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December 33, 1849. THE NORTHERN STAR.. „...
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The return of CnnisTMAS Lids us wreathe ...
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SUNSHINE AND SHADOW ; A TALE OF THE NINE...
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Ax Entree at all Hazards.—We find the fo...
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¦ * — Vaxumh.
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Giunt ji-srrcK whenever the demand is ma...
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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.
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December 33, 1849. The Northern Star.. „...
December 33 , 1849 . THE NORTHERN STAR . . . I- . i . ' ~ ^^ T ™ 7 : ¦ "" ¦— ~—
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The Return Of Cnnistmas Lids Us Wreathe ...
The return of CnnisTMAS Lids us wreathe ai another cbaplet for the brow of Time . Popular rejoicings at this season . of the year ds -date from long before the commencement ; of fC Christianity . The Roman Saturnalia was ¦ ce -celebrated at our Christmas time , when all ¦ cl -classes occupied themselves with mirth and ft feasting , and sent presents to each other . I / Masters treated their slaves on an equal foot-11 ing at first for one day , afterwards for three , " a and , by command of Caligula , for five days . ] Indeed , the festival really extended beyond € even that term . Capital punishments were i not permitted while the season of rejoicing < continued . Sacrifices to the Gods were offered , i and hymns in honour of Saturn and Bacchus
•> vere chanted . These rejoicings recalled to i the minds of the enslaved aud unfortunate 1 fhe fabled golden age ( sung of b y the poets ) -when the human race were free from the j « urse of kings , priests , labour-grinding tyrants , disease and misery ; when all were equal and ' . happy . A dream as regards the past ; may it be a realit y in the ( not distant ) future . At this season of the year the northern nations also caroused , danced , sang , and
indulged—in their rude way—in all the kindlinesses of hospitality , mingled with religious rites in honour of their god Thor , ages before they bore the name of " Christian . " To them we owe the yule log ; and as their most favourite beverage was ale , or mead , it was doubtless quaffed at their festivals in no stinted measure . Scott has drawn a livel y picture of the festivities of those barbarians , in the following striking lines : —
The savage Sane , At Jo ? , more deep the mead did drain ; High on the beech his galley drew , ' And feasted all his pirate-crew ; Then in his low , and pine-built hall , "Where shields and axes deck'd the wall , They gorged upon the half-dressed steer , — Caroused in seas of sable beer , While round in brutal jests were thrown ,
The half-ground rib and marrow bone ; Or Intoned all , in grim delight "While Scalds yell'd out the joys of fight ; Then forth in frenzy would they Lie , "While wildl y loose their red locks fly , And . dancing round the blazing pile They made such barbarous mirth the while As best might to the mind recall . The boisterous joys of Odin ' s hall .
The early teachers of the Christian faith , finding it impossible to eradicate the deeprooted love of the people & r many of thenancient ceremonies and festivals , sagaciously determined to make the popular customs subserve the interests of the new relig ion . To transform the Saturnalia into Christmas was not more difficult than the placing of a new head on the statue of Jupiter , and christening his dethroned godship : " St Peter . " So it has been , so it will be . The institutions of mankind — religious as well as political—-change with the advance of time .
"From the first introduction of Christianity into these islands , " says the Booh of Christmas , the period of the Nativity seems to have been kept as a season of festival , and its observances recognised as a matter of state . The Whitenagemots of our Saxon ancestors were held under the solemn sanction and beneficent influence of the time ; and the series of high festivities established by the Anglo-Saxon tings , appear to have been continued with yearly increasing splendour and multiplied ceremonies under the monarchs of the Norman race . From the Court the spirit of revelry descended , by all its thousand arteries , throughout the universal frame of society , visiting its furthest extremities and most
obscure recesses and everywhere exhibiting its action , as by so many pulses , upon the tradi tions , and superstitions , and customs which were common to all or peculiar to each . The pomp ar id ceremonial of the Royal observance were imitated in the splendid establishments of the more wealthy nobles , and far more faintl y reflected from the diminished state of the petty baron . The revelries of the baronial castle found echoes in the hall of the old manor house , and these were again repeated in tho tapestried chamber of the country magistrate , or from the sanded parlour of the village inn : merriment was everywhere a matter of public -concernment , and the spirit which assembles men in families now , congregated them h y districts then /'
The influence of Christmas in the olden time may b 3 gathered from the following fact ^ stated by . Mr . Turner , in his History of England : , 'f During the reign of Orleans in 1428 , the solemnities and festivities of Christmas gav ^ a short interval of repose . The English lords requested the French commanders that they might have a nightof minstrelsy , ¦ with trumpets and clarions ; this was granted , and the horrors of war were suspended by melodies that were felt to be delightful . " " We must again draw upon the poetry of £ cott for a graphic description of
CHRISTMAS IX THE OMEN TIME . The damsel donned her kirtle sheen ; The hall was dress'd with holly green ; Forth to the wood did merry men go , To gather in the mistletoe . Then opened wide the baron ' s hall To vassal , tenant , serf , and all : Power laid his rod of rule aside , And ceremony doffed her pride . The heir , with roses in his shoes , These nishts mig ht village partner choose ; The lord , underogating share , The vulgar game of " post and pair . "
The fire with -well-dried logs supplied , "Went roaring up the chimney wide ; The huge hall table ' s oaken face , Scrubbed till it shone , the time to grace , Bore then upon its massive board No mark to part the ' squire and lord , Then was brought in tbe lusty brawn , By old blue-coated serving man ; Then the grim boar ' s head frowned on high , Crested with bays and rosemary . "Well can the green-garbed ranger tell , How . when , and where , the monster fell ;
"What dogs , before his death he tore , And all fhe baitings of the boar . The wassail round , in good mown bowls Garnished with ribbons , blithely trowls ; There the huge sirloin reeked ; hard by Mum porridge stood , and Christmas pie ; \ or failed old Scotland to produce , JLt each hig h-tide her savoury goose . Then came the merry masquers in , And c arok roared with blithesome din ; If unmelodious was tbe song , It was a hearty note and strong . "Who lists niav , in their mummery , see
Traces of ancient mystery ; TPhite shirts supplied the masquerade , And smutted cheeks the visors made Bat , 0 . ' what masquers , richly dignt , Can boast of bosom half so light 1 England was merry England , when Old Christmas broughtJis sports * $ » ; , 'Twas Chrisimat broached the mightiest ale , 'Twas C hristmas t old the mernest tale ; A Christmas gambol oft would , dteer . The noor man s heart throug h half the year . Th . Puritans endeavoured to prevent the
observance of Christmas , and the ^ ament parsed an ordinance «* S « rfl £ performed in the churches on the 2 oth ot lie ISE commonly called Christmas-day , and 55 ^ br ip aFJis SWA-Ms generation are too wen Kn ^ fte sSfjr .- ^ ss * - * " "" nS ^ n ^^ ME ^
, BT HUSOES BROW * . ne bright hours of mem ' ry ! oh , who can-look back « t * « . ?! , through the desert of years , ^/ Ti S of thaf long-trodden track ,
The Return Of Cnnistmas Lids Us Wreathe ...
Some far islo of verdure , whose dew is not tears ; Some spot to whose greenness his steps would return , In spite of the thorns and the deserts between , Could they bear back the spirit that once they had borne , Or find it the region that once it has been ? The lights of the past may be feeble and few , And seen through the mist when life ' s mornia . r was gray , And pleasures and hopes which they brought to our view-Like the mists of that morn may have melted away ; But still their bright track , which remains in the soul , Xo shadows can cover , no tears can efface ; Around it life ' s bttlw * » n 4 tempests may toil , But they leave it still clear for tho pilgrim to - ,-. - . ..
trace . Perchance 'twas an hour when the triumph of youth Arose o'er its labours' , and honours achieved , — Perchance when the vows of affection and truth Were fervently uttered and fondly believed : Or far in the distance of childhood it lies Where dim , as tbe cloud-coyered-mountauu have gro-vn . The scenes that surround it , but still in our
eyes—It seems like one s ^ ot where a sunbeam hath shone . The bright hours of mcm ' ry—how oft in our dreams They bring us the g lory of long summer days , The joy of the spring-time ' s first blossoms and beams , And the laughter that rang by the winter hearth ' s blaze ! And , oh ; there are hearts , though by fate long estranged , And eyes that can lighten our journey no more ,
That come in those visions , still true and unchanged , With the light , and the love , and the gladness of yore I Bright , bright shines the beacon of hope frqm afar , — And strong is the faith of our youth to pursue The path of its promise , till dim grows the star . And faint grows our steps in tbe wilderness too—But ne er of her treasure can Mem ' ry be reft , And dark must the days of his pilgrimage be Who finds not one hour , in his retrospect , left , Like a full ark of joy on the desojatesea !
The following poems , from the pen of Thomas Hood , have not before appeared in this journal : —
THOSE EYES THAT WERE SO BRIGHT LOVE . Those eyes that were so bright , love , Have now a dimmer shine ; But what they ' ve lost in light , rove , Was what they fgave to mine . And still those orbs reflect , love , The beams of former hours ; That ripened all my joys , my love , And tinted all my Bowers . Those locks were brown to see , love , That now are turn'd to grey ; But the years were spent with me , love ,
That stole their hue away . Thy locks no longer share , love , The golden glow of noon ; But I ' ve seen the world look fair , my lovo * When silvered by the moon . That brow was fair to see , love , That looks so shaded now ; But for me it bore the care , love , That spoilt a bonny brow . And though no longer there , love , The gloss it had of yore ; Still memory looks and dotes , my love , Where Hope admired before .
A TOAST . Come ! a health ! audit ' s not to he slighted with sips , A cold pulse , or a spirit supine ; All the blood in my heart seems to rush to my lips , To commingle its flow with the wine . ' Bring a cup , of the purest and solidest ware , But a little antique in its shape : And the juice it shall be the most racy and rare , All the bloom with the age of the grape ! Even such is the love I would celebrate now , At once young , and mature , and in prime-Like the tree of the orange that bears on its bough The bud , blossom , and fruit at one time ! Then with three , as is due , let the honours be paid , Whilst I give with my hand , heart , and head" Here ' s to her , the fond mother , dear partner , kind friend , Who first taught me to love , woo , and wed !"
From Punch ' s Almanack , just published , we quote a few specimens of the not very brilliant wit of the Fleet-street hunchback : — To Game Preservers .. —On the 14 th of February give your gamekeepers a holiday ; for , on this day , the feathered tribes pair , so that the poachers will not be able to destroy a single bird . To Find Ine value o / a Friend . —Askhira to put his name to a Bill . To Find the Value of Time . —Travel by a Bayswater Omnibus . To Find the Value of Eau-ds-Cologne . — 'Yfaik . into Smitbfield Market . To Find the Value of Patience . —Consult Bradshavr ' s Guide to ascertain the time of starting of a Railway Train . How to learn the Horn ' s Age . —When , like a goodnatured spinster , she makes light of it . A Bed ividtout a Bedstead . — -The bed of the
Sacramento . The Cah'form ' an Arms . —Bowie knives , rifles , and revolving pistols proper , with Yankees rampant gules , on a field or . To Restore Stale Bread . —Request the cook ' s " cousin , " tie charwoman , and the policeman to bring it back again . Hint to the Benevolent . —The persons most in want of baths and washhouses are those who have no coppers .
snonr nwss fob caicvlatiox . To Find the Value ofaBo : en Articles . —Send them to a Magazine , and double the sum offered by the proprietor . Another Way . —Send them to the butterman , who will not only fix their value , but their weight , at per pound . To Find the Value of a Pound at any price . —Try to borrow one when you are desperately hard up . To Railway Travellers . —The best adhesive label you can use for vour luggage is to stick it to yourself . To Find which way the Cat Jimps . —You may always tell which way the cat jumps by finding " cook's cousin " with a quantity of cold meat in his possession . The cat that has been jumping has usually very fine whiskers , and might often be taken for a policeman in disguise . An Obvious Truism . —If there ware no beasts there would be no Smithfield .
Animals admitted to the Opera . —Puppies and white kids . A Hint to Ladies with Greu Hair . —Never say "Dve . " The Roman Question . —Why are the Pope and his people unlikely to agree ? Because they differ on Cardinal points . A New Reading of au . old Request to John 0 ' Cornell . — " Shut up your ( agi ) tator trap . " Good Wlslicsfor Christmas . —Hay the overnights face over the punchbowl bear the morning ' s reflexion in the looking-glass . Man ' s last Friend is the Tax-gatherer . —His wife may leave him , his family disown him , his children run awav from him , his best friend and worst acquaintances avoid him , but the Tax-gatherer folinws bim wherever he eoes . even to tbe grave , it
must be most flattering to an Englishman s pride , that , poor as he may be , he has always one friend that takes care of him , and who will call without the smallest ceremony and share his last penny loaf . Solitude and selfishness cannot exist m England , for no man can live independent of the Tax-gatherer His existence is a partnership drawn up forlife , between the government and himself , m which the former takes what it likes , and the latter gives more than he likes . In short , every Englishman mav be said to possess two shadows—his own genuine , true-born shadow , and the government representation shadow ; but there is this difference between the two . that , whereas his own shadow merely walks after him . the government shadow walks into him if it is not paid the moment it runs
after him . One of Tom Moore ' s jovial songs may fit tingly find p lace in our
Garland—DRINK OF THIS CUP . Drink of this cup—you ' ll find there ' s a spell in Its ev ry drop ' gainst the ills of mortality ; Talk of the cordial that sparkled for Helen , Her cup was a fiction , but this is reality . Would vou forge the dark world we arc in , Only taste of the bubble that g leams on the top of it ; , , ' But would you rise above enrtb , till akin To immortals themselves , you must drain every drop of it . , Send round the cup , & c .
Never was philter form d with such power To charm and bewilder as this we are quaffing Its ma"ic began when in autumn ' s . rich hour , As I harvest of gold in the fields it stood laughing . There having , by nature ' s encaantment , been flffd
The Return Of Cnnistmas Lids Us Wreathe ...
. With the balm and the bloom of her kindliest weather , This wonderful juice from its core was distill'd , To enliven such hearts as are here brought together ! Then drink of the cup , < fcc . And though , perhaps—but breathe it to no one-Like caldrons the witch brews at midnight so awful , In secret this philter was first taught to flow on , Yes , 'tis not less potent for being unlawful . What though it may taste of the smoke of that flame , Which in silence extracted its virtue forbidden ; Fill up—there ' s a fire in some hearts I codM name Which may work too its charm , though now lawless and hidden . So drink of this cup , 4 c . .....
We proceed to notice the ori gin and past history of a few of the still surviving
CHRISTMAS CUSTOMS . _ Evergreens . —It is notorious that from the earliest times the evergreen plants or some of them , were used at the celebration of ibis festival , but it is a mistake to suppose that the practice had a purely Christian ori gin ; it was common both in Jewish and Pagan times , and indeed it is so natural an expression of joy and gratulation , that we wonder not to find it of universal adoption . With the ancients generally the productions of
the vegetable and floral world were held to be emblems of joy . The laurel was certainly used by the Romans . The mistletoe is mentioned by Virgil , and the respect paid to it by the Druids is well known . This practice has descended to us in all its positive vigour . The Yule Log . —In tho olden times the yule log was lighted with a brand saved from the previous year , and the ceremony was rather an imposing one . It was to be introduced with music , according to the direction of
Herrick—Come , bring with a noise , My merry , merry boys , Tho Christmas log to the firing ; While my good dame , she Bids you all be free , And drink to your . heaVt ' s desiring . It was deemed an evil omen if the log ceased to burn during the evening . The " Waits "—A short time previous to Christmas our nocturnal repose is disturbed by the somewhat inconsiderate hospitality of the " waits , " who , with what they please to call music , contrive to " make night hideous . " These visitors are doubtless the successors of the ancient minstrels , but most shockingl y supply their places . The origin of the word is of high antiquity , and can be distinctly traced to the time of Edward III .
Washington Irving , in his Sketch Book , giving an account of a Yorkshire Christmas , saya : I had scarcely got into bed , when a strain of music seemed to Break forth in the air just below the window . I listened , and found it proceeded from a band , which I concluded to be the Waits from some neighbouring village . They went round the house , playing under the windows . The sounds , as they receded , became more soft and aerial , and seemed to accord with quiet and moonlight . I listened and listened , they became more ana more tender and remote ; and as they gradually died away , my head fell upon my pillow , and I fell asleep .
Christmas Carols , —The reformed church introduced carols instead of the latin hymns which had formerly been chanted on tbe same joyous occasion ; and modern carols have been provided in great profusions ; but it must be confessed , as most of them were composed under the influence of the f loomy spirit of Puritanism , they are more like h'ges than songs of joy . Carols are still sung in London , and in other large towns , printed on sheets , and adorned with
wood-cuts , which for the most part may be considered as chef d ' anwres of the genus of ugliness . They are in fact equalled by nothing of which the mind can form any conception , except the wretched murder of harmony which is committed b y the vendors . —We recollect hearing of a gentleman who gave an itinerant musician half-a-crown to take his music out of hearing , and we are half of opinion that the money bestowed upon these carol singers is given with the same benevolent intention .
Those who may wish to know more of ancient customs and practices having relation to the festival of Christmas , will do well to consult Bohn ' s admirable edition of Brand ' s Popular Antiquities . A good deal of interesting information will also be found in a cheap compilation published by Slater , entitled Christmas : its History and Antiquity . The lovers of good-fellowship and harmony will not hesitate to give welcome to
A WORD FOR CHRISTMAS . Is there a lip unwont to smile , An eye that fails to beam , A cheek on which no warmer glow Doth like a sun-ray gleam , When but the name of Christmas falls In music on the ear , Awakening in its echoes thoughts And memories that appear Like shadows summoned at the call Of some all-potent seer !
If such there be , how little he Of life ' s best joys can know ; How cold and drear must , yearby year , Time ' s waves unvarying flow . I would not bear the soul he bears , Or live his creed to own , Though Fortune ' s smiles were mine , and Fame Charmed with her blandest tone , So closely have my heart ' s first loves Unto old Christmas grown .
That carnival of fresh deli ght-Delight uncloyed by time-Season of harmony complete As its own echoing chime . When hand grasps hand in firm embrace , And lip meets lip in truth , When wrinkled brows unbend , and seem Once more like brows of youth , And full contentment fills the place Of griefs and sorrows ruth .
A spell is in the shining leaves And clust ' ring berries red , That gives more zest to feast and song—To feet a lighter tread ;—A spell that by its magic makes All worth ' s distinction end , And bidding high and low alike Before one altar bend , Points with the trusting hand of Faith To him—the mutual friend .
Then here ' s a shout for Christmas time—A loud , long-echoing shout , — There should not be a falt ' ring voice , When tones of joy ring out . Shout , shout we from the vessel ' s deck , And answer from tbe shore , — What , though the grave is close at hand And life is nearly o ' er , Each Christmas , though perhaps the last , Should welcomed be the more .
Miss Claka Sevtojt , whose name is well known to the lovers of vocal music , gave twice last week , and once this week—on Tuesday last— -a Literary and Musical Entertainment , at the "Western Literary and Scientific Institution , Leicester Square . The programme of the evening embraced an immense variety of topics in connexion with the lives and works of the descriptive poets and minstrels of Hungary , Denmark , Germany , and England . The performance more than realised our expectations . The extent of Miss Seyton ' s
information concerning the great range of subjects on which she descanted , struck us as truly astonishing . As a speaker , her voice and manner are both admirable . Her eloquent observations on the recent struggle in Hungary elicited enthusiastic applause . That portion of her address had , however , one faultits brevity . As a singer she is at once both sweet and powerful , and leaves nothing to be desired . This much by way of introduction to one of the Hungarian songs—a translation , of course— encored by Miss Soy ton ' s audience on Tuesday evening last : —
THE INVITATION TO THE DANCE ( A popular Magyar Melody . ) Lads , come hasten to the ball—See the lassies waiting all , - Shake your feet , and join the line : See , the maidens bring the wine-On ! life is strung with pearls ! Bark ! the spurs are tinkling sweet , Czhnas echo on the feet , Feet and hands move joyously—Oh ! the dance is full of glee ,
And life is strung with pearls . ¦ Where the smiling maidens be , There the happy youths we see ; Up and down , in waving row , With Tartarian steps they go . Oh ! life is strung with pearls . Mortal , thou whose spring is past , Join the dance , though ' twere the last j Bask thee in its genial heat , Warm thy heart and shake thy feet , For life is Ml of pearls .
The Return Of Cnnistmas Lids Us Wreathe ...
Come , be joyous while you may ; Hence with sorrow , let ' s be gaf . These arc moments made for gladness . ' ? Kindle mirth and banish sadness . Oh ! life is full of pearls . So , lads , come hasten to the ball-See the lassies waiting all ; Hear the minstrel's measure sound-Thus should life ' s bright hours be crown'd Let's string our life with pearls . .
We understand that Miss Seyton is about to visit Bristol and other provincial cities ; after which , on her return to Town , she will repeat her Entertainment to Metropolitan audiences . She well merits success , and by the patronage of those who love vocal music , and admire the gallant Hungarians , she can hardly fail of achieving that desirable consummation . _ Lastly , not least , we give the following spirited , democratic , aud , altogether , admirable
SONG . BY EDWIN 01 'il ,, Fill , fill to the brave M the free , Who have struggled in Liberty ' s cause Drink , drink in a bumper with mo , Destruction to tyranny ' s laws . Tho' Freedom lies wounded and bleeding , Staunch hearts never think of receding , Rut strong in tho right , Will rush to the fight , Tho scaffold and hu'k never heeding . Then fill to tho brave , & e .
Here ' s a health to Kossuth , the brave , And to Hungary ' s gallant band , Who spurned the base yoke of the slave , And struck for their own fatherland . Tho' treason , awhile , is victorious , And the vengeance of despots notorious , Hungary shall be , The pride of the free , Aud the name of her sons e ' er be glorious Then fill to the brave , die .
Fill up to Mazzini ' s proud name , And honour fair Ital y ' s cause ; Future ages shall trumpet his fame , And enjoy his magnanimous laws . Tho' a home the Patriot ' s seeking , And priestcraft its vengeance is wreaking , Scorn for ever shall cling , To the "President king /' For the blood of martyrs still reeking . Then fill to the brave . & c ,
Drink , drink— " The brave of 'Forty-nino , " ( No matter what climate or creed , ) Whoso virtues for ever will shine , Like beacons to Freemen in need . Raise , raise the goblet aloft with me , To the brightest stars of chivalry . To both high and low , Who defied the foe , And fought and bled , that man might bo free Then fill to the brave , & c . Freedom in dungeons may languish , And vile fetters encircle her form ; Her wounds she may mourn o ' er in anguish ,
And low bend to the o ' envhelming storm But her spirit , immortal , beameth ; Its rays in the dark hour gleameth ; And the cause of ri ght Shall baffle the might Of tho despot , when little ho dreametl ) . Then fill to tho brave , & o .
Sunshine And Shadow ; A Tale Of The Nine...
SUNSHINE AND SHADOW ; A TALE OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY .
BT THOMAS MARTIN WHEELER , Late Secretary to tht National Charter Association ana National Land Company . Chapter XXXV . Ye stubborn recusants of right—and , worse , Daring apologists for wrong—know yo How bitter 'tis to earn a nation ' s curse , That execration wrung from misery ? Go— -learn it from the millions who rehearse The foul deeds which sum up your infamy ; Go—read it on the tombs which mark the grav « Of myriads whom you could but would not save ;
That curse is stamped upon the haggard face Of starving multitudes throughout the land ; E ' en in the countenance of babes you trace The mark , as though impressed with demon band ! Britannia ' s self is pale at the disgrace Which taints tho annals of her native strand ; And History turns her mournful face aside , The gushing fountains of her grief to hide . God ! do thy thunders sleep , while England moans Beneath this Whiggish sway ? Shall mortal dare Thus to make men anticipate the groans , The pains , the agonies of hell ? or whore Is vengeance to he looked for 1 Must the bones Of those who died of hunger be laid bare , And brought as damning evidence to show Who were the authors of this fearful woe ?
Oh ! that tbe great arch-orator , * whose t ongue Made Verres tremble , could return again , To vent on ye the indignation wrung From every honest heart ; to taint—to stain—And to besmear your names ere they bo flung Forth on the moral dungheaps that remain Throughout all ages , to perpetuate Those dread examples which we execrate ! They starving stand upon the land Wrought fruitful by their hands alone ; ' Around them , halls made rich and grand By them—who have for bread a stono .
Shall the producers have this share Of the rich produce of their toil ? Shall the consumers never bear The labour , yet devour the spoil 1 Behold the plight of men by whom . For rights of property have birth ! What do their ; jn ' or rights become , Whose duties give the soil its worth ? They ask enough to house and feed , From hand to mouth , their babes and wires ; No hoard of all the wealth they breed For the weak age of toil-worn lives . Franois Worthy ,
The National Assembly , after propounding a plan of organisation more suitable to the genius of the French than the English people , a plan which needed discipline almost military in its strictness , and a good faith in the honour of our brethren , more famed , in this instance , for its breach than its observance , dissolved itself ; and the easy , comfortable , every-day world , after being for months terrified with dreams and omens of revolution , were at length allowed to slumber in quiet , whilst the government filled the public ear with loud huzzas upon tho victory they had gained , and the Press and the Legislature vied with each other in commending the wisdom of the Executive , and tho loyalty of the people , which had averted the impending evil of revolution from our heads ; but their triumph was
premature , they had scattered tho elements of revolution , not- destroyed them . Tho sons of Erin had looked with no careless eye upon the proceedings in London ; they received with enthusiasm Ernest Jones and Samuel Kydd , who waited upon them , requesting their co-operation with the Assembly , and elected several delegates to attend the meeting of that body , but owing . to the dissensions repecting the legality of its sittings , only one , Michael Doheny , ( whose adventures in connexion with the late rebellion would form a romance in itself , ) ever attended , and the leaders seeing no chance of a powerful diversion in England in their favour , trusted to native ranks and native swords , and embarked in a noble but hopeless struggle , —a struggle
in -which priestcraft dominated over patriotism , and treachery and ignorance marred the efforts of enthusiasm and intelligence ; a struggle in which the dastardly Whigs , outvieing in infamy even the Tories of old , by blood money and spyism of the most nefarious description , succeeded in entrapping their destined victims , and then , may burning curses ever blight their names , brought the same agency to bear on the Chartists of the Metropolis . It wa ' s at this period that Arthur Morton was delegated by a few ardent spirits to make a tour of the cviuntvy , and collect a transcript of the state of public feeling , more especially in the north of England ; during this _ tour he visited the several estates of the National Land Company , and became more than
ever impressed with a love of the natural over the artificial state of society ; the interests of his mission prevented his making a long stay at any of these happy retreats—these verdant oases in tho surrounding agricultural desert , —hut the elegance of tho cottages , and the beauty of their respective situations , made . a lasting impression upen his mind , coming as he did fresh from the turbulent scenes which the Metropolis then displayed , nevertheless ho could not but observe with regret that the slimo of the serpent had penetrated even to these abodes of bliss ; society had become so thoroughly vitiated by the long dominant power of wealth , that it was impossible even there to contend successfully against it , unless favoured with
more capital than fell to tho shave of most of the inhabitants of these fairy abodes ; and the majority of the occupants had been so trained in the vicious customs of looking to a cap italist for their Sunday ' s meal , that it needed both mental and physical energy to withstand the evils they had to encounter . With , a mind filled with these reflections he quitted these peaceful abodes , which will ever remain a monument of tbe power of the masses to do much , even under adverse circumstances , towards achieving their own emancipation ; when lie contrasted their situation with that of the surrounding agricultural peasantry , he thought thai , even with all their privations , Ue . could Ue happy and contented With such a lot , so forcibly did their advantages shine by contrast . He saw t , he peasant in his ' — ' Willi . . " \ v i ¦ ¦ - - * Cicoro ,
Sunshine And Shadow ; A Tale Of The Nine...
master ' s fields consuming life and strength in the ungrateful task of turning up the clods of jealous mother earth , who will yield her treasures only to unremitting toil , and at the close of the day , a dry black crust was his only recompense , the rich harvests he produced , the noble animals he fattened , were not for him , they were re . ierved for the table of his employer , who worked not , but consumed in luxury the results of his labour . He saw him with downcast head and stooping gait , too much opp ressed , too poverty stricken , and too certain of his ultimate fate ever to think on the beauties of nature , or listen with delight to the melody by which he was surrounded . What to him are the charms of scenery , the delight of hill and valley , wood and stream , tower and waterfall , ther are only
one universal blank , representing his master ' s acres , from which by hard toil he can scarce extract his six , eight , or ten shillings per week ; one-sixjb of which goes to find him a home—if a wretched hovel less comfortable than his master ' s pigsty deserves that name—his life is one dull round of tedium , enlivened only by the village alehouse , when so favoured , as to he able to enter its threshold ; domestic love and enjoyment are not for him , they reside not with penury and wretchedness ; his lot is , indeed , one of toil , softened oniy by ignorance and apathy , for hope to him is unknown ; wake him not from his trance , attempt not to educate him , for you will only increase his misery ; let him rest in peace , a memento of the brutish state to which thoughtless loyalty , priestly rule , and want of
education can reduce a human being . And yet , where is tho man who should be so happy aa the peasant ? Nature is no niggard of her bounties , she is ever young , beautiful , and generous—poetry and loveliness dwell in her domains , and cannot be separated therefrom , - It is the eye , tho intellect , the unbroken spirit , that alone is wanting in the labourer , to enable him to understand and appreciate her beauties ; the most blessed of beings should be that man , who possessing a mind , enriched with knowledge , cultivates his own little domain , and secures happiness and liberty to himself and family , by the exercise of his strength applied to Nature ' s g arden , protected from want by his own industry , independent of the power of capital , working when the sun of Heaven cheers his labour , reposing when
Nature dictates repose , surrounded by all that is calm , serene , and beautiful , he would , indeed , be a man ; living in tho essence of poetry , yet mixing sufficiently with the world and his fellow labourers to shield him from inanity , he would , indeed , be a poet—ay , and a philosopher—for too far removed from the bustling world to be subdued by its glare , yet sufficiently influenced by it , to watch with emotion its ever varying phases , ho could calmly reflect on its features , and analyse their worth and defects . And Arthur saw that all this , and much more , might be attained by the members on these estates , provided their first difficulties were overcome ; he saw in them the leaven that was , to infuse light and activity into the benighted population , by which they were surrounded , and ultimately become the
regenerators of our agricultural population ; and so bright did the prospect appear , that he sighed in bitterness of spirit , even at the supposition of its failure ; he feared it would throw back the cause of social progress for years , for ho well knew tho avidity with which its opponents , ever on the watch to misrepresent , would sciza upon such an event and turn it to their own vile purposes ; perhaps tho view he took was too desponding ; but misfortune upon misfortune had been so heaped upon him , that he feared to look with too sanguine an eye , lest his disappointment should be the more severe Impressed with these feelings , he wended his way to the busy hives of industry in tho North ; how he succeeded in his mission it is not for us to tell ; the events are too recent , and the prominent actors too
well known , for the subject to be now broached , suffice it to say that everywhere he found misery and distress , trade languishing , artisans starving , indolence rioting , Industry pining ; everywhere the seeds of incipient revolution were rising ; but in such profuse disorder , that , if a struggle came , itneeded no seer to foretell the inevitable result . Of all the struggles that Time hath yet witnessed , that will be tho most dire where a monicd and landed aristocracy are combined against the people . Between a people roused into wrath and a despot , the contest is soon decided ; but in a country like Britain , where capital and its interests penetrate into every fibre of the social frame—in a country like Britain , where the aristocracy have shared their privileges with the bulk of the middle classes ;
where talent in every class ( provided it is subservient enough to the powers that be ) can penetrate oven into the highest- offices in the state ; a country where all who do not not labour enrich themselves by keeping the labourer dependent and voteless ; in such a country where all are so interested in the Stake , the Struggle will be one of life and death , - ay , and even should the people prove physically victorious , the combat will but then have commenced , for the enemy has been so long in the ascendant that he has a fortified camp m every guild , an army in every abuse , sentinels and guards , even in the heart of the army of progress ; but so long have we bowed to wealth and influence , that there is traitor even in every man ' s heart , and when the struggle comes—and come it must—the least vacillation , the least treachery—misnamed mercv
and moderation—will at once break down tho barriers , which have shut out oppression ; and tho hot blood , which has been so freely lavished , tho privations , which have been so heroically endured , will have been shed and endured in vain , another cycle of oppression will commence , and the hopes of bleeding , tortured humanity will again have been blighted . Oh ! that the veritable democrats of England may read aright tho lessons of the past , that the example of prostrate France may not be given in vain , but may the slaughter and banishment of hev glorious sons ultimately eventuate in achieving a world-wide freedom ; then will their misery not have been endured in vain , for the fire of their persecution will have become the beacon light , to show the shoals and sandbanks on which they have foundered , and guide us in triumph to the rocks of liberty , equality , and fraternity . Heaven speed the day . { To be continued . )
Ax Entree At All Hazards.—We Find The Fo...
Ax Entree at all Hazards . —We find the following story in the Droit ; "The presence of tho President of tho ltepublic at the Hotel do Yille , and the splendours of the ball to be given to him , inspired a M . B , teacher of the Italian language to the daughter of a representative , with a violent desire to be present at theiOte . Ho requested the father of his pupil to procure him a ticket , but that gentleman said that , as each invitation was personal , it was impossible for him to do so . The Italian , however , resolved to go to the ball . Accordingly , on Monday , he dressed himself in his
best and went towards tho Hotel dc Ville . Having entered a cafe on tho Place do Grcvo for a demi tasse , he requested permission to leave his hat , which was granted . He then went bareheaded to tho entrance of the hotel , and , stating that he was one of the domestics , was admitted without difficulty . Seeing a plateau of pastry , he took it , marched boldly into the salons , and presented it to the guests . But in so doing he paid such extraordinary attention to tbe beauty of the ladies , and was so dazzled by the splendour that surrounded him , that it soon became evident he was not a real
waiter . He was questioned , and as the account he gave of himself was not satisfactory , his tray was taken from him , and he was unceremoniously shown to the door . Undiscouraged , however , by this misadventure , he resolved again to try his lusU , and , in a moment of confusion , succeeded in again slipping into the hotel . This time lie resolved to devote his attention to the liquids , and seizing a tray laden with glasses of punch , carried it , as bold as brass , into the principal salon . He had , however , only made a few steps when he , to his great mortification , ran against a tall gentleman dressed in the very height of fashion , and the shock caused tho punch to drench the tall gentleman in . a way which he found the reverse ot agreeable . In his fury the tall gentleman rougbly rebuked the
clumsy waiter , and tho man of thepunch tray stammered forth the best excuses he eould find . This caused a circle to be formed , but it was soon dispersed by one of the chefs of the service coming up , and recognising the pretended waiter as having been already expelled , caused him to be ignoniiniously kicked out . Still , stran » o to say , the Italian teacher was not daunted , and he again determined on effecting an entrance . Having sought his hat , he waited until a number of guests arrived , when he slipped in among thon ^ and by putting his hat over his face so as to avoid the glance of the do * mestics . acrain contrived to reach the salons . He
now walked about with as much assurance as any of the invited guests , but after a few minutes bad the deplorable misfortune to be recognised . This time he was handed over to the police in an adjacent apartment . Convinced from his pertinacity in entering the hotel so repeatedly that he must be a pickpocket , they searched him , and had their suspicions confirmed in finding on him an empty purse , and £ 50 in Money . He was sent to the Prefecture of Police , where he passed the night , and it was not until several hi g hly respectable persons had borne testimony to his character that he was released .
Moxstku Iron Wakkhouse . —A most commodious iron warehouse is now in the course of construction by Messrs . Cato , Miller , and Co . It is intended for exportation to California . Tho whole building , which is sixty feet in length by forty feet in width , is constructed on a framework of wood and iron , and entirely sheeted , side as well as roof , with pated corrugated galvanised iron ; The extreme height of the warehouse , by internal measurement , is thirtysix feet at tho gables , and about twenty-six feet four inches at the . eaves , and is divided into throo stories : the first of which is eleven "feet in height , the second nine feet , and tho third eight feet . Though every attention has been paid to strength , it is somewhat remarkable that the weight of the whole will little exceed thirty tons ,
¦ * — Vaxumh.
¦ * — Vaxumh .
Giunt Ji-Srrck Whenever The Demand Is Ma...
Giunt ji-srrcK whenever the demand is made , Or ? the moment that wrong is apparent ; do not mimiO the false " charity" of modern hypocrisy , by offering misnamed spiritual consolation ' to a poor creature when he wants bread ! tamper not with tho feelings of the hungry by a proffer of words to fill the stomach ! grant him justice he will ask no charity ! "Dur does sir , that way down in Georgia , they makes poor nigga work twenty-five hours ebbe ' ty " day . I'iow , lookehea Pie been told that day hasn'd got no more nor twenty-four hours , an' I wants you , Mr . Johnsing , to splanify to dis chile , how they make ' em work twenty-five hours ? " " Gtlly mighty , what ignoramus nigga you is , Scipio ; vrliy , way down dare , they make poor nigga get up one hour afore day—doesn ' t that make em twenty-five ?" Scipio was convinced . Phonetic PoEinr .-The following is hard to beat for depth of pathos and soul-stirrine sentiment s—
"ilere Pies and Kakes and Bier I sell And Oisteis stoo'd and in . the shell . And fride wuns tew for ticm that chews , And with dispatch black butes and shews ! ° Jashios is a superfine gerni of idiocy ; it can only be tolerated by rational beings , out of pure compassion for the frailty of fobls ! we do not mean neatness when we repudiate fashion . To be neat and cleanly in our garb , attentive to our nei ghbour , and kindly in our general commerce with mankind , are only the dictates of common sense .
JIiss M , a young lady of considerable attractions , chanced to be seated at a dinner-party next a gentleman remarkable for tho brilliancy df his wit , who had long made one of her train of admirers . The conversation turning upon the uncertainty of human life , "I mean to insure mine , " said the young lady archly , "in tho hope . " "In tbe hope of what V' said her admirer ; " a single life is hardiy worth insuring ; I propose we should insure our lives together , and if you hare no objection , I would prefer the Alliance . " The rassEST practice of artillery , at moderately long distances , is tenfold more accurate than it was thirty-five years ago—that is to say , that at the distance of which wo speak , ten artillery missiles ( shot or shells ) would strike the mark for one that struck such a mark in 1814 .
To bciu > a single 120-gun ship requires the timber of soyenty-fivo acres , and of a century ' s growth ; to build a fcigatc it would take nearly half as much ; and for the construction ef even one of those revenue vessels which are seen off every seaport , there are needed no fewer than 180 oak trees * each of which must have been growing ever since tho battle of Cuiloden . "Lctin , " is tho Morning Post , says : — "Queen Christina , of Sweden , told Dr . Burnet that she was well assured that tho Roman Catholic Church was governed by the immediate care and nrovidence
of God , for none of the four popes she had known since she had been at Home had common sense . " - As Elective better than an IfcitKDiTAnr Monarcut . — Few kings , like Stephanus Battorius , King of Poland , do measure their actions , not by their own profit , but by the welfare of their own country . There is a saying of his extant , worthy to express the bravery of bis disposition : — "I will make tho world , " quoth he , " understand how much a king , chosen for virtue b y the consent of a nation , is better than he whom right of succession thrusts upon the shoulders of an unwilling people . "—Barclay ' s Mirror of Minds , Englished by Thomas Mav , 1633
: A ; publicav blowing the froth from a pot of porter which ho was bringing to a customer , the gentleman struck him . Boniface eagerly asked why he struck him ? " Why , " replied the gentleman "I only returned blow ' for blow . " A I'oon Irishman offered an old saucepan for sale . His children gathered around him , and inquired why he parted with it . "Ah ! my honeys , !' answered he , " I would not be afther parting with it , but for a little money to buy something to put in it . " l A oe . ntleman- calling for some beer at another gentleman ' s table , finding it very bad , gave it to tho servant without drinking . " What ' . " said the master of the house "don ' t you like tho beer ?" " It is not to be found found fault with , " answered the other , "for we should never speak ill of the dead .
^ uick commonly a take , unapt to keep ; more quick to enter speedily , than able to pierce far ; even like oversliarp tools whose edges be very soon t xxrucA . —Roger Ascham ' s Schoolmaster . Goon Heavens !—what a sight . '—to see them feeding together in public , upon the public viands , and talking of public subjects for tho benefit of tlie public . It is a pity that they are not immortal ; but I hope that they will flourish as a corporation , and that pension will beget pension fo the end ot the chapter . —John Philpot Cvrran . At Preston quarter sessions , last week , an overseer deposed that there was no church or chapel in Westby . Notice to levy a rate was posted at the wheelwri g ht ' s shop ; the parish meetings were hold at a public house ; the parishioners had no clergyman ; and the people got married " anywhere !* wherever they pleased . "
The winter series of accidents by explosion , arising from tho stupid practice of taking lighted candles to see where the gas is escaping , has already begun . It is to be hoped that our contemporaries will prevent their frequent recurrence , by pointing out the danger as well as absurdity , of such a practice , and advising trusting to the nose , instead of the eye . —Builder The Egyptians assumed as their symbol an ox ; the Jews , the letter tau ; the Athenians , an owl ; the Romans , an eagle ; the Goths , a bear ; tho Franks , a lion ; and the Saxons , a horse . Nature ' s Plentt . tumid into Waxt nv Man . — There , are few countries which , if well cultivated , would not support double tho number of their inhabitants ; and yet fewer where one-third part of tho people are not extremely stinted , even in tho necessaries of life . —Dean Swift .
Fint Port Natal gives nn account of tbe doings of some mighty hunters : — "In our last wcomitted to notice tho return of daptain Faddy , Royal Artillery , and his companions , from the two months' hunting expedition in the interior . From the following catalogue of trophies , it will bo seen that the excursion has been ono . of no ordinary character , either as regards the degree of excitement and sport , or the amount in substantial value of the game . The list , including a goodly array of no contemptible antagonists , is as follows : — PJT ' elcphnnts , 42 buffaloes , SD elands , 17 rhiuosceroses , 1 lion , 8 koodoos , 1 hippopotamus , 7 wild boars , 1 leopard , 3 brindled gtioos , 10 net bucks , i hartbeests , and 1 wolf . "
" Don ' i you understand me , Jim , " thundered tho old man . " Why , you must be quite a fool . " " True , I am very near one , " meekly replied Jim . A Constant frequenter at tbe city feasts having grown enormously fat , it was proposed to write on his back , " Widened at the expense of the Corporation . Eatino "Humble Pie . "—A correspondent of that mo & t useful publication , " Notes and Queries , " gives the following as the origin of this expressive phrase -. — - " Humblo pie" was made out of the ' limbics'' or entrails of the deer , a dish of the second table , inferior , of course , to the venison pastry which smoked upon the dais , and therefore not inexpressive-of that humiliation which the term ' eating humble pie' now painful describes . Tho ' unibics' of tho deer arc the perquisites of tho gamekeeper . "
Vt'no siiovtD sot oo to Australia . —The Moriu ing Herald , of Syndney , Now South Wales , June fith , admonishes mechanics , clerks , & c ., that there is no need of them in Australia . " Jt cannot be too often repeated , that the only persons required in tho colony are those who are willing to devote themselves to agricultural and pastoral pursuits . To induce those to come out who arc only adapted for a town life , is a fraud upon the land-fund , and gross cruelty to the unfortunate individuals themselves / ' '
Tub . Yankee ' Comic Muse . —What can bo more beautiful than tho following outbreak of passion , addressed to tbe fascinating Miss Howe , of Saratoga Springs : — " When weary I are , X smoke my cigar - , And as the smoke rises , And gets into my eyeses , I think of thee , dearest , And feel queer of the queerest !' Tub Family IIeiiald Mince Meat Punnixr ; . —
Crumble fine a stale savoy cake , or stale crumb of bread ; mix well together a cup and a half of either of those , with one cupful of miucc-ment . Butter a mould well , and fill it with this mixture , and a custard prepared with one quart of milk and six or eight eggs . If bread crumbs arc used , then it is necessary to add about six ounces of sugar to the quart of custaird , otherwise none is required . Cover it with buttwed paper , and steam it . When done ; serve with brandy sauce . " Did 1 not give you a flocking the other day !"
said a schoolmaster to a trembling urchin . — " les , sir , " answered the boy . " Well , what does the Scripture say upon tho subject ?"— "I don ' t know , sir , " said tho other , " except it is in that passage which says , " It is more blessed to give than to receive . " The ' y tESii of animals which feed excursively ' , is allowed to have a hi g her flavour than that of those which are cooped up . May there not be thesnmo difference between men who read as their taste prompts , and men who are confined in ct'lls anil colleges to slated tasks ?
. ' Seventh Dragoon Guards . —A young man , r . ow sewing as a private soldier in this regiment , has lately como into possession of landed property in Ireland to the value of £ 12 , 000 per annum , in addition to a large amount of cash . He becomes of ngu in a few months , when ho will quit tho profession of arms for the quietude of civil life . Nice Board Waoes .-TIic Admiralty Board has ' . ¦ £ 130 , 303 a year . —Punch ' s Almanack-.
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Citation
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Northern Star (1837-1852), Dec. 22, 1849, page 3, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse.ac.uk/periodicals/ns/issues/ns2_22121849/page/3/
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