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April21, 1849. ^ THE NORTHERN STAR. iv ~...
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wOctni. iv» . .
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THE TWO WISHES. (From the Athenaeum. ) O...
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MMem.
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HISTORICAL VIEW OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION...
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William the Norman: or, the Tyrant Displ...
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The Progressionist. April. London : F. W...
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Uniformity of Railway Accounts. B y Geor...
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CHARTIST TRACTS FOR THE TIMES. No. V. Wh...
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Want or Fresh Air.—The Hon. Horace Mann,...
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The Income Tax.—On "Wednesday the follow...
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TO ROBERT OWEN. My Dear Owen, I look upo...
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Uartttietf.
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American Biblical Criticism.—Tho America...
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Transcript
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software. The text has not been manually corrected and should not be relied on to be an accurate representation of the item.
Additionally, when viewing full transcripts, extracted text may not be in the same order as the original document.
April21, 1849. ^ The Northern Star. Iv ~...
April 21 , 1849 . _^ THE NORTHERN STAR . ~ ~ * * ¦ ¦ ~ ~ ' i T - : - ¦ * " _^^^~^~^ " * " 'i i
Woctni. Iv» . .
_wOctni . iv » . .
The Two Wishes. (From The Athenaeum. ) O...
THE TWO WISHES . ( From the Athenaeum . ) One morn upon a rocky steep , High up above the level earth Two youths , escaped the bonds of sleep , Felt first ambition ' s earliest birth . Aspiring o er the tardy race Of common minds that hei ght to reach Which towers above the common place , Each turned his glowing thought to speech " Brother , I would , " the elder cried , " like -this high rock my fate mig ht he-Commanding nations far and wide , And famed throughout eternity ; O ' er grovelling minds and puny things
In kingly power to soar and soar , — Mounting on still aspiring wings , Forthshadowing God for evermore !" _"JTotthus would I , " the younger said , " Pursue the pomp of lonely state ; A simple wreath should crown my head , By simple goodness grown to great . Would that my soul—like yonder sun—Still blessing all , by all things blessed , Her glorious race of love might run—God ' s poet from the East to West !" Each wish was heard . The years rolled b y The golden time of youth fled past—And , changing with the changing sky ,
To men these brothers grew at last . The elder graced a kingly throne , In purple splendour full arrayed—The younger ruled by song alone , And reigned beneath the sylvan shade . Lesser in love than pride of power His iron sway the elder bore , — Till , wroughtto madness , one dark hour Their fateful oath conspirers swore . _Xot less in power than pride of love , His truthful songs the younger sang , — Till soon through every sylvan grove The lays of freedom loudly rang . Through many a grade of strife and wrong
The tyrant ' s power and love declined ; Through many a golden sphere of song Still upward soared the Poet ' s mind . Till came , at last , the avenging hour That broke for aye the Oppressor ' s rod , That trampled down tyrannic power , — And crowned the poet half a god . And still again the years rolled by ; And through a plain there went alone , With gaze towards the sunbright sky , The Poet—but the steep was gone . Shivered beneath the lightning ' s shock , Whose bolt its massy _oulk had riven , In crumbling fragments lay the rock , While beamed the noontide sun in heaven Still high above the exalted hills ,
As on that wishful morn he shone , That sun his burning throne fulfils la love serene , sublime , alone . And lofty powers of earth that frown Unkindly on the mean below God ' s wrath still hurls in thunder down , _'Xeath Love ' s eternal changeless glow . Rome . C . H . _Hiicnrsoa
Mmem.
MMem .
Historical View Of The French Revolution...
HISTORICAL VIEW OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION . By J . Michelet . — Translated by C . Cocks , B . L . London : H . G . Bohn , York-street , Covent-garden . The title of this work is-well-chosen . "Historical View" is more fitting than " History " would have been . Michelet is not the man to write the History of his nation ' s internal and external struggles . He is too discursive , too obscure , too fall of a narrow-minded "
nationality , " to write History as it should be written . But with all his faults as a writer , it is impossible for Michelet to write any number of pages—few or many—without interesting and instructing his readers b y his originality of thought and unchecked freedom of expression ; by bis sometimes fiery , but oftener plaintive eloquence ; and _bythematerials for thinking which he lavishes npon those who will but be at the trouble of giving bim their attention .
Michelet possesses one grand quality , —he is terribl y in earnest .. Introducing the case of Latode the celebrated prisoner ofthe Bastille , Vincennes , Charenton , and tiie horrible Bicetre , he says : — " For my part I must acknowledge the extremel y agonising effect which the prisoner ' _sletters produced on me . Though a sworn enemy to barbarous fictions about everlasting punishment , I found myself praying to God to construct a hell for tyrants . " Amen !
Intensely " national , " Michelet seems to have a profound contempt for England and everything English . He says many hard things that are true , and some that are not true , of our countrymen ; but we forgive him in consideration ofthe great lesson he reads us in bis matchless exposure ofthe horrors of our manu & cturingand commercial system . Some weeks ago we extracted ( aud re-publiahed iu the " Star" ) this most true and eloquent portion of his work .
Michelet is an enthusiastic admirer of the Revolution , which he defines to be " The Advent of the Law , the resurrection of right , and the reaction of Justice . " The necessity of the Revolution—tiie natural results of long ages of oppression on the part ofthe privileged orders and of suffering on the partof tiie people—is demonstrated by the miseries borne with b y the masses till no longer bearable . Well does Michelet exclaim— "Kind-heartedmen , you who weep over the evils of the Revolution ( doubtless with too much reason ) , shed also a few tears for the evils which occasioned it , Michelet ' s examinations of the characters of some of the most famous ofthe
Revolutionists are very curious , particularly his inquiry into the life and writings of Makat . Our author philosophicall y observes : — "A fact , too little noticed—but which enables us to understand a great many things—is , that several of our 'terrorists' were men of an exquisite feverish sensibility , who felt cruelly the sufferings of the people , and whose pity turned into furv . " As much a hero-worshipper as
Carltle himself , Michelet naturally leans to _DaN'TOX , " and sings the praises of MlBABEAU . He acknowledges the corruption of the great orator , but , nevertheless , pleads eloquently for the restoration of his remains ( if any there be ) to the Pantheon . He argues that " the banishment was deserved , but the restoration ¦ would be just" The following extract tells the _oft-told , but ever interesting story of
THE DEATH OF _SOHABEitr . On Sunday , the 27 th of March , he was in the countrv , at bis small residence at Argenteuil , where he was charitably employed in doing good to the poor . He had ever sympathised with the miseries of mankind ; and he became still more humane at the approach of death . _Heic he was seized with a cholic , of which he had previously had attacks , accompanied -with inexpressible agony , and found himself dying alone , without a physician or any assistance . Assistance came at length ; hut it was of no avail , for , in five days , he expired .
_Nevertheless , on Monday , the 28 th , though death was stamped upon Ms countenance , he was obstinately resolved to go once more to the Assembly . The question on the mines , a Tery important affair for Ms friend , M . de Lamarck , whose fortune was engaged in them , decided him . Mirabeau spoke five times ; and , though more dead than alive , was once more victorious . On _leaving the Assembly all was over . With that last effort he sacrificed the rest of Ms life to friendship . On Tuesdav , the 29 th , a report that Mirabeau was ill spread a strong sensation throughout Paris , and all men , even Ms adversaries , then felt how much they loved Mm . Camille Desmoulins , who
-was then waging war so violently against hun , feels his heart yearn once more towards Ms former friend ; and the ' furious editors of the " Bevolutions of Paris , " who were at that moment proposing the suppression of royalty , say that the king has sent to _taouire about Mirabeau , and add , " Let us feel grateful that-Louis XVI . did not go himself ; it would have occasioned a fatal diversion ; for the people would hare adored him . " On the Tuesday evening the crowd thronged
about the sick mans door . On the Wednesday , the Jacobins sent Mm a deputation , headed by Barnave , from whom he received with pleasure an _ob-^ _S _' ng expression that was related to him . Charles de Lameth had refused to join the deputation . Mirabeau was afraid of being beset by priests , and lad given orders that the curate should be told , if he came that he had seen , or was to see , his friend , thc bishop of Autun . _Sohody was ever more noble and affectionate in death . He spoke of his life aft of the past , aud of himself , uho had been , and had ceased ta be . _£ e
Historical View Of The French Revolution...
would have no other physician than his friend Caba " nis , and was totally given up to friendsMp and to the idea of France . What gave Mm the most uneasiness in dying , was the doubtful threatening attitude ofthe English , who seemed to be preparing war . "That Pitt , " said he , "is governing with threats rather than with deeds ; I should have given some trouble if I had lived . " They spoke to him of the extraordinary eagerness ofthe people in inquiring about Ms health , and of the religious respect ana silence ofthe crowd which was afraid of troubling him . "Ah ! the people , " . . ~ . _
said he , " such good people well deserve that a man should sacrifice himself for them , and do everything to found and strengthen their liberty . It was my glory to live for them ; and it is my consolation to feel that I am dying amidst the people . " He was full of gloomy presentiments about the destiny of France : " I am carrying away with me , " said he , " the funeral of monarchy : its remnants will become the prey ofthe factious . " The report ofa cannon having been heard , he exclaimed , with a start : " Is this already the funeral of Achilles 1 "
"In the morning ofthe 2 nd of April , " said Cabanis , "he ordered his windows to be opened , and said to me in a firm tone : ' Friend , I shall die today . On such a day , it only remains to perfume oneself , _^ and then , ' crowned with flowers , and surrounded with music , to be lulled agreeably to that sleep from which there is no waking . ' He then called his valet-de-chambre : ' Come , ' said he , ' prepare to shave me , and to dress me carefully and completely . ' He ordered his bed to be moved nearer an open window , in order that he might contemplate the first symptoms of vernal vegetation on thc trees in Ms little garden . The sun was sMning , and he exclaimed : _« If this be not God , it is at
least his cousin-german . ' Soon after he lost the use ofhis speech ; but he still replied by signs to the proofs of friendship which we showed him . The sli htest attentions affected him and caused him to smile ; and when we approached him he did all he could to embrace us . " His sufferings being excessive , and as he was unable to articulate any longer , he wrote the word " Sleep ; " and , desirous of abridging tins useless agony , he asked for opium , and expired about halfpast eight , after having just turned round and raised his eyes to heaven . The _phster that has taken the impression of his countenance thus fixed , exhibits only a sweet smile , a calm sleep , and pleasant
dreams . Pains-taking readers will be cautious of how far they allow Michelet to lead them when discussing the character of Robespierre . The following extract introduces _v-j
ROBESPIERRE AT THE _JACOBIJ * CLUB . The Jacobins are a meeting of distinguished and educated n . en . Here , French literature has a majority ; Laharpe , _Chenier , Chamfort , Andrieux , Sedaine , and so many others ; and artists are also numerous , —David , Vernet , Larive , and ( the representative of the Revolution in the theatre ) the young Roman Talma . At the door , to examine the cards , are two censors , Lai ' s , the singer , and a handsome youth , the promising pupil of Madame de Genlis , —the son ofthe Duke ot Orleans . That dark man at the bureau , who is smiling grimly , is the very agent of the prince , the too notorious author ofthe Liaisons Dangereuses , Laclos and , as a remarkable contrast , M . de Robespierre is speaking in the tribune .
TMs is an honest man , who adheres to principles : a man of talent and austere morality . His weak and rather shrill voice , bis sad and meagre visage , amLMs everlasting olive-green coat ( Ms only coat , thread-bare and scrupulously clean ) , altogether bear witness that Ms princi p les do not enrich their votary . Though seldom listened to at the National Assembly , he excels and will ever excel at the Jacobins . He is the society itself , —nothing more or less , expressing it perfectly , moving with it at the same pace , without ever outstepping it . We will follow Mm very closely and attentively , noting and dating every degree in his prudent career , and noting likewise on his pale countenance the deep traces that will be made by the Revolution , the untimely wrinkles of vigils , and the furrows of meditation .
The author , in describing an infamous plot of the " Jacobin nobles" to render the tribune ofthe Democracy ridiculous , records in the following extract
MIRABEAU ' S ESTIMATE 03 ? ROBESPIERRE . To make a man ridiculous , there is one easy way ; wMch is , for his friends to smile whenever he speaks . Men are generally so frivolous , so easily led , and so cowardly imitative , that a smile from the left side , from Barnave or the Lameths , infallibly excited the risibility of the whole Assembly . One man alone seems to have taken no part in these indignities ; and this was the truly powerful Mirabeau . He used always to reply seriously and respectfully to this weak adversary , respecting in Mm txe image of fanaticism , sincere passion , and persevering labour . He shrewdly distinguished , but with the indulgence and generosity of genius , Robespierre ' s profound pride , the religious faith that he had for himself , Ms person , and his words . " That man will go far , " said Mirabeau , " for he believes all he says . "
The constant tension of his muscles and Ms voice , his straining utterance , aud his short-sighted look , left a painful , tiresome impression which people tried to get rid of by laughing at Mm . To complete the measure of annoyance , they did not allow him even the consolation of seeing himself in print . The journalists , through negligence , or perhaps on the recommendation of Robespierre ' s friends , cruelly mutUated his most elaborate speeches . They were obstinately bent on not knowing Ms name , always
designating him as a member , or M . N ., or Mr . To forget such mortifications , so extremely galling to his vanity , Robespierre had no resource , neither family nor the world—he was alone and poor . He used to carry home with Mm his mortification to his deserted neighbourhood , the Marais , and to his lonely apartment in the dismal Rue de Saintonge : a cold , poor , and ill-furnished lodging . He was very frugal , dining for thirty sous ; and yet he scarcely had money enough to purchase clothes .
In the following extract the author states THE PEOPLE ' S OPINION OF ROBESPIERRE . One countenance alone comforted them , and seemed to say , "I am honest ; " and the dress of the man and his gesture seemed to express the same . His speeches were entirely on morality and the interests ofthe people , —principles , eternall y principles . The man himself was not entertaining , and Ms person was austere and melancholy , by no means popular , but rather academical , and , in one respect , even aristocratical , in extreme cleanliness , neatness , and style of dress . He seemed also a stranger to friendship and familiarity ; even his former college companions being kept at a distance .
In spite of all these circumstances , little calculated to make a man popular , the people so hunger and thirst after ri ghteousness , that the orator of principles , the p artisan of absolute right , the man who professed virtue , and whose sad and serious countenance seemed its very image , became the favourite of the people . The more he was disliked by the Assembly , the more he was relished by the galleries ; so he addressed Mmself more and more to this second assembly , which , from above , presided over the deliberations , believed itself in reality superior , and , as the people , the sovereign authority , claimed the right of interfering , and hissed its delegates .
We conclude our extracts with the following exciting account of
A SCENE AT THE CORDELIERS . What a crowd 1 Shall we he able to enter ? Citizens , make a little room for us ; comrades , you see I have brought a stranger . The noise is deafening ; and , by way of compensation , one can scarcely see Those smoking little lamps seem there only to render darkness visible . What a mist envelopes the crowd ! The air is dense with the hum and snouting of men . ' A young lady enters and desires to speak . Why , this is no other than Mademoiselle Theroigne , the handsome amazon of Liege ! Behold her in her red silk riding-habit , and armed with her large sabre of the 5 th of October . The enthusiasm is at its height . "It is the Queen of Sheba , " cries Desmoulins , " who has come to pay a visit to the Solomon of our district . "
She has already passed through the whole of the Assembly , with thc springing gait ofa panthor , and ascended the tribune . Her beautiful , inspired countenance , beaming with enthusiasm , appears between the sombre apocalyptic visages of Dantonand Marat . "If you are truly Solomons , said Theroigne , " you will prove it by building the temple , the temple of liberty , the palace of tne National Assembly . And you will build it on the spot where the Bastille formerl y stood . " What j whilst the executive power inhabits the finest palace in the world , the pavilion of Flora and tbe porticoes ofthe Louvre , the legislative power is still encamped in tents , at the fennis-Court , the Menus , or the Riding-S chooMikc _ball ' s dOYC _, that can nnd no resting-pb . ee ?
i " _iS _L- _^? i _l ema ] n so * T he people must learn , by simply beholding the edifice ! which the tol _f- _*?! _LSS & _^ t sovere , > _pwe * - resides , What is a _sovereign _w-thout a v _^ Cy r m a g 0 ( i witu out an altar ? Who will acknowled ge Ms worship _« "Let us build up that altar ; and let all _contribute , bringing their gold and precious stones ( for my part , here are mine ) . Let us build up the only true temple . No other is worthy of God than that where they pronounced the declaration ofthe _rights of man . As guardian ofthat temple , Paris wilt be less a city than thc common Patria of all others , the meeting-place ofthe tribes , their Jerusalem !" ' " The Jerusalem of the world ] " exclaimed the enthusiastic auditory ; for a real frenzy , an ecstatic '
Historical View Of The French Revolution...
Joy , had possessed the whole Assembly . If thc ancient Cordeliers , who had formerly given free course to their mystic ravings , under those same vaulted roofs , had returned that evening , they would still have found themselves at home among their fellows ; for , all of them , whether believers or philosophers , disciples of Rousseau , Diderot , Holuach , or Helvetius , all prophesied , in spite of themselves . The German Anachavsis Clootzwas , or imagined Mmself to be , an atheist , like so many others , from hatred of the evils that priests have occasioned
( Tantiim religio potuit suadere malorum !) But with all Ms cynicism and his ostentation of doubt , this son of the Rhine , and fellow-countrymen of Beethoven , felt strongly all the emotion of the new religion . The most sublime words inspired by the great confederation are in a letter from Glootz to Madame de Beauharnais ; nor did anybody express any more strangely beautiful on the future unity of the world . His accent , his German slowness of utterance , his smiling serene countenance , and that beatitude of a mad genius , inclined to jest with itself , added amusement to enthusiasm .
"Why , indeed , has nature , " said he , " placed Paris at an equal distance from the pole and tlie equator , but for it to be a cradle and a metropolis for the general confederation of mankind ? Here , the States-General of the world will assemble ; and I predict that the time is not so remote as people believe . Let but the Tower of London fall to pieces , like that of Paris , and tyrants will be no more . The flag of the French cannot wave over London and Paris , without soon being hoisted all round the globe Then there will be no longer either provinces , armies , conquerors , nor conquered nations . People will go from Pans to Pekin , as they do from Bordeaux to Strasbourg : the ocean , by a
bridge of ships , will join her shores ; and the cast and the west will embrace in the field of confederation . Rome was the metropolis ot the world by war ; Paris will be bo by peace . Yes , the more I reflect , the more I conceive the possibility of one single nation , and the facility with which the Universal Assembly , sitting at Paris , will conduct the government ofthe whole human race . Ye rivals of Vitruvius _, listen to the oracle of reason ; if universal patriotism kindles your genius , you will know well how to make us a temple to contain all the representatives of the world ; there are wanting scarcely more than ten thousand . " Men will be what they ought to be , when each
will be able to say : ' The world is my country , the world is my own native land . Then , there will be no more emigrants . There is hut one nature and one society . Divided powers clash together , and nations are like clouds which necessarily burst against each other . " Tyrants , your thrones are crumbling beneath you . Abdicate , and you shall suffer neither misery nor the scaffold Ye usurpers of sovereignty look me in the face . Do you not behold your sentence written on the walls ofthe National Assembly ? Come , do not wait for the fusion of sceptres and crowns ; come forth to welcome a revolution which delivers kings from the snares of kings , and nations
from the rivalry of nations !" " Long live Anacharsis ! " exclaimed _DeBmoulins . " Let us open with him the cataracts of heaven . It is nothing that reason has drowned despotism in France ; it must also inundate the globe ; and all the thrones of kings and Lamas must be washed from their foundations by this universal deluge What a career from Sweden to Japan ! The Tower of London is shaken . An innumerable meeting of Irish Jacobins has had , from its first sittings , an insurrection . At the rapid rate at which things are going , I would not give a shilling for the estates of thc clergy ofthe Church of England . As for Pitt , he is destined to be hanged ( Umteme ) , unless , by the loss of his place , he prevent the loss ofhis head ,
wMch John Bull is about to demand The inquisitors are already being hanged on the Mancanarez ; the breath of liberty is blowing strong from France to the South ; and presently people may safely say—• There are no longer any Pyrenees !' " Clootz has just transported me , as the angel did the prophet Habakkuk _, into the upper regions of policy ; and I now throw back the barrier of the Revolution to the uttermost parts of the world ! " This volume closes with an account of the King ' s flight to Varennes . We believe the continuation of the work has alread y appeared in Paris , and we trust that , by an extensive sale of the present volume , Mr . Bohn will be encouraged to continue the publication of Mr . Cocks s admirable translation .
Good and cheap—remarkabl y cheap—this volume commends itself to every student of history—to all who desire to know the unparalleled events , of the wonderful Revolution of 1789 .
William The Norman: Or, The Tyrant Displ...
William the Norman : or , the Tyrant Displayed . A Tragedy . By R . Otxey . London : J . Watson , 3 , Queen ' s Head-passage , Paternoster-row . _Kegaeding this tragedy it will suffice that we quote the following observations from the author ' s preface : — " The personages are delineated and coloured as they are to he met within history ; the language is that ofthe author ; but many ofthe sentiments aud articles of faith are not his ; but are peculiar to the age and the personages who are made to speak them . The Monk Robert and the royal Savage are truthful portraitures of priests and kings in general , in all ages and in all countries . In the reign of the Norman William ,
some hundreds of thousands ofthe industrious peasants of England were driven into the fenlands of Lincolnshire , and perished of cold and hunger ; in the reign of Victoria the first and last , several hundred thousands of Irish peasants , surrounded hy wealth , civilisation , and religious devotion , have died in one year from the same causes . The worthless splendour of palaces and thrones , has always heen accompanied with the si g hs of sorrow and the death groans ofthe unoffending industrious people . " We may add , in the words of the concluding lines ofthe tragedy : — " Why should vain man , thus be the scourge of man , And lleavMi foredoom a race to sweat and toil , To gild a palace and exalt a knave ? If not—an idiot , madman , fool , or slave ? "
The Progressionist. April. London : F. W...
The Progressionist . April . London : F . Ward , 5 i , Paternoster-row . Another cheap monthly publication , " devoted to the advocacy of social , political , and moral reform . " The number before us contains articles on " The People ' s Charter , ' * Temperance Reform , & c , & c .
Uniformity Of Railway Accounts. B Y Geor...
Uniformity of Railway Accounts . B y George King . London : E . F . Gooch , 55 , King William-street . The object of this pamphlet is "to attempt an elucidation of certain points of railway economy , and to offer such suggestions with respect to them , as will , if acted upon , place railway property generally upon a sounder basis ; and will , by the aid of a better and more uniform system of accounts , enable a more correct judgment to he formed than is now possible , of the respective merits of each railway , and its value as an investmonfi . _*' :
Chartist Tracts For The Times. No. V. Wh...
CHARTIST TRACTS FOR THE TIMES . No . V . What is Liberty ? How shall we obtain it ? By the Kirkdale Chartist Prisoners . London : J . Watson , 3 , Queen ' s Head-passage , Paternoster-row ; Leeds ; J . Barker , W & rtley . ' By far the most eloquent , and not the least important , of this series yet issued . We earnestly recommend the Chartists in every locality to form committees to promote the sale of these tracts . Their circulation would effect incalculable good . Pinched for room this week , and pressed for time , having received this number only just before going to press , we must postpone till our next the quotation of several eloquent passages we have marked for extract .
Want Or Fresh Air.—The Hon. Horace Mann,...
Want or Fresh Air . —The Hon . Horace Mann , alluding to ill-ventilated school-rooms , remarks as follows : " To put children on a short allowance of fresh air , is as foolish as it would have been for _Jfoah _, during the Deluge , to put Ms family on a short allowance of water . Since God has poured out an atmosphere fifty miles deep , it is enough to make ft miscr weeP t 0 see our c' -1 _* dren stinte < l in breathing , . _ ... ,. , A Safe _Investment . —Dr . Franklin , speaking of education , says , " If a man empties his purse into his head , no man can take it from hira . An investment in knowledge always pays tlie best interest . " Thumps . —A gentleman playing whist with an intimate friend , who seemed , as far as hands were concerned , to hold the Mahometan doctrine of ablution in supr eme contempt , said to him , with a countenance * more in sorrow than in anger , " My good fellow , if dirt were trumps , what a hand you would have I "
Want Or Fresh Air.—The Hon. Horace Mann,...
SUNSHINE AND SHADOW ; A TALE OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY _.., _„» .. „ . . _« . _
BI THOMAS MARTIN WHEBMR , Late Secretary to the National Charter Association and National Land Company . Chapibb IV . Strange that the mind should ever dwell upon Those years of childhood , ever fondly cling To every dream that waits on memory ' s dawn , O ' ershadowing youth with gay imaginings ; Like wild flowers , ' neath whose buds live waters run , Scented by tangled buds , that o er them fling An arch that hides their source , but bathes the tide In sweets unmatched iu all its wanderings wide . Beste .
Arthur Morton found plenty of leisure in his uncle ' s lonely house to continue his studies , but solitude had lost its wonted charm ; he longed for the presence of his bosom companion ; he yearned to commence his career in the world , to relieve his relative of the burthen of his support . A spirit of independence is generally combined with a shy and reserved disposition ; the mind naturally leans upon itself , it considers favours as heavy obligations , and , conscious of its difficulty adequately to acknowledge them , is anxious to avoid th eir incurrence . Arthur ,
therefore , _requsted that he might be apprenticed to some handicraft , in order to enable him to earn Ms future subsistence . This agreed too well with his uncle ' s wishes to be denied , and Arthur was speedily consigned for seven years to the care of a Mr . Austin , a printer , in a small town about thirty miles south of London . A partina visit was paid to his friend Walter and his sister Julia , and with many protestations of kindness and mutual remembrance , they parted , and years rolled by , and Walter North had forgotten the very existence of his quondam friend and schoolfellow ere they met again .
Dear are the reco lections of our schoolboy hours . _Memoiy imprints the names , features , and remembrance of the prominent actors upon the tablet of our brain ; though seas divide , though all trace of their existence is lost , yet can its potent spell collect the scattered family , and vividly recall the dear remembered past . But , alas for schoolboy friendships , how seldom are they lasting S How few of the number can we recall , even by name , when twice seven years have past ! Love , the grand wizard , blots out the record , and the battle of life destroys its very existence . True , there are exceptions ¦ and Arthur Morton , as far as the ordeal of time had yet been tried , was one . Never was the image of his friend entirely absent from his mind . Iu sickness and in
sorrow he flew for consolation to tho recollections of the past , and friendship supplied to him the place of parents and of bin . For some months a regu ' ar correspondence was maintained between the friends _, but by degrees it ceased on the part of Walter . Several letters having been _unanswered by his friend , Arthur at length received one from Julia , informing hira that her youngest brother was dead , and that Walter was taken into partnership with his father , and had removed to Liverpool , to superintend a wholesale _establishment they had opened iu that town , and the neglect of Walter in not writing must be occasioned , she presumed , by the extra duties he was called upon to attend to , at the same time as-uring him of the best wishes of her parents , and of her own undiminished friendship .
Welcome was this letter to our hero , the first he ever received from a female . Often did he gaze with fondness upon the neat handwriting and the pretty signature ; and though he deeply felt thecontinued neglect of his friend , yet , with true faith in his friendship , he excused it on the ground that he was occupied with business , that he had many other ties , many other outlets for his affections , whilst he was alone in the world . Courteously did he reply to the letter from Julia , and enclosed one for Walter . An answer was returned , stating ihat she had duly forwarded it to her brother . Patiently did he _* ait for Walter ' s answer to this last appeal to his friendship ; but it came not . He had no excuse to continue his correspondence with Julia , and , being too diffident to frame one , all correspondence between himself and his only friends finally ceased .
Long and wearily did the seven years of his apprenticeship pass . His master was a demure , hypocritical pretender to sanctity . His youth had been passed in excesses , from which his constitution was now suffering , and , unable to enjoy pleasure himself , he detested even the semblance of enjoyment in others . His wife was a thin wiry woman , wrapped up in her own merits , and jealously alive to the oemerits of all around her , not forgetting those of her demure rib . Family they had none , much to the chagrin of the self-sufficient Mrs . Austin , whose irritable temper kept the whole household in continual hot water . Such being Ms domestic position , with few acquaintance , nnd none intimate , no _winder that he relapsed into his old habits of reserve and
abstract meditation . But a change had been worked in the character of his thoughts , chiefly wrought by the practical nature of his avocation . They printed the County Chronicle , a Liberal newspaper ; and new views of society thus accumulated , he no longer pondered on imaginary dreams . He looked at the world by which he was suvrounded , the laws , and the customs adopted . He saw the injustice of the former , and the general absurdity of the latter , and wondered such things were . . Oh ! how often did he —when speculating on these things in his lonely rambles—give vent to the aspirations ofhis soul , and unconsciously fit himself for a future career , of which the idea had not then entered his imagination . The good people of M , when they met the young
enthusiast , and overheard his solitary but not silent musings , and observed his general absent manner , thought , and significantly said , that all _wai not right there , pointing to his head . But be was so goodtempered , so well-conducted , and inoffensive , that he was a general favourite- Attentive to his business , simple in his habits , never causing any anxiety or trouble , even his sour master and termagant mistress could scarce behave unkindly to him . During this time he only received a let ter from his uncle at long intervals , which generally contained a small remittance . The last , containing a £ 5 note , informed him ofhis marriage , and that he must no longer look to him , but depend on his own exertions for his support . Arthur grieved not at this intimation—but
the cold language in which it was conveyed certainly made him feel more lonely than heretofore . His friends had deserted him—his onl y relative had coldly cast him off ; but he had sipped of sorrow until the bitterness thereof was destroyed . In this manner passed his apprentice years , dark shadows with occasional gleams of sunshine . HU character was fast maturing—hc was emerging from the part of a dreamer to that of a worker . But a want was still gnawing at his heart . He was alone in the midst ofa crowd—he longed to have some definite object to do , some satisfactory employment for his mind . He wept in very bitterness of spirit at the vague , unsubstantial nature of all that he saw , or was surrounded by . His spirit yearned for something , of the very nature of wliich
he was yet unaware . He would have turned a religious fanatic ( the ultimatum of many minds similarly constituted ) , but his shrewd sense had shown him the hypocrisy of the Austins , and _further experience had not demonstrated to him whether religion was aught more than a cloak to vice , or , at best , a Sunday garment , worn because it was customary . Peor buy ! the germs of young ambition were rising in thy soul , and thou wast unconsciously feeding that fire which more often consumes than enlightens . Like the bird charmed by the rattlesnake , thou _flut'erest uneasily before it , but cannot resist the spell . Thou seest naught but the fascination , and rushesfc blindly , yet
wilfully , into its toils . Oh ! why should high aud lofty inspirations be productive only of misery and destruction to their possessor , causing him to sacrifice all that renders life endurable , in order that he may promote the good and well-being of that public , who , in return , either persecute or ridicule him , until death mercifully snatches him from their fangs ? Oh ! when will that true millennium arrive—that millennium of reason and liberty , which Voltaire and Rousseau were the prophets ; Paine and Robespierre the harbingers ; and Shelley—the amiable and gloriously-gifted Shelley—the Messiah ! Speed , oh ! speed , its advent . ( To be continued . )
The Income Tax.—On "Wednesday The Follow...
The Income Tax . —On "Wednesday the following notice was issued from the office of the commissioners ofthe income tax in the City;— " That all p ersons are required by the Property and Income Tax Act to make returns of their profits , from trades , professions , & c , within twenty-one days , as the assessment made in the year 1848 , under schedules A and B , in respect to lands , tenements , & c _, remains in force for three years from the 5 th of April in that year , no return is required to be made for the present year under these schedules , except in cases where lands , tenements , & e ., have heen charged in the assessment already made , or where any buildings have been since erected . " A Meeting of the in and out-door workers of
journeymen tailors of the West End , took place on Monday night last , at the " Coach and Horses , " Silver-streot , Golden-square , upon the Trades Organisation of Labour . Mr . Goodfellow in the chair . Messrs . Reardon , Thompson , Nowell and others , addressed the meeting . The meeting was adjourned to Monday next , at half-past eight o clock , and the out-door workers were particularly invited to attend . A New _Con-vict Settlement . —Her Majesty ' s Secretary for the Colonies having consented to the transportation of convicts _to- 'Moreton Bay , New South Wales , a vessel is about to bo despatched with 400 males to that colony , a great number being Pcntonville exiles , who , from good conduct , have had their sentences mitigated .
Probable Defeat of the Ministry . —It is said , on J * high " authority , that there will be a majority against them of upwards of forty on the contemplated repeal of the Navigation Laws , and that Lord Stanley has the list in his pocket .
The Income Tax.—On "Wednesday The Follow...
TO LORDS JOHN RUSSELL AND STANLEY , SIR ROB E RT PEE L AND MESSRS . OOBBEN AND FEARGUS O'CONNOR . I _iiip-h-iimWW Gentlemen , —You are the active leaders of different sections of the British population ; but so divided into opposing parties that , individually , with your followers , you cannot accomplish any substantial ohange for the benefit °£ . empire ; while unitedly you may easily effect thc most permanent advantages for every class at home and abroad .
But you cannot uuite in any practical measures , and therefore all classes suffer , and many most grievousl y . A question arisesthe true answer to which is ofthe last importance , not only to every British subject , but to the people of all nations . You cannot unite because each of you is a leading advocate of a false princi ple , and , in _consequence , of injurious and very detective practical measures . Each can , therefore , discover the error of the others , but through the prejudices ofthe education aud position of each , is blind to his own .
Could you he united in the advocacy of thc same general principles , provided they were based on truth , and , therefore , universall y beneficial for practice , the nation could be easil y induced to adopt them . Of yourselves , it is true , in accordance with unchanging laws of nature , you can only think and act aa you are doing ; hut like all other men , you can bo acted upon hy new- influences , and especially by truths , wheu plainl y stated . I will here state to you irresistible truths , in order to create these new influences in your mind , that those -who now sutler from your want of knowled ge may be relieved , and that all classes may he essentially benefitted .
R may first be useful to remind you of some general truths , which admit of no doubt . 1 st . That the object of human existence is individual happiness . 2 nd . That the hi ghest individual happiness can be attained only when all are happy . 3 rd . That the hi ghest individual happiness can be experienced onl y when all the organs , faculties , propensities , and powers ofeach individual shall be well cultivated , and regularly exercised , according to the peculiar constitution of each , to the point of temperance .
4 th . That to attain the hi ghest happiness for each individual , all should be secured in the enjoyment of the necessaries , comforts , and beneficial luxuries of existence ; and be physically , mentally , morally , and practically , as well formed and educated as the born organisation of each will admit , and be well placed in good society . 5 th . That to attain this happiness , useful , beneficial , and agreeable occcupations , as far as practicable , should be provided for all through life , according to the natural , physical , and mental powers of each . 6 th . Also , that the most useful and valuable wealth should be everywhere made to abound , and be justly distributed .
7 th . And that a cordial and sincere union should exist between man and man , and peace be permanently established between all nations . 8 th . And lastl y , that the many evils and inconveniences arising from various languages , and apparent opposition of interests , should be overcome as soon as practicable , and humanity trained to become of one language and one interest . All will admit that these principles and practices are necessary to secure the hi g hest happiness of all , but that they cannot be at once attained .
Yet it is now practicable , in consequence of immense modern discoveries and inventions , to make a dail y advance in peace and harmony , towards the attainment of this most desirable state of united human existence ; and by its progress to give a cheerful , healthy activity to the p hysical and mental powers of all . Pardon me for saying that you , gentlemen , and your partisans , are without any real knowledge of human nature , so as to know how to educate it from birth , or how to construct a rational or progressively prosperous state of
society . You have hitherto onl y advocated measures based on the princi p le of evil , and upon this principle you never can succeed to introduce any permanent benefits for your fellow-men . Your proposed measures , if successfully carried out , would produce misery continually ; they are words proceeding from false imaginations and there is no substance in them . When these clouds of error , created by your respective false positions , can be removed from your minds , you will discover how much more easy and delightful it will be to introduce practical measures to insure happiness than to recommend those based on the principles of evil . The latter can produce only disappointment to the many and increasing
danger to the few . If it can be proved to you that , by simple , plain , and economical measures , based on the principle of good , all the industrious classes may be continuall y well and profitably employed ; their children made to become valuable members of society , always creating more real wealth than they consume , and by these and other improvements made , graduall y to diminish ignorance , poverty , disunion , crime and misery , will you forget your little petty party politics and personal strifes , which produce so much trouble , anxiety , and evil to all and good to none ? Form a committee of inquiry , and investigation of these allimportant subjects , I will undertake to demonstrate to it the truth and practicability of all which has been now stated .
I address myself to you unitedly , bccav . se , in the false and artificial state of the public mind , and with the irrational views of those whom you respectively represent and lead , it cannot be expected that , individually , you could have sufficient moral courage , absence of prejudice , and varied knowledge , to investigate subjects so comprehensive and new for practice , especially when it is known that all which has been made to influence you from birth has been most erroneous and irrational .
Unitedly , however , it is expected that the p rejudices of one would counteract the prejudices of tho others ; that the deficiency of practical knowledge on some subjects of one would be remedied by the knowledge of others thus , when the truth , in principle and practice , shall be full y placed before you , their order , simplicity , innumerable advantages , and beauty , exhibited in one comprehensive view , each part consistent with , and supporting the others , you will acquire the necessary moral courage to declare to your respective partisans in both Houses of Parliament , the
important discovery that the world , so far , has been governed solely on the principle and in the practices of evil , to ' the great injury of all ; that the population of the world has been thereby taught to be irrational in thought , word , and action ; also , that it will now be for the hi gh permanent interest of every one openly to abandon this principle of Evil and Falsehood , and graduall y to supersede all the irrational practices which have emanated from it ; and that , instead of continuing this heterogeneous mass of inconsistencies , follies , and wickedness , you will now assist with your
united influence to establish society at once on the princip les of Good and Truth , and graduall supersede in practice existing erroneous arrangements without creating disorder or illwill through the change ; and effect these results by commencing according to a well-considered and arranged p lan a new combination of external arrangements to create the wealth required , to distribute it wisel y , to reform the character based on truth alone , to govern without producing fear or punishment , and , by a well-devised process , change every inferior circumstance for those only which are superior .
The Income Tax.—On "Wednesday The Follow...
The practica measures to effect this change fromaltha ls irrational ami _mutable to all that will produce continual mo _^ _- _^ sive happiness , are more simple aud _eusAf _consti'uction than many of our pr-W , ivem . meat establishments , or than some V , ated and conducted by private individual- . Not to make this letter too long , l iiav « nowonly to state that it is in your po \ - or , bv the adoption ofthe means _recommended , _gr-ui ' uall y and peaceably , and most beneficially for all , to terminate ignorance poverty , disunion , war , crime and misery .
If you , Gentlemen , will make tho attempt as proposed , I promise you full and com plete success , and , from your _success , the most heartfelt satisfaction with your kboiir of love for the human race . But to allow Ireland to remain iu its present condition , with the immense resource / : o f the British empire , will demonstrate profound ignorance , or the essence of crneltv , ia the statesmen by whose legislative _ai- _fc _, it is governed . Hobeivi' Owes . London , April , 1849 .
To Robert Owen. My Dear Owen, I Look Upo...
TO ROBERT OWEN . My Dear Owen , I look upon you as one of thc boldest and most consistent men of this or oi' any other age , aud I have sufficient courage to acknowledge that I have a great regard * i ? id aiibction for you , while , at the same time , I am very angry with you for placing mo in such bad company . That is all I shall say for the present , next week I shall answer y our _lotit-r and when the columns of the " Star" aro relieved from Parliamentary twaddle , and _whwi its space is more at liberty , I will challenge you to a controversy between your opinions and mine . Meantime , I remain Your affectionate _frl' _-nd _, Feargus 0 "Co _^ nor .
Uartttietf.
_Uartttietf .
American Biblical Criticism.—Tho America...
American Biblical Criticism . —Tho American editors have been terribly perplexed t o account for Jacob ' s conduct in the following _passage : -. ' Jacob kissed Rachel , and lifted up his voice ami w . > i , t . ' ' We subjoin a few of tho _coirnnents : — If Rachel was a pretty girl , and k . ipi her face clean , we can't see that Jacob bad much to cry about . —New York Globe . IIow do you know but that she slapped liis face for him 1—New York Delta . Gentlemen , hold your tongues . Tho cause of Jacob ' s weeping was the refusal of Rachel to allow him to kiss her again . —Taylor Flag . It is our opinion that Jacob wept because he had not kissed Rachel before , and regretted the time he had lost . —Age . Green , verdant , all of ye . The feliow boohooed because the gal didn't kiss him . _—Manchester
Examiner . Greener yet ; what Jacob imagined sweet , proved bitter , and , disappointed and disgusted , he wept over his own folly . —Coldivater Standard . Sour grapes , old boy ! To kiss a sweet , pretty girl , systematically and _understandintrly , as Jacob did , will lift any sensible man ' s voice so high , that the returning force of nature alone squoozoa a juice of satisfaction out to heal his blistered li ps . ' Try it ! The disease and cure are both delicious . — Montreal Herald . Diffidence . —An Irishman charged with an assault in America , was asked by the jmi ; _-e whether he was guilty or not ? " How can I _t-U , " was the
reply , " till I have heard the evidence !" Heroes . —It were well if there were fewer heroes , for I scarcely ever hoard of any but do more mischief than good . These overgrown mortals commonly use tneir will with their right hand , and their reason with their left ; their pride is their title , and their power puts in possession ; their pomp is furnished from rapine , and their scarlet is dyed with human blood . If wrecks , and ruins , and _dwolatibns of kingdoms arc marks of greatness , why do we not worship a tempest , and erect a statue to a _plairue . A panegyric upon an earthquake is _evui-y jot as reasonable as upon such conquests as these . _—J- ' _con * Pearls of Great Price .
¦ Why is a man who carries a watch invariably too late in his _^ appointments ? Because lie is always behind his time .
SACRED 2 de memmuri orn DE PONETIC KUZ , wircn _expiured martsh , IS- !' .. ' , ¦ _iPIITUn _LINOURI-VO 4 SUM WJKEX . IN DE GREATEST PAKE O p h de Publishers' windo . KNOTT W 1 TI ITSELF , BUT DE CORS Oril WIT IN _OSIRS _} 1 XZ DESEES WILL BE S 1 NSEEKLI RECnj _* TEI >
BY ITS SURVIVING rUBLlSIir . !; . Afflixyuns Boar long tyme it _boav , Fizishuns was in vane ; It wood knott sel , sow doun it ] _'lu : _' , And eye hope dey wont tri it _itgnne . WREK-WIIY-ESS-KAr _IUTf rASKV I ! —Man in the Moon . A man being commiserated with , on aneount of his wife running away , said , " Don '!; pity rne till she comes back again . " Scotland . —The number of counties is
titirtytUrce : the number of parishes , in 1 . 33 J . was 9 d 8 j and the number of post-towns , sub-offices , & . c , according to the last published lists of the l- _' ost-olfice , is 804 ; the number of banks and banking companies , with their branches , is 390 ( this does not include savings' banks , of which there is a branch in almost every post town ); the number of newspapers is 01—of which only one is published dail y , three thrice a week , seventeen twice a week , fiftytwo once a week , six fortnightly , and twelve monthly .
The Holt Land . —The New Orleans Delta says : — A colporteur [ Anglice : hawker ] opened the door of an Irishman ' s shanty in tbe Second Municipality , and , putting in his head , in a very pious tone asked the owner of thc domicile , who happeiufi to be in at the time , <( if he would accept of a tract of the Holy Land , " meaning of course an _i _.-ssnyon thai interesting portion of the world , — "Vis , bejabers , " was the reply of the Hibernian , "a houl section , if you give a good title deed . But I should like to know if there is much of it prairie , or if new settlers are subject to the agur there ?" ' MoKorouES . —If the power of the people be committed to a single person , the common ink-rest is submitted unto that of a family ; and , if it he
committed to a few , it is submitted to the interest of a few families . —Harrington . " I can take no p leasure in you when yon « ot into one of your snappish ways , " as the rat said to the trap . _Notihjmj New under the Sun . —There is no now thing under tlie sun . M . Stanislaus Julian ban discovered that tlie Chinese in the third eentury oi ' our era were in possession of an amesthetic agent which thoy employed in tho same manner as we use chloroform and ether for producing _m- ? _eiisiUility during surgical operations . In a biographical notice of Hoatho—who flourished under the dynasty of Wei , between the years 220 and 230 of our era—it
is stated that lie gave to the sick a preparation of Chanvre ( Ma ' yo ) , who in a few momenta became as insensible as one plunged in drunkenness ov deprived of life : —then , according to tho cast * ho made incisions , amputations , and the liko . After a certain number of days the patient found himself re-established without having experienced during the operation the sli g htest pain . It appears from the biofrap hy of Han that this chanvre was prepared by oiling and distillation . There can be but little doubt that this _anaesthetic agent of tha Chinese was the Indian hemp ( Cowman ' s Indica ) , which is taken even now by the Arabs to produce an agreeable drunkenness .
Aestemious and Steamious . — " Is Mr . abstemious in his living ? " asked a physician of a rather obtuse attendant upon a patient labouring under an inflammatory complaint . " He ' s abstemious enough in the eatin' part , but he ' s rather _stt-antious when you come to the drinkin ' . " CAfcVES . —A person , riding on horseback , met one day an awkward fellow leading a calf , whom he accosted as follows : "How odd it looks to see one calf leading another ! " " Yes , " said the man " but not so odd as to see a calf on horseback ? " The horseman went on his way , and was seen no move .
The Iron _Cnows oi ? Lombardy . —This famedsymbol of kingship was deposited in ihe Cathedral of Monza ; it is a broad circle of gold , set with large rubies , emeralds , and sapphires , and wa 3 secured in an ornamented cross placed over an altar , closel y shut up within folding-doors of gilt brass . The _cvovrn is kept in an octagonal aperture in the centre ofthe cross . It is composed of six equal pieces of beaten gold , ioined together by close hinges ; and the jewels and embossed gold ornaments are set in a ground of blue and gold enamel , interesting as
exuimUng an exact resemblance to the workmanship ofthe enamelled partof a gold ornament now in the Aslimolean Museum , which once belonged to King Alfred . But for those who have an appetite for relics , tho most important part of thU crown is a narrow iron rim , which is attached to tlio inside of it all round . The rim is about three-eig hths of an inch broad , and a tenth of an inch thick , made out of one of thc nails used in the Crucifixion . 5 he crown is said to have been presented to Constantine by his mother ; and the sacred iron vim , from winch it has its name , was to protect him in battle ,
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), April 21, 1849, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns3_21041849/page/3/
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