys arising
 from a consciousness that ,god is a    
benefactor to me and my friends1 7and   
when ,i think of ,god1 every creature is
 my friend17 if arising from a selfish  
motive1 it does not seem to me possible 
could be changed into hate1 even        
supposing ,god my enemy1 whilst ,i      
regarded ,him as a ,being infinitely    
just as well as good4 ,if ,god is my    
enemy1 it must be because ,i deserve ,he
 should be such2 and it does not seem to
 me possible that ,i should hate ,him1  
even if ,i knew ,he would always be so4 
,in what you say of willingness to      
suffer eternal punishment1 ,i don't know
 that ,i understand what the feeling is4
 ,is it wickedness in me that ,i do not 

feel a willingness to be left to eternal
 sin8 ,can any one joyfully acquiesce in
 being thus left8 ,when ,i pray for a   
new heart and a right spirit1 must ,i be
 willing to be denied1 and rejoice that 
my prayer is not heard8 ,could any real 
,christian rejoice in this8 ,but he     
fears it not1--he knows it will never   
be1--he therefore can cheerfully leave  
it with ,god2 and so can ,i4  ,such1 my 
dear friend1 are my thoughts1 poor and  
unworthy2 yet they seem to me as certain
 as my life1 or as anything ,i see4 ,am 
,i unduly confident8 ,i ask your prayers
 that ,i may be guided aright4  ,your   
affectionate friend1  ,,mary4  ,there   
are in this world two kinds of          
natures1--those that have wings1 and    
those that have feet1--the winged and   
the walking spirits4 ,the walking are   
the logicians3 the winged are the       
instinctive and poetic4 ,natures that   
must always walk find many a bog1 many a
 thicket1 many a tangled brake1 which   
,god's happy little winged birds flit   

over by one noiseless flight4 ,nay1 when
 a man has toiled till his feet weigh   
too heavily with the mud of earth to    
enable him to walk another step1 these  
little birds will often cleave the air  
in a right line towards the bosom of    
,god1 and show the way where he could   
never have found it4  ,the ,doctor      
paused in his ponderous and heavy       
reasonings to read this real woman's    
letter2 and being a loving man1 he felt 
as if he could have kissed the hem of   
her garment who wrote it4 ,he recorded  
it in his journal1 and after it this    
significant passage from ,canticles3--  
,i charge you1 ,o ye daughters of       
,jerusalem1 by the roes1 and by the     
hinds of the field1 that ye stir not up 
nor awake this lovely one till she      
please4  ,mrs4 ,scudder's motherly eye  
noticed1 with satisfaction1 these quiet 
communings4 ,let it alone1 she said to  
herself2 before she knows it1 she will  
find herself wholly under his influence4
 ,mrs4 ,scudder was a wise woman4       

,,chapter ,,xix4   ,in the course of a  
day or two1 a handsome carriage drew up 
in front of ,mrs4 ,scudder's cottage1   
and a brilliant party alighted4 ,they   
were ,colonel and ,madame de            
,frontignac1 the ,abb ,lfon1 and        
,colonel ,burr4 ,mrs4 ,scudder and her  
daughter1 being prepared for the call1  
sat in afternoon dignity and            
tranquillity1 in the best room1 with    
their knitting-work4  ,madame de        
,frontignac had divined1 with the       
lightning-like tact which belongs to    
women in the positive1 and to ,french   
women in the superlative degree1 that   
there was something in the cottage-girl1
 whom she had passingly seen at the     
party1 which powerfully affected the man
 whom she loved with all the jealous    
intensity of a strong nature1 and hence 
she embraced eagerly the opportunity to 
see her1--yes1 to see her1 to study her1
 to dart her keen ,french wit through   
her1 and detect the secret of her charm1
 that she1 too1 might practise it4      

,madame de ,frontignac was one of those 
women whose beauty is so striking and   
imposing1 that they seem to kindle up1  
even in the most prosaic apartment1 an  
atmosphere of enchantment4 ,all the pomp
 and splendor of high life1 the wit1 the
 refinements1 the nameless graces and   
luxuries of courts1 seemed to breathe in
 invisible airs around her1 and she made
 a ,faubourg ,st4 ,germain of the       
darkest room into which she entered4    
,mary thought1 when she came in1 that   
she had never seen anything so splendid4
 ,she was dressed in a black velvet     
riding-habit1 buttoned to the throat    
with coral2 her riding-hat drooped with 
its long plumes so as to cast a shadow  
over her animated face1 out of which her
 dark eyes shone like jewels1 and her   
pomegranate cheeks glowed with the rich 
shaded radiance of one of ,rembrandt's  
pictures4 ,something quaint and foreign1
 something poetic and strange1 marked   
each turn of her figure1 each article of
 her dress1 down to the sculptured hand 

on which glittered singular and costly  
rings1--and the riding-glove1           
embroidered with seed-pearls1 that fell 
carelessly beside her on the floor4  ,in
 ,antwerp one sees a picture in which   
,rubens1 who felt more than any other   
artist the glory of the physical life1  
has embodied his conception of the      
,madonna1 in opposition to the faded1   
cold ideals of the ,middle ,ages1 from  
which he revolted with such a bound4    
,his ,mary is a superb ,oriental        
sultana1 with lustrous dark eyes1       
redundant form1 jewelled turban1        
standing leaning on the balustrade of a 
princely terrace1 and bearing on her    
hand1 not the silver dove1 but a        
gorgeous paroquet4 ,the two styles1 in  
this instance1 were both in the same    
room2 and as ,burr sat looking from one 
to the other1 he felt1 for a moment1 as 
one would who should put a sketch of    
,overbeck's beside a splendid painting  
of ,titian's4  ,for a few moments1      
everything in the room seemed faded and 

cold1 in contrast with the tropical     
atmosphere of this regal beauty4 ,burr  
watched ,mary with a keen eye1 to see if
 she were dazzled and overawed4 ,he saw 
nothing but the most innocent surprise  
and delight4 ,all the slumbering poetry 
within her seemed to awaken at the      
presence of her beautiful neighbor1--as 
when one1 for the first time1 stands    
before the great revelations of ,art4   
,mary's cheek glowed1 her eyes seemed to
 grow deep with the enthusiasm of       
admiration1 and1 after a few moments1 it
 seemed as if her delicate face and     
figure reflected the glowing loveliness 
of her visitor1 just as the virgin snows
 of the ,alps become incarnadine as they
 stand opposite the glorious radiance of
 a sunset sky4  ,madame de ,frontignac  
was accustomed to the effect of her     
charms2 but there was so much love in   
the admiration now directed towards her1
 that her own warm1 nature was touched1 
and she threw out the glow of her       
feelings with a magnetic power4 ,mary   

never felt the cold1 habitual reserve of
 her education so suddenly melt1 never  
felt herself so naturally falling into  
language of confidence and endearment   
with a stranger2 and as her face1 so    
delicate and spiritual1 grew bright with
 love1 ,madame de ,frontignac thought   
she had never seen anything so          
beautiful1 and1 stretching out her hands
 towards her1 she exclaimed1 in her own 
language1--  ,mais1 mon ,dieu6 mon      
enfant1 que tu es belle6  ,mary's deep  
blush1 at her ignorance of the language 
in which her visitor spoke1 recalled her
 to herself2--she laughed a clear1      
silvery laugh1 and laid her jewelled    
little hand on ,mary's with a caressing 
movement4  ,he shall not teach you      
,french1 ma toute belle she said1       
indicating the ,abb1 by a pretty1 wilful
 gesture2 ,i will teach you2--and you   
shall teach me ,english4 ,oh1 ,i shall  
try so hard to learn6 she said4  ,there 
was something inexpressibly pretty and  
quaint in the childish lisp with which  

she pronounced ,english4 ,mary was      
completely won over4 ,she could have    
fallen into the arms of this wondrously 
beautiful fairy princess1 expecting to  
be carried away by her to ,dream-land4  
,meanwhile1 ,mrs4 ,scudder was gravely  
discoursing with ,colonel ,burr and ,m4 
de ,frontignac2 and the ,abb1 a small   
and gentlemanly personage1 with clear   
black eye1 delicately-cut features1 and 
powdered hair1 appeared to be absorbed  
in his efforts to follow the current of 
a conversation imperfectly understood4  
,burr1 the while1 though seeming to be  
entirely and politely absorbed in the   
conversation he was conducting1 lost not
 a glimpse of the picturesque aside     
which was being enacted between the two 
fair ones whom he had thus brought      
together4 ,he smiled quietly when he saw
 the effect ,madame de ,frontignac      
produced on ,mary4  ,after all1 the     
child has flesh and blood6 he thought1  
and may feel that there are more things 
in heaven and earth than she has dreamed

 of yet4 ,a few ,french ideas won't hurt
 her4  ,the arrangements about lessons  
being completed1 the party returned to  
the carriage4 ,madame de ,frontignac was
 enthusiastic in ,mary's praise4        
,cependant she said1 leaning back1      
thoughtfully1 after having exhausted    
herself in superlatives1--cependant elle
 est dvote1--et  dix-neuf comment cela  
se peut il8  ,it is the effect of her   
austere education1 said ,burr4 ,it is   
not possible for you to conceive how    
young people are trained in the         
religious families of this country4     
,but yet1 said ,madame1 it gives her a  
grace altogether peculiar2 something in 
her looks went to my heart4 ,i could    
find it very easy to love her1 because  
she is really good4  ,the ,queen of     
,hearts should know all that is possible
 in loving1 said ,burr4  ,somehow1 of   
late1 the compliments which fell so     
readily from those graceful lips had    
brought with them an unsatisfying pain4 
,until a woman really loves1 flattery   

and compliment are often like her native
 air2 but when that deeper feeling has  
once awakened in her1 her instincts     
become marvellously acute to detect the 
false from the true4 ,madame de         
,frontignac longed for one strong1      
unguarded1 real1 earnest word from the  
man who had stolen from her her whole   
being4 ,she was beginning to feel in    
some dim wise what an untold treasure   
she was daily giving for tinsel and     
dross4 ,she leaned back in the carriage1
 with a restless1 burning cheek1 and    
wondered why she was born to be so      
miserable4 ,the thought of ,mary's      
saintly face and tender eyes rose before
 her as the moon rises on the eyes of   
some hot and fevered invalid1 inspiring 
vague yearnings after an unknown1       
unattainable peace4  ,could some        
friendly power once have made her at    
that time clairvoyant and shown her the 
reality of the man whom she was seeing  
through the prismatic glass of her own  
enkindled ideality6 ,could she have seen

 the calculating quietness in which1    
during the intervals of a restless and  
sleepless ambition1 he played upon her  
heart-strings1 as one uses a musical    
instrument to beguile a passing         
hour1--how his only embarrassment was   
the fear that the feelings he was       
pleased to excite might become too warm 
and too strong1 while as yet his        
relations to her husband were such as to
 make it dangerous to arouse his        
jealousy6 ,and if he could have seen    
that pure ideal conception of himself   
which alone gave him power in the heart 
of this woman1--that spotless1 glorified
 image of a hero without fear1 without  
reproach1--would he have felt a moment's
 shame and abasement at its utter       
falsehood8  ,the poet says that the     
,evil ,spirit stood abashed when he saw 
virtue in an angel form6 ,how would a   
man1 then1 stand1 who meets face to face
 his own glorified1 spotless ideal1 made
 living by the boundless faith of some  
believing heart8 ,the best must needs   

lay his hand on his mouth at this       
apparition2 but woe to him who feels no 
redeeming power in the sacredness of    
this believing dream1--who with         
calculating shrewdness uses this most   
touching miracle of love only to corrupt
 and destroy the loving6 ,for him there 
is no sacrifice for sin1 no place for   
repentance4 ,his very mother might      
shrink in her grave to have him laid    
beside her4  ,madame de ,frontignac had 
the high1 honorable nature of the old   
blood of ,france1 and a touch of its    
romance4 ,she was strung heroically1 and
 educated according to the notions of   
her caste and church1 purely and        
religiously4 ,true it is1 that one can  
scarcely call that education which      
teaches woman everything except         
herself1--except the things that relate 
to her own peculiar womanly destiny1    
and1 on plea of the holiness of         
ignorance1 sends her without one word of
 just counsel into the temptations of   
life4 ,incredible as it may seem1       

,virginie de ,frontignac had never read 
a romance or work of fiction of which   
love was the staple2 the rgime of the   
convent in this regard was inexorable2  
at eighteen she was more thoroughly a   
child than most ,american girls at      
thirteen4 ,on entrance into life1 she   
was at first so dazzled and bewildered  
by the mere contrast of fashionable     
excitement with the quietness of the    
scenes in which she had hitherto grown  
up1 that she had no time for reading or 
thought1--all was one intoxicating      
frolic of existence1 one dazzling1      
bewildering dream4  ,he whose eye had   
measured her for his victim verified1 if
 ever man did1 the proverbial expression
 of the iron hand under the velvet      
glove4 ,under all his gentle suavities  
there was a fixed1 inflexible will1 a   
calm self-restraint1 and a composed     
philosophical measurement of others1    
that fitted him to bear despotic rule   
over an impulsive1 unguarded nature4    
,the position1 at once accorded to him1 

of her instructor in the ,english       
language and literature1 gave him a     
thousand daily opportunities to touch   
and stimulate all that class of finer   
faculties1 so restless and so perilous1 
and which a good man approaches always  
with certain awe4 ,it is said that he   
once asserted that he never beguiled a  
woman who did not come half-way to meet 
him1--an observation much the same as a 
serpent might make in regard to his     
birds4  ,the visit of the morning was   
followed by several others4 ,madame de  
,frontignac seemed to conceive for ,mary
 one of those passionate attachments    
which women often conceive for anything 
fair and sympathizing1 at those periods 
when their whole inner being is made    
vital by the approaches of a grand      
passion4 ,it took only a few visits to  
make her as familiar as a child at the  
cottage2 and the whole air of the       
,faubourg ,st4 ,germain seemed to melt  
away from her1 as1 with the pliability  
peculiar to her nation1 she blended     

herself with the quiet pursuits of the  
family4 ,sometimes1 in simple straw hat 
and white wrapper1 she would lie down in
 the grass under the apple-trees1 or    
join ,mary in an expedition to the barn 
for hen's eggs1 or a run along the      
sea-beach for shells2 and her childish  
eagerness and delight on these occasions
 used to arouse the unqualified         
astonishment of ,mrs4 ,katy ,scudder4   
,the ,doctor she regarded with a nave   
astonishment1 slightly tinctured with   
apprehension4 ,she knew he was very     
religious1 and stretched her            
comprehension to imagine what he might  
be like4 ,she thought of ,bossuet's     
sermons walking about under a           
,protestant coat1 and felt vaguely      
alarmed and sinful in his presence1 as  
she used to when entering under the     
shadows of a cathedral4 ,in her the     
religious sentiment1 though vague1 was  
strong4 ,nothing in the character of    
,burr had ever awakened so much         
disapprobation as his occasional sneers 

at religion4 ,on such occasions she     
always reproved him with warmth1 but    
excused him in her heart1 because he was
 brought up a heretic4 ,she held a      
special theological conversation with   
the ,abb1 whether salvation were        
possible to one outside of the ,true    
,church1--and had added to her daily    
prayer a particular invocation to the   
,virgin for him4  ,the ,french lessons1 
with her assistance1 proceeded          
prosperously4 ,she became an inmate in  
,mrs4 ,marvyn's family also4 ,the       
brown-eyed1 sensitive woman loved her as
 a new poem2 she felt enchanted by her2 
and the prosaic details of her household
 seemed touched to poetic life by her   
innocent interest and admiration4 ,the  
young ,madame insisted on being taught  
to spin at the great wheel2 and a very  
pretty picture she made of it1 too1 with
 her earnest gravity of endeavor1 her   
deepening cheek1 her graceful form1 with
 some strange foreign scarf or jewelry  
waving and flashing in odd contrast with

 her work4  ,do you know1 she said1 one 
day1 while thus employed in the north   
room at ,mrs4 ,marvyn's1--do you know   
,burr told me that princesses used to   
spin8 ,he read me a beautiful story from
 the ',odyssey1' about how ,penelope    
cheated her lovers with her spinning1   
while she was waiting for her husband to
 come home2--he was gone to sea1        
,mary1--her true love1--you understand4 
,she turned on ,mary a wicked glance1 so
 full of intelligence that the snowdrop 
grew red as the inside of a sea-shell4  
,mon enfant6 thou hast a thought deep in
 here6 she said to ,mary1 one day1 as   
they sat together in the grass under the
 apple-trees4  ,why1 what8 said ,mary1  
with a startled and guilty look4  ,why1 
what8 petite6 said the fairy princess1  
whimsically mimicking her accent4 ,ah6  
ah6 ma belle6 you think ,i have no      
eyes2--,virginie sees deep in here6 she 
said1 laying her hand playfully on      
,mary's heart4 ,ah1 petite6 she said1   
gravely1 and almost sorrowfully1 if you 

love him1 wait for him1--don't marry    
another4 ,it is dreadful not to have    
one's heart go with one's duty4  ,i     
shall never marry anybody1 said ,mary4  
,nevare marrie anybodie6 said the lady1 
imitating her accents in tones much like
 those of a bobolink4 ,ah6 ah6 my little
 saint1 you cannot always live on       
nothing but the prayers1 though prayers 
are verie good4 ,but1 ma chre1 she      
added1 in a low tone1 don't you ever    
marry that good man in there2 priests   
should not marry4  ,ours are not        
priests1--they are ministers1 said      
,mary4 ,but why do you speak of him8--he
 is like my father4  ,virginie sees     
something6 said the lady1 shaking her   
head gravely2 she sees he loves little  
,mary4  ,of course he does6             
,of-course-he-does8--ah1 yes2 and       
by-and-by comes the mamma1 and she takes
 this little hand1 and she says1 ',come1
 ,mary6' and then she gives it to him2  
and then the poor jeune homme1 when he  
comes back1 finds not a bird in his poor

 little nest4 ,oh1 c'est ennuyeux cela6 
she said1 throwing herself back in the  
grass till the clover-heads and         
buttercups closed over her4  ,i do      
assure you1 dear ,madame6--  ,i do      
assure you1 dear ,mary1 ,virginie knows4
 ,so lock up her words in your little   
heart2 you will want them some day4     
,there was a pause of some moments1     
while the lady was watching the course  
of a cricket through the clover4 ,at    
last1 lifting her head1 she spoke very  
gravely1--  ,my little cat6 it is       
dreadful to be married to a good man1   
and want to be good1 and want to love   
him1 and yet never like to have him take
 your hand1 and be more glad when he is 
away than when he is at home2 and then  
to think how different it would all be1 
if it was only somebody else4 ,that will
 be the way with you1 if you let them   
lead you into this2 so don't you do it1 
mon enfant4  ,a thought seemed to cross 
,mary's mind1 as she turned to ,madame  
de ,frontignac1 and said1 earnestly1--  

,if a good man were my husband1 ,i would
 never think of another1--,i wouldn't   
let myself4  ,how could you help it1    
mignonne8 ,can you stop your thinking8  
,mary said1 after a moment's blush1--   
,i can try6  ,ah1 yes6 ,but to try all  
one's life1--oh1 ,mary1 that is too     
hard6 ,never do it1 darling6  ,and then 
,madame de ,frontignac broke out into a 
carolling little ,french song1 which    
started all the birds around into a     
general orchestral accompaniment4  ,this
 conversation occurred just before      
,madame de ,frontignac started for      
,philadelphia1 whither her husband had  
been summoned as an agent in some of the
 ambitious intrigues of ,burr4  ,it was 
with a sigh of regret that she parted   
from her friends at the cottage4 ,she   
made them a hasty good-bye              
call1--alighting from a splendid        
barouche with two white horses1 and     
filling their simple best-room with the 
light of her presence for a last        
half-hour4 ,when she bade good-bye to   

,mary1 she folded her warmly to her     
heart1 and her long lashes drooped      
heavily with tears4  ,after her absence1
 the lessons were still pursued with the
 gentle1 quiet little ,abb1 who seemed  
the most patient and assiduous of       
teachers2 but1 in both houses1 there was
 that vague ennui1 that sense of want1  
which follows the fading of one of      
life's beautiful dreams6 ,we bid her    
adieu for a season2--we may see her     
again4     ,,chapter ,,xx4   ,the summer
 passed over the cottage1 noiselessly1  
as our summers pass4 ,there were white  
clouds walking in saintly troops over   
blue mirrors of sea1--there were purple 
mornings1 choral with                   
bird-singing1--there were golden        
evenings1 with long1 eastward shadows4  
,apple-blossoms died quietly in the deep
 orchard grass1 and tiny apples waxed   
and rounded and ripened and gained      
stripes of gold and carmine2 and the    
blue eggs broke into young robins1 that 
grew from gaping1 yellow-mouthed youth  

to fledged and outflying maturity4 ,came
 autumn1 with its long ,indian summer1  
and winter1 with its flinty1 sparkling  
snows1 under which all ,nature lay a    
sealed and beautiful corpse4 ,came once 
more the spring winds1 the lengthening  
days1 the opening flowers1 and the      
ever-renewing miracle of buds and       
blossoms on the apple-trees around the  
cottage4 ,a year had passed since the   
,june afternoon when first we showed you
 ,mary standing under the spotty shadows
 of the tree1 with the white dove on her
 hand--a year in which not many outward 
changes have been made in the relations 
of the actors of our story4  ,mary      
calmly spun and read and thought2 now   
and then composing with care very       
,english-,french letters1 to be sent to 
,philadelphia to ,madame de ,frontignac1
 and receiving short missives of very   
,french-,english in return4  ,the       
cautions of ,madame1 in regard to the   
,doctor1 had not rippled the current of 
their calm1 confiding intercourse2 and  

the ,doctor1 so very satisfied and happy
 in her constant society and affection1 
scarcely as yet meditated distinctly    
that he needed to draw her more closely 
to himself4 ,if he had a passage to     
read1 a page to be copied1 a thought to 
express1 was she not ever there1 gentle1
 patient1 unselfish8 and scarce by the  
absence of a day did she let him        
perceive that his need of her was       
becoming so absolute that his hold on   
her must needs be made permanent4  ,as  
to his salary and temporal concerns1    
they had suffered somewhat for his      
unpopular warfare with reigning sins1--a
 fact which had rather reconciled ,mrs4 
,scudder to the dilatory movement of her
 cherished hopes4 ,since ,james was     
gone1 what need to press imprudently to 
new arrangements8 ,better give the      
little heart time to grow over before   
starting a subject which a certain      
womanly instinct told her might be met  
with a struggle4 ,somehow she never     
thought without a certain heart-sinking 

of ,mary's look and tone the night she  
spoke with her about ,james2 she had an 
awful presentiment that that tone of    
voice belonged to the things that cannot
 be shaken4 ,but yet1 ,mary seemed so   
even1 so quiet1 her delicate form filled
 out and rounded so beautifully1 and she
 sang so cheerfully at her work1 and1   
above all1 she was so entirely silent   
about ,james1 that ,mrs4 ,scudder had   
hope4  ,ah1 that silence6 ,do not listen
 to hear whom a woman praises1 to know  
where her heart is6 do not ask for whom 
she expresses the most earnest          
enthusiasm6 but if there be one she once
 knew well1 whose name she never        
speaks1--if she seem to have an instinct
 to avoid every occasion of its         
mention1--if1 when you speak1 she drops 
into silence and changes the            
subject1--why1 look there for something6
 just as1 when going through deep       
meadow-grass1 a bird flies              
ostentatiously up before you1 you may   
know her nest is not there1 but far off1

 under distant tufts of fern and        
buttercup1 through which she has crept  
with a silent flutter in her spotted    
breast1 to act her pretty little        
falsehood before you4  ,poor ,mary's    
little nest was along the sedgy margin  
of the sea-shore1 where grow the tufts  
of golden-rod1 where wave the reeds1    
where crimson1 green1 and purple        
sea-weeds float up1 like torn fringes of
 ,nereid vestures1 and gold and silver  
shells lie on the wet wrinkles of the   
sands4  ,the sea had become to her like 
a friend1 with its ever-varying         
monotony4 ,somehow she loved this old1  
fresh1 blue1 babbling1 restless giant1  
who had carried away her heart's love to
 hide him in some far-off palmy island1 
such as she had often heard him tell of 
in his sea-romances4 ,sometimes she     
would wander out for an afternoon's     
stroll on the rocks1 and pause by the   
great spouting cave1 now famous to      
,newport dilettanti1 but then a sacred  
and impressive solitude4 ,there the     

rising tide bursts with deafening       
strokes through a narrow opening into   
some inner cavern1 which1 with a deep   
thunder-boom1 like the voice of an angry
 lion1 casts it back in a high jet of   
foam into the sea4  ,mary often sat and 
listened to this hollow noise1 and      
watched the ever-rising columns of spray
 as they reddened with the transpiercing
 beams of the afternoon sun2 and thence 
her eye travelled far1 far off over the 
shimmering starry blue1 where sails     
looked no bigger than miller's wings2   
and it seemed sometimes as if a door    
were opening by which her soul might go 
out into some eternity1--some abyss1 so 
wide and deep1 that fathomless lines of 
thought could not sound it4 ,she was no 
longer a girl in a mortal body1 but an  
infinite spirit1 the adoring companion  
of ,infinite ,beauty and ,infinite      
,love4  ,as there was an hour when the  
fishermen of ,galilee saw their ,master 
transfigured1 his raiment white and     
glistening1 and his face like the light1

 so are there hours when our whole      
mortal life stands forth in a celestial 
radiance4 ,from our daily lot falls off 
every weed of care1--from our           
heart-friends every speck and stain of  
earthly infirmity4 ,our horizon widens1 
and blue1 and amethyst1 and gold touch  
every object4 ,absent friends and       
friends gone on the last long journey   
stand once more together1 bright with an
 immortal glow1 and1 like the disciples 
who saw their ,master floating in the   
clouds above them1 we say1 ,lord1 it is 
good to be here6 ,how fair the wife1 the
 husband1 the absent mother1 the        
gray-haired father1 the manly son1 the  
bright-eyed daughter6 ,seen in the      
actual present1 all have some fault1    
some flaw2 but absent1 we see them in   
their permanent and better selves4 ,of  
our distant home we remember not one    
dark day1 not one servile care1 nothing 
but the echo of its holy hymns and the  
radiance of its brightest days1--of our 
father1 not one hasty word1 but only the

 fulness of his manly vigor and noble   
tenderness1--of our mother1 nothing of  
mortal weakness1 but a glorified form of
 love1--of our brother1 not one teasing1
 provoking word of brotherly freedom1   
but the proud beauty of his noblest     
hours1--of our sister1 our child1 only  
what is fairest and sweetest4  ,this is 
to life the true ideal1 the calm glass1 
wherein looking1 we shall see1 that1    
whatever defects cling to us1 they are  
not1 after all1 permanent1 and that we  
are tending to something nobler than we 
yet are2--it is the earnest of our      
inheritance until the redemption of the 
purchased possession4 ,in the           
resurrection we shall see our friends   
forever as we see them in these         
clairvoyant hours4  ,we are writing thus
 on and on1 linking image and thought   
and feeling1 and lingering over every   
flower1 and listening to every bird1    
because just before us there lies a dark
 valley1 and we shrink and tremble to   
enter it4  ,but it must come1 and why do

 we delay8   ,towards evening1 one      
afternoon in the latter part of ,june1  
,mary returned from one of these lonely 
walks by the sea1 and entered the       
kitchen4 ,it was still in its calm and  
sober cleanness2--the tall clock ticked 
with a startling distinctness4 ,from the
 half-closed door of her mother's       
bedroom1 which stood ajar1 she heard the
 chipper of ,miss ,prissy's voice4 ,she 
stayed her light footsteps1 and the     
words that fell on her ear were these3--
  ,miss ,marvyn fainted dead away2--she 
stood it till he came to that2 but then 
she just clapped both hands together1 as
 if she'd been shot1 and fell right     
forward on the floor in a faint6  ,what 
could this be8 ,there was a quick1      
intense whirl of thoughts in ,mary's    
mind1 and then came one of those awful  
moments when the powers of life seem to 
make a dead pause and all things stand  
still2 and then all seemed to fail under
 her1 and the life to sink down1 down1  
down1 till nothing was but one dim1     

vague1 miserable consciousness4  ,mrs4  
,scudder and ,miss ,prissy were sitting1
 talking earnestly1 on the foot of the  
bed1 when the door opened noiselessly1  
and ,mary glided to them like a         
spirit1--no color in check or lip1--her 
blue eyes wide with calm horror2 and    
laying her little hand1 with a nervous  
grasp1 on ,miss ,prissy's arm1 she      
said1--  ,tell me1--what is it8--is     
it8--is he--dead8  ,the two women looked
 at each other1 and then ,mrs4 ,scudder 
opened her arms4  ,my daughter6  ,oh6   
mother6 mother6  ,then fell that long1  
hopeless silence1 broken only by        
hysteric sobs from ,miss ,prissy1 and   
answering ones from the mother2 but she 
lay still and quiet1 her blue eyes wide 
and clear1 making an inarticulate moan4 
,oh6 are they sure8--can it be8--is he  
dead8 at last she gasped4  ,my child1 it
 is too true2 all we can say is1 ',be   
still1 and know that ,i am ,god6'  ,i   
shall try to be still1 mother1 said     
,mary1 with a piteous1 hopeless voice1  

like the bleat of a dying lamb2 but ,i  
did not think he could die6 ,i never    
thought of that6--,i never thought of   
it6--,oh6 mother6 mother6 mother6 oh6   
what shall ,i do8  ,they laid her on her
 mother's bed1--the first and last      
resting-place of broken hearts1--and the
 mother sat down by her in silence4     
,miss ,prissy stole away into the       
,doctor's study1 and told him all that  
had happened4  ,it's the same to her1   
said ,miss ,prissy1 with womanly        
reserve1 as if he'd been an own brother4
  ,what was his spiritual state8 said   
the ,doctor1 musingly4  ,miss ,prissy   
looked blank1 and answered mournfully1--
  ,i don't know4  ,the ,doctor entered  
the room where ,mary was lying with     
closed eyes4 ,those few moments seemed  
to have done the work of years1--so     
pale1 and faded1 and sunken she looked2 
nothing but the painful flutter of the  
eyelids and lips showed that she yet    
breathed4 ,at a sign from ,mrs4         
,scudder1 he kneeled by the bed1 and    

began to pray1--,lord1 thou hast been   
our dwelling-place in all               
generations1--prayer deep1 mournful1    
upheaving like the swell of the ocean1  
surging upward1 under the pressure of   
mighty sorrows1 towards an ,almighty    
heart4  ,the truly good are of one      
language in prayer4 ,whatever lines or  
angles of thought may separate them in  
other hours1 when they pray in          
extremity1 all good men pray alike4 ,the
 ,emperor ,charles ,v4 and ,martin      
,luther1 two great generals of opposite 
faiths1 breathed out their dying        
struggle in the self-same words4  ,there
 be many tongues and many languages of  
men1--but the language of prayer is one 
by itself1 in all and above all4 ,it is 
the inspiration of that ,spirit that is 
ever working with our spirit1 and       
constantly lifting us higher than we    
know1 and1 by our wants1 by our woes1 by
 our tears1 by our yearnings1 by our    
poverty1 urging us1 with mightier and   
mightier force1 against those chains of 

sin which keep us from our ,god4 ,we    
speak not of things conventionally      
called prayers1--vain mutterings of     
unawakened spirits talking drowsily in  
sleep1--but of such prayers as come when
 flesh and heart fail1 in mighty        
straits2--then he who prays is a        
prophet1 and a ,mightier than he speaks 
in him2 for the ,spirit helpeth our     
infirmities2 for we know not what we    
should pray for as we ought2 but the    
,spirit itself maketh intercession for  
us1 with groanings which cannot be      
uttered4  ,so the voice of supplication1
 upheaving from that great heart1 so    
childlike in its humility1 rose with a  
wisdom and a pathos beyond what he      
dreamed in his intellectual hours2 it   
uprose even as a strong angel1 whose    
brow is solemnly calm1 and whose wings  
shed healing dews of paradise4          
,,chapter ,,xxi4   ,the next day broke  
calm and fair4 ,the robins sang         
remorselessly in the apple-tree1 and    
were answered by bobolink1 oriole1 and a

 whole tribe of ignorant little bits of 
feathered happiness that danced among   
the leaves4 ,golden and glorious        
unclosed those purple eyelids of the    
,east1 and regally came up the sun2 and 
the treacherous sea broke into ten      
thousand smiles1 laughing and dancing   
with every ripple1 as unconsciously as  
if no form dear to human hearts had gone
 down beneath it4 ,oh6 treacherous1     
deceiving beauty of outward things6     
beauty1 wherein throbs not one answering
 nerve to human pain6  ,mary rose early 
and was about her morning work4 ,her    
education was that of the soldier1 who  
must know himself no more1 whom no      
personal pain must swerve from the      
slightest minutiae of duty4 ,so she was 
there1 at her usual hour1 dressed with  
the same cool neatness1 her brown hair  
parted in satin bands1 and only the     
colorless cheek and lip differing from  
the ,mary of yesterday4  ,how strange   
this external habit of living6 ,one     
thinks how to stick in a pin1 and how to

 tie a string1--one busies one's self   
with folding robes1 and putting away    
napkins1 the day after some stroke that 
has cut the inner life in two1 with the 
heart's blood dropping quietly at every 
step4  ,yet it is better so6 ,happy     
those whom stern principle or long habit
 or hard necessity calls from the       
darkened room1 the languid trance of    
pain1 in which the wearied heart longs  
to indulge1 and gives this trite prose  
of common life1 at which our weak and   
wearied appetites so revolt6 ,mary never
 thought of such a thing as             
self-indulgence2--this daughter of the  
,puritans had her seed within her4      
,arial in her delicacy1 as the blue-eyed
 flax-flower with which they sowed their
 fields1 she had yet its strong fibre1  
which no stroke of the flail could      
break2 bruising and hackling only made  
it fitter for uses of homely utility4   
,mary1 therefore1 opened the            
kitchen-door at dawn1 and1 after        
standing one moment to breathe the      

freshness1 began spreading the cloth for
 an early breakfast4 ,mrs4 ,scudder1 the
 mean while1 was kneading the bread that
 had been set to rise over-night2 and   
the oven was crackling and roaring with 
a large-throated1 honest garrulousness4 
,but1 ever and anon1 as the mother      
worked1 she followed the motions of her 
child anxiously4  ,mary1 my dear1 she   
said1 the eggs are giving out2 hadn't   
you better run to the barn and get a    
few8  ,most mothers are instinctive     
philosophers4 ,no treatise on the laws  
of nervous fluids could have taught     
,mrs4 ,scudder a better rle for this    
morning1 than her tender gravity1 and   
her constant expedients to break and    
ripple1 by changing employments1 that   
deep1 deadly under-current of thoughts  
which she feared might undermine her    
child's life4  ,mary went into the barn1
 stopped a moment1 and took out a       
handful of corn to throw to her hens1   
who had a habit of running towards her  
and cocking an expectant eye to her     

little hand1 whenever she appeared4 ,all
 came at once flying towards            
her1--speckled1 white1 and gleamy with  
hues between of tawny orange-gold1--the 
cocks1 magnificent with the bladelike   
waving of their tails1--and1 as they    
chattered and cackled and pressed and   
crowded about her1 pecking the corn1    
even where it lodged in the edge of her 
little shoes1 she said1 ,poor things1 ,i
 am glad they enjoy it6--and even this  
one little act of love to the ignorant  
fellowship below her carried away some  
of the choking pain which seemed all the
 while suffocating her heart4 ,then1    
climbing into the hay1 she sought the   
nest and filled her little basket with  
eggs1 warm1 translucent1 pinky-white in 
their freshness4 ,she felt1 for a       
moment1 the customary animation in      
surveying her new treasures2 but        
suddenly1 like a vision rising before   
her1 came a remembrance of once when she
 and ,james were children together and  
had been seeking eggs just there4 ,he   

flashed before her eyes1 the bright boy 
with the long black lashes1 the dimpled 
cheeks1 the merry eyes1 just as he stood
 and threw the hay over her when they   
tumbled and laughed together1--and she  
sat down with a sick faintness1 and then
 turned and walked wearily in4  ,to be  
continued4     ,,roba ,,di ,,roma4      
,continued4   ,,chapter ,,iii4          
,,beggars ,,in ,,rome4   ,directly above
 the ,piazza di ,spagna and opposite to 
the ,via di ,condotti1 rise the double  
towers of the ,trinit de' ,monti4 ,the  
ascent to them is over one hundred and  
thirty-five steps1 planned with         
considerable skill1 so as to mask the   
steepness of the ,pincian1 and forming  
the chief feature of the ,piazza4       
,various landings and dividing walls    
break up their monotony2 and a red      
granite obelisk1 found in the gardens of
 ,sallust1 crowns the upper terrace in  
front of the church4 ,all day long1     
these steps are flooded with sunshine1  
in which1 stretched at length1 or       

gathered in picturesque groups1 models  
of every age and both sexes bask away   
the hours when they are free from       
employment in the studios4 ,here1 in a  
rusty old coat and long white beard and 
hair1 is the ,padre ,eterno1 so called  
from his constantly standing as model   
for the ,first ,person of the ,trinity  
in religious pictures4 ,here is the     
ferocious bandit1 with his thick black  
beard and conical hat1 now off duty1 and
 sitting with his legs wide apart1      
munching in alternate bites an onion1   
which he holds in one hand1 and a lump  
of bread1 which he holds in the other4  
,here is the contadina1 who is always   
praying at a shrine with upcast eyes1 or
 lifting to the ,virgin the little      
child1 among whose dark curls1 now lying
 tangled in her lap1 she is on a        
vigorous hunt for the animal whose name 
denotes love4 ,here is the invariable   
pilgrim1 with his scallop-shell1 who has
 been journeying to ,st4 ,peter's and   
reposing by the way near aqueducts or   

broken columns so long that the memory  
of man runneth not to the contrary1 and 
who is now fast asleep on his back1 with
 his hat pulled over his eyes4 ,when the
 forestieri come along1 the little ones 
run up and thrust out their hands for   
baiocchi2 and so pretty are they1 with  
their large1 black1 lustrous eyes1 and  
their quaint1 gay dresses1 that new     
comers always find something in their   
pockets for them4 ,sometimes a group of 
artists1 passing by1 will pause and     
steadily examine one of these models1   
turn him about1 pose him1 point out his 
defects and excellences1 give him a     
baiocco1 and pass on4 ,it is1 in fact1  
the model's exchange4 ,footnote3 ,during
 this last winter1 the government have  
prohibited the models1 for ,i know not  
what reason1 from gathering upon these  
steps2 and they now congregate at the   
corner of the ,via ,sistina and ,capo le
 ,case1 near the ,pizzicheria1 from     
which they supply themselves with       
groceries4  ,all this is on the lower   

steps1 close to the ,piazza di ,spagna2 
but as one ascends to the last platform1
 before reaching the upper piazza in    
front of the ,trinit de' ,monti1 a      
curious squat figure1 with two withered 
and crumpled legs1 spread out at right  
angles and clothed in long stockings1   
comes shuffling along on his knees and  
hands1 which are protected by clogs4 ,as
 it approaches1 it turns suddenly up    
from its quadrupedal position1 takes off
 its hat1 shows a broad1 stout1 legless 
torso1 with a vigorous chest and a ruddy
 face1 as of a person who has come      
half-way up from below the steps through
 a trap-door1 and with a smile whose    
breadth is equalled only by the cunning 
which lurks round the corners of the    
eyes1 says1 in the blandest and most    
patronizing tones1 with a rising        
inflection1 ,buon giorno1 ,signore6     
,oggi fa bel tempo1 or fa cattivo tempo1
 as the case may be4 ,this is no less a 
person than ,beppo1 ,king of the        
,beggars1 and permanent bore of the     

,scale di ,spagna4 ,he is better known  
to travellers than the ,belvedere ,torso
 of ,hercules at the ,vatican1 and has  
all the advantage over that wonderful   
work1 of having an admirable head and a 
good digestion4 ,hans ,christian        
,andersen has celebrated him in ,the    
,improvvisatore1 and unfairly attributed
 to him an infamous character and life2 
but this account is purely fictitious1  
and is neither vero nor ben trovato4    
,beppo1 like other distinguished        
personages1 is not without a history4   
,the ,romans say of him1 ,era un        
,signore in paese suo--,he was a        
gentleman in his own country1--and this 
belief is borne out by a certain        
courtesy and style in his bearing which 
would not shame the first gentleman in  
the land4 ,he was undoubtedly of a good 
family in the provinces1 and came to    
,rome1 while yet young1 to seek his     
fortune4 ,his crippled condition cut him
 off from any active employment1 and he 
adopted the profession of a mendicant1  

as being the most lucrative and         
requiring the least exertion4           
,remembering ,belisarius1 he probably   
thought it not beneath his own dignity  
to ask for an obolus4 ,should he be     
above doing what a general had done8    
,however this may be1 he certainly      
became a mendicant1 after changing his  
name1--and1 steadily pursuing this      
profession for more than a quarter of a 
century1 by dint of his fair words1 his 
bland smiles1 and his constant ,fa buon 
tempo and ,fa cattivo tempo1 which1     
together with his withered legs1 were   
his sole stock in starting1 he has      
finally amassed a very respectable      
little fortune4 ,he is now about        
fifty-five years of age1 has a wife and 
several children2 and a few years ago1  
on the marriage of a daughter to a very 
respectable tradesman1 he was able to   
give her what was considered in ,rome a 
more than respectable dowry4 ,the other 
day1 a friend of mine met a tradesman of
 his acquaintance running up the        

,spanish steps4  ,dove andate in una    
tanta affretta8 he inquired4  ,al       
,banchiere mio4  ,al ,banchiere8 ,ma    
quale ,banchiere sta in su le scale8    
,ma ,beppo1 was the grave answer4 ,ho   
bisogna di sessanta scudi1 e lui mele   
prester senza difficolt4  ,da vero8 said
 my friend4  ,eh sicuro1 come gli pare1 
said the other1 as he went on to his    
banker4 ,footnote3 ,where are you going 
in such haste8  ,to my banker4  ,to your
 banker8 ,but what banker is there above
 the steps8  ,only ,beppo4 ,i want sixty
 scudi1 and he can lend them to ma      
without difficulty4  ,really8  ,of      
course4  ,beppo hires his bank--which is
 the upper platform of the steps--of the
 government1 at a small rent per annum2 
and woe to any poor devil of his        
profession who dares to invade his      
premises6 ,hither1 every fair day1 at   
about noon1 he comes mounted on his     
donkey and accompanied by his valet1 a  
little boy1 who1 though not lame        
exactly1 wears a couple of crutches as a

 sort of livery1--and as soon as        
twilight begins to thicken and the sun  
is gone1 he closes his bank1 7it is     
purely a bank of deposit17 crawls up the
 steps1 mounts a stone post1 and there  
majestically waits for his valet to     
bring the donkey4 ,but he no more       
solicits deposits4 ,his day is done2 his
 bank is closed2 and from his post he   
looks around1 with a patronizing        
superiority1 upon the poorer members of 
his profession1 who are soliciting1 with
 small success1 the various passers by1 
as a king smiles down upon his subjects4
 ,the donkey being brought1 he shuffles 
on to its crupper and makes a joyous and
 triumphant passage down through the    
streets of the city to his home4 ,the   
bland business smile is gone4 ,the      
wheedling subserviency of the day is    
over4 ,the cunning eye opens largely4   
,he is calm1 dignified1 and             
self-possessed4 ,he mentions no more the
 state of the weather4 ,what's ,hecuba  
to him1 at this free moment of his      

return8 ,it is the large style in which 
all this is done that convinces me that 
,beppo was a ,signore in paese suo4 ,he 
has a bank1 and so has ,sir ,francis    
,baring4 ,what of that8 ,he is a        
gentleman still4 ,the robber knights and
 barons demanded toll of those who      
passed their castles1 with violence and 
threats1 and at the bloody point of     
their swords4 ,whoso passes ,beppo's    
castle is prayed in courtesy to leave a 
remembrance1 and receives the blandest  
bow and thanks in return4 ,shall we1    
then1 say1 the former are nobles and    
gentlemen1--the other is a miserable    
beggar8 ,is it worse to ask than to     
seize8 ,is it meaner to thank than to   
threaten8 ,if he who is supported by the
 public is a beggar1 our kings are      
beggars1 our pensions are charity4 ,did 
not the ,princess ,royal hold out her   
hand1 the other day1 to the ,house of   
,commons8 and does any one think the    
worse of her for it8 ,we are all1 in    
measure1 beggars2 but ,beppo1 in the    

large style of kings and robber-barons1 
asks for his baiocco1 and1 like the     
merchant-princes1 keeps his bank4 ,i see
 dukes and guardie nobili1 in shining   
helmets1 spurs1 and gigantic boots1 ride
 daily through the streets on horseback1
 and hurry to their palaces2 but ,beppo1
 erectly mounted on his donkey in his   
short-jacket1 7for he disdains the      
tailored skirts of a fashionable coat1  
though at times over his broad shoulders
 a great blue cloak is grandly thrown1  
after the manner of the ancient         
emperors17 is far more impressive1 far  
more princely1 as he slowly and         
majestically moves at nightfall towards 
his august abode4 ,the shadows close    
around him as he passes along2          
salutations greet him from the damp     
shops2 and darkness at last swallows up 
for a time the great square torso of the
 ,king of the ,beggars4  ,begging1 in   
,rome1 is as much a profession as       
praying and shop-keeping4 ,happy is he  
who is born stroppiato1 with a withered 

limb1 or to whom ,fortune sends the     
present of a hideous accident or malady2
 it is a stock to set up trade upon4    
,st4 ,vitus's dance is worth its        
hundreds of scudi annually2 epileptic   
fits are also a prize2 and a distorted  
leg and hare-lip have a considerable    
market value4 ,thenceforth the creature 
who has the luck to have them is        
absolved from labor4 ,he stands or lies 
in the sun1 or wanders through the      
,piazza1 and sings his whining1         
lamentable strophe of1 ,signore1 povero 
stroppiato1 datemi qualche cosa per amor
 di ,dio6--and when the baiocco falls   
into his hat1 like ripe fruit from the  
tree of the stranger1 he chants the     
antistrophe1 ,dio la benedica1 la       
,madonna e tutti santi6 ,footnote3      
,signore1 a poor cripple2 give me       
something1 for the love of ,god6--,may  
,god bless you1 the ,madonna1 and all   
the saints6 ,no refusal but one does he 
recognize as final1--and that is given1 
not by word of mouth1 but by elevating  

the fore-finger of the right hand1 and  
slowly wagging it to and fro4 ,when this
 finger goes up he resigns all hope1 as 
those who pass the gate of the ,inferno1
 replaces his hat and lapses into       
silence1 or turns away to some new group
 of sunny-haired foreigners4 ,the recipe
 to avoid beggars is1 to be             
black-haired1 to wear a full beard1 to  
smoke in the streets1 speak only        
,italian1 and shake the fore-finger of  
the right hand when besieged for        
charity4 ,let it not be supposed from   
this that the ,romans give nothing to   
the beggars1 but pass them by on the    
other side4 ,this is quite a mistake4   
,on the contrary1 they give more than   
the foreigners2 and the poorest class1  
out of their little1 will always find   
something to drop into their hats for   
charity4  ,the ingenuity which the      
beggars sometimes display in asking for 
alms is often humoristic and satirical4 
,many a woman on the cold side of thirty
 is wheedled out of a baiocco by being  

addressed as ,signorina4 ,many a        
half-suppressed exclamation of          
admiration1 or a prefix of ,bella1      
softens the hearts of those to whom     
compliments on their beauty come rarely4
 ,the other day1 as ,i came out of the  
city gate of ,siena1 a ragged wretch1   
sitting1 with one stump of a leg thrust 
obtrusively forward1 in the dust of the 
road1 called out1 ,una buona            
passeggiata1 ,signorino mio6 7and this  
although my little girl1 of thirteen    
years1 accompanied me47 ,seeing1        
however1 that ,i was too old a bird for 
that chaff1 he immediately added1 ,ma   
prima pensi alia conservazione dell'    
anima sua4 ,footnote3 ,a pleasant walk1 
young gentleman6--,but first pay heed to
 the salvation of your soul4 ,a great   
many baiocchi are also caught1 from     
green travellers of the middle class1 by
 the titles which are lavishly          
squandered by these poor fellows4       
,illustrissimo1 ,eccellenza1 ,altezza1  
will sometimes open the purse1 when     

plain ,mosshoe will not4  ,the          
profession of a beggar is by no means an
 unprofitable one4 ,a great many drops  
finally make a stream4 ,the cost of     
living is almost nothing to them1 and   
they frequently lay up money enough to  
make themselves very comfortable in     
their old age4 ,a ,roman friend of mine1
 ,conte ,c41 speaking of them one day1  
told me this illustrative anecdote3--   
,i had occasion1 he said1 a few years   
ago1 to reduce my family1 7the servants 
are called1 in ,rome1 the family17 and  
having no need of the services of one   
under-servant1 named ,pietro1 ,i        
dismissed him4 ,about a year after1 as  
,i was returning to my house1 after     
nightfall1 ,i was solicited by a beggar1
 who whiningly asked me for charity4    
,there was something in the voice which 
struck me as familiar1 and1 turning     
round to examine the man more closely1  
,i found it was my old servant1 ,pietro4
 ',is that you1 ,pietro8' ,i said2 'you 
begging here in the streets6 what has   

brought you to this wretched trade8' ,he
 gave me1 however1 no very clear account
 of himself1 but evidently desired to   
avoid me when he recognized who ,i was4 
,but1 shocked to find him in so pitiable
 a condition1 ,i pressed my questions1  
and finally told him ,i could not bear  
to see any one who had been in my       
service reduced to beggary2 and though  
,i had no actual need of his services1  
yet1 rather than see him thus1 he might 
return to his old position as servant in
 my house1 and be paid the same wages as
 he had before4 ,he hesitated1 was much 
embarrassed1 and1 after a pause1        
said1--',a thousand thanks1 your        
,excellency1 for your kindness2 but ,i  
cannot accept your proposal1 because1 to
 tell you the truth1 ,i make more money 
by this trade of begging4'  ,but though 
the beggars often lay by considerable   
sums of money1 so that they might1 if   
they chose1 live with a certain degree  
of comfort1 yet they cannot leave off   
the habit of begging after having       

indulged it for many years4 ,they get to
 be avaricious1 and cannot bring their  
minds to spend the money they have4 ,the
 other day1 an old beggar1 who used to  
frequent the steps of the ,ges1 when    
about to die1 ordered the hem of her    
garment to be ripped up1 saying that    
there was money in it4 ,in fact1 about a
 thousand scudi were found there1 three 
hundred of which she ordered to be laid 
out upon her funeral1 and the remainder 
to be appropriated to masses for her    
soul4 ,this was accordingly done1 and   
her squalid life ended in a pompous     
procession to the grave4  ,the great    
holidays of the beggars are the country 
festas4 ,thronging out of the city1 they
 spread along the highways1 and drag1   
drive1 roll1 shuffle1 hobble1 as they   
can1 towards the festive little town4   
,everywhere along the road they are to  
be met1--perched on a rock1 seated on a 
bank1 squatted beneath a wall or hedge1 
and screaming1 with outstretched hand1  
from the moment a carriage comes in     

sight until it is utterly passed by4 ,as
 one approaches the town where the festa
 is held1 they grow thicker and thicker4
 ,they crop up along the road like      
toadstools4 ,they hold up every hideous 
kind of withered arm1 distorted leg1 and
 unsightly stump4 ,they glare at you out
 of horrible eyes1 that look like       
cranberries4 ,you are requested to look 
at horrors1 all without a name1 and too 
terrible to be seen4 ,all their         
accomplishments are also brought out4   
,they fall into improvised fits2 they   
shake with sudden palsies2 and all the  
while keep up a chorus1 half whine1 half
 scream1 which suffers you to listen to 
nothing else4 ,it is hopeless to attempt
 to buy them all off1 for they are      
legion in number1 and to pay one doubles
 the chorus of the others4 ,the clever  
scamps1 too1 show the utmost skill in   
selecting their places of attack4       
,wherever there is a sudden rise in the 
road1 or any obstacle which will reduce 
the gait of the horses to a walk1 there 

is sure to be a beggar4 ,but do not     
imagine that he relies on his own powers
 of scream and hideousness alone1--not  
he6 ,he has a friend1 an ambassador1 to 
recommend him to your notice1 and to    
expatiate on his misfortunes4 ,though he
 himself can scarcely move1 his friend1 
who is often a little ragged boy or     
girl1 light of weight and made for a    
chase1 pursues the carriage and prolongs
 the whine1 repeating1 with a mechanical
 iteration1 ,signore6 ,signore6 datemi  
qualche cosa1 ,signore6 until his legs1 
breath1 and resolution give out at last2
 or1 what is still commoner1 your       
patience is wearied out or your sympathy
 touched1 and you are glad to purchase  
the blessing of silence for the small   
sum of a baiocco4 ,when his whining     
fails1 he tries to amuse you2 and often 
resorts to the oddest freaks to attract 
your notice4 ,sometimes the little      
rascal flings himself heels over head   
into the dust1 and executes somersets   
without number1 as if they had some     

hidden influence on the sentiment of    
compassion4 ,then1 running by the side  
of the carriage1 he will play upon his  
lips with both hands1 making a rattling 
noise1 to excite your curiosity4 ,if you
 laugh1 you are lost1 and he knows it4  
,as you reach the gates of the town1 the
 row becomes furious4 ,there are scores 
of beggars on either side the road1     
screaming in chorus4 ,no matter how far 
the town be from the city1 there is not 
a wretched1 maimed cripple of your      
acquaintance1 not one of the old stumps 
who have dodged you round a ,roman      
corner1 not a ragged baron who has      
levied toll for passage through the     
public squares1 a privileged robber who 
has shut up for you a pleasant street or
 waylaid you at an interesting church1  
but he is sure to be there4 ,how they   
got there is as inexplicable as how the 
apples got into the dumplings in ,peter 
,pindar's poem4 ,but at the first ring  
of a festa-bell1 they start up from     
under ground1 7those who are legless    

getting only half-way up17 like         
,roderick ,dhu's men1 and level their   
crutches at you as the others did their 
arrows4 ,an ,english lady1 a short time 
since1 after wintering at ,rome1 went to
 take the baths at ,siena in the summer4
 ,on going out for a walk1 on the first 
morning after her arrival1 whom should  
she meet but ,king ,beppo1 whom she had 
just left in ,rome6 ,he had come with   
the rest of the nobility for recreation 
and bathing1 and of course had brought  
his profession with him4  ,owing to a   
great variety of causes1 the number of  
beggars in ,rome is very large4 ,they   
grow here as noxious weeds in a hot-bed4
 ,the government neither favors commerce
 nor stimulates industry4 ,its policy is
 averse to change of any kind1 even     
though it be for the development of its 
own resources or of the energies of the 
people4 ,the ,church is ,brahmanic1     
contemplating only its own navel4 ,its  
influence is specially restrictive in   
,rome1 because it is also the ,state    

there4 ,it restrains not only trade1 but
 education2 it conserves exploded ideas 
and usages2 it prefers not to grow1 and 
looks with abhorrence upon change4      
,literature may be said to be dead in   
,rome4 ,there is not only no free press 
there1 but no press at all4 ,the ,diario
 ,romano contains about as much news as 
the ,acta ,diurna of the ancient        
,romans1 and perhaps less4 ,i doubt     
whether at present such facts as those  
given by ,petronius1 in an extract from 
the latter1 would now be permitted to be
 published4 ,however1 we know that      
,augustus prohibited the ,acta          
,diurna1--and the ,diario ,romano exists
 still2 so that some progress has been  
made4 ,and it must be confessed that    
,tuscany is scarcely in advance of ,rome
 in this respect2 and ,naples is behind 
both4 ,even the introduction of foreign 
works is so strictly watched and the    
censorship so severe1 that few liberal  
books pass the cordon4 ,the arguments in
 favor of a censorship are very plain1  

but not very conclusive4 ,the more      
compressed the energies and desires of a
 people1 the more danger of their       
bursting into revolution4 ,there is no  
safety-valve to passions and desires    
like the utterance of them1--no better  
corrective to false ideas than the free 
expression of them4 ,freedom of thought 
can never be suppressed1 and ideas kept 
too long pent up in the bosom1 when     
heated by some sudden crisis of passion1
 will explode into license and fury4    
,let me put a column from ,milton here  
into my own weak plaster2 the words are 
well known1 but cannot be too well      
known4 ,though all the winds of         
doctrine1 he says1 were let loose to    
play upon the earth1 so ,truth be in the
 field1 we do injuriously by licensing  
and prohibiting to misdoubt her         
strength4 ,let her and ,falsehood       
grapple2 who ever knew ,truth put to the
 worse in a free and open encounter8    
,her confuting is the best and surest   
suppressing4 ,here in ,rome genius rots4

 ,the saddest words ,i almost ever heard
 were from a young ,italian of ability  
and esprit4  ,why1 said ,i1 in          
conversation with him1 one day1 do you  
not devote your talents to some worthy  
object1 instead of frittering them away 
in dancing1 chatting1 fencing1 and      
morning-calls8  ,what would you have me 
do8 he answered4  ,devote yourself to   
some course of study4 ,write something4 
,mio caro was his reply1 it is useless4 
,how can ,i write what ,i think8 ,how   
can ,i publish what ,i write8 ,i have   
now manuscript works begun in my desk1  
which it would be better to burn4 ,our  
only way to be happy is to be idle and  
ignorant4 ,the more we know1 the        
unhappier we must be4 ,there is but one 
avenue for ambition1--the ,church4 ,i   
was not made for that4  ,this           
restrictive policy of the ,church makes 
itself felt everywhere1 high and low2   
and by long habit the people have become
 indolent and supine4 ,the splendid     
robes of ecclesiastical ,rome have a    

draggled fringe of beggary and vice4    
,what a change there might be1 if the   
energies of the ,italians1 instead of   
rotting in idleness1 could have a free  
scope6 ,industry is the only            
purification of a nation2 and as the    
fertile and luxuriant ,campagna         
stagnates into malaria1 because of its  
want of ventilation and movement1 so    
does this grand and noble people4 ,the  
government makes what use it can1       
however1 of the classes it exploits by  
its system2 but things go in a vicious  
circle4 ,the people1 kept at a          
stand-still1 become idle and poor2      
idleness and poverty engender vice and  
crime2 crime fills the prisons2 and the 
prisons afford a body of cheap slaves to
 the government4  ,to-day1 as ,i am     
writing1 some hundreds of forats1 in    
their striped brown uniforms1 are       
tugging at their winches and ropes to   
drag the column of the ,immaculate      
,virgin to its pedestal on the ,piazza  
di ,spagna4 ,by the same system of      

compulsory labor1 the government1       
despite its limited financial resources1
 is enabled to carry out public projects
 which1 with well-paid workmen1 would be
 too expensive to be feasible4 ,in this 
manner1 for instance1 for an incredibly 
small sum1 was built the magnificent    
viaduct which spans with its triple tier
 of arches the beautiful ,val di        
,l',arriccia4 ,but1 for my own part1 ,i 
cannot look upon this system as being   
other than very bad1 in every respect4  
,and when1 examining into the prisons   
themselves1 ,i find that the support of 
these poor criminal slaves is farmed out
 by the government to some responsible  
person at the lowest rate that is       
offered1 generally for five or six      
baiocchi apiece per diem1 and often     
refarmed by him at a still lower rate1  
until the poor wretches are reduced to  
the very minimum of necessary food as to
 quantity and quality1 ,i confess that  
,i cannot look with pleasure on the     
noble viaduct at ,l',arriccia1 or the   

rich column to the ,immaculate ,virgin1 
erected by the labor of their hands4    
,within a few years the government      
seemed to become conscious of the great 
number of beggars in ,rome1 and of the  
reproach they offered to the wise and   
paternal regulations of the priestcraft4
 ,accordingly1 for a short time1 they   
carried on a move in the right          
direction1 which had been begun by the  
,triumvirate of #ahdi1 during their     
short career4 ,some hundreds of the     
beggars were hired at the rate of a few 
baiocchi a day to carry on excavations  
in the ,forum and in the ,baths of      
,caracalla4 ,the selection was most     
appropriate4 ,only the old1 decrepit1   
and broken-down were taken1--the younger
 and sturdier were left4 ,ruined men    
were in harmony with the ruined temples4
 ,such a set of laborers was never      
before seen4 ,falstaff's ragged regiment
 was a joke to them4 ,each had a        
wheelbarrow1 a spade1 or pick1 and a    
cloak2 but the last was the most        

important part of their equipment4 ,some
 of them picked at the earth with a     
gravity that was equalled only by the   
feebleness of the effort and the poverty
 of the result4 ,three strokes so       
wearied them that they were forced to   
pause and gather strength1 while others 
carried away the ant-hills which the    
first dug up4 ,it seemed an endless task
 to fill the wheelbarrows4 ,fill1 did ,i
 say8 ,they were never filled4 ,after a 
bucketful of earth had been slowly      
shovelled in1 the laborer paused1 laid  
down his spade carefully on the little  
heap1 sighed profoundly1 looked as if to
 receive congratulations on his enormous
 success1 then1 flinging1 with a grand  
sweep1 the tattered old cloak over his  
left shoulder1 lifted his               
wheelbarrow-shafts with dignity1 and    
marched slowly and measuredly forward   
towards the heap of deposit1 as         
,belisarius might have moved at a       
funeral in the intervals of asking for  
oboli4 ,but reduced gentlemen1 who have 

been accustomed to carry round the hat  
as an occupation1 always have a certain 
air of condescension when they work for 
pay1 and1 by their dignity of           
deportment1 make you sensible of their  
former superior state4 ,occasionally1 in
 case a forestiere was near1 the older1 
idler1 and more gentlemanlike profession
 would be resumed for a moment1 7as by  
parenthesis17 and if without success1 a 
sadder dignity would be seen in the     
subsequent march4 ,very properly for    
persons who had been reduced from       
beggary to work1 they seemed to be      
anxious both for their health and their 
appearance in public1 and accordingly a 
vast deal more time was spent in the    
arrangement of the cloak than in any    
other part of the business4 ,it was     
grand in effect1 to see these figures1  
incumbered in their heavy draperies1    
guiding their wheelbarrows through the  
great arches of ,caracalla's ,baths or  
along the ,via ,sacra4 ,it often        
reminded me of modern bassi-rilievi and 

portrait statues1 in which gentlemen    
looking sideways with very modern faces1
 and both hands full of swords1 pens1 or
 books1 stand impotently swaddled up in 
ancient togas or the folds of similar   
enormous cloaks4 ,the antique treatment 
with the modern subject was evident in  
both4 ,if sometimes1 with a foolish     
spirit of innovation1 one felt inclined 
to ask what purpose in either case these
 heroic mantles subserved1 and whether1 
in fact1 they could not be dispensed    
with to advantage1 he was soon made to  
know that his inquiry indicated         
ignorance1 and a desire to debase in the
 one case ,man1 in the other ,art4  ,it 
would1 however1 be a grievous mistake to
 suppose that all the beggars in the    
streets of ,rome are ,romans4 ,in point 
of fact1 the greater number are         
strangers1 who congregate in ,rome      
during the winter from every quarter4   
,naples and ,tuscany send them by       
thousands4 ,every little country town of
 the ,abruzzi ,mountains yields its     

contribution4 ,from north1 south1 east1 
and west they flock here as to a centre 
where good pickings may be had of the   
crumbs that fall from the rich men's    
tables4 ,in the summer season they      
return to their homes with their        
earnings1 and not one in five of those  
who haunted the churches and streets in 
the winter is to be seen4  ,it is but   
justice to the ,roman government to say 
that its charities are very large4 ,if1 
on the one hand1 it does not encourage  
commerce and industry1 on the other1 it 
liberally provides for the poor4 ,in    
proportion to its means1 no government  
does more1 if so much4 ,every church has
 its ,cassa dei ,poveri4 ,numerous      
societies1 such as the ,sacconi1 and    
other confraternities1 employ themselves
 in accumulating contributions for the  
relief of the poor and wretched4        
,well-endowed hospitals exist for the   
care of the sick and unfortunate2 and   
there are various establishments for the
 charge and education of poor orphans4  

,a few figures will show how ample are  
these charities4 ,the revenue of these  
institutions is no less than eight      
hundred and forty thousand scudi        
annually1 of which three hundred        
thousand are contributed by the ,papal  
treasury1 forty thousand of which are a 
tax upon the ,lottery4 ,the hospitals1  
altogether1 accommodate about four      
thousand patients1 the average number   
annually received amounting to about    
twelve thousand2 and the foundling      
hospitals alone are capable of receiving
 upwards of three thousand children     
annually4 ,besides the hospitals for the
 sick1 there is also a hospital for poor
 convalescents at ,sta ,trinit dei      
,pellegrini1 a lunatic asylum containing
 about four hundred patients1 one for   
incurables at ,san ,giacomo1 a lying-in 
hospital at ,san ,rocco1 and a hospital 
of education and industry at ,san       
,michele4 ,there are also thirteen      
societies for bestowing dowries on poor 
young girls on their marriage2 and from 

the public purse1 for the same object1  
are expended every year no less than    
thirty-two thousand scudi4 ,in addition 
to these charities1 are the sums        
collected and administered by the       
various confraternities1 as well as the 
sum of one hundred and seventy-two      
thousand scudi distributed to the poor  
by the commission of subsidies4 ,but    
though so much money is thus expended1  
it cannot be said that it is well       
administered4 ,the proportion of deaths 
at the hospitals is very large2 and     
among the foundlings1 it amounted1      
between the years #ahbi and #ahcc1 to no
 less than seventy-two per cent4  ,the  
arrangements at these institutions were 
very much improved during the career of 
the ,triumvirate1 and1 under the        
auspices of the ,princess ,belgiojoso1  
cleanliness1 order1 and system were     
introduced4 ,the heroism of this        
noble-hearted woman during the trying   
days of the ,roman siege deserves a     
better record than ,i can give4 ,she    

gave her whole heart and body to the    
regeneration of the hospitals1 and the  
personal care of the sick and wounded4  
,her head-quarters were at the ,hospital
 dei ,pellegrini4 ,day after day and    
night after night she was at her post1  
never moving from her chair1 except to  
visit the various wards1 and to comfort 
with tender words the sufferers in their
 beds4 ,their faces1 contorted with     
pain1 smoothed at her approach2 and her 
hand and voice carried consolation      
wherever she went4 ,many a scene have ,i
 witnessed there more affecting than any
 tragedy1 in which ,i knew not which    
most to admire1 the heroism of the      
sufferers or the tender humanity of the 
consoler and nurse4 ,in all her         
arrangements she showed that masterly   
administrative faculty in which women   
are far superior to men4 ,when she came 
to the ,pellegrini1 all was in disorder2
 but a few days sufficed to reduce a    
chaotic confusion to exact and admirable
 system4 ,hers was the brain that       

regulated all the hospitals4 ,always    
calm1 she distributed her orders with   
perfect tact and precision1 and with a  
determination of purpose and clearness  
of perception which commanded the minds 
of all about her4 ,the care1 fatigue1   
and labor which she underwent would have
 broken down a less determined spirit4  
,nothing moved except from her touch4   
,in a little damp cell1 a pallet of     
straw was laid on the brick floor1 and  
there1 when utterly overcome1 she threw 
herself down to sleep for a couple of   
hours1--no more2 all the rest of the    
time she sat at her desk1 writing       
orders1 giving directions1 and          
supervising the new machinery which owed
 its existence to her4  ,with the return
 of the ,papal government came the old  
system4 ,certain it is that that system 
does not work well4 ,despite the        
enormous sums expended in charity1 the  
people are poor1 the mortality in the   
hospitals is very large4 ,something is  
rotten in the state of ,rome4  ,there is

 one noble exception not to be          
forgotten4 ,to the ,hospital of ,san    
,michele ,cardinal ,tosti has given a   
new life and vigor1 and set an example  
worthy of his elevated position in the  
,church4 ,this foundation was formerly  
an asylum for poor children and infirm  
and aged persons2 but of late years an  
industrial and educational system has   
been ingrafted upon it1 until it has    
become one of the most enlarged and     
liberal institutions that can anywhere  
be found4 ,it now embraces not only an  
asylum for the aged1 a house of         
correction for juvenile offenders and   
women1 and a house of industry for      
children of both sexes1 but also a      
school of arts1 in which music1         
painting1 drawing1 architecture1 and    
sculpture are taught gratuitously to the
 poor1 and a considerable number of     
looms1 at which from eight hundred to   
one thousand persons are employed for   
the weaving of woollen fabrics for the  
government4 ,a stimulus has thus been   

given to education and to industry1 and 
particularly to improvements in         
machinery and manufacture4 ,once a year1
 during the holy week1 religious dramas 
and operas1 founded on some ,biblical   
subject1 are creditably performed by the
 pupils in a private theatre connected  
with the establishment4 ,i was never    
present but at one of these             
representations1 when the tragical story
 of ,shadrach1 ,meshach1 and ,ahednego  
was performed4 ,honor to ,cardinal      
,tosti for his successful efforts in    
this liberal direction6  ,at many of the
 convents in ,rome1 it is the custom at 
noon to distribute1 gratis1 at the door1
 a quantity of soup1 and any poor person
 may receive a bowlful on demand4 ,many 
of the beggars thus become pensioners of
 the convents1 and may be seen daily at 
the appointed hour gathering round the  
door with their bowl and wooden spoon1  
in expectation of the ,frate with the   
soup4 ,this is generally made so thick  
with cabbage that it might be called a  

cabbage-stew2 but ,soyer himself never  
made a dish more acceptable to the      
palate of the guests than this4 ,no     
nightingales' tongues at a banquet of   
,tiberius1 no edible birds-nests at a   
,chinese feast1 were ever relished with 
more gusto4 ,the figures and actions of 
these poor wretches1 after they have    
obtained their soup1 make one sigh for  
human nature4 ,each1 grasping his       
portion as if it were a treasure1       
separates himself immediately from his  
brothers1 flees selfishly to a corner1  
if he can find one empty1 or1 if not1   
goes to a distance1 turns his back on   
his friends1 and1 glancing anxiously at 
intervals all around1 as if in fear of a
 surprise1 gobbles up his cabbage1 wipes
 out his bowl1 and then returns to      
companionship or disappears4 ,the idea  
of sharing his portion with those who   
are portionless occurs to him only as   
the idea of a robber to the mind of a   
miser4  ,any account of the beggars of  
,rome without mention of the ,capuchins 

and ,franciscans would be like          
performing the ,merchant of ,venice with
 no ,shylock2 for these orders are      
founded in beggary and supported by     
charity4 ,the priests do not beg2 but   
their ambassadors1 the lay-brothers1    
clad in their long1 brown serge1 a cord 
around their waist1 and a basket on     
their arm1 may be seen shuffling along  
at any hour and in every street1 in     
dirty sandalled feet1 to levy           
contributions from shops and houses4    
,here they get a loaf of bread1 there a 
pound of flour or rice1 in one place    
fruit or cheese1 in another a bit of    
meat1 until their basket is filled4     
,sometimes money is given1 but generally
 they are paid in articles of food4     
,there is another set of these brothers 
who enter your studio or ring at your   
bell and present a little tin box with a
 slit in it1 into which you are         
requested to drop any sum you please1   
for the holidays1 for masses1 for wax   
candles1 etc4 ,as a big piece of copper 

makes more ring than gold1 it is        
generally given1 and always gratefully  
received4 ,sometimes they will enter    
into conversation1 and are always       
pleased to have a little chat about the 
weather4 ,they are very poor1 very      
good-natured1 and very dirty4 ,it is a  
pity they do not baptize themselves a   
little more with the material water of  
this world4 ,but they seem to have a    
hydrophobia4 ,whatever the inside of the
 platter may be1 the outside is far from
 clean4 ,they walk by day and they sleep
 by night in the same old snuffy robe1  
which is not kept from contact with the 
skin by any luxury of linen1 until it is
 worn out4 ,dirt and piety seem to them 
synonymous4 ,sometimes ,i have deemed1  
foolishly perhaps1 but after the manner 
of my nation1 that their goodness would 
not wash off with the soil of the       
skin1--that it was more than skin-deep2 
but as this matter is above reason1 in  
better moods ,i have faith that it      
would4 ,still1 in disbelieving moments1 

,i cannot help applying to them ,charles
 ,lamb's famous speech1--,if dirt were  
trumps1 what a hand they would have of  
it6 ,yet1 beggars as they are1 they have
 the reputation at ,rome of being the   
most inoffensive of all the conventual  
orders1 and are looked upon by the      
common people with kindliness1 as being 
thoroughly sincere in their religious   
professions4 ,they are1 at least1       
consistent in many respects in their    
professions and practice4 ,they really  
mortify the flesh by penance1 fasting1  
and wretched fare1 as well as by dirt4  
,they do not proclaim the virtues and   
charms of poverty1 while they roll about
 in gilded coaches dressed in purple and
 fine linen1 or gloat over the luxuries 
of the table4 ,their vices are not the  
cardinal ones1 whatever their virtues   
may be4 ,the ,miracles of ,st4 ,peter1  
as the common people call the palaces of
 ,rome1 are not wrought for them4 ,their
 table is mean and scantily provided    
with the most ordinary food4 ,three days

 in the week they eat no meat2 and      
during the year they keep three         
,quaresime4 ,but1 good as they are1     
their sour1 thin wine1 on empty1 craving
 stomachs1 sometimes does a mad work2   
and these brothers in dirt and piety    
have occasionally violent rows and      
disputes in their refectories over their
 earthen bottles4 ,it is only a short   
time since that my old friends the      
,capuchins got furious together over    
their wine1 and ended by knocking each  
other about the ears with their earthen 
jars1 after they had emptied them4      
,several were wounded1 and had time to  
repent and wash in their cells4 ,but one
 should not be too hard on them4 ,the   
temper will not withstand too much      
fasting4 ,a good dinner puts one at     
peace with the world1 but an empty      
stomach is the habitation often of the  
,devil1 who amuses himself there with   
pulling all the nerve-wires that reach  
up into the brain4 ,i doubt whether even
 ,st4 ,simeon ,stylites always kept his 

temper as well as he did his fast4  ,as 
,i see them walking up and down the     
alleys of their vegetable garden1 and   
under the sunny wall where oranges glow 
and roses bloom1 without the least      
asceticism1 during the whole winter1 ,i 
do not believe in their doctrine1 nor   
envy them their life4 ,and ,i cannot but
 think that the one hundred and fifty   
thousand ,frati who are in the ,roman   
,states would do quite as good service  
to ,god and man1 if they were an army of
 laborers on the ,campagna1 or          
elsewhere1 as in their present life of  
beggary and self-contemplation4 ,i often
 wonder1 as ,i look at them1 hearty and 
stout as they are1 despite their mode of
 life1 what brought them to this pass1  
what induced them to enter this         
order1--and recall1 in this connection1 
a little anecdote current here in ,rome1
 to the following effect3--,a young     
fellow1 from whom ,fortune had withheld 
her gifts1 having become desperate1 at  
last declared to a friend that he meant 

to throw himself into the ,tiber1 and   
end a life which was worse than useless4
 ,no1 no1 said his friend1 don't do     
that4 ,if your affairs are so desperate1
 retire into a convent1 become a        
,capuchin4 ,ah1 non6 was the indignant  
answer2 ,i am desperate2 but ,i have not
 yet arrived at such a pitch of         
desperation4  ,though the ,franciscans  
live upon charity1 they have almost     
always a garden connected with their    
convent1 where they raise multitudes of 
cabbages1 cauliflowers1 finocchi1 peas1 
beans1 artichokes1 and lettuce4 ,indeed1
 there is one kind of the latter which  
is named after them1--capuccini4 ,but   
their gardens they do not till          
themselves2 they hire gardeners1 who    
work for them4 ,now ,i cannot but think 
that working in a garden is just as     
pious an employment as begging about the
 streets1 though perhaps scarcely as    
profitable4 ,the opinion1 that1 in some 
respects1 it would be better for them to
 attend to this work themselves1 was    

forced upon my mind by a little farce ,i
 happened to see enacted among their    
cabbages1 the other day1 as ,i was      
looking down out of my window4 ,my      
attention was first attracted by hearing
 a window open from a little            
three-story-high loggia1 opposite1      
hanging over their garden4 ,a woman came
 forth1 and1 from amid the flower-pots  
which half-concealed her1 she dropped a 
long cord to the ground4 ,pst1 ,pst1 she
 cried to the gardener at work below4   
,he looked up1 executed a curious       
pantomime1 shrugged his shoulders1 shook
 his fore-finger1 and motioned with his 
head and elbow sideways to a figure1    
visible to me1 but not to her1 of a     
brown ,franciscan1 who was amusing      
himself in gathering some finocchi1 just
 round the corner of the wall4 ,the     
woman1 who was fishing for the cabbages1
 immediately understood the predicament1
 drew up her cord1 disappeared from the 
loggia1 and the curtain fell upon the   
little farce4 ,the gardener1 however1   

evidently had a little soliloquy after  
she had gone4 ,he ceased working1 and   
gazed at the unconscious ,franciscan for
 some time1 with a curious grimace1 as  
if he were not quite satisfied at thus  
losing his little perquisite4  ,these   
brown-cowled gentlemen are not the only 
ones who carry the tin box4 ,along the  
curbstones of the public walks1 and on  
the steps of the churches1 sit blind old
 creatures1 and shake at you a tin box1 
outside of which is a figure of the     
,madonna1 and inside of which are two or
 three baiocchi1 as a rattling          
accompaniment to an unending invocation 
of aid4 ,their dismal chant is          
protracted for hours and hours1         
increasing in loudness whenever the     
steps of a passer-by are heard4 ,it is  
the old strophe and antistrophe of      
begging and blessing1 and the singers   
are so wretched that one is often       
softened into charity4 ,those who are   
not blind have often a new ,diario or   
,lunario to sell towards the end of the 

year1 and at other times they vary the  
occupation of shaking the box by selling
 lives of the saints1 which are         
sometimes wonderful enough4 ,one sad old
 woman1 who sits near the ,quattro      
,fontane1 and says her prayers and      
rattles her box1 always touches my      
heart1 there is such an air of          
forlornness and sweetness about her4 ,as
 ,i was returning1 last night1 from a   
mass at ,san ,giovanni in ,laterano1 an 
old man glared at us through great green
 goggles1--to which ,jealousy's would   
have yielded in size and color1--and    
shook his box for a baiocco4 ,and where 
does this money go8 ,i asked4 ,to say   
masses for the souls of those who die   
over opposite1 said he1 pointing to the 
,hospital of ,san ,giovanni1 through the
 open doors of which we could see the   
patients lying in their beds4  ,nor are 
these the only friends of the box4      
,often in walking the streets one is    
suddenly shaken in your ear1 and1       
turning round1 you are startled to see a

 figure entirely clothed in white from  
head to foot1 a rope round his waist1   
and a white capuccio drawn over his head
 and face1 and showing1 through two     
round holes1 a pair of sharp black eyes 
behind them4 ,he says nothing1 but      
shakes his box at you1 often            
threateningly1 and always with an air of
 mystery4 ,this is a penitent ,saccone2 
and as this confraternit is composed    
solely of noblemen1 he may be one of the
 first princes or cardinals in ,rome1   
performing penance in expiation of his  
sins2 or1 for all you can see1 it may be
 one of your intimate friends4 ,the     
money thus collected goes to various    
charities4 ,they always go in           
couples1--one taking one side of the    
street1 the other the opposite1--never  
losing sight of each other1 and never   
speaking4 ,clothed thus in secresy1     
these ,sacconi can test the generosity  
of any one they please with complete    
impunity1 and they often amuse          
themselves with startling foreigners4   

,many a group of ,english girls1        
convoyed by their mother1 and staring   
into some mosaic or cameo shop1 is      
scared into a scream by the sudden      
jingle of the box1 and the apparition of
 the spectre in white who shakes it4    
,and many a simple old lady retains to  
the end of her life a confused          
impression1 derived therefrom1 of       
,inquisitions1 stilettos1 tortures1 and 
banditti1 from which it is vain to      
attempt to dispossess her mind4 ,the    
stout old gentleman1 with a bald        
forehead and an irascibly rosy face1    
takes it often in another               
way1--confounds the fellows for their   
impertinence1 has serious notions1      
first1 of knocking them down on the     
spot1 and then of calling the police1   
but finally concludes to take no notice 
of them1 as they are nothing but        
,eye-talians1 who cannot be expected to 
know how to behave themselves in a      
rational manner4 ,sometimes a santa     
elemosina is demanded after the oddest  

fashion4 ,it was only yesterday that ,i 
met one of the confraternit1 dressed in 
a shabby red suit1 coming up the street1
 with the invariable oblong tin         
begging-box in his hand1--a picture of  
,christ on one side1 and of the ,madonna
 on the other4 ,he went straight to a   
door1 opening into a large1 dark room1  
where there was a full cistern of       
running water1 at which several poor    
women were washing clothes1 and singing 
and chatting as they worked4 ,my red    
acquaintance suddenly opens the door1   
letting in a stream of light upon this  
,rembrandtish interior1 and1 lifting his
 box with the most wheedling of smiles1 
he says1 with a rising inflection of    
voice1 as if asking a                   
question1--,prezioso sangue di ,ges     
,christo8--7 ,precious blood of ,jesus  
,christ87  ,the last1 but by no means   
the meanest1 of the tribe of pensioners 
whom ,i shall mention1 is my old friend1
 ,beefsteak1--now1 alas6 gone to the    
shades of his fathers4 ,he was a good   

dog1--a mongrel1 a ,pole by birth1--who 
accompanied his master on a visit to    
,rome1 where he became so enamored of   
the place that he could not be persuaded
 to return to his native home4 ,bravely 
he cast himself on the world1 determined
 to live1 like many of his two-legged   
countrymen1 upon his wits4 ,he was a dog
 of genius1 and his confidence in the   
world was rewarded by its appreciation4 
,he had a sympathy for the arts4 ,the   
crowd of artists who daily and nightly  
flocked to the ,lepre and the ,caff     
,greco attracted his notice4 ,he        
introduced himself to them1 and visited 
them at their studios and rooms4 ,a     
friendship was struck between them and  
him1 and he became their constant       
visitor and their most attached ally4   
,every day1 at the hour of lunch1 or at 
the more serious hour of dinner1 he     
lounged into the ,lepre1 seated himself 
in a chair1 and awaited his friends1    
confident of his reception4 ,his        
presence was always hailed with a       

welcome1 and to every new comer he was  
formally presented4 ,his bearing became1
 at last1 not only assured1 but         
patronizing4 ,he received the gift of a 
chicken-bone or a delicate titbit as if 
he conferred a favor4 ,he became an     
epicure1 a gourmet4 ,he did not eat     
much2 he ate well4 ,with what a calm    
superiority and gentle contempt he      
declined the refuse bits a stranger     
offered from his plate6 ,his glance1 and
 upturned nose1 and quiet refusal1      
seemed to say1--,ignoramus6 know you not
 ,i am ,beefsteak8 ,his dinner finished1
 he descended gravely1 and proceeded to 
the ,caff ,greco1 there to listen to the
 discussions of the artists1 and to     
partake of a little coffee and sugar1 of
 which he was very fond4 ,at night1 he  
accompanied some one or other of his    
friends to his room1 and slept upon the 
rug4 ,he knew his friends1 and valued   
them2 but perhaps his most remarkable   
quality was his impartiality4 ,he       
dispensed his favors with an even hand4 

,he had few favorites1 and called no man
 master4 ,he never outstayed his welcome
 and told the jest without the smile1   
never remaining with one person for more
 than two or three days at most4 ,a     
calmer character1 a more balanced       
judgment1 a better temper1 a more       
admirable self-respect1--in a word1 a   
profounder sense of what belongs to a   
gentleman1 was never known in any dog4  
,but ,beefsteak is now no more4 ,just   
after the agitations of the ,revolution 
of '#dh1 with which he had little       
sympathy1--he was a conservative by     
disposition1--he disappeared4 ,he had   
always been accustomed to make a        
villegratura at ,l',arriccia during a   
portion of the summer months1 returning 
only now and then to look after his     
affairs in ,rome4 ,on such visits he    
would often arrive towards midnight1 and
 rap at the door of a friend to claim   
his hospitality1 barking a most         
intelligible answer to the universal    
,roman inquiry of ,chi 8 ,one morn we   

missed him at the accustomed place1 and 
thenceforth he was never seen4 ,whether 
a sudden homesickness for his native    
land overcame him1 or a fatal accident  
befell him1 is not known4 ,peace to his 
manes6 ,there rests his head upon the   
lap of earth no better dog4  ,in the    
,roman studio of one of his friends and 
admirers1 ,mr4 ,mason1 ,i had the       
pleasure1 a few days since1 to see1     
among several admirable and very        
spirited pictures of ,campagna life and 
incidents1 a very striking portrait of  
,beefsteak4 ,he was sitting in a        
straw-bottomed chair1 as we have so     
often seen him in the ,lepre1 calm1     
dignified in his deportment1 and        
somewhat obese4 ,the full brain1 the    
narrow1 fastidious nose1 the sagacious  
eye1 were so perfectly given1 that ,i   
seemed to feel the actual presence of my
 old friend4 ,so admirable a portrait of
 so distinguished a person should not be
 lost to the world4 ,it should be       
engraved1 or at least photographed4     

,,enceladus4     ,under ,mount ,etna he 
lies2       ,it is slumber1 it is not   
death2   ,for he struggles at times to  
arise1   ,and above him the lurid skies 
,are hot with his fiery breath4    ,the 
crags are piled on his breast1          
,the earth is heaped on his head2   ,but
 the groans of his wild unrest1         
,though smothered and half suppressed1  
,are heard1 and he is not dead4    ,and 
the nations far away       ,are watching
 with eager eyes2   ,they talk together 
and say1   ,to-morrow1 perhaps to-day1  
,enceladus will arise6    ,and the old  
gods1 the austere       ,oppressors in  
their strength1   ,stand aghast and     
white with fear1   ,at the ominous      
sounds they hear1       ,and tremble1   
and mutter1 ,at length6    ,ah1 me6 for 
the land that is sown       ,with the   
harvest of despair6   ,where the burning
 cinders1 blown   ,from the lips of the 
overthrown       ,enceladus1 fill the   
air6    ,where ashes are heaped in      
drifts       ,over vineyard and field   

and town1   ,whenever he starts and     
lifts   ,his head through the blackened 
rifts       ,of the crags that keep him 
down6    ,see1 see6 the red light       
shines6       ',tis the glare of his    
awful eyes6   ,and the storm-wind shouts
 through the pines   ,of ,alps and of   
,apennines1       ,enceladus1 arise6    
,,the ,,zouaves4   ,the decree of       
,october #a1 #ahcj1 approved by a royal 
ordinance1 ,march #ba1 #ahca1 created   
two battalions of ,zouaves4 ,to perceive
 the necessity for this body of troops1 
to understand the nature of the service 
required of them1 and to obtain a just  
notion of their important position in   
,african affairs1 it will be necessary  
to glance1 for a moment1 at the previous
 history of ,algeria under the ,deys1   
and especially at the history of that   
,turkish militia which they were to     
replace1--a body of irresponsible       
tyrants1 which1 since #aeaf1 had        
exercised the greatest power in ,africa1
 and had rendered their name hated and  

feared by the most distant tribes4      
,algeria was settled in #adib1 by ,moors
 driven from ,spain4 ,they recognized a 
kind of allegiance to the ,sultan of    
,turkey1 which was1 however1 only       
nominal2 he appointed their ,emirs1 but 
further than this there was no restraint
 on their actions4 ,hard pressed by the 
,spaniards in #aeji1 the ,emirs sent in 
haste to ,turkey for aid2 and           
,barbarossa1 a noted pirate1 sailed to  
their help1 drove out the ,christians1  
but fixed upon the ,moors the yoke of   
,turkish sovereignty4 ,in #aeaf1 he     
declared himself ,sultan1 or ,dey1 of   
,algiers2 and his brother succeeding    
him1 the ,ottoman power was firmly      
established in the ,northwest of        
,africa4 ,hated by the people of this   
great territory1 both ,moors and ,arabs1
 menaced not only by their dissensions1 
but frequently attacked by the          
,christians from the ,north1 there was  
but one method by which the ,dey could  
maintain his power4 ,he formed a large  

body of mercenary soldiers1 drawn       
entirely from ,turkey1 united with      
himself and each other by a feeling of  
mutual dependence and common danger1 and
 bound by no feeling of interest or     
affection to the inhabitants of the     
soil4 ,brave they were1 as they proved  
in #aeda1 against ,charles the ,fifth1  
whose forces they defeated and nearly   
destroyed at ,haratsch1--in #aefe1 at   
the siege of ,malta1--in #aegb1 in the  
seafight of ,lepanto1--in many smaller  
combats at different times1 defending   
their land triumphantly in #agge against
 the ,spaniards under ,o',reilly and    
,castejon4 ,hardy and ready they were1  
from the very necessity of the case2 for
 they were hated and dreaded beyond     
measure by the ,arabs1 and theirs was a 
life of constant exertion4 ,other than  
united they could not be2 for they were 
in continual warfare of offence or of   
defence2 they suppressed rebellion and  
anarchy1--for without a leader and union
 they had been cut off by the restless  

foe1 whose piercing eyes watched1 and   
whose daggers waited only for the time4 
,in constant danger1 they could not sink
 into that sloth that eats out the heart
 of ,eastern and ,southern nations2 for 
it was only in unrest that safety       
lay2--he who slumbered on those burning 
plains1 no less than the sleeper on     
,siberian ice1 was lost utterly and     
without remedy4  ,this body of troops1  
called the ,odjack1 elected or deposed  
,deys at pleasure2 the ,dey1 nominally  
their ruler1 was in reality their tool4 
,in one period of twenty years there    
were six ,deys1 of whom four were       
decapitated1 one abdicated through fear1
 and one died peacefully in the exercise
 of his governing functions4 ,footnote3 
,voyage pour la ,rdemption des ,captifs 
aux ,royaumes d',alger et de ,tunis1    
fait en #agbj4 ,paris1 #agba4 ,in #afbi1
 they declared the kingdom free from the
 domination of ,turkey2 soon after1 they
 expelled the ,koulouglis1 or half-breed
 ,turks1 and enslaved the ,moors4       

,admitting some of the latter to service
 in the militia1 they never allowed them
 to hope for advancement in the ,state1 
or1 what was the same thing1 the army4  
,only ,turks1 or in some instances      
renegade ,christians1 could lead the    
soldiers1 whom thus no feeling of local 
patriotism mollified in their course of 
savage cruelty1 grinding the face of the
 poor natives till spirit and hope were 
lost and resistance ceased to be a      
settled idea in their minds4  ,now when 
the ,french navy came up to the port of 
,algiers1 ,june #ab1 #ahcj1 the unity   
between the soldiers and their master1  
,hussein ,pacha1 was tottering on the   
verge of dissolution2 a plot against his
 life had just been discovered1 he had  
punished the ringleaders with death1 and
 many who had been concerned in the     
conspiracy felt that there was no safety
 for them with him4 ,beaten constantly  
in every skirmish or battle1 they       
conceived a high respect for the        
military genius of the invaders1 and1   

ere the close of the summer campaign1   
offered their services in a body to     
,general ,clausel2 this offer he        
promptly declined1 and they thereupon   
withdrew1 carrying their swords to the  
aid of other powers less scrupulous4    
,the news1 however1 that the terrible   
,odjack had offered themselves to serve 
under the ,french spread a lively terror
 through the ,arab tribes1 who1         
believing themselves about to suffer an 
aggravation of their already intolerable
 oppression1 experienced a sensation of 
relief and an elevation of spirit no    
less marked1 on hearing that the newly  
formed government had rejected their    
services4 ,perceiving the fear in which 
these ,algerine ,praetorians were held  
by the tribes1 ,marshal ,clausel        
conceived the plan of replacing them by 
a corps of light infantry1 consisting of
 two battalions1 to perform the services
 of household troops1 and to receive    
some name as significant as that held by
 their predecessors under the old rgime4

 ,consequently1 after some              
consideration1 the newly constituted    
body was called by the name of ,zouaves1
 from the ,arabic word ,zouaoua4  ,the  
,zouaoua are a tribe1 or rather a       
confederation of tribes1 of the         
,kabyles1 who inhabit the gorges of the 
,jurjura ,mountains1 the boundary of    
,algeria on the east1 separating it from
 the province of ,constantine4 ,they are
 a brave1 fierce1 laborious people1     
whose submission to the ,turks was never
 more than nominal2 yet they were well  
known in the city of ,algiers1 whither  
they came frequently to exchange the    
products of their industry for the      
luxuries of comparative civilization4   
,as they had the reputation of being the
 best soldiers in the ,regency1 and had 
occasionally lent their services to the 
,algerine princes1 their name was given 
to the new military force2 while1 to    
give it the character of a ,french      
corps1 the number of native soldiers    
received into its ranks was limited1 and

 all its officers1 from the highest to  
the lowest grade1 were required to be   
native-born ,frenchmen4 ,the service in 
this corps was altogether voluntary1    
none being appointed to the ,zouaves who
 did not seek the place2 but there were 
found enough young and daring spirits   
who embraced with enthusiasm this life1 
so harassing1 so full of privation1 of  
rude labor1 of constant peril4 ,the     
first battalion was commanded by ,major 
,maumet2 the second by ,captain         
,duvivier1 7since ,general17 who died in
 ,paris1 #ahdh1 of wounds received in   
the ,african service4 ,levaillant1      
7since ,general of ,division17 ,verge1  
7now ,general of ,brigade17 and         
,mollire1 who died ,colonel1 of wounds  
received at the siege of ,rome1 were    
officers in these first two battalions4 
,scarcely six weeks had elapsed since   
their formation1 when the ,zouaves took 
the field under ,marshal ,clausel1      
marching against ,medeah1 an important  
station in the heart of ,western        

,algeria4 ,on the hill of ,mouzaa they  
fought their first battle1 in which they
 were completely successful4 ,they      
remained two months as a garrison in    
,medeah4 ,here they showed proofs of a  
valor and patience most extraordinary4  
,left alone in a frontier post1         
constantly in the vicinity of a savage  
foe1 watching and fighting night and    
day1 leaving the gun only to take up the
 spade1 compelled to create everything  
they needed1 reduced to the last        
extremities for food1 cut off from all  
communications1--it was a rough trial   
for this little handful of new soldiers4
 ,the place was often attacked2 they    
were always at their posts2 till in the 
last days of ,april they were recalled1 
and the fortress yielded up to the      
feeble ,bey whom the ,french had decided
 to establish there4 ,in ,june1 troubles
 having again arisen1 ,general          
,berthezne conducted some troops of the 
regular army to ,medeah1 to which was   
added the second battalion of ,zouaves1 

under its gallant captain1 ,duvivier4   
,on his return1 the troops were attacked
 with fury on the hill of ,mouzaa1 the  
spot where the ,zouaves had in ,february
 of the same year received their baptism
 of fire4 ,wearied with the long        
night-march1 borne down by insupportable
 heat1 stretched in a long straggling   
line through mountain-passes1 the       
commander of the van severely wounded at
 the first discharge1 they themselves   
separated1 without chiefs1 and          
surrounded by enemies1 the ,french      
troops recoiled2 when ,duvivier1 seeing 
the peril that menaced the army1        
advanced with his battalion4 ,shouting  
their war-cry1 they rushed on the       
,kabyles1 supported by the ,volunteers  
of the ,chart1 or ,french ,zouaves1     
thundering forth the ,marseillaise2     
turning the pursuers into pursued1 they 
covered the retreat of their associates 
to the farm of ,mouzaa1 where the army  
rallied and proceeded without further   
loss to ,algiers4 ,this retreat1 and its

 attendant circumstances1 made the      
,zouaves1 before regarded1 if not with  
contempt1 at least with dislike1 free of
 the camp4  ,but now the losses         
sustained by the two battalions began to
 be seriously felt1--for the growing    
hostility of the ,arabs rendered it     
difficult to recruit from native        
sources2 and an ordinance of the king1  
dated ,march #g1ahcc1 united the two    
battalions into one1 consisting of ten  
companies1 eight of which were to be    
exclusively ,european1 and two to be not
 exclusively ,algerine1--it being       
required that in each native company    
there should be at least twelve         
,frenchmen4 ,duvivier was called to     
,bougie2 ,maumet was compelled by his   
wounds to return to ,paris2 ,captain    
,lamoricire was1 therefore1 appointed   
chief of the united battalion1 having   
given proof of his capacity in every    
way1--whether as soldier1 linguist1 or  
negotiator1--being a wise and prudent   
man4 ,it is to the training the ,zouaves

 received under this remarkable man that
 much of their subsequent success must  
be ascribed4 ,in his dealings with the  
,arabs he had shown himself the first   
who could treat with them by other means
 than the rifle or bayonet4 ,footnote3  
,annales ,algriennes1 ,tom4 ii4 p4 #gb4 
,in his capacity of ,lieutenant-,colonel
 of ,zouaves he showed talents of a high
 order4 ,he infused into them the       
spirit1 the activity1 the boldness and  
impetuosity which he himself so         
remarkably possessed1 with a certain    
independence of character which demanded
 from those who commanded them a        
resolute firmness on essential1 and a   
dignified indulgence on unessential     
points4 ,footnote3 ,conqute d',alger4   
,par ,a4 ,nettement4 p4 #edf4 ,to the   
course of discipline used by him1 and   
still maintained in this arm of the     
service1 are due their tremendous       
working power1 their tirelessness1 their
 self-dependence1 and all their         
qualities differing from those of other 

soldiers2 so that by his means one of   
the most irregular species of warfare   
has produced a body of irresistible     
regular soldiers1 and border combats    
have given rise to the most rigid       
discipline in the world4  ,the post of  
,dely ,ibrahim was assigned to the      
,zouaves4 ,at this place they were      
obliged to work laboriously1 making for 
themselves whatever was needed2 whether 
as masons1 ditchers1 blacksmiths1       
carpenters1 or farmers1--whatever       
business was to be performed1 they were1
 or learned to be1 sufficient for it4   
,no idlers in that camp1--each must earn
 his daily bread4 ,what time was not    
devoted to labor was given to the       
practice of arms and the acquisition of 
instruction in all departments of       
military science2 so that many a soldier
 was there fitted for the position he   
afterwards acquired1 of officer1        
colonel1 or general4 ,to fence with the 
mounted bayonet1 to wrestle1 to leap1 to
 climb1 to run for miles1 to swim1 to   

make and to destroy temporary bridges1  
to throw up earth-walls1 to carry great 
weights1 to do1 in short1 what ,indians 
learn to do1 and much that they do not  
learn1--these served as the relaxations 
of the unwearied ,zouaves4 ,to vary the 
monotony of such a life1 there was      
enough adventure to be found for the    
seeking1--now an incursion into the     
,sahel1 or into the plains of ,mitidja1 
or a wild foray through the northern    
gorges of the ,atlas4 ,day by day       
progress appeared2 they learned to march
 rapidly and long1 to sustain the       
extremes of hunger1 thirst1 and weather1
 and to manoeuvre with intelligent      
precision2 diligently fitting           
themselves1 in industry1 discipline1 and
 warlike education1 for the position    
they had to fill4 ,their costume and    
equipment were brought near perfection2 
they wore the ,turkish dress1 slightly  
modified1--a dress perfectly suited to  
the changes of that climate1 and without
 which their movements would have been  

cramped and constrained4 ,only the      
officers retained the uniform of the    
hussars1 which is rich and easy to wear4
 ,the cost of a suitable ,turkish       
uniform would have been too heavy for   
them1 besides that the dress of a ,turk 
of rank is somewhat ridiculous4 ,certain
 officers on the march used1 however1 to
 wear the fez1 or1 as the ,arabs called 
it1 the chechia4 ,lamoricire was known  
in ,algeria as ,bou ,chechia1 or ,papa  
with the ,cap1--as he was known later in
 ,oran as ,bou ,araoua1 ,papa with the  
,stick4 ,one finds1 however1 nothing of 
,orientalism in the regulations of this 
body of troops2 not the least negligence
 or slovenliness is allowed in the most 
trifling detail4 ,in fine1 the care1 and
 that descending to note the smallest   
minutiae1 which brought this race of    
soldiers to such a pitch of perfection1 
leaving them their gayety and           
sprightliness1 and1 notwithstanding the 
rigidness of the discipline1 giving     
solidity and precision to irregular     

troops1 was rewarded by success         
unparalleled in history4 ,it was the    
best practical school for soldiers and  
officers2 and many of the best generals 
in the ,french army began their military
 career in the wild guerrilla combats or
 the patient camp-life of this band of  
heroes4  ,nearly two years had passed   
away in this training1 when ,marshal    
,clausel returned to ,africa1 and led   
the ,zouaves1 whose fitness for the     
service he well knew1 into ,oran4 ,here 
they added fresh laurels to those       
already acquired4 ,in the expedition of 
,mascara1 where they fought under the   
eye of the ,duke of ,orlans1 they       
covered themselves with glory2 insomuch 
that on his return to ,paris he procured
 a decree1 #ahce1 constituting the      
,first ,regiment of ,zouaves1 of two    
battalions1 of six companies each1 and1 
should occasion justify the measure1 of 
ten companies4 ,lamoricire continued in 
command4  ,in #ahcf the ,zouaves again  
took the hill of ,mouzaa4 ,this time    

they razed its fortifications even with 
the ground1 and returned to ,algiers1   
where they remained during ,general     
,clausel's first and unfortunate        
expedition into ,constantine1 the       
eastern province of ,french ,africa4 ,in
 #ahcg the second expedition was made1  
and in this the ,zouaves took part4 ,one
 of the divisions of the army was under 
the command of the ,duke of ,nmours4 ,in
 this division were the ,zouaves under  
,lamoricire1 who here showed themselves 
worthy of their renown4 ,fighting by the
 side of the most excellent soldiers in 
the regular army1 they proved themselves
 bravest where all were brave4 ,they    
were placed at the head of the first    
column of attack4 ,lamoricire was the   
first officer on the breach1 and carried
 all before him4 ,the soldiers whom he  
had trained supported him nobly2 but    
when they had won the day1 they found   
that many companies were decimated1 some
 nearly annihilated2 numbers of their   
officers were dead in the breach1 ,those

 who are not mortally wounded rejoice at
 this great success1 said an officer to 
the ,duke2 and it was a significant     
sentence4 ,footnote3 ,verbal report of  
,colonel ,combes to the ,duke of        
,nmours1--conclusion4  ,to form some    
notion of those troops1 among whom the  
,zouaves showed themselves like the gods
 in the war of ,troy1 one anecdote will 
suffice1 chosen from many which prove   
the valor of the army my generally4 ,the
 rear-guard at ,mansourah was under the 
command of ,changarnier2 it was reduced 
to three hundred men2 he halted this    
little troop and said1 ,come1 my men1   
look these fellows in the face2 they are
 six thousand1 you are three hundred2   
surely the match is even4 ,this speech  
was sufficient4 ,the ,frenchmen awaited 
the onset till the enemy was within     
pistol-shot2 then1 after a murderous    
volley1 they charged on the ,arabs1 who 
broke and fled in dismay4 ,during the   
remainder of the day they would not     
approach this band nearer than long     

rifle range4 ,footnote3 ,moniteur1      
,december #af1 #ahcc2 report of ,marshal
 ,clausel4  ,the siege of ,constantine  
may properly be said to have ended the  
war of occupation in ,africa4 ,hitherto 
we have seen the ,zouaves only in time  
of active war1 or in the defence of     
hill-forts1 obliged to unity through    
fear of an ever-menacing foe1 and       
laboring for their own preservation or  
comfort only2 but now commenced a new   
training for them1 no less severe and   
dangerous1 in which they showed         
themselves equally willing and          
competent1--a war against stubborn      
,nature in all her most forbidding      
aspects4 ,under the blazing suns of that
 tropical climate they recommenced at   
,coleah the work already begun at ,dely 
,ibrahim2 ditches were to be dug1 works 
thrown up1 roads made1 draining         
accomplished1 farms tended1 all that was
 necessary for the establishment of     
those permanent colonies which ,france  
was so anxious to settle in ,algeria was

 to be done by the ,zouaves2 yet1       
despite that terrible labor1 the danger 
and hardship1 the sickness and death1   
the ranks of the regiment filled up     
rapidly2 and1 joined by the wrecks of   
the battalion of ,mechouar1 they were   
kept full to overflowing4 ,this         
battalion of ,mechouar was a troop left 
by ,clausel in the mechouar1 or citadel1
 of ,tlemcen1 in the ,west of ,oran1    
under the command of ,captain           
,cavaignac2 on the conclusion of the    
war1 in #ahcg1 they1 of course1 returned
 to their regiment at ,coleah4  ,this   
deceitful peace lasted only till #ahci4 
,in this year the vigilant colonel of   
,zouaves perceived in his native troops 
alarming symptoms of mutiny1 and        
learned1 to his surprise1 that they were
 in a ripe condition for revolt4 ,wild  
,santons of the desert1 emissaries1     
doubtless1 of ,abd-el-,kader1 held      
secret meetings near the camp2 many     
soldiers attended them1 and were seduced
 by artfully prepared inflammatory      

harangues and prophecies4 ,in the month 
of ,december1 #ahci1 at the raising of  
the standard of ,islam1 the natives     
flocked in vast numbers to rid the land 
of the ,christians2 and most of the     
native ,zouaves deserted to join the    
fortunes of the prince whom they        
reverenced as a prophet4 ,old soldiers1 
trained in the ,french service to a     
thorough acquaintance with ,european    
tactics1 and gray with battling long for
 ,lamoricire1 suddenly left him1 and by 
their knowledge of the art of war gave  
great advantage to the ,arab force4 ,in 
their combats with the ,sultan1 the     
,zouaves not infrequently found that a  
sharp resistance or a masterly retreat  
on the part of the enemy was executed   
under the direction of one of their     
former comrades in arms4 ,it was a      
critical moment for the ,zouaves2 but at
 the announcement of the renewal of     
hostilities volunteers flowed in on all 
sides1 whether of young men full of     
ardor and excitement1 or1 as in many    

instances1 of old soldiers who had      
already served their time4 ,after a     
winter of petty skirmishing and         
reestablishing in ,algeria the semblance
 of security1 the ,duke of ,orlans led  
the army1 considerably reinforced1 in a 
raid against the ,arabs under           
,abd-el-,kader in their own territory4  
,the ,zouaves accompanied this          
expedition1 and whether in their charges
 against the mountaineers1 who1 with the
 aid of the ,arab regulars1 defended    
each pass1 or sustaining the shock of   
the provincial cavalry1 or even standing
 unmoved before the attack of           
,abd-el-,kader's terrible ,reds1        
,footnote3 ,the mounted body-guard of   
,abd-el-,kader1 so called by the ,french
 from their complete red uniform4 they  
maintained their character of rapid1    
intrepid1 and successful soldiers4 ,what
 names we find in this regiment6        
,lamoricire1 ,regnault1 ,renault1 7now  
,general of ,division17 ,cavaignac1     
,lefl1 7now ,general of ,brigade17 and  

,st4 ,arnaud1 who died ,marshal of      
,france two days after the victory of   
the ,alma4  ,a singular instance of the 
handiness of the ,zouaves is found in   
the notice of their forced march on this
 campaign1 undertaken ,may #bjth1 to    
support the retreating ,seventeenth     
,light ,infantry4 ,their cartridges were
 fired away1 the regulars of            
,abd-el-,kader were upon them1 and      
nothing seemed to remain but an heroic  
death1 when1 ,comrades1 cried one1 see1 
here are stones6 ,not a word more2 each 
caught the hint1 and1 with simultaneous 
volleys of stones1 drove off the        
charging enemy1 and broke their way to  
where the remains of the ,seventeenth   
rallied under ,colonel ,bedeau1 after a 
retreat more properly to be called a    
continual attack6  ,hard at work during 
the winter of #ahdj-da1 ,general        
,bugeaud found these indefatigable      
soldiers in perfect condition to take   
the field again1 when he landed in      
,april4 ,there had been sharp fighting  

during the past year at ,mouzaa1 in     
which the ,zouaves always led the van1  
and were1 as in every engagement they   
ever fought1 covered with honor4 ,the   
,second1 electrified by the example of  
its officers1 and led by ,colonel       
,changarnier1 flung itself on the       
intrenchments2 the redoubts were        
carried1 etc4 ,at the same time1 in the 
other column1 ,lamoricire led the way   
with his ,zouaves1 followed by the other
 troops4 ,the ,zouaves surmounted the   
almost impassable cliffs1 attacked and  
carried two lines of intrenchment1 and1 
in the teeth of a murderous fire1 forced
 a third2 a few moments later the two   
columns joined1 and1 rushing up the     
acclivity1 planted the flag of ,france  
on the highest peak of the ,atlas4      
,footnote3 ,report of ,marshal ,vale3   
,moniteur4 ,little variation is found in
 the reports of generals concerning the 
,zouaves at this time2 they say of these
 troops always1 ,the ,first1 or ,the    
,second1 was covered with glory4  ,but  

now1 with the arrival of ,bugeaud1 the  
war in ,africa was changed2 hitherto it 
had been a mere war of occupation1--a   
holding of the ground already ,french   
against the attacking ,arabs2 now it was
 to be a duel1 a war of devastation2    
thus only could ,france hope to tame the
 indefatigable ,abd-el-,kader1 and      
permanently hold her own4 ,the trouble  
was not so much to fight him as to get  
near enough to fight him2 for he pursued
 a truly ,fabian policy1 and being      
lighter armed1 was consequently swifter 
than the invaders4 ,under ,marshal      
,clausel1 the ,french1 drawing with them
 the heavy wagons and munitions of      
,european warfare1 were obliged to      
follow the high-roads1 and the ,arabs   
could never be taken by surprise2 scouts
 gave information of their numbers1 and 
after harassing marches they would find 
that the foe had either retreated to    
unknown fastnesses or assembled on the  
spot in prodigious force4 ,now          
,lamoricire proposed a plan1 in the     

execution of which he was eminently     
successful4 ,bugeaud's design was1 to   
follow the ,arabs into the desert1 to   
climb the steep mountains1 to plunge    
into their chasms1 to storm every       
hill-fort1 and to drive1 step by step1  
the swift ,abd-el-,kader far from the   
land which his presence so troubled2 but
 how8 for swift troops are light-armed1 
carry no luggage1 and but little        
provision2 and to follow without food   
the ,arabs who concealed food in silos1 
caches in the ground1 seemed hopeless4  
,lamoricire required but his ,zouaves1  
who carried only four days' provisions1 
and no baggage of any sort2 when they   
drew near any of these silos1 which were
 always1 of course1 in the vicinity of  
the deserted villages1 he spread out his
 troops in a long crescent1 and they    
advanced slowly1 rooting up the ground  
with their bayonets till some one struck
 on the stone or pebbles covering the   
precious deposit4 ,thus1 without wagons1
 trained to tireless activity1 they     

could follow the ,arabs from douar to   
douar with little delay1 and with fatal 
effect4  ,great reinforcements were sent
 to ,africa1 and the ,zouaves were not  
forgotten2 for1 in the royal ordinance  
of ,september #hth1 #ahda1 the regiment 
was raised to three battalions of nine  
companies2 only one of the nine1        
however1 could receive natives1 so that 
but three native companies now existed1 
and few ,algerines were found even in   
these4 ,the reasons seem to have been   
threefold3 first1 the danger from       
mutiny2 second1 the evils arising from  
the mixture of the two races1 which had 
augmented their vices1 without a        
corresponding improvement in their good 
qualities2 third1 and perhaps most      
important of all1 the discontent very   
properly felt by the ,french ,zouaves1  
who were compelled to work at the       
trenches1 to dig1 to plant1 etc41 while 
the ,mussulmans utterly refused to take 
part in this1 to their mind1 degrading  
toil4 ,the ,gordian knot was cut1 and   

all difficulty done away1 by making the 
regiment1 in effect1 exclusively        
,european4 ,thus reorganized and        
reinforced1 the regiment1 on receiving  
the standard sent it by the king1       
immediately separated1--one battalion   
marching for ,oran1 one for             
,constantine1 while the other remained  
at ,blidah1 in ,algeria4  ,the year     
#ahdb was full of great results2 the new
 system worked well1 great numbers of   
tribes laid down their arms and swore   
fealty to ,france1 and the provinces    
were more than nominally in the hands of
 the ,french4 ,still many of the more   
distant and powerful tribes held to     
their allegiance to the ,prophet        
,sultan4 ,the war gradually took on     
itself the form of a civil contest1 and 
mutual animosities gave rise to many    
occasions for sanguinary combats2 one of
 these1 in the valley of the ,cheliff1  
,september1 #ahdb1 lasted               
unintermittingly for thirty-six hours6  
,in this battle1 and that of ,oued      

,foddah1 and1 in fact1 in almost every  
battle of those years1 the ,zouaves took
 an honorable part4 ,in mountain fights1
 long marches over burning sands1       
repulses of cavalry1 at ,jurjura1       
,ouarsanis1 among the ,beni ,menasser1  
at the ,smalah1 in the struggles of     
,bedeau with the ,moroccan cavalry1 and 
in the memorable battle of ,isly1 they  
did good service2 their history was but 
a narrative of brilliant exploits4 ,in  
many of their hill fights1 the deserters
 of #ahci gave much trouble4 ,in a      
skirmish1 #ahdd1 on the south side of   
the ,aurs1 in which ,captain ,espinasse 
7died ,general of ,division1 ,magenta1  
,june #fth1 #ahei7 was concerned1 and   
wounded four times1 an old native       
,zouave commanded the ,kabyles1 and     
defended their principal position with  
much skill4  ,in fine1 to recount the   
hundredth part of their deeds1--to make 
out a list of their soldiers1           
sub-officers1 or officers who have been 
since promoted to high honors1--to trace

 minutely each step by which they       
mounted to their present position1 would
 be to write1 not an article1 but a     
book4 ,in #ahdb the natives disappeared 
finally from their ranks2 the best and  
bravest soldiers of the ,african army   
eagerly sought their places1 attracted  
by the uniform1 the manner of life1 the 
constant danger and no less constant    
excitement1 the liberty allowed1 the    
glory ever open to all4 ,as their       
numbers were decimated by the continual 
warfare1 the ranks were immediately     
filled by the descendants of those brave
 ,gauls who once said1 ,if the heavens  
fall1 what care we8 ,we will support    
them on the points of our lances6 ,in   
#ahdh1 the ,zouaves received a large    
accession from ,paris2 the gamins of the
 ,revolution were sent to them in great 
numbers2 out of this unpromising1       
rebellious material1 some of the finest 
of these admirable troops have been     
made4 ,and now1 when the entry into this
 regiment was longed for by so many1 as 

a species of promotion1 on the #acth of 
,february1 #aheb1 ,louis ,napoleon1 then
 ,president of the ,republic1 decreed   
that three regiments of ,zouaves be     
formed1 each on one of the three        
battalions as a nucleus1 taking the     
number of the battalion as its own4     
,thus the first regiment was formed at  
,blidah1 in ,algiers2 the second at     
,oran1 in ,oran2 the third at           
,constantine1 in the province of        
,constantine4 ,officers of the corps of 
infantry were eligible to the new       
regiments1 holding the same grade2 the  
men were to be drawn from any infantry  
corps in the army1 on their own         
application1 if the ,minister of ,war   
saw proper4 ,none were accepted but men 
physically and morally in excellent     
condition2 the officers had1 for the    
most part1 already served with credit2  
the under-officers and soldiers had been
 many years in the service2 and even    
many corporals1 and not a few ensigns   
and lieutenants1 voluntarily            

relinquished their positions to serve in
 the rank-and-file of the new corps4    
,so1 occupied in pacificating and       
securing the three provinces1 the       
regiments lost nothing of their former  
renown2 obedient to orders1 and fearless
 of danger1 it was no idle compliment   
paid them by ,louis ,napoleon1 when1 in 
the winter of #ahec-d1 be said1 ,if the 
war break out1 we must show our ,zouaves
 to the ,russians4 ,they were a body    
trained in the school of a terrible     
experience of twenty-four years2 they   
had learned1 like the lion-hunter1      
,gerard1 to take death by the mane1 and 
look into his fiery eyes without        
blenching2 they were fit for this       
service1 which demanded the best nerve  
of the two most powerful nations of the 
world4 ,what they did there is known to 
all2 at the battle of the ,alma1        
,marshal ,st4 ,arnaud was unable to     
repress his admiration1 calling them the
 bravest soldiers in the world4 ,all    
,europe1 at first wondering at these    

strange troops1 with their wild dress1  
their half-savage manners1 and strange  
method of warfare1 found speedy cause to
 admire their courage and success2      
,france was proud of their renown1 and  
they became immensely popular in ,paris1
 sure proof of their remarkable         
qualities4 ,their oddities1 their       
courage1 their imperfect knowledge of   
the distinctions of meum and tuum1 their
 wondering1 childlike simplicity1       
furnished themes for endless songs and  
caricatures2 the comedy of ,les ,zouaves
 met with great success2 and the cant   
name for them1 ,zouzou1 is to be heard  
at any time in the streets4 ,in #ahee1  
the ,fourth ,zouaves was created1       
consisting of but two battalions1 and   
enrolled in the ,imperial ,guard2 they  
are distinguished from the others by    
wearing a white turban1 while that of   
the other regiments is green2 since the 
formation of this regiment1 no new corps
 have been added4 ,the peace with       
,russia1 in #ahef1 was not peace for the

 ,zouaves1 who returned1 desiring       
nothing better1 to ,africa1 where1 in   
the continued war1 they found congenial 
employment till the final submission of 
the last tribes1 ,july #ae1 #aheg1      
dissolved the army of ,kabylia1 and made
 them1 perforce1 peaceful1 till the     
#bfth of ,april of this year brought    
them to win fresh laurels on a new      
field4  ,vague reports1 assertions      
without proof1 have been not            
infrequently made1 to the effect that   
the ,zouaves are in character cruel1    
dissolute1 and excessively given to hard
 drinking4 ,that they are absolutely    
free from the first charge ,i shall not 
attempt to deny2 that they are more so  
than other men1 in like circumstances1  
there is no proof2 there is even good   
reason to state the contrary1 if we may 
judge by instances1 of which1 for want  
of space1 one shall suffice here4 ,the  
,zouaves were in the van of the army1 on
 their march toward the ,tell2 in their 
charge was a large body of prisoners1   

wounded1 and helpless women1 old men1   
and children1 whom they were conducting 
to the ,tell1 to restore them to their  
homes4 ,the weather was intensely hot1  
even for ,africa2 the nearest well was  
eleven leagues distant2 and the         
sufferings of the poor people must have 
been dreadful indeed4 ,mothers flung    
down their infants on the burning sand1 
and pressed madly on to save themselves 
from the most horrible of deaths2 old   
men and boys sunk exhausted1 panting1   
declaring they could go no farther4     
,then it was1 says an eyewitness1 that  
the ,zouaves behaved like very ,sisters 
of ,charity1 rather than rough bearded  
soldiers2 they divided their last morsel
 with these unfortunates1 gave them     
drink from their own scanty stores1 and1
 putting their canteens to the mouths of
 the dying1 revived them with the       
precious draught4 ,they raised the      
screaming infants1 overturned and held  
ewes1 that they might suckle the poor   
creatures1 abandoned in despair by their

 mothers1 and1 in many instances1       
carried them the whole distance in their
 arms4 ,at night they ate nothing1      
giving their food to the helpless       
prisoners1 whose lives they thus saved  
at the risk of their own4 ,if in war    
they imitate the action of the tiger1 we
 have every reason to believe that in   
peace they are1 to say the least1 not   
less humane than others4  ,the author of
 ,recollections of an ,officer          
,footnote3 ,souvenirs d'un ,officier du 
#bme de ,zouaves4 ,paris1 #ahei4 sums up
 the character of the ,zouaves in a few 
words which clear them from the other   
two charges1 those of dissoluteness and 
drunkenness4 ,he says1--,beside the     
condition of success resulting from the 
first organization1 it must be said1    
that1 somewhat later1 the happy idea    
came to be adopted1 of giving to the    
,zouaves destined to fight in the       
light-armed troops the costume of       
,chasseurs--pied4 ,the recruitment added
 also not a little to the reputation    

which the ,zouaves so rapidly acquired2 
the soldiers are all drawn1 not from    
conscripts1 but from applicants for the 
service4 ,many are ,parisians1 or1 at   
all events1 inhabitants of the other    
great ,french cities2 most have already 
served1--are therefore inured to the    
work1--accustomed to privations1 which  
they undergo gayly1--to fatigues1 at    
which they joke1--to dangers in battle1 
which they treat as mere play4 ,they are
 proud of their uniform1 which does not 
resemble that of any other corps1--proud
 of that name1 ,zouave1 of mysterious   
origin1--proud of the splendid actions  
with which each succeeding day enriches 
the history of their troops1--happy in  
the liberty they experience1 both in    
garrison and on expeditions4 ,it is said
 that the ,zouaves love wine2 it is     
true2 but they are rarely seen          
intoxicated2 they seek the pleasures of 
conviviality1 not the imbrutement of    
drunkenness4 ,these regiments count in  
their ranks officers1 who1 ennuied by a 

lazy life1 have taken up the musket and 
the chechia1--under-officers1 who1      
having already served1 brave1 even rash1
 seek to win their epaulettes anew in   
this hard service1 and gain either a    
glorious position or a glorious         
death1--old officers of the garde       
mobile1--broad-shouldered marines1 who  
have served their time on shipboard1    
accustomed to cannon and the thunderings
 of the tempest1--young men of family1  
desirous to replace with the red ribbon 
of the ,legion of ,honor1 bought and    
colored with their blood1 the dishonor  
of a life gaped wearily away on the     
pavements of ,paris4  ,composed of such 
elements1 one can scarcely imagine the  
body of ,zouaves other than brilliant in
 the field of battle4 ,the officers are 
generally chosen from the regiments of  
the line1 men remarkable for strength1  
courage1 and prudence2 full of energy1  
pushing the love of their colors to its 
last limit1 always ready to confront    
death and to run up to meet danger1 they

 seek glory rather than promotion4 ,to  
train up their soldiers1 to give them an
 example1 in their own persons1 of all  
the military virtues1--such are their   
only cares4 ,our ancestors said1        
',noblesse1 oblige'2 these choose the   
same motto4 ,their nobility is not that 
of old family-titles1 but the uniform in
 which they are clothed1 the title of   
officer of ,zouaves4 ,esprit de corps1  
that religion of the soldier1 is carried
 by the ,zouaves to its highest pitch2  
the common soldiers would not consent to
 change their turban for the epaulettes 
of an ensign in the other service2 and  
many an ensign1 and not a few captains1 
have preferred to await their           
advancement in the ,zouaves rather than 
immediately obtain it by entering other 
regiments4 ,there exists1 moreover1     
between the soldiers and officers1 a    
military fraternity1 which1 far from    
destroying discipline1 tends rather to  
draw more closely its bonds4 ,the       
officer sees in his men rather          

companions in danger and in glory than  
inferiors2 he willingly attends to their
 complaints1 and strives to spare them  
all unnecessary privations4 ,where they 
are exposed to difficulties1 he does not
 hesitate to employ all the means in his
 power to aid them4 ,in return1 the     
soldier professes for his officer an    
affection1 a devotion1 a sort of filial 
respect4 ,discipline1 he knows1 must be 
severe1 and he does not grumble at its  
penalties4 ,in battle1 he does not      
abandon his chief2 he watches over him1 
will die for his safety1 will not let   
him fall into the hands of the enemy if 
wounded4 ,at the bivouac he makes the   
officer's fire1 though his own should   
die for want of fuel2 cares for his     
horse1 arranges his furniture2 if any   
delicacy in the way of food can be      
procured1 he brings it to the chief4    
,convinced of the desire of their master
 that the soldiers shall be well fed1   
the ,zouaves often insist that a part of
 their pay be expended for procuring the

 provisions of the tribe4 ,footnote3 ,in
 accordance with ,arab customs1 the     
,zouaves1 who 7to use the ordinary      
expression7 live in common1 compose a   
circle to which they give the name of   
tribe4 ,in the tribe1 each one has his  
allotted task3 one attends to making the
 fires and procuring wood2 another draws
 water and does the cooking2 another    
makes the coffee and arranges the camp1 
etc4 ,the colonel is the man most       
venerated by these soldiers1 who look   
upon him as the father of the family4   
,they are proud of the colonel's        
success1 and happy to have contributed  
to his honor or advancement4 ,when an   
order comes directly from him1 be sure  
it will be religiously obeyed4 ',when   
papa says anything1' they repeat1 one to
 another1 'it must be done4 ,papa knows 
it is already done2 be wants us to be   
the best children possible4' ,in        
critical moments1 the colonel can use   
the severest ,draconian code1 without   
having anything to fear from the        

disapprobation of his men4     ,,my     
,,psalm4     ,i mourn no more my        
vanished years3       ,beneath a tender 
rain1   ,an ,april rain of smiles and   
tears1       ,my heart is young again4  
,the west winds blow1 and1 singing low1 
,i hear the glad streams run2   ,the    
windows of my soul ,i throw       ,wide 
open to the sun4    ,no longer forward  
nor behind       ,i look in hope or     
fear2   ,but1 grateful1 take the good ,i
 find1       ,the best of now and here4 
,i plough no more a desert land1        
,to harvest weed and tare2   ,the manna 
dropping from ,god's hand       ,rebukes
 my painful care4    ,i break my pilgrim
 staff1 ,i lay     ,aside the toiling   
oar2   ,the angel sought so far away    
,i welcome at my door4    ,the airs of  
,spring may never play       ,among the 
ripening corn1   ,nor freshness of the  
flowers of ,may       ,blow through the 
,autumn morn2--    ,yet shall the       
blue-eyed gentian look       ,through   
fringed lids to heaven1   ,and the pale 

aster in the brook       ,shall see its 
image given2--    ,the woods shall wear 
their robes of praise1       ,the south 
wind softly sigh1   ,and sweet1 calm    
days in golden haze       ,melt down the
 amber sky4    ,not less shall manly    
deed and word       ,rebuke an age of   
wrong2   ,the graven flowers that       
wreathe the sword       ,make not the   
blade less strong4    ,but smiting hands
 shall learn to heal1       ,to build as
 to destroy2   ,nor less my heart for   
others feel       ,that ,i the more     
enjoy4    ,all as ,god wills1 who wisely
 heeds       ,to give or to withhold1   
,and knoweth more of all my needs       
,than all my prayers have told6         
,enough that blessings undeserved       
,have marked my erring track1--   ,that1
 wheresoe'er my feet have swerved1      
,his chastening turned me back1--       
,that more and more a ,providence       
,of love is understood1   ,making the   
springs of time and sense       ,sweet  
with eternal good1--    ,that death     

seems but a covered way       ,which    
opens into light1   ,wherein no blinded 
child can stray       ,beyond the       
,father's sight1--    ,that care and    
trial seem at last1       ,through      
,memory's sunset air1   ,like           
mountain-ranges overpast1       ,in     
purple distance fair1--    ,that all the
 jarring notes of life       ,seem      
blending in a psalm1   ,and all the     
angles of its strife       ,slow        
rounding into calm4    ,and so the      
shadows fall apart1       ,and so the   
west winds play2   ,and all the windows 
of my heart       ,i open to the day6   
,,the ,,professor ,,at ,,the            
,,breakfast-,,table4   ,,what ,,he      
,,said1 ,,what ,,he ,,heard1 ,,and      
,,what ,,he ,,saw4   ,there has been a  
sort of stillness in the atmosphere of  
our boarding-house since my last record1
 as if something or other were going on4
 ,there is no particular change that ,i 
can think of in the aspect of things2   
yet ,i have a feeling as if some game of

 life were quietly playing and strange  
forces were at work1 underneath this    
smooth surface of every-day             
boarding-house life1 which would show   
themselves some fine morning or other in
 events1 if not in catastrophes4 ,i have
 been watchful1 as ,i said ,i should be1
 but have little to tell as yet4 ,you   
may laugh at me1 and very likely think  
me foolishly fanciful to trouble myself 
about what is going on in a             
middling-class household like ours4 ,do 
as you like4 ,but here is that terrible 
fact to begin with1--a beautiful young  
girl1 with the blood and the nerve-fibre
 that belong to ,nature's women1 turned 
loose among live men4  --,terrible fact8
  ,very terrible4 ,nothing more so4 ,do 
you forget the angels who lost heaven   
for the daughters of men8 ,do you forget
 ,helen1 and the fair women who made    
mischief and set nations by the ears    
before ,helen was born8 ,if jealousies  
that gnaw men's hearts out of their     
bodies1--if pangs that waste men to     

shadows and drive them into raving      
madness or moping melancholy1--if       
assassination and suicide are dreadful  
possibilities1 then there is always     
something frightful about a lovely young
 woman4--,i love to look at this        
,rainbow1 as her father used sometimes  
to call her1 of ours4 ,handsome creature
 that she is in forms and colors1--the  
very picture1 as it seems to me1 of that
 golden blonde my friend whose book you 
read last year fell in love with when he
 was a boy1 7as you remember1 no        
doubt17--handsome as she is1 fit for a  
sea-king's bride1 it is not her beauty  
alone that holds my eyes upon her4 ,let 
me tell you one of my fancies1 and then 
you will understand the strange sort of 
fascination she has for me4  ,it is in  
the hearts of many men and women--let me
 add children--that there is a ,great   
,secret waiting for them1--a secret of  
which they get hints now and then1      
perhaps oftener in early than in later  
years4 ,these hints come sometimes in   

dreams1 sometimes in sudden startling   
flashes1--second wakings1 as it were1--a
 waking out of the waking state1 which  
last is very apt to be a half-sleep4 ,i 
have many times stopped short and held  
my breath1 and felt the blood leaving my
 cheeks1 in one of these sudden         
clairvoyant flashes4 ,of course ,i      
cannot tell what kind of a secret this  
is2 but ,i think of it as a disclosure  
of certain relations of our personal    
being to time and space1 to other       
intelligences1 to the procession of     
events1 and to their ,first ,great      
,cause4 ,this secret seems to be broken 
up1 as it were1 into fragments1 so that 
we find here a word and there a         
syllable1 and then again only a letter  
of it2 but it never is written out for  
most of us as a complete sentence1 in   
this life4 ,i do not think it could be2 
for ,i am disposed to consider our      
beliefs about such a possible disclosure
 rather as a kind of premonition of an  
enlargement of our faculties in some    

future state than as an expectation to  
be fulfilled for most of us in this     
life4 ,persons1 however1 have fallen    
into trances1--as did the ,reverend     
,william ,tennent1 among many           
others1--and learned some things which  
they could not tell in our human words4 
,now among the visible objects which    
hint to us fragments of this infinite   
secret for--which our souls are waiting1
 the faces of women are those that carry
 the most legible hieroglyphics of the  
great mystery4 ,there are women's faces1
 some real1 some ideal1 which contain   
something in them that becomes a        
positive element in our creed1 so direct
 and palpable a revelation is it of the 
infinite purity and love4 ,i remember   
two faces of women with wings1 such as  
they call angels1 of ,fra               
,angelico1--and ,i just now came across 
a print of ,raphael's ,santa ,apollina1 
with something of the same              
quality1--which ,i was sure had their   
prototypes in the world above ours4 ,no 

wonder the ,catholics pay their vows to 
the ,queen of ,heaven6 ,the unpoetical  
side of ,protestantism is1 that it has  
no women to be worshipped4  ,but mind   
you1 it is not every beautiful face that
 hints the ,great ,secret to us1 nor is 
it only in beautiful faces that we find 
traces of it4 ,sometimes it looks out   
from a sweet sad eye1 the only beauty of
 a plain countenance2 sometimes there is
 so much meaning in the lips of a woman1
 not otherwise fascinating1 that we know
 they have a message for us1 and wait   
almost with awe to hear their accents4  
,but this young girl has at once the    
beauty of feature and the unspoken      
mystery of expression4 ,can she tell me 
anything8 ,is her life a complement of  
mine1 with the missing element in it    
which ,i have been groping after through
 so many friendships that ,i have tired 
of1 and through--,hush6 ,is the door    
fast8 ,talking loud is a bad trick in   
these curious boarding-houses4  ,you    
must have sometimes noted this fact that

 ,i am going to remind you of and to use
 for a special illustration4 ,riding    
along over a rocky road1 suddenly the   
slow monotonous grinding of the crushing
 gravel changes to a deep heavy rumble4 
,there is a great hollow under your     
feet1--a huge unsunned cavern4 ,deep1   
deep beneath you1 in the core of the    
living rock1 it arches its awful vault1 
and far away it stretches its winding   
galleries1 their roofs dripping into    
streams where fishes have been swimming 
and spawning in the dark until their    
scales are white as milk and their eyes 
have withered out1 obsolete and useless4
  ,so it is in life4 ,we jog quietly    
along1 meeting the same faces1 grinding 
over the same thoughts1--the gravel of  
the soul's highway1--now and then jarred
 against an obstacle we cannot crush1   
but must ride over or round as we best  
may1 sometimes bringing short up against
 a disappointment1 but still working    
along with the creaking and rattling and
 grating and jerking that belong to the 

journey of life1 even in the            
smoothest-rolling vehicle4 ,suddenly we 
hear the deep underground reverberation 
that reveals the unsuspected depth of   
some abyss of thought or passion beneath
 us4----  ,i wish the girl would go4 ,i 
don't like to look at her so much1 and  
yet ,i cannot help it4 ,always that same
 expression of something that ,i ought  
to know1--something that she was made to
 tell and ,i to hear1--lying there ready
 to fall off from her lips1 ready to    
leap out of her eyes and make a saint of
 me1 or a devil or a lunatic1 or perhaps
 a prophet to tell the truth and be     
hated of men1 or a poet whose words     
shall flash upon the dry stubble-field  
of worn-out thoughts and burn over an   
age of lies in an hour of passion4  ,it 
suddenly occurs to me that ,i may have  
put you on the wrong track4 ,the ,great 
,secret that ,i refer to has nothing to 
do with the ,three ,words4 ,set your    
mind at ease about that1--there are     
reasons ,i could give you which settle  

all that matter4 ,i don't wonder1       
however1 that you confounded the ,great 
,secret with the ,three ,words4  ,i     
,,love ,,you is all the secret that     
many1 nay1 most women have to tell4     
,when that is said1 they are like       
,china-crackers on the morning of the   
fifth of ,july4 ,and just as that little
 patriotic implement is made with a     
slender train which leads to the        
magazine in its interior1 so a sharp eye
 can almost always see the train leading
 from a young girl's eye or lip to the  
,i love you in her heart4 ,but the      
,three ,words are not the ,great ,secret
 ,i mean4 ,no1 women's faces are only   
one of the tablets on which that is     
written in its partial1 fragmentary     
symbols4 ,it lies deeper than ,love1    
though very probably ,love is a part of 
it4 ,some1 ,i think1--,wordsworth might 
be one of them1--spell out a portion of 
it from certain beautiful natural       
objects1 landscapes1 flowers1 and       
others4 ,i can mention several poems of 

his that have shadowy hints which seem  
to me to come near the region where ,i  
think it lies4 ,i have known two persons
 who pursued it with the passion of the 
old alchemists1--all wrong evidently1   
but infatuated1 and never giving up the 
daily search for it until they got      
tremulous and feeble1 and their dreams  
changed to visions of things that ran   
and crawled about their floor and       
ceilings1 and so they died4 ,the vulgar 
called them drunkards4  ,i told you that
 ,i would let you know the mystery of   
the effect this young girl's face       
produces on me4 ,it is akin to those    
influences a friend of mine has         
described1 you may remember1 as coming  
from certain voices4 ,i cannot translate
 it into words1--only into feelings2 and
 these ,i have attempted to shadow by   
showing that her face hinted that       
revelation of something we are close to 
knowing1 which all imaginative persons  
are looking for either in this world or 
on the very threshold of the next4  ,you

 shake your head at the vagueness and   
fanciful incomprehensibleness of my     
description of the expression in a young
 girl's face4 ,you forget what a        
miserable surface-matter this language  
is in which we try to reproduce our     
interior state of being4 ,articulation  
is a shallow trick4 ,from the light     
,poh6 which we toss off from our lips as
 we fling a nameless scribbler's        
impertinences into our waste-baskets1 to
 the gravest utterance which comes from 
our throats in our moments of deepest   
need1 is only a space of some three or  
four inches4 ,words1 which are a set of 
clickings1 hissings1 lispings1 and so   
on1 mean very little1 compared to tones 
and expression of the features4 ,i give 
it up2 ,i thought ,i could shadow forth 
in some feeble way1 by their aid1 the   
effect this young girl's face produces  
on my imagination2 but it is of no use4 
,no doubt your head aches1 trying to    
make something of my description4 ,if   
there is here and there one that can    

make anything intelligible out of my    
talk about the ,great ,secret1 and who  
has spelt out a syllable or two of it on
 some woman's face1 dead or living1 that
 is all ,i can expect4 ,one should see  
the person with whom he converses about 
such matters4 ,there are dreamy-eyed    
people to whom ,i should say all these  
things with a certainty of being        
understood2--    ,that moment that his  
face ,i see1   ,i know the man that must
 hear me3       ,to him my tale ,i      
teach4  ----,i am afraid some of them   
have not got a spare quarter for this   
,august number1 so that they will never 
see it4  ----,let us start again1 just  
as if we had not made this ambitious    
attempt1 which may go for nothing1 and  
you can have your money refunded1 if you
 will make the change4  ,this young     
girl1 about whom ,i have talked so      
unintelligibly1 is the unconscious      
centre of attraction to the whole solar 
system of our breakfast-table4 ,the     
little gentleman1 leans towards her1 and

 she again seems to be swayed as by some
 invisible gentle force towards him4    
,that slight inclination of two persons 
with a strong affinity towards each     
other1 throwing them a little out of    
plumb when they sit side by side1 is a  
physical fact ,i have often noticed4    
,then there is a tendency in all the    
men's eyes to converge on her2 and ,i do
 firmly believe1 that1 if all their     
chairs were examined1 they would be     
found a little obliquely placed1 so as  
to favor the direction in which their   
occupants love to look4  ,that bland1   
quiet old gentleman1 of whom ,i have    
spoken as sitting opposite to me1 is no 
exception to the rule4 ,she brought down
 some mignonette one morning1 which she 
had grown in her chamber4 ,she gave a   
sprig to her little neighbor1 and one to
 the landlady1 and sent another by the  
hand of ,bridget to this old gentleman4 
----,sarvant1 ,ma'am6 ,much             
obleeged1--he said1 and put it gallantly
 in his button-hole4--,after breakfast  

he must see some of her drawings4 ,very 
fine performances1--very fine6--truly   
elegant productions1--truly             
elegant6--,had seen ,miss ,linley's     
needle-work in ,london1 in the year     
7eighteen hundred and little or nothing1
 ,i think he said17--patronized by the  
nobility and gentry1 and ,her           
,majesty1--elegant1 truly elegant       
productions1 very fine performances2    
these drawings reminded him of          
them2--wonderful resemblance to ,nature2
 an extraordinary art1 painting2 ,mr4   
,copley made some very fine pictures    
that he remembered seeing when he was a 
boy4 ,used to remember some lines about 
a portrait written by ,mr4 ,cowper1     
beginning1--    ,oh that those lips had 
language6 ,life has past   ,with me but 
roughly since ,i saw thee last4  ,and   
with this the old gentleman fell to     
thinking about a dead mother of his that
 he remembered ever so much younger than
 he now was1 and looking1 not as his    
mother1 but as his daughter should look4

 ,the dead young mother was looking at  
the old man1 her child1 as she used to  
look at him so many1 many years ago4 ,he
 stood still as if cataleptic1 his eyes 
fixed on the drawings till their        
outlines grew indistinct and they ran   
into each other1 and a pale1 sweet face 
shaped itself out of the glimmering     
light through which he saw them4--,what 
is there quite so profoundly human as an
 old man's memory of a mother who died  
in his earlier years8 ,mother she       
remains till manhood1 and by-and-by she 
grows1 as it were1 to be as a sister2   
and at last1 when1 wrinkled and bowed   
and broken1 he looks back upon her in   
her fair youth1 he sees in the sweet    
image he caresses1 not his parent1 but1 
as it were1 his child4  ,if ,i had not  
seen all this in the old gentleman's    
face1 the words with which he broke his 
silence would have betrayed his train of
 thought4  ----,if they had only taken  
pictures then as they do now6--he       
said4--,all gone6 all gone6 nothing but 

her face as she leaned on the arms of   
her great chair2 and ,i would give a    
hundred pound for the poorest little    
picture of her1 such as you can buy for 
a shilling of anybody that you don't    
want to see4--,the old gentleman put his
 hand to his forehead so as to shade his
 eyes4 ,i saw he was looking at the dim 
photograph of memory1 and turned from   
him to ,iris4  ,how many drawing-books  
have you filled1--,i said1--since you   
began to take lessons8--,this was the   
first1--she answered1--since she was    
here2 and it was not full1 but there    
were many separate sheets of large size 
she had covered with drawings4  ,i      
turned over the leaves of the book      
before us4 ,academic studies1           
principally of the human figure4 ,heads 
of sibyls1 prophets1 and so forth4      
,limbs from statues4 ,hands and feet    
from ,nature4 ,what a superb drawing of 
an arm6 ,i don't remember it among the  
figures from ,michel ,angelo1 which seem
 to have been her patterns mainly4 ,from

 ,nature1 ,i think1 or after a cast from
 ,nature4--,oh6----  ----,your smaller  
studies are in this1 ,i suppose1--,i    
said1 taking up the drawing-book with a 
lock on it4----,yes1--she said4--,i     
should like to see her style of working 
on a small scale4--,there was nothing in
 it worth showing1--she said2 and       
presently ,i saw her try the lock1 which
 proved to be fast4 ,we are all         
caricatured in it1 ,i haven't the least 
doubt4 ,i think1 though1 ,i could tell  
by her way of dealing with us what her  
fancies were about us boarders4 ,some of
 them act as if they were bewitched with
 her1 but she does not seem to notice it
 much4 ,her thoughts seem to be on her  
little neighbor more than on anybody    
else4 ,the young fellow ,john appears to
 stand second in her good graces4 ,i    
think he has once or twice sent her what
 the landlady's daughter calls b-kays of
 flowers1--somebody has1 at any         
rate4--,i saw a book she had1 which must
 have come from the divinity-student4   

,it had a dreary title-page1 which she  
had enlivened with a fancy portrait of  
the author1--a face from memory1        
apparently1--one of those faces that    
small children loathe without knowing   
why1 and which give them that inward    
disgust for heaven so many of the little
 wretches betray1 when they hear that   
these are good men1 and that heaven is  
full of such4--,the gentleman with the  
diamond--the ,koh-i-noor1 so called by  
us--was not encouraged1 ,i think1 by the
 reception of his packet of perfumed    
soap4 ,he pulls his purple moustache and
 looks appreciatingly at ,iris1 who     
never sees him1 as it should seem4 ,the 
young ,marylander1 who ,i thought would 
have been in love with her before this  
time1 sometimes looks from his corner   
across the long diagonal of the table1  
as much as to say1 ,i wish you were up  
here by me1 or ,i were down there by    
you1--which would1 perhaps1 be a more   
natural arrangement than the present    
one4 ,but nothing comes of all          

this1--and nothing has come of my       
sagacious idea of finding out the girl's
 fancies by looking into her locked     
drawing-book4  ,not to give up all the  
questions ,i was determined to solve1 ,i
 made an attempt also to work into the  
little gentleman's chamber4 ,for this   
purpose1 ,i kept him in conversation1   
one morning1 until he was just ready to 
go up-stairs1 and then1 as if to        
continue the talk1 followed him as he   
toiled back to his room4 ,he rested on  
the landing and faced round toward me4  
,there was something in his eye which   
said1 ,stop there6 ,so we finished our  
conversation on the landing4 ,the next  
day1 ,i mustered assurance enough to    
knock at his door1 having a pretext     
ready4--,no answer4--,knock again4 ,a   
door1 as if of a cabinet1 was shut      
softly and locked1 and presently ,i     
heard the peculiar dead beat of his     
thick-soled1 misshapen boots4 ,the bolts
 and the lock of the inner door were    
unfastened1--with unnecessary noise1 ,i 

thought1--and he came into the passage4 
,he pulled the inner door after him and 
opened the outer one at which ,i stood4 
,he had on a flowered silk              
dressing-gown1 such as ,mr4 ,copley used
 to paint his old-fashioned             
merchant-princes in2 and a              
quaint-looking key in his hand4 ,our    
conversation was short1 but long enough 
to convince me that the little gentleman
 did not want my company in his chamber1
 and did not mean to have it4  ,i have  
been making a great fuss about what is  
no mystery at all1--a schoolgirl's      
secrets and a whimsical man's habits4 ,i
 mean to give up such nonsense and mind 
my own business4--,hark6 ,what the deuse
 is that odd noise in his chamber8      
----,i think ,i am a little             
superstitious4 ,there were two things1  
when ,i was a boy1 that diabolized my   
imagination1--,i mean1 that gave me a   
distinct apprehension of a formidable   
bodily shape which prowled round the    
neighborhood where ,i was born and bred4

 ,the first was a series of marks called
 the ,devil's footsteps4 ,these were    
patches of sand in the pastures1 where  
no grass grew1 where even the low-bush  
blackberry1 the dewberry1 as our        
,southern neighbors call it1 in prettier
 and more ,shakspearian language1 did   
not spread its clinging creepers1--where
 even the pale1 dry1 sadly-sweet        
everlasting could not grow1 but all was 
bare and blasted4 ,the second was a mark
 in one of the public buildings near my 
home1--the college dormitory named after
 a ,colonial ,governor4 ,i do not think 
many persons are aware of the existence 
of this mark1--little having been said  
about the story in print1 as it was     
considered very desirable1 for the sake 
of the institution1 to hush it up4 ,in  
the northwest corner1 and on the level  
of the third or fourth story1 there are 
signs of a breach in the walls1 mended  
pretty well1 but not to be mistaken4 ,a 
considerable portion of that corner must
 have been carried away1 from within    

outward4 ,it was an unpleasant story2   
and ,i do not care to repeat the        
particulars2 but some young men had been
 using sacred things in a profane and   
unlawful way1 when the occurrence1 which
 was variously explained1 took place4   
,the story of the ,appearance in the    
chamber was1 ,i suppose1 invented       
afterwards2 but of the injury to the    
building there could be no question2 and
 the zig-zag line1 where the mortar is a
 little thicker than before1 is still   
distinctly visible4 ,the queer burnt    
spots1 called the ,devil's footsteps1   
had never attracted attention before    
this time1 though there is no evidence  
that they had not existed previously1   
except that of the late ,miss ,m41 a    
,goody1 so called1 or sweeper1 who was  
positive on the subject1 but had a      
strange horror of referring to an affair
 of which she was thought to know       
something4--,i tell you it was not so   
pleasant for a little boy of impressible
 nature to go up to bed in an old       

gambrel-roofed house1 with untenanted1  
locked upper-chambers1 and a most       
ghostly garret1--with the ,devil's      
footsteps in the fields behind the      
house1 and in front of it the patched   
dormitory where the unexplained         
occurrence had taken place which        
startled those godless youths at their  
mock devotions1 so that one of them was 
an idiot from that day forward1 and     
another1 after a dreadful season of     
mental conflict1 took holy orders and   
became renowned for his ascetic         
sanctity4  ,there were other            
circumstances that kept up the          
impression produced by these two        
singular facts ,i have just mentioned4  
,there was a dark storeroom1 on looking 
through the keyhole of which1 ,i could  
dimly see a heap of chairs and tables1  
and other four-footed things1 which     
seemed to me to have rushed in there1   
frightened1 and in their fright to have 
huddled together and climbed up on each 
other's backs1--as the people did in    

that awful crush where so many were     
killed1 at the execution of ,holloway   
and ,haggerty4 ,then the ,lady's        
portrait1 up-stairs1 with the           
sword-thrusts through it1--marks of the 
,british officers' rapiers1--and the    
tall mirror in which they used to look  
at their red coats1--confound them for  
smashing its mate6--and the deep1       
cunningly wrought arm-chair in which    
,lord ,percy used to sit while his hair 
was dressing2--he was a gentleman1 and  
always had it covered with a large      
peignoir1 to save the silk covering my  
grandmother embroidered4 ,then the      
little room down-stairs1 from which went
 the orders to throw up a bank of earth 
on the hill yonder1 where you may now   
observe a granite obelisk1--the study1  
in my father's time1 but in those days  
the council-chamber of armed            
men1--sometimes filled with             
soldiers2--come with me1 and ,i will    
show you the dents left by the butts of 
their muskets all over the floor4--,with

 all these suggestive objects round me1 
aided by the wild stories those awful   
country-boys that came to live in our   
service brought with them1--of contracts
 written in blood and left out over     
night1 not to be found the next         
morning1--removed by the ,evil ,one1 who
 takes his nightly round among our      
dwellings1 and filed away for future    
use1--of dreams coming true1--of        
death-signs1--of apparitions1--no wonder
 that my imagination got excited1 and ,i
 was liable to superstitious fancies4   
,jeremy ,bentham's logic1 by which he   
proved that he couldn't possibly see a  
ghost1 is all very well--in the         
day-time4 ,all the reason in the world  
will never get those impressions of     
childhood1 created by just such         
circumstances as ,i have been telling1  
out of a man's head4 ,that is the only  
excuse ,i have to give for the nervous  
kind of curiosity with which ,i watch my
 little neighbor1 and the obstinacy with
 which ,i lie awake whenever ,i hear    

anything going on in his chamber after  
midnight4  ,but whatever further        
observations ,i may have made must be   
deferred for the present4 ,you will see 
in what way it happened that my thoughts
 were turned from spiritual matters to  
bodily ones1 and how ,i got my fancy    
full of material images1--faces1 heads1 
figures1 muscles1 and so forth1--in such
 a way that ,i should have no chance in 
this number to gratify any curiosity you
 may feel1 if ,i had the means of so    
doing4  ,indeed1 ,i have come pretty    
near omitting my periodical record this 
time4 ,it was all the work of a friend  
of mine1 who would have it that ,i      
should sit to him for my portrait4 ,when
 a soul draws a body in the great       
lottery of life1 where every one is sure
 of a prize1 such as it is1 the said    
soul inspects the said body with the    
same curious interest with which one who
 has ventured into a gift enterprise    
examines the massive silver pencil-case 
with the coppery smell and impressible  

tube1 or the splendid gold ring with the
 questionable specific gravity1 which it
 has been his fortune to obtain in      
addition to his purchase4  ,the soul1   
having studied the article of which it  
finds itself proprietor1 thinks1 after a
 time1 it knows it pretty well4 ,but    
there is this difference between its    
view and that of a person looking at    
us3--we look from within1 and see       
nothing but the mould formed by the     
elements in which we are incased2 other 
observers look from without1 and see us 
as living statues4 ,to be sure1 by the  
aid of mirrors1 we get a few glimpses of
 our outside aspect2 but this occasional
 impression is always modified by that  
look of the soul from within outward    
which none but ourselves can take4 ,a   
portrait is apt1 therefore1 to be a     
surprise to us4 ,the artist looks only  
from without4 ,he sees us1 too1 with a  
hundred aspects on our faces we are     
never likely to see4 ,no genuine        
expression can be studied by the subject

 of it in the looking-glass4  ,more than
 this2 he sees us in a way in which many
 of our friends or acquaintances never  
see us4 ,without wearing any mask we are
 conscious of1 we have a special face   
for each friend4 ,for1 in the first     
place1 each puts a special reflection of
 himself upon us1 on the principle of   
assimilation referred to in my last     
record1 if you happen to have read that 
document4 ,and secondly1 each of our    
friends is capable of seeing just so    
far1 and no farther1 into our face1 and 
each sees in it the particular thing    
that he looks for4 ,now the artist1 if  
he is truly an artist1 does not take any
 one of these special views4 ,suppose he
 should copy you as you appear to the   
man who wants your name to a            
subscription-list1 you could hardly     
expect a friend who entertains you to   
recognize the likeness to the smiling   
face which sheds its radiance at his    
board4 ,even within your own family1 ,i 
am afraid there is a face which the rich

 uncle knows1 that is not so familiar to
 the poor relation4 ,the artist must    
take one or the other1 or something     
compounded of the two1 or something     
different from either4 ,what the        
daguerreotype and photograph do is to   
give the features and one particular    
look1 the very look which kills all     
expression1 that of self-consciousness4 
,the artist throws you off your guard1  
watches you in movement and in repose1  
puts your face through its exercises1   
observes its transitions1 and so gets   
the whole range of its expression4 ,out 
of all this he forms an ideal portrait1 
which is not a copy of your exact look  
at any one time or to any particular    
person4 ,such a portrait cannot be to   
everybody what the ungloved call as     
nat'ral as life4 ,every good picture1   
therefore1 must be considered wanting in
 resemblance by many persons4  ,there is
 one strange revelation which comes out1
 as the artist shapes your features from
 his outline4 ,it is that you resemble  

so many relatives to whom you yourself  
never had noticed any particular        
likeness in your countenance4  ,he is at
 work at me now1 when ,i catch some of  
these resemblances1 thus3--  ,there6    
that is just the look my father used to 
have sometimes2 ,i never thought ,i had 
a sign of it4 ,the mother's eyebrow and 
grayish-blue eye1 those ,i knew ,i had4 
,but there is a something which recalls 
a smile that faded away from my sister's
 lips--how many years ago6 ,i thought it
 so pleasant in her1 that ,i love myself
 better for having a trace of it4  ,are 
we not young8 ,are we not fresh and     
blooming8 ,wait a bit4 ,the artist takes
 a mean little brush and draws three    
fine lines1 diverging outwards from the 
eye over the temple4 ,five years4--,the 
artist draws one tolerably distinct and 
two faint lines1 perpendicularly between
 the eyebrows4 ,ten years4--,the artist 
breaks up the contours round the mouth1 
so that they look a little as a hat does
 that has been sat upon and recovered   

itself1 ready1 as one would say1 to     
crumple up again in the same creases1 on
 smiling or other change of             
feature4--,hold on6 ,stop that6 ,give a 
young fellow a chance6 ,are we not whole
 years short of that interesting period 
of life when ,mr4 ,balzac says that a   
man1 etc41 etc41 etc48  ,there now6     
,that is ourself1 as we look after      
finishing an article1 getting a         
three-mile pull with the ten-foot       
sculls1 redressing the wrongs of the    
toilet1 and standing with the light of  
hope in our eye and the reflection of a 
red curtain on our cheek4 ,is he not a  
,,poet that painted us8    ,blest be the
 art that can immortalize6  ,,cowper    
----,young folks look on a face as a    
unit2 children who go to school with any
 given little ,john ,smith see in his   
name a distinctive appellation1 and in  
his features as special and definite an 
expression of his sole individuality as 
if he were the first created of his     
race4 ,as soon as we are old enough to  

get the range of three or four          
generations well in hand1 and to take in
 large family histories1 we never see an
 individual in a face of any stock we   
know1 but a mosaic copy of a pattern1   
with fragmentary tints from this and    
that ancestor4 ,the analysis of a face  
into its ancestral elements requires    
that it should be examined in the very  
earliest infancy1 before it has lost    
that ancient and solemn look it brings  
with it out of the past eternity2 and   
again in that brief space when ,life1   
the mighty sculptor1 has done his work1 
and ,death1 his silent servant1 lifts   
the veil and lets us look at the marble 
lines he has wrought so faithfully2 and 
lastly1 while a painter who can seize   
all the traits of a countenance is      
building it up1 feature after feature1  
from the slight outline to the finished 
portrait4  ----,i am satisfied1 that1 as
 we grow older1 we learn to look upon   
our bodies more and more as a temporary 
possession1 and less and less as        

identified with ourselves4 ,in early    
years1 while the child feels its life in
 every limb1 it lives in the body and   
for the body to a very great extent4 ,it
 ought to be so4 ,there have been many  
very interesting children who have shown
 a wonderful indifference to the things 
of earth and an extraordinary           
development of the spiritual nature4    
,there is a perfect literature of their 
biographies1 all alike in their         
essentials2 the same disinclination to  
the usual amusements of childhood2 the  
same remarkable sensibility2 the same   
docility2 the same conscientiousness2 in
 short1 an almost uniform character1    
marked by beautiful traits1 which we    
look at with a painful admiration4 ,it  
will be found that most of these        
children are the subjects of some       
constitutional unfitness for living1 the
 most frequent of which ,i need not     
mention4 ,they are like the beautiful1  
blushing1 half-grown fruit that falls   
before its time because its core is     

gnawed out4 ,they have their            
meaning1--they do not live in vain1--but
 they are windfalls4 ,i am convinced    
that many healthy children are injured  
morally by being forced to read too much
 about these little meek sufferers and  
their spiritual exercises4 ,here is a   
boy that loves to run1 swim1 kick       
football1 turn somersets1 make faces1   
whittle1 fish1 tear his clothes1 coast1 
skate1 fire crackers1 blow squash       
tooters1 cut his name on fences1 read   
about ,robinson ,crusoe and ,sinbad the 
,sailor1 eat the widest-angled slices of
 pie and untold cakes and candies1 crack
 nuts with his back teeth and bite out  
the better part of another boy's apple  
with his front ones1 turn up coppers1   
stick knives1 call names1 throw stones1 
knock off hats1 set mousetraps1 chalk   
doorsteps1 cut behind anything on wheels
 or runners1 whistle through his teeth1 
holler ,fire6 on slight evidence1 run   
after soldiers1 patronize an            
engine-company1 or1 in his own words1   

blow for tub ,no4 #aa1 or whatever it   
may be2--isn't that a pretty nice sort  
of a boy1 though he has not got anything
 the matter with him that takes the     
taste of this world out8 ,now1 when you 
put into such a hot-blooded1            
hard-fisted1 round-cheeked little       
rogue's hand a sad-looking volume or    
pamphlet1 with the portrait of a thin1  
white-faced child1 whose life is really 
as much a training for death as the last
 month of a condemned criminal's        
existence1 what does he find in common  
between his own overflowing and exulting
 sense of vitality and the experiences  
of the doomed offspring of invalid      
parents8 ,the time comes when we have   
learned to understand the music of      
sorrow1 the beauty of resigned          
suffering1 the holy light that plays    
over the pillow of those who die before 
their time1 in humble hope and trust4   
,but it is not until he has worked his  
way through the period of honest1 hearty
 animal existence1 which every robust1  

child should make the most of1--not     
until he has learned the use of his     
various faculties1 which is his first   
duty1--that a boy of courage and animal 
vigor is in a proper state to read these
 tearful records of premature decay4 ,i 
have no doubt that disgust is implanted 
in the minds of many healthy children by
 early surfeits of pathological piety4  
,i do verily believe that ,he who took  
children in ,his arms and blessed them  
loved the healthiest and most playful of
 them just as well as those who were    
richest in the tuberculous virtues4 ,i  
know what ,i am talking about1 and there
 are more parents in this country who   
will be willing to listen to what ,i say
 than there are fools to pick a quarrel 
with me4 ,in the sensibility and the    
sanctity which often accompany premature
 decay ,i see one of the most beautiful 
instances of the principle of           
compensation which marks the ,divine    
benevolence4 ,but to get the spiritual  
hygiene of robust natures out of the    

exceptional regimen of invalids is just 
simply what we ,professors call bad     
practice2 and ,i know by experience that
 there are worthy people who not only   
try it on their own children1 but       
actually force it on those of their     
neighbors4  ----,having been            
photographed1 and stereographed1 and    
chromatographed1 or done in colors1 it  
only remained to be phrenologized4 ,a   
polite note from ,messrs4 ,bumpus and   
,crane1 requesting our attendance at    
their ,physiological ,emporium1 was too 
tempting to be resisted4 ,we repaired to
 that scientific ,golgotha4  ,messrs4   
,bumpus and ,crane are arranged on the  
plan of the man and the woman in the toy
 called a weather-house1 both on the    
same wooden arm suspended on a          
pivot1--so that when one comes to the   
door1 the other retires backwards1 and  
vice vers4 ,the more particular         
speciality of one is to lubricate your  
entrance and exit1--that of the other to
 polish you off phrenologically in the  

recesses of the establishment4 ,suppose 
yourself in a room full of casts and    
pictures1 before a counter-full of books
 with taking titles4 ,i wonder if the   
picture of the brain is there1 approved 
by a noted ,phrenologist1 which was     
copied from my1 the ,professor's1 folio 
plate in the work of ,gall and          
,spurzheim4 ,an extra convolution1 ,no4 
#i1 ,destructiveness1 according to the  
list beneath1 which was not to be seen  
in the plate1 itself a copy of ,nature1 
was very liberally supplied by the      
artist1 to meet the wants of the        
catalogue of organs4 ,professor ,bumpus 
is seated in front of a row of          
women1--horn-combers and gold-beaders1  
or somewhere about that range of        
life1--looking so credulous1 that1 if   
any ,second-,advent ,miller or ,joe     
,smith should come along1 he could      
string the whole lot of them on his     
cheapest lie1 as a boy strings a dozen  
shiners on a stripped twig of willow4   
,the ,professor 7meaning ourselves7 is  

in a hurry1 as usual2 let the           
horn-combers wait1--he shall be bumped  
without inspecting the antechamber4     
,tape round the head1--#bb inches4      
7,come on1 old #bc inches1 if you think 
you are the better man67  ,feels of     
thorax and arm1 and nuzzles round among 
muscles as those horrid old women poke  
their fingers into the salt-meat on the 
provision-stalls at the ,quincy ,market4
 ,vitality1 ,no4 #e or #f1 or something 
or other4 ,victuality1 7organ at        
epigastrium17 some other number equally 
significant4  ,mild champooing of head  
now commences4 ,extraordinary           
revelations6 ,cupidipbilous1 #f6        
,hymeniphilous1 #f6 ,paediphilous1 #e6  
,deipniphilous1 #f6 ,gelasmiphilous1 #f6
 ,muslkiphilous1 #e6 ,uraniphilous1 #e6 
,glossiphilous1 #h66 and so on4 ,meant  
for a linguist4--,invaluable            
information4 ,will invest in grammars   
and dictionaries immediately4--,i have  
nothing against the grand total of my   
phrenological endowments4  ,i never set 

great store by my head1 and did not     
think ,messrs4 ,bumpus and ,crane would 
give me so good a lot of organs as they 
did1 especially considering that ,i was 
a dead-head on that occasion4 ,much     
obliged to them for their politeness4   
,they have been useful in their way by  
calling attention to important          
physiological facts4 7,this concession  
is due to our immense bump of ,candor47 
,a short ,lecture on ,phrenology1 read  
to the ,boarders at our                 
,breakfast-,table4  ,i shall begin1 my  
friends1 with the definition of a       
,pseudo-science4 ,a ,pseudo-science     
consists of a nomenclature1 with a      
self-adjusting arrangement1 by which all
 positive evidence1 or such as favors   
its doctrines1 is admitted1 and all     
negative evidence1 or such as tells     
against it1 is excluded4 ,it is         
invariably connected with some lucrative
 practical application4 ,its professors 
and practitioners are usually shrewd    
people2 they are very serious with the  

public1 but wink and laugh a good deal  
among themselves4 ,the believing        
multitude consists of women of both     
sexes1 feeble-minded inquirers1 poetical
 optimists1 people who always get       
cheated in buying horses1               
philanthropists who insist on hurrying  
up the millennium1 and others of this   
class1 with here and there a clergyman1 
less frequently a lawyer1 very rarely a 
physician1 and almost never a           
horse-jockey or a member of the         
detective police4--,i did not say that  
,phrenology was one of the              
,pseudo-sciences4  ,a ,pseudo-science   
does not necessarily consist wholly of  
lies4 ,it may contain many truths1 and  
even valuable ones4 ,the rottenest bank 
starts with a little specie4 ,it puts   
out a thousand promises to pay on the   
strength of a single dollar1 but the    
dollar is very commonly a good one4 ,the
 practitioners of the ,pseudo-sciences  
know that common minds1 after they have 
been baited with a real fact or two1    

will jump at the merest rag of a lie1 or
 even at the bare hook4 ,when we have   
one fact found us1 we are very apt to   
supply the next out of our own          
imagination4 7,how many persons can read
 ,judges xv4 #af correctly the first    
time87 ,the ,pseudo-sciences take       
advantage of this4--,i did not say that 
it was so with ,phrenology4  ,i have    
rarely met a sensible man who would not 
allow that there was something in       
,phrenology4 ,a broad1 high forehead1 it
 is commonly agreed1 promises intellect2
 one that is villanous low and has a    
huge hind-head back of it1 is wont to   
mark an animal nature4 ,i have as rarely
 met an unbiassed and sensible man who  
really believed in the bumps4 ,it is    
observed1 however1 that persons with    
what the ,phrenologists call good heads 
are more prone than others toward       
plenary belief in the doctrine4  ,it is 
so hard to prove a negative1 that1 if a 
man should assert that the moon was in  
truth a green cheese1 formed by the     

coagulable substance of the ,milky ,way1
 and challenge me to prove the contrary1
 ,i might be puzzled4 ,but if he offer  
to sell me a ton of this lunar cheese1  
,i call on him to prove the truth of the
 caseous nature of our satellite1 before
 ,i purchase4  ,it is not necessary to  
prove the falsity of the phrenological  
statement4 ,it is only necessary to show
 that its truth is not proved1 and      
cannot be1 by the common course of      
argument4 ,the walls of the head are    
double1 with a great air-chamber between
 them1 over the smallest and most       
closely crowded organs4 ,can you tell   
how much money there is in a safe1 which
 also has thick double walls1 by        
kneading its knobs with your fingers8   
,so when a man fumbles about my         
forehead1 and talks about the organs of 
,individuality1 ,size1 etc41 ,i trust   
him as much as ,i should if he felt of  
the outside of my strong-box and told me
 that there was a five-dollar- or a     
ten-dollar-bill under this or that      

particular rivet4 ,perhaps there is2    
only he doesn't know anything about it4 
,but this is a point that ,i1 the       
,professor1 understand1 my friends1 or  
ought to1 certainly1 better than you do4
 ,the next argument you will all        
appreciate4  ,i proceed1 therefore1 to  
explain the self-adjusting mechanism of 
,phrenology1 which is very similar to   
that of the ,pseudo-sciences4 ,an       
example will show it most conveniently4 
,a4 is a notorious thief4 ,messrs4      
,bumpus and ,crane examine him and find 
a good-sized organ of ,acquisitiveness4 
,positive fact for ,phrenology4 ,casts  
and drawings of ,a4 are multiplied1 and 
the bump does not lose in the act of    
copying4--,i did not ,hay it            
gained4--,what do you look so for8 7to  
the boarders47  ,presently ,b4 turns up1
 a bigger thief than ,a4 ,but ,b4 has no
 bump at all over ,acquisitiveness4     
,negative fact2 goes against            
,phrenology4--,not a bit of it4 ,don't  
you see how small ,conscientiousness is8

 ,that's the reason ,b4 stole4  ,and    
then comes ,c41 ten times as much a     
thief as either ,a4 or ,b41--used to    
steal before he was weaned1 and would   
pick one of his own pockets and put its 
contents in another1 if he could find no
 other way of committing petty larceny4 
,unfortunately1 ,c4 has a hollow1       
instead of a bump1 over                 
,acquisitiveness4 ,ah1 but just look and
 see what a bump of ,alimentiveness6    
,did not ,c4 buy nuts and ginger-bread1 
when a boy1 with the money he stole8 ,of
 course you see why he is a thief1 and  
how his example confirms our noble      
science4  ,at last comes along a case   
which is apparently a settler1 for there
 is a little brain with vast and varied 
powers1--a case like that of ,byron1 for
 instance4 ,then comes out the grand    
reserve-reason which covers everything  
and renders it simply impossible ever to
 corner a ,phrenologist4 ,it is not the 
size alone1 but the quality of an organ1
 which determines its degree of power4  

,oh6 oh6 ,i see4--,the argument may be  
briefly stated thus by the              
,phrenologist3 ,heads ,i win1 tails you 
lose4 ,well1 that's convenient4  ,it    
must be confessed that ,phrenology has a
 certain resemblance to the             
,pseudo-sciences4 ,i did not say it was 
a ,pseudo-science4  ,i have often met   
persons who have been altogether struck 
up and amazed at the accuracy with which
 some wandering ,professor of           
,phrenology had read their characters   
written upon their skulls4 ,of course   
the ,professor acquires his information 
solely through his cranial inspections  
and manipulations4--,what are you       
laughing at8 7to the boarders74--,but   
let us just suppose1 for a moment1 that 
a tolerably cunning fellow1 who did not 
know or care anything about ,phrenology1
 should open a shop and undertake to    
read off people's characters at fifty   
cents or a dollar apiece4 ,let us see   
how well he could get along without the 
organs4  ,i will suppose myself to set  

up such a shop4 ,i would invest one     
hundred dollars1 more or less1 in casts 
of brains1 skulls1 charts1 and other    
matters that would make the most show   
for the money4 ,that would do to begin  
with4 ,i would then advertise myself as 
the celebrated ,professor ,brainey1 or  
whatever name ,i might choose1 and wait 
for my first customer4 ,my first        
customer is a middle-aged man4 ,i look  
at him1--ask him a question or two1 so  
as to hear him talk4 ,when ,i have got  
the hang of him1 ,i ask him to sit down1
 and proceed to fumble his skull1       
dictating as follows3--                 
,,scale ,,from ,i ,,to #aj4    ,,list   
,,of ,,faculties ,,for ,,customer4      
,,private ,,notes ,,for ,,my ,,pupil3   
,each to be accompanied with a wink4    
,amativeness1 #g4            ,most men  
love the conflicting sex1 and all       
men love to be told they do4            
,alimentiveness1 #h4         ,don't you 
see that he has burst off his           
lowest waistcoat-button with            

feeding1--hay8      ,acquisitiveness1   
#h4      ,of course4 ,a middle-aged     
,yankee4      ,approbativeness1 #g4     
,hat well brushed4 ,hair ditto4 ,mark   
the                                     
effect of that plus sign4               
,self-esteem1 #f4          ,his face    
shows that4      ,benevolence1 #i4      
,that'll please him                     
,conscientiousness1 #h-a_/b4 ,that      
fraction looks first-rate4              
,mirthfulness1 #g4         ,has laughed 
twice since he came in4      ,ideality1 
#i4             ,that sounds well4      
,form1 ,size1 ,weight1 ,color1          
,locality1 ,eventuality1 etc41   #d to  
#f4 ,average everything that     etc41  
can't be guessed4                       
,and so of the other faculties4   ,of   
course1 you know1 that isn't the way the
 ,phrenologists do4 ,they go only by the
 bumps4--,what do you keep laughing so  
for8 7to the boarders47 ,i only said    
that is the way ,i should practise      
,phrenology for a living4  ,end of my   

,lecture4  ----,the ,reformers have good
 heads generally4 ,their faces are      
commonly serene enough1 and they are    
lambs in private intercourse1 even      
though their voices may be like    ,the 
wolf's long howl from ,oonalaska's      
shore1  when heard from platform4 ,their
 greatest spiritual danger is from the  
perpetual flattery of abuse to which    
they are exposed4 ,these lines are meant
 to caution them4     ,,saint ,,anthony 
,,the ,,reformer4   ,,his ,,temptation4 
,no fear lest praise should make us     
proud6     ,we know how cheaply that is 
won2   ,the idle homage of the crowd    
,is proof of tasks as idly done4    ,a  
surface-smile may pay the toil     ,that
 follows still the conquering ,right1   
,with soft1 white hands to dress the    
spoil     ,that sunbrowned arms have    
clutched in fight4    ,sing the sweet   
song of other days1     ,serenely       
placid1 safely true1   ,and o'er the    
present's parching ways     ,thy verse  
distils like evening dew4    ,but speak 

in words of living power1--     ,they   
fall like drops of scalding rain   ,that
 plashed before the burning shower      
swept o'er the cities of the plain6     
,then scowling ,hate turns deadly       
pale1--     ,then ,passion's half-coiled
 adders spring1   ,and1 smitten through 
their leprous mail1     ,strike right   
and left in hope to sting4    ,if thou1 
unmoved by poisoning wrath1     ,they   
feet on earth1 they heart above1        
,canst walk in peace they kingly path1  
,unchanged in trust1 unchilled in       
love1--    ,too kind for bitter words to
 grieve1     ,too firm for clamor to    
dismay1   ,when ,faith forbids thee to  
believe1     ,and ,meekness calls to    
disobey1--    ,ah1 then beware of mortal
 pride6     ,the smiling pride that     
calmly scorns   ,those foolish fingers1 
crimson dyed     ,in laboring on thy    
crown of thorns6     ,,the ,,italian    
,,war4   ,war has been pronounced the   
condition of humanity2 and it is certain
 that conflict of some kind rages       

everywhere and at all times4 ,the most  
combative people on earth are the       
advocates of universal and perpetual    
peace4 ,there is something essentially  
defiant in the action of men who        
avowedly seek the abolition of a custom 
that has existed since the days of      
,cain1 and which was well known to those
 magnificent beasts that ranged over the
 earth's face long before man began to  
dream or was dreamed of4 ,to fight seems
 a necessity of the animal nature1      
whether the animal be called tiger1     
bull1 or man4 ,those who have fought    
assure us that there is a positive      
pleasure in battle4 ,that clever young  
woman1 ,miss ,flora ,mac-,ivor1 who     
passed most of her life in the very     
highest fighting society1 assures us1   
that men1 when confronted with each     
other1 have a certain instinct for      
strife1 as we see in other male animals1
 such as dogs1 bulls1 and so forth4 ,it 
is even so2 and1 further1 the fondness  
that men have for accounts and details  

of battles is another evidence of the   
popularity of war1 and an absolute      
stumbling-block in the way of the ,peace
 ,society1 which has the hardest of     
combats to fight4  ,the journals of the 
world are at this time full of the      
details of a war such as that world has 
not witnessed since #ahae1 and in       
comparison with which even the ,russian 
,war was but a second-rate contest4 ,the
 old quarrel between ,austria and       
,france1 which has repeatedly caused the
 peace of ,europe to be broken since the
 days of ,frederick ,,iii4 and ,louis   
,,xi41 has been renewed in our time with
 a fierceness and a vehemence and on a  
scale that would have astonished        
,francis ,i41 ,charles ,v41 ,richelieu1 
,turenne1 ,cond1 ,louis ,,xiv41 ,eugne1 
and even ,napoleon himself1 the most    
mighty of whose contests with ,austria  
alone cannot be compared with that which
 his nephew is now waging with the      
,house of ,lorraine4 ,for1 in #ahje and 
in #ahji1 ,napoleon was not merely the  

ruler of ,france1 but had at his control
 the resources of many other countries4 
,belgium and ,holland were then at the  
command of ,france1 and now they are    
independent monarchies1 holding strictly
 the position of neutrals4 ,in #ahji1   
,napoleon had those very ,german ,states
 for his active allies that now threaten
 ,napoleon ,,iii42 and some of the      
hardest fighting on the ,french side1 in
 the first days of the campaign1 was the
 work of ,bavarians and other ,german   
soldiers4 ,that part of ,poland which   
then constituted the ,grand ,duchy of   
,warsaw was among his dependent         
principalities2 and ,russia sent an army
 to his aid4 ,in #ahje1 ,napoleon ,i4   
had far more of ,italian assistance than
 ,napoleon ,,iii4 has had at the time we
 write2 and in #ahji1 the entire        
,peninsula obeyed his decrees as        
implicitly as they were obeyed by       
,france4 ,napoleon ,,iii4 entered upon  
the war with the hereditary rival of his
 country with no other ally than        

,sardinia1 though it is now evident that
 there was an understanding between him 
and the ,czar1 not pointing to an attack
 on ,england1 but to prevent the        
intervention of the ,germans in behalf  
of ,austria1 by holding out the implied 
threat of an attack on ,germany by      
,russia1 should its rulers or people    
move against the allies4  ,whatever may 
be thought of the motives of the ,french
 ,emperor1 and however little most men  
may be disposed to believe in his       
generosity1 it is impossible to refrain 
from admiring the promptness and skill  
with which he has acted1 or to deny to  
him the merit of courage in daring to   
pronounce so decidedly against the      
,austrians at a time when he could not  
have reasonably reckoned upon a single  
ally beyond the limits of ,italy1 when  
,england1 under ,tory rule1 was more    
disposed to act against him than with   
him1 and when the hostility of ,germany1
 and its readiness to support the       
,slavonic empire of ,austria1 were      

unequivocally expressed4 ,so great      
indeed1 were the odds against him1 that 
we find in that fact the chief reason   
for the indisposition of the world to   
believe in the possibility of war1 and  
its extraordinary surprise when war     
actually broke out4  ,to those who had  
closely scanned the affairs of ,europe1 
and who observed them by the light of   
the history of nearly four centuries1   
the coming of war was no surprise4 ,they
 foresaw it1 and predicted its          
occurrence some time before that famous 
lecture which the ,emperor of the       
,french administered to the ,emperor of 
,austria in the person of ,baron ,hbner4
 ,with them1 the question was not1      
,shall there be a war8--but it was1     
,when will the war break out8 ,they     
reasoned from the cause of the quarrel  
between the two empires2 while those who
 so long clung to the belief that peace 
would be preserved1 and who so plausibly
 argued in support of their theory as to
 impose upon wellnigh the whole world1  

concerned themselves only with its      
occasion4 ,the former referred to things
 that lay beyond the range of temporary 
politics1 and1 while admitting that the 
shock of actual conflict might be       
postponed even for a few years1 were    
certain that such conflict must come1   
even if in the interval there should    
happen an entire change of government in
 ,france4 ,france might be imperial1 or 
royal1 or republican1 she might be      
,bonapartean1 or ,henriquist1 or        
,orlansist1 or democratic1--tri-color1  
white1 blue or red1--but the quarrel    
would come1 and cause new campaigns4    
,the latter thinking that the dispute   
was on the ,italian question only1 and  
knowing that that was susceptible of    
diplomatic settlement1 and believing    
that there would be a union of ,european
 powers to accomplish such settlement1  
rather than allow peace to be disturbed1
 never could suppose that the balance of
 probabilities would be found on the    
side of war4 ,it is due to them to say1 

that a variety of causes conduced not   
merely to make them firm in their faith1
 but to win for their views the general 
approbation on mankind4 ,prominent among
 these was the striking fact1 that there
 had been no ,european was1 strictly so 
called1 with the single exception of the
 ,russian contest1--and that was highly 
exceptional in its character1--for      
four-and-forty years4 ,the generation   
that is passing away1 and the generation
 that is most active in discharging the 
business of the world1 never had seen a 
grand conflict between ,christian       
states1 in which mighty armies had      
operated on vast and various fields4    
,old men recollected the wars of        
,napoleon1 but the number of such men is
 not large1 and their influence on      
opinion is small4 ,of quarrels and      
threats of war all had seen enough2 but 
this only tended to make them slow to   
believe that war was really at hand4 ,if
 so many quarrels had taken place1 and  
had been settled without resort to arms1

 assuredly the new quarrel might be     
settled1 and ,europe get on peaceably   
for a few years more without warfare4   
,neither the invasion of ,spain in      
#ahbc1 nor the revolution of #ahcj1 nor 
the ,eastern question of #ahdj1 nor the 
universal outbreaks of #ahdh-i1 nor the 
threats of ,russia against ,turkey when 
she sought to compel the ,sultan to give
 up those who had eaten his salt to the 
gallows of ,arad1 nor the repeated      
discussions of the practicability of a  
,french conquest of ,england had led to 
a general war4 ,if so many and so black 
clouds had been dispersed without       
storms1 it was not reasonable to believe
 that the cloud which rose in the       
beginning of #ahei might also break1 and
 leave again a serene sky4 ,it may be   
added that we have all of us come to the
 conclusion that this is the best age   
the world has ever known1 as in most    
respects it is2 and it seemed scarcely  
compatible with our estimate of the     
age's excellence to believe that it     

could send a couple of million of men   
into the field for the purpose of       
cutting one another's throats1 except   
clearly as an act of self-defence4 ,man 
is the same war-making animal now that  
he was in the days of ,marathon1 but he 
readily admits the evils of war1 and is 
peremptory in demanding that they shall 
not be incurred save for good and valid 
reasons4 ,he is as ready to fight as    
ever he was1 but he must fight for some 
definite cause1--for a cause that will  
bear examination3 and it did not seem   
possible that a mere dispute concerning 
the manner in which ,austria governed   
her ,italian dominions was of sufficient
 moment to light up the flames of war   
anew on a scale as gigantic as ever they
 were made to blaze during the days of  
,napoleon4 ,then1 so far as the ,russian
 ,war threw any light upon the policy of
 ,france1 the fair inference was that   
she at least was not disposed to fight4 
,france made the peace by which that war
 was brought to a sudden end4 ,she      

dictated that peace1 much to the disgust
 of the ,english1 who had just become   
thoroughly roused1 and who1 little      
anticipating the ,indian mutiny1 were   
for carrying on the contest until       
,russia should be thoroughly humiliated4
 ,considering all these things1 it was  
not unreasonable to believe that peace  
could be maintained1 and that ,austria1 
far from taking the initiative in the   
war1 would be found ready to make such  
concessions as should lead to the       
indefinite postponement of hostilities4 
,those who reasoned from the mere       
occasion of the war were perfectly      
right1 from their point of view4        
,unfortunately for their reputation for 
sagacity1 their premises were entirely  
wrong1 and hence the viciousness of     
their conclusion4 ,if we would know the 
cause of the war1 we must banish from   
our minds all that is said about the    
desire of ,napoleon ,,iii for vengeance 
on the conquerors of his uncle1 all that
 we are told of his sentimental wish for

 the elevation of the ,italian people to
 a national position1 and all that is   
predicated of his ambitious longings for
 the reconstruction of the ,first       
,empire4 ,we must regard ,napoleon ,,iii
 in the light of what he really is1     
namely1 one of the greatest statesmen   
that ever lived1 or we shall never be   
able to understand what are his         
purposes4 ,we have nothing to do with   
his morals1 but have to regard him only 
as the chief of ,france1 pursuing the   
policy he believes best calculated to   
advance that country's interests1 and   
doing so in strict accordance with her  
historical traditions1 and in the same  
manner in which it was pursued by the   
ablest of the ,valois kings1 by ,henry  
,,iv4 and ,sully1 by ,richelieu and     
,mazarin1 by ,louis ,,xiv41 by the      
chiefs of the ,first ,republic1 and by  
,napoleon ,i4 ,he may be a good man or a
 bad man1 but his character is entirely 
aside from the question1 the nature and 
merits of which have no necessary       

connection with the nature and merits of
 the men engaged in effecting its       
solution4 ,let us examine the subject1  
and see if we cannot find an            
intelligent1 reasonable cause for       
,napoleon's course of action1 that shall
 harmonize with the duties1 we might    
almost say the instincts1 of a great    
,french statesman4 ,the examination will
 embrace nothing recondite1 but we are  
confident it will show that the ,french 
,emperor is no ,quixote1 and that he has
 been forced into the war by the        
necessities of his situation1 and by the
 very natural desire he feels to prevent
 ,france from being compelled to descend
 to a secondary place in the scale of   
,european nations4  ,modern ,europe1 in 
the sense in which we understand the    
term1 dates from the last quarter of the
 ,fifteenth ,century4 ,then ,england    
ceased to attempt permanent conquests on
 the continent4 ,then ,spain assumed    
,european rank and definite position4   
,but two powers then began especially to

 show themselves1 and to play parts     
which both have maintained down to the  
present time4 ,the one was ,france1     
which then ceased to dread ,english     
invasions1 from the effects of which she
 was rapidly recovering1 whereby she was
 left to employ her energies on foreign 
fields4 ,the other was the ,house of    
,austria1 which1 by a series of         
fortunate marriages1 became1 in the     
short period of forty years1 the most   
powerful family the modern world has    
ever known4 ,on the day when            
,maximilian1 son of ,frederick ,,iii41  
,emperor of ,germany1 wedded ,mary of   
,burgundy1 daughter of ,charles the     
,bold1 the rivalry between ,france and  
the ,austrian family began4 ,philip1 son
 of that marriage1 married ,juana1      
daughter of ,ferdinand and ,isabella2   
and their son1 ,charles ,i4 of the      
,spains1 became ,charles ,v4 of         
,germany4 ,thus there centred in his    
person a degree of power such as no     
other sovereign could boast1 and which  

alone would have sufficed to make him   
the rival of the ,king of ,france1      
,francis ,i41 had no personal feeling   
entered into the relations between them4
 ,but such feeling existed1 and grew out
 of their competition for the imperial  
crown4 ,the previous ill-will between   
the ,valois and the ,hapsburg was       
greatly increased1 and assumed such     
force as permanently to color the course
 of ,european history from that day to  
this4 ,the rivalry of ,charles and      
,francis was the cause of many contests1
 and the ,french monarch1 though he was 
,the ,most ,christian ,king1 in the     
opinion of some1 more than once aided1  
or offered to aid1 the ,german          
,protestants against the ,emperor4 ,to  
,philip ,,ii4 and ,henry ,,ii4 the      
rivalry of their fathers descended as an
 inheritance4 ,it was in their warfare  
that the ,battle of ,st4 ,quentin was   
fought4 ,the progress of the            
,reformation led monarchs in those days 
to take a view of affairs not much      

unlike that which monarchs of this      
century took in the days of the ,holy   
,alliance1 and after the revolution of  
#ahcj4 ,the hatred of ,protestantism led
 the two kings to draw together1 though 
,henry ,,ii4 had had no mean part in    
that work which had enabled the         
,protestant ,maurice of ,saxony to      
render abortive all the plans of        
,charles ,v4 for the full restoration of
 ,catholicism in ,germany4 ,during the  
thirty years that followed the death of 
,henry ,,ii41 the dissensions of ,france
 had rendered her unable to contend with
 the ,house of ,austria1 then           
principally represented by the ,spanish 
branch of that family2 and ,philip ,,ii4
 at one time thought of obtaining the   
crown of that country for a member of   
his own house4 ,but no sooner had ,henry
 ,,iv4 ascended the ,french throne1 and 
established himself firmly thereon1 than
 the rivalry of ,france and ,austria    
became as clearly pronounced as it had  
been in the reign of ,francis ,i42 and  

at the time of his death that most      
popular of the ,bourbon kings was       
engaged on a plan having for its object 
the subversion of the ,austrian power4  
,his assassination changed the course of
 events for a few years2 but ,richelieu 
became the ally of the ,swedes and      
,protestant ,germans in the ,thirty     
,years' ,war1 though he was a ,cardinal1
 had destroyed the political power of   
the ,huguenots1 and might have aspired  
to the ,papacy4 ,mazarin1 another       
,cardinal1 followed ,richelieu's policy4
 ,louis ,,xiv4 was repeatedly at war    
with the ,house of ,austria1 though he  
was the son of an ,austrian princess1   
and was married to another4 ,his last   
war with that house was for the throne  
of ,spain1 when the elder branch of the 
,hapsburgs died out1 in #agjj4 ,louis   
,,xv4 had two contests with ,austria2   
but in #agef1 under the lead of ,count  
,kaunitz1 ,france and ,austria were     
united1 and acted together in the ,seven
 ,years' ,war1 the incidents and effects

 of which were by no means calculated to
 reconcile the ,french to the departure 
of their government from its ancient    
policy4 ,one of the causes of the       
,french ,revolution was the ,austrian   
alliance1 and one of its effects was the
 complete rupture of that alliance4     
,austria was the most determined foe    
that the ,french ,republic and ,empire  
ever encountered4 ,including the war of 
#ahae1 there were six contests between  
,austria and republican and imperial    
,france4 ,in all these wars ,austria was
 the aggressor1 and showed herself to be
 the enemy of ,france as well as of     
those ,french principles which so       
frightened the conservatives of the     
world in those days4 ,in the first war1 
she took possession of ,french places   
for herself1 and not for the ,house of  
,bourbon2 and in the last she purposed a
 partition of ,france1 long after ,louis
 ,,xviii4 had been finally restored1 and
 when ,napoleon was at or near ,st4     
,helena4 ,she demanded that ,alsace and 

,lorraine should be made over to her1 in
 the autumn of #ahae4 ,she sought to    
induce ,prussia to unite with her by    
offering to support any demand that she 
might make for ,french territory2 and1  
failing to move that power1 endeavored  
to get the smaller ,german ,states to   
act with her1--the same ,states1 indeed1
 that are now so hostile to ,france1 and
 which talk of a march upon ,paris1 and 
of a reduction of ,french territorial   
strength4 ,nothing prevented the        
,austrian idea from being reduced to    
practice but the opposition of ,russia  
and ,england1 neither of which had any  
interest in the spoliation of ,france1  
while both had no desire to see ,austria
 rendered stronger than she was4 ,it was
 to ,england that ,austria owed her     
,italian possessions1 which1 in #ahad1  
she at first had the sense not to wish  
to be cumbered with2 and to make her    
still more powerful north of the ,alps  
was not to be thought of even by the    
,liverpools and ,castlereaghs4 ,the     

,czar1 too1 had in his thoughts a closer
 connection with ,france than it suited 
him then to avow1 and for purposes of   
his own2 and therefore he could not     
desire the sensible diminution of the   
power of a country the resources of     
which he expected to employ4 ,nicholas  
inherited his brother's ideas and       
designs1 and we are to attribute much of
 the ill-feeling that he exhibited      
towards the ,orlans dynasty to his      
disappointment2 for the revolution that 
elevated that dynasty to the ,french    
throne destroyed the hope that he had   
entertained of having ,french aid to    
effect the conquest of ,turkey4 ,there  
never would have been a siege of        
,sebastopol1 if the elder branch of the 
,bourbons had continued to rule in      
,france4 ,it required even a series of  
revolutions to bring ,france to that    
condition in which the ,western         
,alliance was possible4 ,but there would
 have been something more than an       
understanding between ,france and       

,russia concerning ,austria1 had the    
government of the ,restoration endured a
 few years beyond #ahcj4 ,it suited the 
,austrian government to show            
considerable coldness towards the       
,orlans dynasty2 but assuredly so wise a
 man as ,prince ,metternich1 and who had
 such excellent means of information1   
never could have believed otherwise than
 that the establishment of that dynasty 
saved ,austria from being assailed by   
both ,russia and ,france4  ,the rivalry 
of ,france and ,austria being           
understood1 and that rivalry leading to 
war whenever occasion therefor chances  
to arise1 it remains to inquire what is 
the occasion of the existing contest4   
,when ,napoleon ,,iii4 became head of   
,france1 as ,prince-,president1 at the  
close of #ahdh1 ,austria was the last   
power with which he could have engaged  
in war1 supposing that he had then been 
strong enough to control the policy of  
,france1 and it had suited him to make  
an occasion for war4 ,she was then      

engaged in her death-and-life struggles 
with ,hungarians1 ,italians1 and others 
of her subjects who that year threw off 
her yoke1 while the ,sardinians had     
endeavored to obtain possession of      
,lombardy and ,venice4 ,francis ,joseph 
became chief of the ,austrian ,empire at
 the same time that ,louis ,napoleon    
ascended to the same point in ,france4  
,certainly1 if the object of ,france had
 been the mere weakening and spoliation 
of ,austria1 then was the time to assail
 her1 when one half her subjects were   
fighting the other half1 when the       
,germans outside of her empire were by  
no means her friends1 and when it was   
far from clear that she could rely upon 
assistance from ,russia4 ,austria was   
then in a condition of helplessness     
apparently so complete1 that many       
thought her hour had come2 but those who
 knew her history1 and were aware how   
often she had recovered from just such  
crises1 held no belief of the kind4 ,yet
 if ,france had assailed her at that    

time1 ,austria must have lost all her   
,italian provinces2 and it is now       
generally admitted1 that1 if ,cavaignac 
had sent a ,french army into ,italy     
immediately after the victory won by    
,radetzky over ,charles ,albert at      
,somma ,campagna1 7,july #bfth1 #ahdh17 
the ,italian question would then have   
been settled in a manner that would have
 been satisfactory to the greater part  
of ,europe1 and have rendered such a war
 as is now waging in ,italy quite       
impossible4 ,russia could have done     
nothing to prevent the success of the   
,french arms1 and it is probable that   
,austria would have abandoned the       
contest without fighting a battle4 ,at  
an earlier period she had signified her 
readiness to allow the incorporation of 
most of ,lombardy with ,sardinia1 she to
 retain the country beyond the ,mincio1 
and to hold the two great fortresses of 
,peschiera 7at the southern extremity of
 the ,lago di ,garda1 and at the point  
where the river issues from the lake7   

and ,mantua4 ,she even asked the aid of 
,france and ,england to effect a peace  
on this basis1 but unsuccessfully4      
,cavoignac's anomalous political        
position prevented him from aiding the  
,italians4 ,he was a ,liberal1 but the  
actual head of the reactionists in      
,france of all colors1 of men who looked
 upon the ,italians as ruffians wedded  
to disorder1 while ,austria1 in their   
eyes1 was the champion of order4 ,france
 did nothing1 and in ,december ,louis   
,napoleon became ,president4 ,an        
opportunity was soon afforded him to    
interfere in ,italian affairs4 ,the     
armistice that had existed between the  
,austrians and the ,sardinians after the
 #ith of ,august1 #ahdh1 was denounced  
on the #abth of ,march1 #ahdi1 by the   
latter2 and ,radetzky closed the order  
of the day1 issued immediately after    
this denunciation was made1 with the    
words1--,forward1 soldiers1 to ,turin6  
,the intentions of the ,sardinians must 
have been known to ,louis ,napoleon1 but

 he took no measures to aid them4 ,he   
saw ,piedmont conquered in a campaign of
 hours4 ,he saw ,brescia treated by     
,haynau as ,tilly treated ,magdeburg4   
,he saw the long and heroical defence of
 ,venice against the ,austrians1 during 
the dreary spring and summer of         
'#di1--;a defence as worthy of          
immortality as the ,war of ,chiozza1 and
 indicating the presence of the spirit  
of ,zeno1 and ,contarini1 and ,pisani in
 the old home of those patriots4 ,but   
nothing moved him4 ,he would not even   
mediate in behalf of the ,venetians2 and
 it was by the advice of the ,french    
consul and the ,french admiral on the   
station that ,venice finally            
surrendered1 but not until she had      
exhausted the means of defence and life4
 ,at that time1 few men in ,america but 
were in the habit of denouncing the     
,french ,president for his indifference 
to the ,italian cause4 ,he was charged  
with having been guilty of a blunder and
 a crime4 ,his consent to the expedition

 to ,rome aggravated his offence1 for it
 was an act of intervention on the wrong
 side4 ,but the passage of ten years    
enables us to be more just to him than  
it was possible for us to be in #ahdi4  
,he was not firm in his seat4 ,he was   
but a temporary chief of the ,state4 ,he
 was surrounded by enemies1 political   
and personal1 who were seeking his      
overthrow1 without any regard for the   
tenure of his office4 ,he knew not his  
power4 ,his object was the restoration  
of internal peace to ,france1 her       
recovery from the weakness info which   
she had fallen or had been precipitated4
 ,he dared not offend the ,catholics1   
who saw then1 as they see now1 a        
champion in ,austria4 ,he was the victim
 of circumstances1 and he had to bow    
before them1 in order that he might     
finally become their master4 ,then he   
had no occasion for a quarrel with      
,austria4 ,she was at the lowest ebb her
 fortunes had known since the day that  
the ,turks appeared for the second time 

before ,vienna4 ,she could not have     
maintained herself in ,italy1 even after
 the successes of ,radetzky1 had not    
,nicholas sent one hundred and fifty    
thousand men to her assistance in       
,hungary4 ,what had ,france to fear from
 her8 ,no more than she had to fear from
 her on the day after ,austerlitz4      
,years rolled on1 and brought with them 
great changes2 and the greatest of those
 changes was to be seen in ,italy1 in   
reference to the position of ,austria   
there1 and its effect upon ,france4     
,austria rapidly restablished her power 
in ,italy1 not only over ,lombardy and  
,venice1 but over every part of the     
,peninsula1 excepting ,sardinia4        
,tuscany was connected with her by      
various ties1 and was ruled as she      
wished it to be ruled4 ,parma and       
,modena were hers in every sense4 ,she  
was the patron and protector of the     
abominable ,bomba1 and her support alone
 enabled him to defy the sentiment of   
the civilized world1 and to indulge in  

cruelties such as would have added new  
infamy to the name of ,ezzelino4 ,she   
upheld the misgovernment of the ,papal  
,states1 which has made ,rome the       
scandal of ,europe4 ,all the nominal    
rulers of the ,italian ,states1 with the
 honorable exception of the ,king of    
,sardinia1 were her vassal princes1 and 
were no more free to act without her    
consent than were the kings the ,roman  
,republic and ,empire allowed to exist  
within their dominions free to act      
without the consent of the proconsuls4  
,what the proconsul of ,syria was to the
 little potentates mentioned in the ,new
 ,testament1 the ,austrian viceroy in   
the ,lombardo-,venetian kingdom was to  
the nominal rulers of the various       
,italian ,states4 ,it only remained to  
bring ,sardinia within this ring-fence  
of sea and mountains to convert all     
,italy into an ,austrian dependency4    
,there is nothing like this in history1 
we verily believe4 ,in the short period 
of ten years after the capture of ,milan

 by ,radetzky1 7,august #d1 #ahdh17 the 
,austrians had established themselves   
completely in nearly every part of      
,italy4 ,of the twenty-seven millions of
 people that compose her population1    
twenty-two millions were as much at the 
command of ,austria as were the         
,hungarians and ,bohemians4 ,had she had
 the sense to use her power1 not with   
mildness only1 but beneficially to this 
great mass of men1 and had nothing      
occurred to disturb her plans1 she would
 have nearly doubled the number of her  
subjects1 and have more than doubled her
 resources4 ,she would have become a    
great maritime state1 and have converted
 the ,mediterranean into an ,austrian   
lake4 ,had they been well governed1 the 
,italians might1 and most probably      
would1 have accepted their condition1   
and have become loyal subjects of the   
,house of ,lorraine4 ,foreign rule is no
 new thing to them1 nor have they ever  
been impatient under its existence1 when
 it has existed for their good4 ,the    

people rarely are hostile to any        
government that is conducted with       
ordinary fairness4 ,there is no greater 
error than that involved in the idea    
that revolutions or changes of any kind 
originate from below1 that they proceed 
from the people4 ,almost invariably they
 come from above1 from governmental     
action2 and it is ever in the power of a
 government to make itself perpetual4   
,the term of its existence is in its own
 hands4 ,at the very worst for ,austria1
 she might have accomplished in ,italy  
what was accomplished there three       
centuries ago by ,spain1 then ruled by  
the elder branch of the ,hapsburgs4 ,she
 might have commanded almost everything 
within its limits1 with ,sardinia to    
play some such part as was then played  
by ,venice4  ,this is said on the       
supposition1 first1 that her government 
should have been mild and conciliatory1 
active only for good1 and that all her  
interference with local rule should have
 been on the side of humanity2 and1     

second1 that no foreign power should    
have interfered to prevent the full     
development of her policy4              
,unfortunately for her1 but fortunately 
for other nations1 and especially so for
 ,italy1 she not only did not govern    
well1 but governed badly2 and there was 
a great power which was deeply1 vitally 
interested--moved by the all-controlling
 principle of self-preservation--in     
watching all her movements1 and in      
finding occasion to drive her out of    
,italy4 ,she was not content with       
upholding misgovernment in ,naples1     
,rome1 ,tuscany1 ,modena1 ,parma1 and   
elsewhere1 but she meant to subvert the 
constitutional polity established in the
 ,sub-,alpine ,kingdom of ,sardinia4    
,the enemy of constitutionalism and     
freedom everywhere1 she was especially  
hostile to their existence in the little
 state that bordered on a portion of her
 ,italian possessions1 whence they      
always threatened ,lombardy with a      
plague she detests far more heartily    

than she detests cholera4 ,no natural   
boundary or cordon militaire could      
suffice to stay the march of principles4
 ,nothing would answer but the          
subversion of the ,sardinian            
constitution and the bringing of that   
nation's government into harmony with   
the admirable rule that existed1 under  
the double-headed eagle's protection1 in
 ,naples and ,modena4 ,unless all       
,austrian history be false1 ,austria's  
object for years has been a revolution  
in ,sardinia1 and ,rome has aided her4  
,this is the necessity of her moral     
situation with reference to her little  
neighbor4 ,the world has smiled at      
,austria's late complaint that ,sardinia
 menaced her1 it seemed so like the     
wolf's protestation that the lamb was   
doing him an injury2 but it was really  
well founded1 though not entitled to    
much respect4 ,sardinia did menace      
,austria4 ,she menaced her by the force 
of her example1--as the honest man      
menaces the rogue1 as the peaceful man  

menaces the ruffian1 as the charitable  
man menaces the miser1 as the ,good     
,samaritan menaced the priest and       
,levite4 ,in the sense that virtue ever 
menaces vice1 and right constantly      
menaces wrong1 ,sardinia was a menace to
 ,austria2--and as we often find the    
wrongdoer denouncing the good as        
subverters of social order1 we ought not
 to be astonished at the plaintive whine
 of the master of thrice forty legions  
at the conduct of the decorous1 humane1 
and enlightened ,victor ,emanuel4  ,the 
only foreign power that had a direct1   
immediate1 positive interest in         
preventing the establishment of         
,austrian power over ,italy was ,france4
 ,several other powers had some interest
 adverse to the success of the ,austrian
 scheme1 but it was so far below that   
which ,france felt1 that it is difficult
 to make any comparison between the     
several cases4 ,england1 speaking       
generally1 might not like the idea of a 
new naval power coming into existence in

 the ,mediterranean1 which1 with great  
fleets and greater armies1 might come to
 have a controlling influence in the    
,east1 and prevent the establishment of 
her power in ,egypt and ,syria4 ,she    
might see with some jealousy the further
 development of ,austrian commerce1     
which has been so successfully pursued  
in the ,mediterranean and the ,levant   
since #ahae4 ,but then ,england is not  
very remarkable for forethought1 and she
 has a just confidence in her own naval 
power4 ,besides1 would not ,austria1 in 
the event of her adding ,italy virtually
 to her dominions1 become the ally of   
,england in the business of supporting  
,turkey against ,russia1 and in         
preventing the further extension of     
,russian power to the ,south and the    
,east8 ,the old traditionary policy of  
,england pointed to an ,austrian        
alliance1 and nations are tenacious of  
their traditions4 ,the war in ,italy was
 unquestionably precipitated by         
,austria's belief that in the last      

resort she could rely upon ,english     
support2 and she made a fatal delay in  
her military movements in deference to  
,english interposition4 ,prussia could  
not be expected to see the increase of  
the power of the ,house of ,austria with
 pleasure2 but it was possible that the 
extension of its dominions to the       
,south1 by giving it new objects of     
ambition1 and forcing upon it a leading 
part in ,eastern affairs1 might cause   
that house to pay less regard to ,german
 matters1 leaving them to be managed by 
the ,house of ,hohenzollern4 ,russia1   
under the system that ,nicholas pursued1
 could not have seen ,austria absorb    
,italy without resisting the process at 
any cost2 but ,alexander ,,iv41         
,footnote3 ,i call the present czar     
,alexander the ,fourth1 as there have   
been three other ,alexanders sovereigns 
of ,russia2 but he is generally styled  
,alexander the ,second4 a wiser man than
 his father was1 never would have gone  
to war to prevent it1 his views being   

directed to those internal reforms the  
success of which is likely to create a  
,russian ,people1 and to place his      
empire in a far higher position than it 
has ever yet occupied4 ,yet ,russia     
could not have witnessed ,austria's     
success with pleasure2 and the readiness
 with which she has agreed to aid       
,france1 should the ,germans aid        
,austria1 is proof sufficient that she  
is desirous that ,austria should not    
merely be prevented from extending her  
territory1 but actually reduced in      
extent and in means4 ,from no part of   
,europe have come more decided          
condemnations of the course of ,austria 
than from the ,russian capital4 ,the    
language of the ,st4 ,petersburg        
journals touching the ,treaties of      
,vienna has been absolutely             
contemptuous2 and that language is all  
the more oracular and significant       
because we know that the editors of     
those journals must have been inspired  
by the government4 ,it has been justly  

regarded as expressing the views of the 
,czar1 and of the statesmen who compose 
his cabinet4 ,though not disposed for   
war1 and probably sincerely desirous of 
the preservation of peace everywhere1   
the rulers of ,russia are quite ready to
 support ,france in all proper measures 
that she may adopt to drive the         
,austrians from every part of the       
,italian ,peninsula4 ,they are too      
sagacious not to see that ,france cannot
 hold a league of ,italian territory1   
and the reduction of ,austrian power is 
just so much gained towards the ultimate
 realization of their ,oriental policy4 
,of the other ,european powers1 and of  
their opinions respecting the effect of 
,austrian supremacy1 little need be     
said4 ,such countries as ,sweden1       
,denmark1 ,holland1 ,belgium1 and       
,portugal have little weight in the     
,european system1 individually or       
collectively4 ,even ,spain1 though she  
is not the feeble nation many of our    
countrymen are pleased to represent her1

 when seeking to find a reason for the  
seizure of ,cuba1--even ,spain1 we say1 
could not be much moved by the prospect 
of ,austria's reaching to that condition
 of vast strength which would           
necessarily follow from her undisputed  
ascendency in ,italy4 ,the lesser       
,german ,states would probably have seen
 ,austria's increase with pleasure1     
partly because it would have helped to  
remove their fears of ,france and       
,russia1 and partly because it would    
have been flattering to their pride of  
race1 the ,house of ,austria being      
,germanic in its character1 though      
ruling directly over but few            
,germans1--few1 we mean1 in comparison  
with the ,slaves1 ,magyars1 ,italians1  
and other races that compose the bulk of
 its subjects4 ,turkey alone had a      
direct interest in ,austria's success1  
as promising her protection against all 
the other great ,european powers2 but   
,turkey is not1 properly speaking1 a    
member of the ,european ,commonwealth4  

,but the case was very different with   
,france4 ,she is the first nation of    
,continental ,europe1--a position she   
has held for nearly four centuries1     
though sometimes her fortunes have been 
reduced very low1 as during the closing 
days of the ,valois dynasty1 and in     
#ahae2 but even in #ahae she had the    
melancholy consolation of knowing that  
it required the combined exertions of   
all ,europe to conquer her4 ,her        
wonderful elasticity in rising superior 
to the severest visitations has often   
surprised the world1 and those who      
remember #ahae will be most astonished  
at her present position in ,europe1 or  
rather in ,christendom4 ,her position1  
however1 has always been the result of  
indefatigable exertions1 and a variety  
of circumstances have made those        
exertions necessary on several          
occasions4 ,great as ,france is now1 and
 great as she has been at several       
periods of her history since the death  
of ,mazarin1 it may be doubted if she is

 so great as she was at the date of the 
,treaty of ,westphalia1 the work of her 
arms and her diplomacy 7#afdh74 ,at that
 time1 and for many years afterwards1   
several nations had no pronounced       
political existence that now are powers 
of the first class4 ,russia had no      
weight in ,europe until the last years  
of ,louis ,,xiv41 and her real          
importance commenced fifty years after  
that monarch was placed in his grave4   
,prussia1 though she attained to a      
respectable position at the close of the
 seventeenth century1 the date of the   
creation of her monarchy1 did not become
 a first-class power until two          
generations later1 and as the result of 
the ,seven ,years' ,war4 ,the ,united   
,states count but eighty-three years of 
national life2 and they have had        
international influence less than half  
of that time4 ,england1 which the       
restoration of the ,stuarts caused to   
sink so low in those very years during  
which ,louis ,,xiv4 was at the zenith of

 his greatness1 has been for one hundred
 and seventy years the equal of ,france4
 ,on the other hand1 the two nations    
with which ,france was formerly much    
connected1 ,turkey and ,sweden1 have    
ceased to influence events4 ,france     
allied herself with ,turkey in the early
 years of her struggle with the ,house  
of ,austria1 to the offence of          
,christian peoples2 and the relations   
between ,paris and ,constantinople were 
long maintained on the basis of common  
interest1 the only tie that has ever    
sufficed to bind nations4 ,both         
countries were the enemies of ,austria4 
,the second half of the ,thirty ,years' 
,war was maintained1 on the part of the 
enemies of ,austria1 by the alliance of 
,france and ,sweden2 and between these  
countries a good understanding          
frequently prevailed in after-times1 the
 growth of ,russia serving to force     
,sweden into the arms of ,france4       
,poland has disappeared from the list of
 nations1 and her territory has         

augmented the resources of two countries
 that had no political weight in the    
first century of the ,bourbon kings1 and
 those of ,france's rival4 ,thus ,france
 has relatively fallen4 ,that ancient   
international system of which she was   
the centre for nearly one hundred and   
fifty years--say from the middle of the 
reign of ,henry ,,iv4 to the ,peace of  
,aix-la-,chapelle1 7#aeii-agdh7--;has   
passed entirely away from the world1 and
 never can be restored4 ,france has     
seldom seriously thought of attempting  
its restoration1 though some of her     
statesmen1 and probably a large majority
 of the more intelligent of her people1 
have from time to time warmly favored   
the idea of the reconstruction of       
,poland2 and of all the errors of       
,napoleon ,i41 his failure to realize   
that idea was unquestionably the        
greatest4 ,the turn that things took in 
the ,french ,revolution enabled ,france 
to establish an hegemony in ,europe1    
which might have been long preserved but

 for the disasters of #ahab2 but the    
empire of ,napoleon ,i4 was never a     
political empire1 being only of a       
military character4 ,france then led    
,europe1 but she lost her ascendency on 
the first reverse1 like ,sparta after   
,leuctra4 ,history has no parallel to   
the change that the ,france of #ahad    
presented to the ,france of #ahab4 ,on  
the #ast of ,october1 #ahab1 the ,french
 were at ,moscow2 on the #ast of ,april1
 #ahad1 the allies were in ,paris4      
,eighteen months had done work that no  
man living at the first date had        
expected to see accomplished4 ,what     
happened in #ahae was but the complement
 of #ahad4 ,then ,france was struck     
down1 trampled upon1 spoiled1 insulted1 
and mulcted in immense sums of money2   
and finally forced to pay the cost of an
 armed police1 headed by ,wellington    
himself1 which held her chief fortresses
 for three years1 and saw that her      
chains were kept bright and strong4     
,never1 since ,lysander demolished the  

,long ,walls of ,athens to the music of 
the ,spartan flute1 had the world seen  
so bitter a spectacle of national       
humiliation1 so absolute a reversal of  
fortune1--the long-conquering legions   
perishing by the sword1 and him who had 
headed so many triumphal processions    
perishing as it were in the ,mamertine  
dungeon4  ,it was from the nadir to     
which she had thus fallen1 that the     
rulers of ,france1 acting as the agents 
of its people1 have been laboring to    
raise her ever since #ahae4 ,they have  
had a twofold object in view4 ,they have
 sought territory1 in order that ,france
 might not be driven into the list of   
second-class nations1--and military     
glory1 to make men forget ,vittoria1 and
 ,leipzig1 and ,waterloo4 ,all the      
governments of ,france have been alike  
in this respect1 no matter how much they
 have differed in other respects4 ,the  
legitimate ,bourbons1--of whom an       
,american is bound to speak well1 for   
they were our friends1 and often evinced

 a feeling towards us that exceeded     
largely anything that is required by the
 terms or the spirit of a political     
alliance1--the solitary ,orlans ,king1  
the shadowy ,republic of '#dh1 and the  
imperial government1 all have endeavored
 to do something to elevate ,france1 to 
win for her new glories1 and to regain  
for her her old position4 ,the          
expedition into ,spain1 in #ahbc1       
ostensibly made in the interest of      
,absolutism1 was really undertaken for  
the purpose of rebaptizing the white    
flag in fire4 ,charles ,x4 and ,m4 de   
,polignac were engaged in a great scheme
 of foreign policy when they fell1 the  
chief object of which1 on their side1   
was the restoration to ,france of the   
provinces of the ,rhine1--and which     
,russia favored1 because she knew1 that1
 unless the ,bourbons could do something
 to satisfy their people1 they must     
remain powerless1 and it did not answer 
her purpose that they should be         
otherwise than powerful4 ,the conquest  

of ,algiers was made for the purpose of 
gratifying the ,french people1 and with 
the intention of spreading ,french      
dominion over ,northern ,africa4 ,it was
 a step towards the acquisition of      
,egypt1 for which land ,france has      
exhibited a strange longing4 ,in this   
way the loss of ,french ,india and      
,french ,america1 things of the old     
monarchy1 were to be compensated4 ,the  
government of ,louis ,philippe expended 
mines of gold and seas of blood in      
,africa1 much to the astonishment of    
prudent men1 who had no idea of the end 
upon which its eyes were fixed4 ,when   
the ,republic of #ahdh was improvised1  
even ,lamartine1 not an unjust man1     
could talk of the rights of ,france in  
,italy1 and of her proper influence     
there2 and the wicked attack on the     
,romans1 in #ahdi1 was prompted by a    
desire to make ,french influence felt in
 that country in a manner that should be
 clear to the sense of mankind4  ,when  
,louis ,napoleon became ,president of   

,france1 it was impossible for him to   
devote much attention to foreign        
affairs4 ,his aim was to make himself   
,emperor1 to restore the ,napoleon      
dynasty4 ,this1 after a hard struggle1  
he effected in #ahea-'eb4 ,it must be   
within the recollection of all that the 
,french invasion question was never more
 vehemently discussed in ,england than  
during the ten or twelve months that    
followed the coup d'tat4 ,this happened 
because it was assumed that the ,emperor
 must do something to revenge the       
injuries his house and ,france had      
suffered from that alliance of which    
,england was the chief member and the   
purse-holder4 ,whether he ever thought  
of assailing ,england1 no man can say2  
for he never yet communicated his       
thoughts on any important subject to any
 human being4 ,we may assume1 however1  
that he would not have attacked ,england
 without having made extensive          
preparations for that purpose2 and long 
before such preparations could have been

 perfected1 the ,eastern question was   
forced upon the attention of ,europe1   
and the two nations which were expected 
to engage in war as foes united their   
immense armaments to thwart the plans of
 ,russia4 ,blinded by his feelings1 and 
altogether mistaking the character of   
the ,english people1 the ,czar treated  
,napoleon ,,iii4 contemptuously1 and    
sought to bring about the partition of  
,turkey by the aid of ,england alone4   
,it will always furnish material for the
 ingenious writers of the history of    
things that might have been1 whether the
 ,french ,emperor would have accepted   
the ,czar's proposition1 had it been    
made to him4 ,certainly it would have   
enabled him to do great things for      
,france1 while by the same course of    
action he could have struck heavy blows 
at both ,england and ,austria4 ,as it   
was1 he joined ,england to oppose       
,russia1 and the ,english have borne    
full and honorable testimony to his     
fidelity to his engagements4 ,the war   

concluded1 his attention was directed to
 ,italy1 and he sought to meliorate the 
condition of that country2 but ,austria 
would not hear even of the discussion of
 ,italian affairs4 ,the events that     
marked the course of things in ,paris1  
in the spring of #ahef1 showed that     
nothing could be hoped for ,italy from  
,austria4 ,she spoke1 through ,count    
,buol1 as if she regarded the whole     
,peninsula as peculiarly her property1  
meddling with which on the part of other
 powers was sheer impertinence1 and not 
to be borne with good temper1 or even   
the show of it4  ,the twenty-second     
meeting of the ,congress of ,paris1 held
 the #hth of ,april1 was long1 exciting1
 and important2 for then several        
,european questions were discussed1     
among them being the affairs of ,italy4 
,the protocol of that day proves the    
sensitiveness of the ,austrian          
plenipotentiaries and the earnestness of
 those of ,sardinia4 ,eight days later1 
the ,sardinian plenipotentiaries1       

,cavour and ,de ,villa ,marina1         
addressed to the governments of ,france 
and ,england a ,memorial relating to the
 affairs of ,italy1 in the course of    
which occur expressions that must have  
had a strong effect on the mind of      
,napoleon ,,iii4 ,called by the         
sovereigns of the small states of       
,italy1 who are powerless to repress the
 discontent of their subjects1 says the 
,memorial1 ,austria occupies militarily 
the greater part of the ,valley of the  
,po and of ,central ,italy1 and makes   
her influence felt in an irresistible   
manner1 even in the countries where she 
has no soldiers4 ,resting on one side on
 ,ferrara and ,bologna1 her troops      
extend themselves to ,ancona1 the length
 of the ,adriatic1 which has become in a
 manner an ,austrian lake2 on the other1
 mistress of ,piacenza1 which1 contrary 
to the spirit1 if not to the letter1 of 
the ,treaties of ,vienna1 she labors to 
transform into a first-class fortress1  
she has a garrison at ,parma1 and makes 

dispositions to deploy her forces all   
along the ,sardinian frontier1 from the 
,po to the summit of the ,apennines4    
,this permanent occupation by ,austria  
of territories which do not belong to   
her renders her absolute mistress of    
nearly all ,italy1 destroys the         
equilibrium established by the ,treaties
 of ,vienna1 and is a continual menace  
to ,piedmont4 ,in conclusion1 the       
plenipotentiaries say1--,sardinia is the
 only state in ,italy that has been able
 to raise an impassable barrier to the  
revolutionary spirit1 and at the same   
time remain independent of ,austria4 ,it
 is the counterpoise to her invading    
influence4 ,if ,sardinia succumbed1     
exhausted of power1 abandoned by her    
allies1--if she also was obliged to     
submit to ,austrian domination1 then the
 conquest of ,italy by this power would 
be achieved2 and ,austria1 after having 
obtained1 without its costing her the   
least sacrifice1 the immense benefit of 
the free navigation of the ,danube1 and 

the neutralization of the ,black ,sea1  
would acquire a preponderating influence
 in the ,west4 ,this is what ,france and
 ,england would never wish1--this they  
will never permit4  ,these are grave and
 weighty words1 and were well calculated
 to produce an effect on the mind of    
,napoleon ,,iii42 and we are convinced  
that they furnish a key to his conduct  
toward ,austria1 and set forth the      
occasion of the ,italian ,war4 ,the     
supremacy of ,austria once completely   
asserted over ,italy1 ,france would     
necessarily sink in the ,european scale 
in precisely the same proportion in     
which ,austria should rise in it4 ,the  
subjects of ,francis ,joseph would      
number sixty millions1 while those of   
,napoleon ,,iii4 would remain at        
thirty-six millions4 ,the sinews of war 
have never been much at the command of  
,austria1 but possession of ,italy would
 render her wealthy1 and enable her to  
command that gold which moves armies and
 renders them effective4 ,her commerce  

would be increased to an incalculable   
extent1 and she would have naval        
populations from which to conscribe the 
crews for fleets that she would be      
prompt to build4 ,her voice would be    
potential in the ,east1 and that of     
,france would there cease to be heard4  
,she would become the first power of    
,europe1 and would exercise an hegemony 
far more decided than that which ,russia
 held for forty years after #ahad4 ,it  
was to be expected that the ,italians   
would cease fruitlessly to oppose her1  
and1 their submission leading to her    
abandonment of the repressive system1   
they might become a bold and an         
adventurous people1 helping to increase 
and to consolidate her power4 ,they     
might prove as useful to her as the     
,hungarians and ,bohemians have been1   
whom she had conquered and misruled1 but
 whose youth have filled her armies4    
,all these things were not only         
possible1 but they were highly probable2
 and once having become facts1 what     

security would ,france have that she    
would not be attacked1 conquered1 and   
partitioned8 ,with sixty millions of    
people1 and supported by the sentiment  
and arms of ,germany1 ,austria could    
seize upon ,alsace and ,lorraine1 and   
other parts of ,france1 and thus reduce 
her strength positively as well as      
relatively4 ,all that was talked of in  
#ahae1 and more than all that1 might be 
accomplished in sixty years from that   
date1 and while ,napoleon ,,iii4 himself
 should still be on the throne he had so
 strangely won4 ,that degradation of    
,france which the uncle's ambition had  
brought about at the beginning of the   
century would be more than equalled at  
the century's close through the nephew's
 forbearance4 ,the very names of        
,napoleon and ,bonaparte would become   
odious in ,france1 and contemptible     
everywhere4 ,on the other hand1 should  
he interfere successfully in behalf of  
,italian nationality1 he would reduce   
the strength of ,austria1 and prevent   

her from becoming an overshadowing      
empire4 ,her population and her         
territory would be essentially lessened4
 ,she would be cut off from all hope of 
making ,italy her own1 would be         
compelled to abandon her plans of       
commercial and maritime greatness1 would
 be disregarded in the ,east1 would not 
be courted by ,england1 would lose half 
her influence in ,germany1 and would not
 be in a condition to menace ,france in 
any quarter4 ,the glory of the ,french  
arms would be increased1 the weight of  
,france would be doubled1 new lustre    
would shine from the name of ,napoleon1 
the ,treaties of ,vienna would be torn  
up by the nation against which they had 
been directed1 the most determined foe  
of the ,bonaparte family would be       
punished1 and that family's power would 
be consolidated4  ,such1 we verily      
believe1 were the reasons that led      
,napoleon ,,iii4 to plan an attack on   
,austria1 that attack which has been so 
brilliantly commenced4 ,that he has gone

 to war for the liberation of ,italy1   
merely as such1 we do not suppose2 but  
that must follow front his policy1      
because in that way alone can his grand 
object be effected4 ,the freedom of the 
,peninsula will be brought about1       
because it is necessary for the welfare 
of ,france1 for the maintenance of her  
weight in ,europe1 that it should be    
brought about4 ,that the ,emperor is    
insensible of the glory that would come 
from the rehabilitation of ,italy1 we do
 not assert4 ,we think he is very       
sensible of it1 and that he enjoys the  
satisfaction that comes from the        
performance of a good deed as much as if
 he were not a usurper and never had    
overthrown a nominal republic4 ,but we  
cannot agree with those who say that the
 liberation of ,italy was the pure and  
simple purpose of the war4 ,he means    
that ,austria shall not have ,italy1 and
 his sobriety of judgment enables him to
 understand that ,france cannot have it4
 ,that country is to belong to the      

children of the soil1 who1 with ordinary
 wisdom and conduct1 will be able to    
prevent it from again relapsing under   
foreign rule4 ,the ,emperor understands 
his epoch1 and will attempt nothing that
 shall excite against himself and his   
dynasty the indignation of mankind4 ,if 
not a saint1 he is not a senseless      
sinner4  ,our article is so long1 that  
we cannot discuss the questions1 whether
 ,napoleon ,,iii4 is not animated by the
 desire of vengeance1 and whether1      
having chastised ,russia and ,austria1  
he will not turn his arms against       
,prussia and ,england4 ,our opinion is  
that he will do nothing of the kind4    
,prussia is not likely to afford him any
 occasion for war2 and if he should make
 one1 he would have to fight all the    
other ,german powers at the same time1  
and perhaps ,russia4 ,the only chance   
that exists for a ,prussian war is to be
 found in the wrath of the ,germans1    
who1 at the time we write1 have assumed 
a very hostile attitude towards ,france1

 and wish to be led from ,berlin2 but   
the government of ,prussia is discreet1 
and will not be easily induced to incur 
the positive loss and probable disgrace 
that would follow from a ,russian       
invasion1 like that which took place in 
#agei4 ,as to ,england1 the ,emperor    
would be mad to attempt her conquest2   
and he knows too well what is due to his
 fame to engage in a piratical dash at  
,london4 ,an invasion of ,england can   
never be safely undertaken except by    
some power that is master of the seas2  
and ,england is not in the least        
disposed to abandon her maritime        
supremacy4 ,there would have to be a    
,battle of ,actium before her shores    
could be in danger1 and she must have   
lost it2 and no matter what is said     
concerning the excellence of the ,french
 navy1 that of ,england is as much ahead
 of it in all the elements of real1     
enduring strength1 as it has been at any
 other period of the history of the two 
countries4     ,,reviews ,,and          

,,literary ,,notices4   ,the            
,iron-,manufacturer's ,guide to the     
,furnaces1 ,forges1 and ,rolling-,mills 
of the ,united ,states4 ,by ,j4,p4      
,,lesley4 ,new ,york3 ,john ,wiley4     
#ahei4  ,this valuable book is published
 by the ,secretary of the ,american     
,iron-,association1 and by authority of 
the same4 ,this ,association--now four  
years old--is not a common trades-union1
 nor any impotent combination to resist 
the law of supply and demand4 ,its      
general objects1 as stated in the       
constitution1 are to procure regularly  
the statistics of the trade1 both at    
home and abroad2 to provide for the     
mutual interchange of information and   
experience1 both scientific and         
practical2 to collect and preserve all  
works relating to iron1 and to form a   
complete cabinet of ores1 limestones1   
and coals2 to encourage the formation of
 such schools as are designed to give   
the young iron-master a proper and      
thorough scientific training1           

preparatory to engaging in practical    
operations4 ,in pursuance of this wise  
and liberal policy1 the ,association has
 now published this                     
,iron-,manufacturer's ,guide1           
containing1 first1 a descriptive        
catalogue of all the furnaces1 forges1  
and rolling-mills of the ,united ,states
 and ,canada2 secondly1 a discussion of 
the physical and chemical properties of 
iron1 and its combinations with other   
elements2 thirdly1 a complete survey of 
the geological position1 chemical1      
physical1 or mechanical properties1 and 
geographical distribution of the ores of
 iron in the ,united ,states4  ,the     
directory to the iron-works of the      
,united ,states and ,canada enumerates  
#aede works of various kinds1 of which  
#chf are now abandoned2 #efj            
blast-furnaces1 #chi forges1 and #baj   
rolling-mills are now in operation2 and 
the directory states the position1      
capacity1 and prominent characteristics 
of each furnace1 forge1 or mill1 the    

names of the owners or agents1 and1 in  
many cases1 the date of the construction
 of the works1 and their annual         
production4 ,the great importance of the
 iron-manufacture1 as a branch of       
industry1 in this country1 is clearly   
demonstrated by this very complete      
catalogue4 ,it shows that in the year   
#ahef there were nearly twelve hundred  
active iron-factories in the ,united    
,states1 and that they produced about   
eight hundred and fifty thousand tons of
 iron1 worth fifty millions of dollars4 
,when we consider that the greater part 
of the iron thus produced is left in a  
rough and crude state1 merely extracted 
from its ores and made ready for the use
 of the blacksmith1 the machinist1 and  
the engineer1--when we remember that    
human labor multiplies by hundreds and  
by thousands the value of the raw       
material1 that a bar of iron which costs
 five dollars will make three thousand  
dollars' worth of penknife-blades and   
two hundred and fifty thousand dollars' 

worth of watch-springs1 we begin to     
understand the importance of the        
iron-manufacture1 as an element of      
national wealth1 independence1 and      
power4  ,a fourth part of all the       
iron-works which have been constructed  
in this country have been abandoned by  
their projectors1 in despair of         
competing with the cheap iron from      
abroad1 which the low ad-valorem tariffs
 have admitted to the ,american market4 
,the story which these ruined works     
might tell1 of hopes disappointed1      
capital sunk1 and labor wasted1 would be
 long and dreary4 ,from an excellent    
diagram1 appended to the ,guide1        
illustrating the duties on iron1 the    
importations1 and the price of the      
metal1 for each year since #ahdj1 we    
learn that the average annual           
importation of iron under the specific  
tariff of #ahdb was #gg1cbh tons1 while 
under the ad-valorem tariff of #ahdf it 
was #cgc1hfd tons4 ,the increase in the 
importation of foreign iron under the   

tariff of #ahdf was more than ten times 
the increase of the population1 and more
 than thirty-eight times the increase in
 the domestic production4 ,the          
iron-masters of this country have been  
compelled to struggle against a host of 
formidable difficulties1--adverse       
legislation1 the ruinous competition of 
,english iron1 the dearness of labor1   
and the high rates of interest on       
borrowed capital4 ,these have all been  
met and1 let us hope1 in good part      
overcome4 ,slowly1 and with many        
hindrances and disasters1 the           
iron-business is gaining strength1 and  
achieving independence of foreign       
competition and the tender mercies of   
legislators4 ,very conclusive evidence  
of this gradual growth is presented in  
the unusually accurate statistics of the
 ,iron-,manufacturer's ,guide4 ,of the  
#a1bji1iac tons of iron consumed in the 
,united ,states in the year #ahef1      
#hef1bce tons1 or seventy-one per cent1 
of the whole1 was of domestic           

manufacture4 ,the catalogue of          
iron-works shows that the country now   
possesses many extensive and            
well-constructed works1 of which some   
are still owned by the men who built    
them1 but the larger part have          
descended1 at great sacrifices1 to the  
hands of more fortunate proprietors4    
,beside the accumulated stock of        
machinery1 knowledge of the ores and    
fuel has been gained1 experience has    
refuted many errors and pointed out the 
dangers and difficulties to he overcome1
 the natural channels of communication  
throughout the country have been opened1
 and a large body of skilled workmen has
 been trained for the business and seeks
 steady employment4 ,whenever a rise in 
the price of iron stimulates the        
manufacture1 the domestic production of 
iron suddenly expands1 and increases    
with a rapidity which gives evidence of 
wonderful elasticity and latent         
strength4 ,twice within twenty years the
 production of ,american iron has nearly

 doubled in a period of three years4    
,twelve years ago no railroad-iron was  
made in the ,united ,states4 ,in #ahec  
we imported #cjj1jjj tons of rails1 and 
in #ahed #bhj1jjj tons2 but in #ahee    
only #acj1jjj tons were imported1 while 
#ace1jjj tons were made at home1 and in 
#ahef1 again1 nearly one half of the    
#caj1jjj tons of rails consumed was of  
domestic production4 ,the admitted      
superiority of the ,american rails has  
undoubtedly contributed to this result4 
,in spite of these encouraging signs1   
these sure indications of the success   
which at no distant day will reward this
 branch of ,american industry1 it must  
not be imagined that checks and reverses
 are hereafter to be escaped4 ,the      
production of the year #aheg promised in
 the summer to be much larger than that 
of #ahef2 but the panic of ,september   
wrought the same effect in the          
iron-business as in all the other       
manufactures of the country1 and in the 
spring of #aheh more than half of the   

iron-works of the ,united ,states were  
standing idle4 ,mr4 ,lesley states that 
the returns received in answer to the   
circular issued by the                  
,iron-,association1 ,july #a1 #aheh1    
were1 almost without exception1         
unfavorable1 and that these replies are 
sufficient to prove a very serious      
diminution in the production of iron for
 the year #aheh4 ,when the manufacture  
of iron1 in its various branches1 has   
expanded to its true proportions1 and   
has reached a magnitude and importance  
second only to the agricultural interest
 of the country1 the iron-masters of    
that generation may read in this first  
publication of the ,iron-,association   
the record of the struggles and trials  
of their more adventurous1 but less     
fortunate predecessors4  ,the           
construction of the directory which     
constitutes the first part of the ,guide
 might be improved in several respects4 
,an alphabetical arrangement of the     
furnaces1 forges1 and rolling-mills1 in 

each ,state1 would be much more         
convenient for reference than the       
obscure and uncertain system which has  
been followed4 ,if a ,state can be      
divided1 like ,pennsylvania1 into two or
 three sections1 by strongly marked     
geological features1 it would1 perhaps1 
be well to subdivide the list of its    
iron-works into corresponding sections1 
and then to make the arrangement of each
 section alphabetical4 ,but convenience 
of reference is the essential property  
of a directory2 and to that convenience 
the natural desire to follow a          
geological or geographical arrangement  
should he sacrificed4 ,some important   
items of information1 such as the means 
of transportation1 and the distance of  
each furnace or forge from its market1  
are not given in all cases2 the power by
 which the works are driven1 whether    
steam or water1 is not uniformly stated2
 and the pressure of the blast used1    
that very important condition of success
 in the management of a furnace1 is     

stated in only a very few instances4 ,a 
useful piece of information1 seldom     
given in the descriptions of forges and 
rolling-mills1 is the source from which 
the iron used in the works is obtained2 
and it is also desirable that the nature
 of the work done in each forge or mill 
should be invariably stated4 ,it would  
he interesting to know the number of men
 employed in the iron-manufacture       
throughout the country1 and it would not
 seem difficult for the ,association to 
add this fact to the very valuable      
statistics which they have already      
collected4 ,the descriptions of         
abandoned works are not all printed in  
small type4 ,if this rule is adopted in 
the directory1 it should be uniformly   
adhered to4 ,the maps accompanying the  
directory1 which were made by the       
photolithographic process1 are all on   
too small a scale1 and consequently lack
 clearness4 ,the colored lithographs1   
which exhibit the anthracite furnaces of
 ,pennsylvania and the iron works of the

 region east of the ,hudson ,river1 are 
altogether the best illustrations in the
 book4  ,an elaborate discussion of iron
 as a chemical element occupies another 
division of the book4 ,its purpose is to
 instruct the iron master in the        
chemical properties and relations of the
 metal with which he deals2 and to this 
end it should be clear1 concise1 and    
definite1 and1 leaving all disputed     
points1 should explain the known and    
well-determined characteristics of iron 
and its compounds with other elements4  
,mr4 ,lesley1 the compiler of the book1 
distinctly states in the ,preface that  
he is no chemist1 and we are therefore  
prepared to meet the occasional         
inaccuracies observable in this chemical
 portion of the ,guide4 ,it lacks       
condensation and system2 matters of very
 little moment receive disproportionate 
attention2 and pages are filled with    
discussions of nice points of chemical  
science still in dispute among professed
 chemists1 and wholly out of place in   

what should be a brief elementary       
treatise on the known properties of     
iron4 ,if these questions in dispute    
were such as the practical experience of
 the iron-master might settle1 or1      
indeed1 throw any light upon1 there     
would be an obvious propriety in stating
 the points at issue2 but if the        
question concerns the best chemical name
 for iron-rust1 or the largest possible 
per cent4 of carbon in steel1 the       
practical metallurgist should not be    
perplexed with problems in analytical   
chemistry which the best chemists have  
not yet solved4  ,valuable space is     
occasionally occupied by the too        
rhetorical statement of matters which   
would have been better presented in a   
simpler way2 thus1 the fervid           
description of oxygen1 however          
appropriate in ,faraday's admirable     
lectures before the ,royal ,institution1
 is out of place in the                 
,iron-,manufacturer's ,guide4 ,we must  
also enter an earnest protest against   

the importation1 upon any terms1 of such
 words as ironoxydulcarbonate1          
ironoxydhydrate1 and the adjective      
anhydrate4 ,some descriptions of        
considerable imaginative power have     
found place even in the directory of    
works4 ,from the description of the     
,allentown furnaces we learn1 with some 
surprise1 that no finer object of art   
invites the artist2 and again1 that the 
repose of bygone centuries seems to sit 
upon its immense walls1 while the       
roaring energy of the present day fills 
it with a truer and better life than the
 revelry of ,kenilworth or the chivalry 
of ,heidelberg4 ,the average age of the 
,allentown works subsequently appears to
 be nine years4  ,another principal     
division of ,mr4 ,lesley's book treats  
of the ores of iron in the ,united      
,states4 ,this portion of the book      
contains much valuable and interesting  
information1 which has never been       
published before in so complete and     
satisfactory a form4 ,the geographical  

and geological position of every        
ore-bank in the country1 which has been 
opened and worked1 is fully described1  
with many details of the peculiar       
properties1 mineralogical associations1 
and history of each bed or mine4 ,the   
inexhaustible wealth of the country in  
ores of iron is clearly shown1 and the  
superiority of the ,american ores to the
 ,english needs no other demonstration  
than can be found on the pages of this  
catalogue of our ore-beds4 ,two or three
 geological maps1 to illustrate the     
distribution of the ores1 would have    
been an instructive addition to the     
book4 ,in this section1 as in the       
preceding one on the chemistry of iron1 
much space is misapplied to the         
discussion of questions of structural   
geology1 of opposing theories of the    
formation of veins1 and other scientific
 problems with which the iron-master is 
not concerned1 and which he cannot be   
expected to understand1 much less to    
solve4 ,we regret the more this         

unnecessary introduction of             
comparatively irrelevant matters1 when  
we find1 at the close of the volume1    
that the unexpected length of the       
discussion of the ores has prevented the
 publication of several chapters on the 
machinery now in use1 the hot-blast and 
anthracite coal1 the efforts to obtain  
malleable iron directly from the ore1   
and the history and present condition of
 the iron-manufacture in ,america4  ,the
 ,american ,iron-,association1 by their 
,secretary1 have accomplished a very    
laborious and valuable work1 in         
accumulating and digesting the mass of  
facts and statistics embodied in this1  
the first ,iron-,manufacturer's ,guide2 
but the subject is as inexhaustible as  
the mineral wealth of the country1 and  
we shall look for the future            
publications of the society with much   
interest4   ,an ,essay on ,intuitive    
,morals4 ,being an ,attempt to          
,popularize ,ethical ,science4 ,part ,i4
 ,theory of ,morals4 ,first ,american   

,edition1 with ,additions and           
,corrections by the ,author4 ,boston3   
,crosby1 ,nichols1  ,co4 #ahei4 pp4     
#bid4  ,four years ago last ,march this 
book appeared in ,england1 published by 
,longman2 a thin octavo1 exciting little
 attention there1 and scarcely more on  
this side the water1 where the best     
,english books have of late years found 
their first appreciation4 ,the first    
notice of it printed in this country1 so
 far as we know1 appeared in the        
,harvard ,magazine for ,june1 #ahee1--;a
 publication so obscure1 that1 to most  
readers of the ,,atlantic1 this will be 
their first knowledge of its existence4 
,about two years later1 ,part ,,ii      
appeared in ,england1 and then both     
books were reviewed in the ,christian   
,examiner2 yet1 to all intents and      
purposes1 this new edition is a new     
book1 and we shall treat it as such4 ,we
 have as yet a reprint of ,part ,i4     
only1 but we trust the publishers will  
soon give us the other1--,the ,practice 

of ,morals1--which1 if less valuable    
than this1 is still so much better than 
most works of its kind as to demand a   
republication4  ,the author--a          
woman--7for1 to the shame of our virile 
secus be it said1 a woman has written   
the best popular treatise on ,ethics in 
the language7--divides her ,first ,part 
into four chapters3--      ,i4 ,what ,is
 the ,moral ,law8    ,,ii4 ,where the   
,moral ,law is found4   ,,iii4 ,that the
 ,moral ,law can be obeyed4    ,,iv4    
,why the ,moral ,law should be obeyed4  
,this1 as will be seen1 is an exhaustive
 analysis4 ,to the great question of the
 first chapter1 after a full discussion1
 she gives this answer3--  ,the ,moral  
,law is the resumption of the eternal   
necessary ,obligation of all ,rational  
,free ,agents to do and feel those      
,sentiments which are ,right4 ,the      
identification of this law with ,his    
will constitutes the ,holiness of the   
,infinite ,god4 ,voluntary and          
disinterested obedience to this law     

constitutes the ,virtue of all finite   
creatures4 ,virtue is capable of        
infinite growth1 of endless approach to 
the ,divine nature and to perfect       
conformity with the law4 ,god has made  
all rational free agents for virtue1 and
 all worlds for rational free agents4   
,the ,moral ,law1 therefore1 not only   
reigns throughout ,his creation1 7all   
its behests being enforced thereon by   
,his omnipotence17 but is itself the    
reason why that creation exists4--pp4   
#fb-fc4  ,this is certainly good        
defining1 and the passage we have       
,italicized has the true ,transcendental
 ring4 ,indeed1 the book is a system of 
,kantian ,ethics1 as the author herself 
says in her ,preface2 and the tough old 
,knigsberg professor has no reason to   
complain of his gentle expounder4       
,unlike most ,british writers1--with the
 grand exception of ,sir ,william       
,hamilton1 the greatest ,british        
metaphysician since ,locke and          
,hume1--she understands ,kant1 admires  

and loves him1 and so is worthy to      
develop his knotty sublimities4 ,this   
alone would be high praise2 but we think
 she earns a more original and personal 
esteem4  ,the question of the second    
chapter she thus answers3--  ,the ,moral
 ,law is found in the ,intuitions of the
 ,human ,mind4 ,these ,intuitions are   
natural2 but they are also revealed4    
,our ,creator wrought them into the     
texture of our souls to form the        
groundwork of our thoughts1 and made it 
our duty first to examine and then to   
erect upon them by reflection a ,science
 of ,morals4 ,but ,he also continually  
aids us in such study1 and ,he increases
 this aid in the ratio of our obedience4
 ,thus ,moral ,intuitions are both      
,human and ,divine1 and the paradoxes in
 their nature are thereby solved4--p4   
#acf4  ,this statement may1 perhaps1 be 
received without cavil by most readers2 
but the reasoning on which it depends is
 the weakest part of the book1 and we   
shall be surprised if some hard-headed  

divine1 who fears that this doctrine of 
,intuition will pester his ,church1 does
 not find out the flaws in the argument4
 ,it will be urged1 for instance1 that1 
in confessing that the ,science of      
,morals can never be as exact as that of
 ,mathematics1 because we have no       
terminology for ,ethics so exact as for 
,geometry1 she1 in effect1 yields the   
whole question1 and leaves us in the old
 slough of doubt where ,pyrrho and      
,pascal delighted to thrust us1 and     
where the ,church threatens to keep us1 
unless we will pay her tolls and pick   
our way along her turnpike4 ,but though 
her major and minor premises may not be 
on the best terms with each other1--even
 though they may remind us of that      
preacher of whom ,pierrepont ,edwards   
said1 ,if his text had the smallpox1 his
 sermon would not catch it1--her        
conclusion is sound1 and as inspiring   
now as when the poet said1--    ,est    
,deus in nobis1 agitante calescimus     
illo1--  or when ,george ,fox trudged   

hither and thither over ,europe with the
 same noble tune sounding in his ears4  
,in the third chapter the old topics are
 treated1 which1 according to ,milton1  
the fallen angels discussed before ,adam
 settled the debate by sinning1--       
,fixed fate1 free will1 foreknowledge   
absolute1--  and it is concluded that   
the ,moral ,law can be obeyed3--  #ast4 
,because the ,human ,will is free4 #b;d4
 ,because this freedom1 though involving
 present sin and suffering1 is foreseen 
by ,god to result eventually in the     
,virtue of every creature endowed       
therewith4  ,in this chapter the history
 of the common doctrine of              
,predestination is admirably sketched1  
7pp4 #aei-afd1 note47 and the grounds   
for our belief in ,free ,will more      
clearly stated than we remember to have 
seen elsewhere4 ,especially fine is her 
method of reducing ,foreordination to   
simple ,ordination1 by directing        
attention to the fact that with ,god    
there is no ,past and ,future1 but an   

,endless ,now2 as ,tennyson sings in ,in
 ,memoriam1--    ,oh1 if indeed that eye
 foresee1   ,or see1 7in ,him is no     
before47--  and as ,dante sang five     
centuries ago4  ,but it is the last     
chapter which best shows the power of   
the author and the pure and generous    
spirit with which the whole book is     
filled4 ,here she shows why the ,moral  
,law should be obeyed2 and dividing the 
advocates of ,happiness as a motive into
 three classes1 ,euthumists1 ,public    
,eudaimonists1 and ,private             
,eudaimonists1 she refutes them all and 
establishes her simple scheme1 which she
 states in these words3--  ,the law     
itself1 the ,eternal ,right1 for right's
 own sake1 that alone must be our       
motive1 the spring of our resolution1   
the ground of our obedience4 ,deep from 
our inmost souls comes forth the        
mandate1 the bare and simple law        
claiming the command of our whole       
existence merely by its proper right1   
and disdaining alike to menace or to    

bribe4  ,the terms ,euthumism and       
,eudaimonism are1 perhaps1 peculiar to  
this essay1 and may need some           
explanation4 ,the ,euthumist is one who 
assumes moral pleasure as a sufficient  
reason why virtue should be sought2 the 
,eudaimonist believes we should be      
virtuous for the sake of affectional1   
intellectual1 and sensual pleasure2 if  
he means the pleasure of all mankind1 he
 is a ,public ,eudaimonist2 but if he   
means the pleasure of the individual1 he
 is a ,private ,eudaimonist4 ,democritus
 is reckoned the first among            
,euthumists2 and in ,england this school
 has been represented1 among others1 by 
,henry ,more and ,cumberland1 by        
,sharrock1 ,footnote3 ,sharrock is a    
name unfamiliar to most readers4 ,his   
,greek3 ,hypothesis aethikae published  
in #affj1 contains the first clear      
statement of ,euthumism made by any     
,englishman4 ,see p4#bbc4 ,hutcheson1   
and ,shaftesbury4 ,paley thrust himself 
among ,public ,eudaimonists1 and our    

author well exposes his grovelling      
morals1 aiming to produce the greatest  
happiness of the greatest number1 a     
system which has too long been taught   
among the students of our colleges and  
high schools4 ,but he properly belongs  
to the ,private ,eudaimonists2 for this 
interpreter of ethics to the ingenuous  
youth of ,england and ,america says1    
,virtue is the doing good to mankind in 
obedience to the will of ,god1 and for  
the sake of everlasting happiness4      
,according to which definition1 the good
 of mankind is the subject1 the will of 
,god the rule1 and everlasting happiness
 the motive of virtue4  ,it is such     
heresies as this1 and the still grosser 
pravities into which the ethics of      
expediency run1 that this book will do  
much to combat4 ,nothing is more needed 
in our schools for both sexes than the  
systematic teaching of the principles   
here set forth2 and we have no doubt    
this volume could be used as a          
text-book1 at least with some slight    

omissions and additions1 such as a      
competent teacher could well furnish4   
,portions of it1 indeed1 were some years
 since read by ,mrs4 ,lowell to her     
classes1 and are now incorporated in her
 admirable book1 ,seed ,grain2 nor does 
there seem to be any good reason why it 
should not be introduced at ,cambridge4 
,with a short introduction containing   
the main principles of metaphysics1 and 
with the omission of some rhetorical    
passages unsuited to a text-book1 it    
might supplant the books of both        
intellectual and moral philosophy now in
 use in our higher schools4  ,but it is 
not as a school-book that this essay is 
to be considered2 it will find a large  
and increasing circle of readers among  
the mature and the cultivated1 and these
 will perceive that few have thought so 
profoundly or written so clearly on     
these absorbing topics4 ,take1 for      
example1 the classification of possible 
beings1 made in the first chapter3--    
,proceeding on our premises1 that the   

omnipotence of ,god is not to be        
supposed to include self-contradictions1
 we observe at the outset1 that 7so far 
as we can understand subjects so        
transcendent7 there were only1 in a     
moral point of view1 three orders of    
beings possible in the universe3--#ast4 
,one ,infinite ,being4 ,a ,rational     
,free ,agent1 raised by the infinitude  
of his nature above the possibility of  
temptation4 ,he is the only ,holy       
,being4 #b;d4 ,finite creatures who are 
,rational ,free ,agents1 but exposed by 
the finity of their natures to continual
 temptations4 ,these beings are either  
,virtuous or ,vicious4 #c;d4 ,finite    
creatures who are not rational nor      
morally free4 ,these beings are         
,unmoral1 and neither virtuous nor      
vicious4--pp4 #bd-be4  ,nothing can be  
shorter or more thorough than this      
statement1 and1 if accepted1 it settles 
many points in theology as well as in   
ethics4  ,then1 too1 the comparison1 in 
the last chapter1 of the ,law of ,honor1

 considered as a system of morals1 with 
the systems of ,paley and ,bentham1     
shows a fine perception of the true     
relation of chivalry to ethics1 and     
gives occasion for one of the most      
eloquent passages in the book3--  ,i    
envy not the moralist who could treat   
disdainfully of ,chivalry4 ,it was a    
marvellous principle1 that which could  
make of plighted faith a law to the most
 lawless1 of protection to weakness a   
pride to the most ferocious4 ,while the 
,church taught that personal duty       
consisted in scourgings and fastings1   
and social duty in the slaughter of     
,moslems and burning of ,jews1 ,chivalry
 roused up a man to reverence himself   
through his own courage and truth1 and  
to treat the weakest of his             
fellow-creatures with generosity and    
courtesy4444 ,recurring to its true     
character1 the ,law of ,honor1 when duly
 enlarged and rectified1 becomes highly 
valuable4 ,we perceive1 that1 amid all  
its imperfections and aberrations1 it   

has been the truest voice of intuition1 
amid the lamentations of the believer in
 'total depravity1' and the bargaining  
of the expediency-seeking               
experimentalist4 ,while the one         
represented ,virtue as a ,nun and the   
other as a ,shop-woman1 the ,law of     
,honor drew her as a ,queen1--faulty1   
perhaps1 but free-born and royal4 ,much 
service has this law done to the world2 
it has made popular modes of thinking   
and acting far nobler than those        
inculcated from many a pulpit2 and the  
result is patent1 that many a 'publican 
and sinner1' many an opera-frequenting1 
betting1 gambling man of the world1 is a
 far safer person with whom to transact 
business than the ,pharisee who talks   
most feelingly of the 'frailties of our 
fallen nature4'--pp4 #bfg-bgj4  ,the    
learning shown in the book1 though not  
astonishing1 like ,sir ,william         
,hamilton's1 is sufficient and always at
 the author's service4 ,the text        
throughout1 and especially the notes on 

,causation1 ,predestination1 ,original  
,sin1 and ,necessary ,truths1 will amply
 support our opinion4 ,but better than  
either learning or logic is that noble  
and devout spirit pervading every page1 
and convincing the reader1 that1 whether
 the system advanced be true or false1  
it is the result of a genuine           
experience1 and the guide of a pure and 
generous life4  ,the volume is neatly   
printed1 but lacks an index sadly1 and  
shows some errors resulting from the    
distance between the author and the     
proof-reader4 ,such is the misuse of the
 words woof and warp on page #ef2       
evidently a slip of the pen1 since the  
same terms are correctly used elsewhere 
in the volume4   ,memoirs of the        
,empress ,catharine ,,ii4 ,written by   
herself4 ,with a ,preface by ,a4        
,,herzen4 ,translated from the ,french4 
,new ,york3 ,d4 ,appleton  ,co4 #abmo4  
pp4 #cji4  ,it would seem1 that1 if any 
one of the women celebrated in history  
should1 more than all the others1 have  

shrunk from writing her own memoirs1    
that woman was the petty ,german        
princess whom opportunity and her own   
crafty ambition made absolutest monarch 
of all the ,russias under the name of   
,catharine ,,ii4 ,and of that abandoned 
and shameless personal career which has 
made her name a reproach to her sex1 and
 covered her memory with an infamy that 
the administrative glories of her reign 
serve only to cast into a blacker       
shadow1 even she has shrunk from        
committing the details to paper4        
,indeed1 in these ,memoirs1 she alludes 
to but one of her amours1--that with    
,sergius ,soltikoff1 which was the      
first1 7if we may be sure that she had a
 first17--and which seems clearly to    
have been elevated1 if not purified1 by 
a true and deep affection4 ,that it was 
so appears not by any protestation or   
even calm assertion of her own1 which in
 an autobiography might be reasonably   
doubted1 but from the unstudied         
tenderness of her allusions to him2 from

 the fact1 which indirectly appears1    
that he first cooled towards her1 and   
the pang--not of wounded vanity--which  
this gave her2 and yet more unmistakably
 from the forgiveness which she1        
imperious and relentless as she was1    
extended1 manifestly1 again and again1  
to her errant lover4  ,the ,memoirs are 
confined to events which occurred       
between #agdd and #agfj1--the period of 
,catharine's girlhood and youthful      
womanhood2 but although she brings      
herself before us1 a young creature of  
fifteen1 with her hair dressed  la      
,moise1 7which1 in the benightment of   
our bearded ignorance1 we suppose to    
mean that astounding style in which the 
excellent ,mistress ,hannah ,more is    
represented in the frontispiece to her  
,memoirs1 with each particular hair     
standing on end1--a crimped glory of    
radiating powder17 she appears no less  
ambitious1 crafty1 designing1 selfish1  
and self-conscious then than when she   
drops her pen as she is deepening the   

traits of the matured woman of thirty4  
,she went to ,russia to be betrothed to 
the ,grand ,duke1 afterwards ,peter     
,,iii41 to whom she was at first utterly
 indifferent1 and whom she soon began to
 despise and regard with personal       
aversion2 and yet when there was a      
chance that she might be released from  
this union1 she seems not to have known 
the slightest thrill of joy or felt the 
least sensation of relief1 although she 
was then not sixteen years old1--so     
entirely was her mind bent upon the     
crown of ,russia4 ,partly to attain her 
end1 and partly because it suited her   
intriguing1 managing nature1 she set    
herself immediately to the acquirement  
of the favor of the ,empress on the one 
hand1 and popularity on the other4 ,the 
first she sought by an absolute         
submission of her will to that of       
,elizabeth1 giving her self-negation an 
air of grateful deference2 the latter   
she obtained1 as most very popular      
people obtain their popularity1 by      

adroit flattery1--the subtlest form of  
which was1 in her case1 as it ever is1  
the manifestation of an interest in the 
affairs of persons utterly indifferent  
to the flatterer4 ,this moral emollient 
she applied1 as popular people usually  
do1 without discrimination4 ,she remarks
 that she was liked because she was the 
same to everybody2 and it is noteworthy 
that the same is said almost invariably 
of very popular persons1 and in way of  
eulogy1 by the very people into whose   
favor they have licked their way2 the   
latter always seeming to be blinded by  
the titillation of their own cuticles to
 the fact that the most worthless and   
disagreeable individuals--those with    
whom they would scorn to be put upon a  
level--have received the same coveted   
evidences of personal regard4 ,when will
 the world learn that the man1 of whom  
we sometimes hear and read1 who is      
absolutely without an enemy1 must either
 be very unscrupulous or very weak8     
,catharine's duplicity in this respect  

seems to have been as constant as it was
 artful1 during the years in which it   
was necessary for her purpose to make   
friends2 and it was rewarded1 as it     
almost always is1 when skilfully        
practised1 with entire success4         
,catharine seems to have written these  
,memoirs partly for her own satisfaction
 and partly to justify her course to her
 son ,paul and his successors4          
,therefore they record much that is of  
little value or interest to the general 
reader2 and that1 indeed1 is            
unintelligible1 except to those who are 
intimately acquainted with the ,russian 
,court during the reign of ,elizabeth4  
,such persons will find in these pages  
much authentic matter which will confirm
 or unsettle their previous belief as to
 the secret intrigues of that court1    
political and personal4 ,to the great   
mass of readers1 the revelations of the 
internal economy of the ,court of       
,russia in the middle of the last       
century1 and of the manners and morals  

of the persons who composed it1 which   
are freely made by the author of these  
imperial confessions1 will constitute   
their principal1 if not their only      
interest4 ,in this respect they will    
well repay the attentive perusal of     
every person who likes the study of     
human nature4 ,the picture which they   
present is striking1 and its various    
parts keep alive the attention which its
 first sight awakens4 ,yet it cannot be 
regarded with pleasure by any reader of 
undepraved taste2 and a consideration of
 it is absolutely fatal to the faith    
which is cherished by many deluded minds
 in the social1 if not in the ethical   
virtues of an ancient aristocracy4 ,in  
this respect ,catharine's ,memoirs are  
not peculiar4 ,for it is remarkable1    
that in all the published memoirs1      
journals1 and confessions of members of 
royal households1 7there may be an      
exception1 but we do not remember it17  
court-life within-doors has appeared    
devoid of every grace and beauty1 and   

deformed by all that is coarse1 brutal1 
sordid1 and grovelling4 ,even that      
grace1 almost a virtue1 which has its   
name from courts1 seems not to exist in 
them in a genuine form2 and instead of  
it we find only a hollow1 glittering    
sham1 which has but an outward semblance
 to real courtesy1 and which itself even
 is produced only on occasions more or  
less public and for purposes more or    
less selfish4  ,russia in its most      
civilized parts was half barbarous in   
the days of ,catharine's youth1 and     
society at the ,court of ,st4           
,petersburg seems to have been          
distinguished from that in the other    
circles of the empire only by an        
addition of the vices of civilization to
 those of barbarism4 ,the women blended 
the manners and tastes of ,indian squaws
 and ,french marquises of the period2   
the men modelled themselves on ,peter   
the ,great1 and succeeded in imitating  
him in everything except his wisdom and 
patriotism4 ,the business of life was1  

first1 to avoid being sent to ,siberia  
or ,astracan1--next and last1 to get    
other people sent thither2 its pleasure1
 an alternation of gambling and orgies4 
,catharine makes some excuse for her    
unrestrained sexual license1 which shows
 that she wrote for posterity4 ,for what
 need of extenuation in this regard for 
a woman whose immediate predecessors    
were ,catharine ,i41 and4 ,anne and     
,elizabeth1 and who lived in a court    
where1 on the simultaneous marriage of  
three of its ladies1 a bet was made     
between the ,hetman ,count ,rasoumowsky 
and the ,minister of ,denmark1--not     
which of the brides would be false to   
her marriage vows1--that was taken for  
granted with regard to all1--but which  
would be so first6 ,it turned out that  
he who bet on the ,countess ,anne       
,voronzoff1 daughter of the             
,vice-,chancellor of the ,empire1 and   
bride to ,count ,strogonoff1 who was the
 plainest of the three and at the time  
the most innocent and childlike1 won the

 wager4 ,the bet was wisely laid2 for   
she was likely to be soonest neglected  
by her husband4  ,what semblance of     
courtesy these highborn gamblers1       
adulterers1 and selfish intriguers      
showed in their daily life appears in   
their behavior to a ,m4 ,brockdorf1     
against whom ,catharine had ill         
feelings1 more or less justifiable4     
,this ,m4 ,brockdorf1 who was high in   
favor with the ,grand ,duke1 was        
unfortunately ugly--having a long neck1 
a broad1 flat head1 red hair1 small1    
dull1 sunken eyes1 and the corners of   
his mouth hanging down to his chin4 ,so1
 among those court-bred people1 whenever
 ,m4 ,brockdorf passed through the      
apartments1 every one called out after  
him ',pelican1' because this bird was   
the most hideous we knew of4 ,but what  
regard for the feelings of a person of  
inferior rank could be expected from his
 enemies1 in a court where the dearest  
ties and the tenderest sorrows were     
dashed aside with the formal brutality  

recorded by ,catharine in the following 
remarkable paragraph8--  ,a few days    
afterwards1 the death of my father was  
announced to me4 ,it greatly afflicted  
me4 ,for a week ,i was allowed to weep  
as much as ,i pleased2 but at the end of
 that time1 ,madame ,tchoglokoff came to
 tell me that ,i had wept enough1--that 
the ,empress ordered me to leave        
off1--that my father was not a king4 ,i 
told her1 ,i knew that he was not a     
king2 and she replied1 that it was not  
suitable for a ,grand ,duchess to mourn 
for a longer period a father who had not
 been a king4 ,in fine1 it was arranged 
that ,i should go out on the following  
,sunday1 and wear mourning for six      
weeks4  ,it is worthy of especial note  
that these people1 though they led this 
sensual1 selfish1 heartless life1       
trampling on natural affection and doing
 as they would not be done by1 prided   
themselves very much on the orthodoxy of
 their faith1 were sorely afraid of     
going to hell1 and were consequently    

very regular and rigid in the           
performance of their religious duties4  
,catharine was no whit behind the rest  
in this respect4 ,though bred a         
,lutheran1 she was most exemplary in her
 observance of all the requirements of  
the ,greek ,church2 and even carried her
 hypocrisy so far1 that1 when1 on       
occasion of a dangerous and probably    
fatal illness1 it was proposed that she 
should see a ,lutheran clergyman1 she   
replied by asking for ,simon            
,theodorsky1 a prelate of the ,greek    
,church1 who came and had an edifying   
interview with her4 ,and all this was   
done1 as she says1 for effect1 chiefly  
with the soldiers and common people1    
among whom it made a sensation and was  
much talked of4 ,this1 by the way1 is   
the only reference which occurs in the  
,memoirs to any interest below that of  
the highest nobility4 ,as for the people
 of ,russia1 the right to draw their    
blood with the knout and make them sweat
 roubles into the royal treasury was    

taken as much for granted as the light  
and the air1 by those who1 either       
through fraud or force1 could sit in the
 seat of ,peter the ,great4 ,they       
regarded it as no less an appanage or   
perquisite of that seat than the jewels 
in the imperial diadem1 and would as    
soon have thought of defending a title  
to the one as to the other4 ,and the    
possession of the throne1 with the      
necessary consent of the dominant party 
of the high nobility1 seems to have     
been1 and still to be1 the only         
requisite for the unquestioned exercise 
of this power2 for1 as to legitimacy and
 divine dynastic right1 was not         
,catharine ,i4 a ,livoman peasant8      
,catharine ,,ii4 a ,german princess1 who
 dethroned and put to death the grandson
 of ,peter the ,great8 and does she not 
confess in these ,memoirs that her son1 
the ,emperor ,paul1 was not the son of  
,peter's grandson1 but of ,sergius      
,soltikoff8 so that in the reigning     
house of ,russia there is not a drop of 

the blood of ,romanoff4 ,and            
,catharine's confession1 which ,m4      
,herzen emphasizes so strongly1 conveys 
to the ,russian nobles no new knowledge 
on this subject2 for an eminent ,russian
 publicist being asked1 on the          
appearance of this book1 if it were     
generally known in ,russia that ,paul   
was the son of ,soltikoff1 replied1--,no
 one who knew anything ever doubted it4 
,and perhaps the descendants of the     
,boiards are quite content that their   
sovereign should have illegally sprung  
from the loins of a member of one of the
 oldest and noblest of the purely       
,russian families1 rather than from     
those of a prince of the petty house of 
,holstein ,gottorp4 ,but then what is   
this principle of ,czarism1 which is not
 a submission to divine right1 but which
 causes one man to sustain1 perhaps to  
place1 another in a position which puts 
his own life at the mercy of the other's
 mere caprice8  ,catharine tells many   
trifling1 but interesting incidents1 of 

various nature1 in these ,memoirs3 of   
how1 after the birth of her first child1
 she was left utterly alone and         
neglected1 so that she famished with    
thirst for the lack of some one to bring
 her water2 how her child was taken from
 her at its birth1 and kept from her1   
she hardly being allowed even to see it2
 how it was always wrapped in fox-skins 
and seal-skins1 till it lay in a        
continual bath of perspiration2 how the 
members of the royal family itself were 
so badly accommodated1 that sometimes   
they were made ill by walking through   
passages open to wind and rain1 and     
sometimes stifled by over-crowded rooms2
 how at the imperial masquerades1 during
 one season1 the men were ordered to    
appear in women's dresses1 and the women
 in the propria quae maribus1--the      
former hideous in large whaleboned      
petticoats and high feathered           
head-dresses1 the latter looking like   
scrubby little boys with very thick     
legs1--and all that the ,empress        

,elizabeth might show her tall and      
graceful figure and what beautiful      
things she used to walk with1 which     
,catharine says were the handsomest that
 she ever saw2 how in this court1 where 
marriage was the mere shadow of a bond1 
it was yet deemed a matter of the first 
nuptial importance that a lady of the   
court should have her head dressed for  
the wedding by the hands of the ,empress
 herself1 or1 if she were too ill1 by   
those of the ,grand ,duchess2 how       
,catharine used1 at ,oranienbaum1 to    
dress herself from head to foot in male 
attire1 and go out in a skiff1          
accompanied only by an old huntsman1 to 
shoot ducks and snipe1 sometimes        
doubling the ,cape of ,oranienbaum1     
which extends two versts into the       
sea1--and how thus the fortunes of the  
,russian ,empire1 during the latter half
 of the eighteenth century1 were at the 
mercy of a spring-tide1 a gust of wind1 
or the tipping of a shallop4 ,there is  
even a recipe for removing tan and      

sunburn1 which the beautiful ,grand     
,duchess used at the instance of the    
beautiful ,empress2 and1 as both the    
imperial belles testify to its great    
efficacy1 it would be cruel not to give 
all possible publicity to the fact that 
it was composed of white of egg1 lemon  
juice1 and ,french brandy2 but1 alas6   
the proportion in which these           
constituents are to be mixed is not     
recorded4  ,of the authenticity of these
 ,memoirs there appears to be no        
reasonable doubt1 and we believe that   
none has been expressed4 ,they were     
found1 after the death of ,catharine1 in
 a sealed envelope addressed to her son 
,paul1 in whose lifetime no one saw them
 but the friend of his childhood1       
,prince ,kourakine4 ,he copied them2    
and1 about twenty years after the death 
of ,paul1 three or four copies were made
 from the ,kourakine copy4 ,the ,emperor
 ,nicholas caused all these to be seized
 by the secret police1 and it is only   
since his death that one or two copies  

have again made their appearance at     
,moscow 7where the original is kept7 and
 ,st4 ,petersburg4 ,from one of these   
,m4 ,herzen made his transcript4 ,they  
fail to palliate any of ,catharine's    
crimes1 or in the least to brighten her 
reputation1 and add nothing to our      
knowledge of her sagacity and her       
administrative talents2 but they are yet
 not without very considerable personal 
interest and historical value4   ,milch 
,cows and ,dairy ,farming2 comprising   
the ,breeds1 ,breeding1 and ,management1
 in ,health and ,disease1 of ,dairy and 
other ,stock2 the ,selection of ,milch  
,cows1 with a full ,explanation of      
,guenon's ,method2 the ,culture of      
,forage ,plants1 and the ,production of 
,milk1 ,butter1 and ,cheese3 embodying  
the most recent ,improvements1 and      
adapted to ,farming in the ,united      
,states and ,british ,provinces1 with a 
,treatise upon the ,dairy ,husbandry of 
,holland2 to which is added ,horsfall's 
,system of ,dairy ,management4 ,by      

,,charles ,l4 ,,flint1 ,secretary of the
 ,massachusetts ,state ,board of        
,agriculture2 ,author of a ,treatise on 
,grasses and ,forage ,plants4 ,liberally
 illustrated4 ,boston3 ,phillips1       
,sampson1  ,co4 pp4 #daf4  ,this very   
useful treatise contains a full account 
of the best breeds of cattle and of the 
most approved methods of crossing so as 
to develop qualities particularly       
desirable2 directions for choosing good 
milkers by means of certain natural     
signs2 a description of the most useful 
grasses and other varieties of fodder2  
and very minute instructions for the    
making of good butter and the proper    
arrangement and care of dairies4 ,the   
author has had the advantage of         
practical experience as a dairyman1     
while his position as ,secretary of the 
,massachusetts ,board of ,agriculture   
has afforded him more than common       
opportunity of learning the experience  
of others4  ,a volume of this kind      
cannot fail to commend itself to farmers

 and graziers1 and will be found        
valuable also by those who are lucky    
enough to own a single cow4 ,the        
production of good milk1 butter1 and    
meat is a matter of interest to all     
classes in the community alike2 and ,mr4
 ,flint's book1 by pointing out frankly 
the mistakes and deficiencies in the    
present methods of our farmers and      
dairymen1 and the best means of         
remedying them1 will do a good and      
much-needed service to the public4 ,he  
shows the folly of the false system of  
economy which thinks it good farming to 
get the greatest quantity of milk with  
the least expenditure of fodder1 and    
which regards poor stock as cheaper     
because it costs less money in the      
original outlay4  ,if ,dean ,swift was  
right in saying that he who makes two   
blades of grass grow where one grew     
before is of more service to mankind    
than he who takes a city1 we should be  
inclined to rank him hardly second as a 
benefactor of his race who causes one   

pound of good butter to be made where   
two pounds of bad were made before4 ,we 
believe that more unsavory and          
unwholesome grease is consumed in the   
,united ,states under the alias of      
butter than in any other civilized      
country1 and we trust that a wide       
circulation of ,mr4 ,flint's thoroughly 
executed treatise will tend to reform a 
great and growing evil4 ,the tendency in
 ,america has always been to make a     
shift with what will do1 rather than to 
insist on having what is best2 and we   
welcome this book as likely to act as a 
corrective in one department1 and that  
one of the most important4 ,the value of
 the volume is increased by numerous    
illustrations and a good index4         
99       99       99       99       99  
,,recent ,,american ,,publications4     
,the ,young ,housekeeper's ,friend4 ,by 
,mrs4 ,cornelius4 ,revised and          
,enlarged4 ,boston4 ,brown1 ,taggard1   
,chase4 #abmo4 pp4 #bed4 #ge cts4  ,the 
,new and the ,old2 or ,california and   

,india in ,romantic ,aspects4 ,by ,j4,w4
 ,palmer1 ,m4,d4 ,with ,thirteen        
,illustrations4 ,new ,york4 ,rudd       
,carleton4 #abmo4 pp4 #dcc4 #a4jj4      
,lectures on the ,first ,two ,visions of
 the ,book of ,daniel4 ,by ,william     
,newton4 ,philadelphia4 ,w4,s4 and ,a4  
,martien4 #abmo4 pp4 #bej4 #ge cts4     
,new ,star ,papers2 or ,views and       
,experiences of ,religious ,subjects4   
,by ,henry ,ward ,beecher4 ,new ,york4  
,derby  ,jackson4 #abmo4 pp4 #djc4      
#a4be4  ,the ,virginia ,springs1 and the
 ,springs of the ,south and ,west4 ,by  
,j4,j4 ,moorman1 ,m4,d4 ,with ,maps and 
,plates1 and the ,routes and ,distances 
to the ,various ,springs4 ,philadelphia4
 ,j4,b4 ,lippincott4 pp4 #djc4 #a4ej4   
,on ,civil ,liberty and                 
,self-,government4 ,by ,francis ,lieber1
 ,,ll4,d4 ,enlarged ,edition4           
,philadelphia4 ,j4,b4 ,lippincott  ,co4 
#hvo4 pp4 #fbi4 #d4ge4  ,the ,bertrams4 
,a ,novel4 ,by ,anthony ,trollope1      
,author of ,barchester ,towers1 ,doctor 

,thorne1 etc4 ,new ,york4 ,harper       
,brothers4 #abmo4 pp4 #fbh4 #a4jj4      
,history of ,charles ,,xii4 ,by ,m4 de  
,voltaire4 ,with a ,life of ,voltaire1  
by ,lord ,brougham2 and ,critical       
,notices1 by ,lord ,macaulay and ,thomas
 ,carlyle4 ,edited by ,o4,w4 ,wight1    
,a4,m4 ,new ,york4 ,derby  ,jackson4    
#abmo4 pp4 #dec4 #a4be4  ,the           
,provincial ,letters of ,blaise ,pascal4
 ,a ,new ,translation4 ,with an         
,historical ,introduction and ,notes1 by
 ,rev4 ,thomas ,m',crie4 ,preceded by a 
,life of ,pascal1 a ,critical ,essay1   
and a ,bibliographical ,notice4 ,edited 
by ,o4,w4 ,wight1 ,a4,m4 ,new ,york4    
,derby  ,jackson4 #abmo4 pp4 #dgj4      
#a4be4  ,water as a ,preservative and a 
,remedy in ,disease4 ,a ,treatise on    
,baths1 etc4 ,by ,john ,bell1 ,m4,d4    
,philadelphia4 ,lindsay  ,blakiston4    
#abmo4 pp4 #feh4 #a4be4  ,the ,life of  
,jonathan ,trumbull1 ,sen'r1 ,governor  
of ,connecticut4 ,by ,s4,w4 ,stuart4    
,boston4 ,crocker  ,brewster4 #hvo4 pp4 

#gjj4 #c4jj4  ,tighe ,lyfford4 ,a       
,novel4 ,new ,york4 ,james ,miller4     
#abmo4 pp4 #bgj4 #a4jj4  ,gerald        
,fitzgerald1 ,the ,chevalier4 ,by       
,charles ,lever4 ,part ,i4 ,new ,york4  
,harper  ,brothers4 #hvo4 pp4 #aab4 #be 
cts4  ,the ,romance of a ,poor ,young   
,man4 ,translated from the ,french of   
,octave ,feuillet4 ,by ,henry ,j4       
,macdonald1 late of ,corpus-,christi    
,college1 ,oxford4 ,new ,york4 ,rudd    
,carleton4 #abmo4 pp4 #cah4 #a4jj4      
,igdrasil2 or the ,tree of ,existence4  
,by ,james ,challen4 ,philadelphia4     
,lindsay  ,blakiston4 #abmo4 pp4 #agj4  
#a4jj4  ,life of ,mahomet4 ,by ,edward  
,gibbon4 ,new ,york4 ,delisser          
,proctor4 #afmo4 pp4 #bcf4 #ej cts4     
,proverbial and ,moral ,thoughts4 ,in a 
,series of ,essays4 ,by ,charles ,henry 
,hanger4 ,boston4 ,mayhew  ,baker4      
#afmo4 pp4 #bjd4 #fc cts4  ,eschatology 
of the ,scripture ,doctrines of the     
,coming of the ,lord1 the ,judgment1 and
 the ,resurrection4 ,by ,samuel ,lee4   

,boston4 ,j4,e4 ,tilton  ,co4 #abmo4 pp4
 #bfg4 #a4jj4  ,codex ,vaticanus4 ,novum
 ,testamentum ,graec1 ex ,antiquissimo  
,codice ,vaticano4 ,edidit ,angelus     
,maius1 ,s4,r4,e41 ,card4 ,ad ,fidem    
,editionis ,romanae accuratius          
impressum4 ,new ,york4 ,d4 ,appleton    
,co4 #hvo4 pp4 #ejc4 #c4jj4  ,ancient   
,mineralogy2 or an ,inquiry respecting  
,mineral ,substances mentioned by the   
,ancients1 with ,occasional ,remarks on 
the ,uses to which they were applied4   
,by ,n4,f4 ,moore1 ,,ll4,d4 ,second     
,edition4 ,new ,york4 ,harper           
,brothers4 #ahmo4 pp4 #bej4 #fj cts4    
,the ,vagabond4 ,by ,adam ,badean4 ,new 
,york4 ,rudd  ,carleton4 #abmo4 pp4     
#cfh4 #a4jj4  ,dictionary of            
,americanisms4 ,a ,glossary of ,words   
and ,phrases usually regarded as        
,peculiar to the ,united ,states4 ,by   
,john ,russell ,bartlett4 ,second       
,edition4 ,greatly ,improved and        
,enlarged4 ,boston4 ,little1 ,brown1    
,co4 #hvo4 pp4 #ebd4 #b4be4  ,acadia2 or

 a ,month with the ,blue ,noses4 ,by    
,frederick ,t4 ,cozzens1 ,author of ,the
 ,sparrowgrass ,papers4 ,new ,york4     
,derby  ,jackson4 #abmo4 pp4 #cbi4      
#a4jj4  ,abridgment of the ,debates of  
,congress4 ,by ,thomas ,h4 ,benton4     
,vol4 ,,xi4 ,new ,york4 ,d4 ,appleton   
,co4 #hvo4 pp4 #ghb4 #c4jj4  ,the ,great
 ,concern2 or ,man's ,relation to ,god  
and a ,future ,state4 ,by ,nehemiah     
,adams1 ,d4,d4 ,boston4 ,gould          
,lincoln4 #abmo4 pp4 #bce4 #ge cts4     
,oliver ,cromwell4 ,by ,alphonse        
,lamartine4 ,new ,york4 ,delisser       
,proctor4 #afmo4 pp4 #bhh4 #ej cts4     
,wyandotte3 or the ,hutted ,knoll4 ,a   
,tale4 ,by ,j4 ,fenimore ,cooper4       
,illustrated from ,drawings by ,f4,o4,c4
 ,darley4 ,new ,york4 ,w4,a4 ,townsend  
,co4 crown #hvo4 pp4 #ebc4 #a4ej4  ,the 
,life of ,martin ,luther4 ,by ,chevalier
 ,bunsen4 ,with an ,estimate of         
,luther's ,character and ,genius1 by    
,thomas ,carlyle2 and an ,appendix1 by  
,sir ,william ,hamilton4 ,new ,york4    

,delisser  ,proctor4 #cbmo4 pp4 #bej4   
#ej cts4  ,sloan's ,constructive        
,architecture2 a ,guide to the          
,practical ,builder and ,mechanic1 etc41
 etc4 ,by ,samuel ,sloan1 ,architect4   
,philadelphia4 ,j4,b4 ,lippincott  ,co4 
#dto4 pp4 #adg4 #d4ej4  ,a ,bachelor's  
,story4 ,by ,oliver ,bunce4 ,new ,york4 
,rudd  ,carleton4 #abmo4 pp4 #bdg4      
#a4jj4  ,cosmos2 a ,sketch of the       
,physical ,description of the ,universe4
 ,by ,alexander von ,humboldt4          
,translated from the ,german by ,e4,c4  
,ott and ,w4,s4 ,dallas1 ,f4,s4,e4 ,vol4
 ,v4 ,new ,york4 ,harper  ,brothers4    
#abmo4 pp4 #dfb4 #he cts4  ,the ,angel  
of the ,iceberg1 and other ,stories1    
illustrating ,great ,moral ,truths4     
,designed chiefly for the ,young4 ,by   
,john ,todd4 ,northampton4 ,bridgman    
,childs4 #ahmo4 pp4 #cgd4 #ge cts4  ,the
 ,cavalier1 an ,historical ,novel4 ,by  
,g4,p4,r4 ,james1 ,esq4 ,philadelphia4  
,t4,b4 ,peterson  ,brothers4 #abmo4 pp4 
#cia4 #a4be4  ,counterparts1 or the     

,cross of ,love4 ,by the ,author of     
,charles ,auchester4 ,boston4 ,mayhew   
,baker4 #hvo4 pp4 #bfb4 #a4jj4  ,love4  
7,l',amour47 ,from the ,french of ,m4,j4
 ,michelet4 ,translated from the ,fourth
 ,paris ,edition by ,j4,w4 ,palmer1     
,m4,d4 ,new ,york4 ,rudd  ,carleton4    
#abmo4 pp4 #cdb4 #a4jj4  ,the ,greek    
,testament4 ,with a ,critically ,revised
 ,text2 a ,digest of ,various ,readings2
 ,marginal ,references to ,verbal and   
,idiomatic ,usage2 ,prolegomena2 and a  
,critical and ,exegetical ,commentary4  
,for the ,use of ,theological ,students 
and ,ministers4 ,by ,henry ,alford1     
,b4,d41 ,minister of ,quebec ,chapel1   
,london1 and ,late ,fellow of ,trinity  
,college1 ,cambridge4 ,in ,four         
,volumes4 ,vol4 ,i4 ,containing the     
,four ,gospels4 ,new ,york4 ,harper     
,brothers4 #hvo4 pp4 #hce4 #e4jj4       
,country ,life2 a ,hand-,book of        
,agriculture1 ,horticulture1 and        
,landscape ,gardening4 ,by ,r4 ,morris  
,copeland4 ,boston4 ,j4,p4 ,jewett  ,co4

 #hvo4 pp4 #hac4 #b4ej4  ,the ,new      
,american ,cyclopaedia1 a ,popular      
,dictionary of ,general ,knowledge4     
,edited by ,george ,ripley and ,charles 
,a4 ,dana4 ,vol4 ,,vi4                  
,cough--,education4 ,new ,york4 ,d4     
,appleton  ,co4 #hvo4 pp4 #ggi4 #c4jj4  
,memoirs of the ,empress ,catharine4    
,written by ,herself4 ,with a ,preface  
by ,a4 ,herzen4 ,translated from the    
,french4 ,new ,york4 ,d4 ,appleton  ,co4
 #abmo4 pp4 #cja4 #a4jj4  ,the ,poetical
 ,works of ,edgar ,allan ,poe4 ,with an 
,original ,memoir4 ,new ,york4          
,redfield4 #ahmo4 pp #bgh4 #ge cts4     
,aguecheek4 ,boston4 ,shepard1 ,clark1  
,brown4 #abmo4 pp4 #ccf4 #a4jj4  ,the   
,three ,eras of ,woman's ,life4 ,a      
,novel4 ,by ,eliza ,elton ,smith4       
,boston4 ,t4,o4,h4,p4 ,burnham4 #abmo4  
pp4 #cbb4 #a4jj4  ,plutarch's ,lives4   
,the ,translation called ,dryden's4     
,collected from the ,greek and ,revised4
 ,by ,a4,h4 ,clough4 ,boston4 ,little1  
,brown1  ,co4 #e vols4 #hvo4 #aj4jj4    

,elements of ,somatology2 a ,treatise on
 the ,general ,properties of ,matter4   
,by ,george ,mackintosh ,mc,lean1 ,m4,d4
 ,new ,york4 ,john ,wiley4 #abmo4 pp4   
#abd4 #ge cts4  ,cranston ,house4 ,a    
,novel4 ,by ,hannah ,anderson ,ropes4   
,boston4 ,otis ,clapp4 #abmo4 pp4 #chh4 
#a4jj4  ,the ,two ,paths4 ,being        
,lectures on ,art and its ,application  
to ,decoration and ,manufacture4        
,delivered in #aheh-i4 ,by ,john        
,buskin1 ,m4,a4 ,with ,plates and ,cuts4
 ,new ,york4 ,john ,wiley4 #abmo4 pp4   
#bag4 #a4jj4  ,walter ,thornley2 or1 a  
,peep at the ,past4 ,by the ,author of  
,allen ,prescott and ,alida4 ,new ,york4
 ,harper  ,brothers4 #abmo4 pp4 #dhf4   
#a4jj4  ,my ,early ,days4 ,by ,eliza ,w4
 ,farnham4 ,new ,york4 ,thatcher        
,hutchinson4 #abmo4 pp4 #dbe4 #a4jj4  ,a
 ,history of the ,discovery of the      
,circulation of the ,blood4 ,by ,p4     
,florens4 ,translated from the ,french  
by ,j4,c4 ,reeve1 ,m4,d4 ,cincinnati4   
,rickey1 ,mallory1  ,co4 #abmo4 pp4     

#agh4 #ge cts4  ,wars of the ,roses or  
,stories of the ,struggles of ,york and 
,lancaster4 ,by ,j4,g4 ,edgar4 ,with    
,illustrations4 ,new ,york4 ,harper     
,brothers4 #afmo4 pp4 #ccj4 #ej cts4    
,the ,lives of the ,queens of ,scotland 
and ,english ,princesses4 ,by ,agnes    
,strickland4 ,vol4 ,,vii4 ,new ,york4   
,harper  ,brothers4 #abmo4 pp4 #cgi4    
#a4jj4     ,,atlantic ,,monthly         
,,advertiser4         99       99       
99       99       99  ,,attractive ,,and
 ,,valuable ,,works  ,,published ,,by   
,,phillips1 ,,sampson ,,and ,,company4  
,,prescott',s ,,works4  ,,ferdinand     
,,and ,,isabella1 #c vols4 ,,conquest   
,,of ,,mexico1 #c vols4 ,,conquest ,,of 
,,peru1 #b vols4 ,,miscellanies1 7,,with
 ,,portrait47 #a vol4 ,,prescott',s     
,,robertson',s ,,charles ,v4 #c vols4   
,,philip ,,ii4 ,,of ,,spain1 #c vols4   
,price in cloth #b4be per ,volume4  ,the
 ,works of ,mr4 ,prescott are bound in a
 variety of handsome styles4         99 
99       99       99       99  ,,just   

,,published1  ,a ,new and ,valuable     
,collection of ,church ,music1 entitled 
,,the ,,choral ,,harmony1  ,,by ,b4 ,f4 
,,baker ,,and ,w4 ,o4 ,,perkins4  ,the  
introductory part of this work contains 
a full and carefully prepared treatise  
on the elementary principles of music1  
together with pleasing1 appropriate1 and
 progressive ,exercises for ,classes and
 ,schools4 ,the collection of ,hymn     
,tunes comprises a judicious choice of  
the old and favorite pieces1 together   
with original compositions of great     
variety1 freshness1 and beauty4 ,the    
,anthems1 ,motets1 and ,sentences are   
designed to supply fully the varied     
wants of choirs4  ,the characteristics  
which distinguish this book are3 7#a47  
,the naturalness both of melody and     
harmony2 7#b47 ,the just expression of a
 deeper musical thought and feeling than
 is ordinarily found in modern tunes2   
7#c47 ,the logical treatment of themes1 
or the careful regard paid to the       
relations of subject and answer1--a     

matter hitherto generally neglected1 but
 which in the present advanced state of 
musical culture cannot fail to be       
appreciated4  ,it is believed that the  
,,choral ,,harmony will be found one of 
the most satisfactory works yet         
issued1--that it will deserve a         
permanent place in the regard of the    
musical public4  ,the long and          
successful experience of the chief      
editor is a guarantee that nothing will 
be wanting in the present work4         
99       99       99       99       99  
,,the ,,autocrat ,,of ,,the ,,breakfast 
,,table4  ,a ,series of ,papers1        
,reprinted from the first ,twelve       
,numbers of the ,atlantic ,monthly4     
,the success of this series has been    
unexampled in ,magazine literature2 no  
articles in ,american periodicals1 and  
it is believed1 none from ,english pens1
 unless it may be the ,the ,nodes       
,ambrosianae1 have ever attained such a 
wide-spread popularity4 ,the publishers 
believe that this book will have a      

permanent interest1 and will taka its   
place with the works of the few         
humorists whom the world agrees to call 
great4  ,for nice and almost            
affectionate appreciation of nature2 for
 knowledge of what is most subtile in   
human thought and feeling2 for a genial 
humor that makes even satire amiable2   
and for poetry by turns witty1 tender1  
graceful1 and imaginative1 these table  
talks may fairly challenge comparison in
 the whole field of literature4  ,a     
,,new ,,edition1 ,,with ,,ample         
,,margin4  ,in #a ,vol4 #abmo4 ,about   
#cej pages4 ,with ,characteristic       
,illustrations by ,hoppin1 and a copious
 ,index4 ,price #a4jj4  ,also3 ,a fine  
edition of the ,,autocrat on tinted     
paper1 in bevelled boards1 gilt4  ,price
 #c4jj4 ,in ,full ,calf1 or ,turkey     
antique1 #e4jj4         99       99     
99       99       99  ,,the ,,british   
,,essayists4  ,,comprising  ,,the       
,,essays1 ,,reviews ,,and ,,miscellanies
  ,,of  ,,macaulay             ,price1  

in muslin1 #b4jj ,,carlyle              
#a4ge ,,jeffrey                         
#b4jj ,,mackintosh                      
#b4jj ,,prof ,,wilson                   
#a4be ,,talfourd ,,and ,,stephen        
#a4be ,,alison                          
#a4be ,,sydney ,,smith                  
#a4be  ,price complete1 #ab4jj4         
99       99       99       99       99  
,,blue ,,and ,,gold ,,editions ,,of     
,,the  ,,british ,,poets6  ,the         
,publishers desire to call particular   
attention to their ,,blue ,,and ,,gold  
,,editions ,,of ,,the ,,british ,,poets1
 which1 for beauty and cheapness1 exceed
 anything of the kind ever before       
offered to the public4 ,they are        
admirably adapted as presentations to   
scholars1 or prizes in schools4  ,the   
list comprises the following authors1   
each in one volume4 ,any of the volumes 
will be sent to any address in the      
,united ,states1 upon receipt of price4 
,,hood1        ,,burns1        ,,moore1 
,,byron1       ,,milton1       ,,hemans1

 ,,pope1        ,,goldsmith1            
,,wordsworth1 ,,campbell1    ,,scott1   
,,coleridge1 ,,ossian1      ,,crabbe1   
,,cowper  ,price                        
4#ge per volume4  ,the same in half     
,turkey morocco1 #a4be      ,the same in
 full ,turkey morocco1 #b4jj            
99       99       99       99       99  
,,the ,,works ,,of ,r4 ,w4 ,,emerson4   
,,essays1 ,,first ,,and ,,second        
,,series     #b vols4 ,,nature4         
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with first principles1 and is not       
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,,valuable ,,and ,,beautiful ,,work1    
,milch ,cows and ,dairy ,farming1  ,,the
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,,subject4  ,comprising the ,breeds1    
,breeding and ,management1 in ,health   
and ,disease of ,dairy and other ,stock2
 the ,selection of ,milch ,cows1 with a 
full explanation of ,guenon's ,method2  
the ,culture of ,forage ,plants1 and the
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,,cheese2  ,embodying the most recent   
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which is added  ,,horsfall',s ,,system  
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author of ,a ,treatise on ,grasses and  
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,,the ,,press4  ,the most valuable work 
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yet issued on the subject--,country     
,gentleman4  ,the more we examine the   
book the better we like it4 ,to say that
 it is superior to any work hitherto    
published on that subject1 is not       
enough2 it is a better book of its kind 
than we had hoped to have an opportunity
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agricultural library4--,wisconsin       
,farmer4         99       99       99   
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