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diff --git a/old/55003-0.txt b/old/55003-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index d0a25d6..0000000 --- a/old/55003-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1553 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Irish Penny Journal, Vol. 1 No. 37, -March 13, 1841, by Various - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: The Irish Penny Journal, Vol. 1 No. 37, March 13, 1841 - -Author: Various - -Release Date: June 28, 2017 [EBook #55003] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IRISH PENNY JOURNAL, MARCH 13, 1841 *** - - - - -Produced by Brownfox and the Online Distributed Proofreading -Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from -images generously made available by JSTOR www.jstor.org) - - - - - - - - - - - THE IRISH PENNY JOURNAL. - - NUMBER 37. SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 1841. VOLUME I. - -[Illustration: ROSS CASTLE, KILLARNEY.] - -We have heard some of our readers express surprise that we should not -before this have taken notice, among our topographical collections, -of some of the features of the far-famed Lakes of Killarney; but the -truth is, that those features, though of the highest beauty, are not, -for the greater part, such as wood-cut illustrations could adequately -express; and even those which are properly suited to the powers of the -graver have been in most instances already so often drawn and described, -that it is now almost hopeless to expect to find either any new points -of view or historical incidents connected with them, which have not -already been made familiar to the reading public. Still, as our little -weekly pennyworth is not intended exclusively for the wealthy and well -informed, but even to a greater extent for those by whom more expensive -publications are unattainable, it is right that we should occasionally -notice subjects of popular interest, however familiar they may have been -already made to a portion of our readers; and in doing so, we trust that -we shall be able to make them in some degree acceptable to all, by the -fidelity of our drawings, or the occasional novelty of the facts with -which we shall illustrate them. - -We have chosen, accordingly, as the first of our Killarney subjects, the -old favourite Ross Castle; not indeed as the best or least hacknied, but -as properly that which should begin the series, for it is the first with -which the Killarney tourist becomes familiar, and from which he usually -starts to enjoy all the others. - -In a historical and antiquarian point of view, however, Ross Castle is -indeed one of the most interesting objects to be found in connection -with the enchanting scenery of the lakes. It is the time-worn fortress -of their ancient chiefs, and its presence connects the history of man -in distant times with the objects of eternal natural beauty by which it -is surrounded, and imparts to them that delightful feeling or charm of -romance which, exquisite as they are, they would necessarily want if it -were absent. - -Ross Castle, as its present remains show, was similar in its plan -and construction to most of those erected by the Irish chiefs in the -fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, and consisted of a lofty square tower -or keep, to which were attached the domestic offices, all which were -surrounded by out-works enclosing an ample bawn, and flanked by small -circular towers at their angles. In its general character, therefore, -Ross Castle has no peculiar features worthy of notice; and its chief -interest is derived from its situation, which is of the most striking -beauty, commanding the richest scenery of the lower lake, and its wooded -isles, shores, and mountains. It is situated on the east shore of the -lower lake, upon the narrow neck of the Ross or peninsula from which it -derives its name, and which, by an artificial cut through a morass, -across which a small bridge is thrown, has been converted into an island. -Neither the date of the erection of this castle nor the name of its -founder has been preserved; but its architectural style will not allow us -to suppose it much older than the early part of the fifteenth century, -and history shows that it was for a considerable period the residence of -the illustrious family of O’Donoghoe, hereditary chiefs of the territory -called the Eoganacht, or Onaght of Lough Lein, or the present lower lake -of Killarney. - -The great antiquity and dignity of the family of O’Donoghoe still lives -in the popular legends of the people, and is abundantly proved, by the -Irish annals and genealogies. In an inaugural ode which was recited by -the poet Cathan O’Duinnin at the inauguration of Teige the Generous -O’Donoghoe, in 1320, and which is still preserved in the MS. library of -Trinity College, the pedigree of the O’Donoghoes, with their filiations, -is given, through twenty-seven generations, from Core, the son of -Lughaidh King of Munster in 380, to that time, and there is no reason to -doubt its accuracy or historic truth. Our space will not permit us to -enter at any length on the history of this illustrious family, but we -may observe, that its ancient rank is sufficiently proved by the fact, -as stated in the Annals of Inisfallin, that their ancestor Donnell, the -son of Duvdavoran, was the second in command of the Eugenian forces at -the memorable battle of Clontarf, and that shortly after that conflict he -contested the sovereignty of Desmond or South Munster with its king, and -slew him in battle. - -In subsequent ages the family of O’Donoghoe split into three great -branches; that of O’Donoghoe More, or the great, of which Ross Castle -became the residence; O’Donoghoe of the Glens; and O’Donoghoe of Lough -Lein. Of these three families the first and last are supposed to be -extinct, and are at least reduced to poverty; but that of the Glens is -still represented by O’Donoghoe of Killarney, who is consequently the -reputed chief of this illustrious family. By a happy chance, very rare -in Ireland, O’Donoghoe, who is as yet a minor, possesses a considerable -portion of the estates of his ancestors of the Glens; but the properly of -the O’Donoghoe More, or Ross, as well as that of the O’Donoghoe of Lough -Lein, has been long in the possession of the noble house of Kenmare, of -which their ancestor Sir Valentine Brown made a purchase from Donald -M’Carty More, Earl of Clancarthy, as early as the year 1588, it having -been forfeited by Rory O’Donoghoe More some time previously. These lands, -as Dr Smith acquaints us, were subsequently confirmed to the grandson of -the first purchaser, Valentine, son of Nicholas Brown, by letters patent -of King James I. which passed the seal May 12, 1612, and included with -others the entire country of Onaugh, alias Onaught O’Donoghoe More, in -the county of Desmond, in which were contained the manor and lake of -the Castle of Ross, with divers islands in Lough Lein, with all other -his estate, containing 82 quarters of land, amounting to 6560 acres, -besides the fishings belonging to the manor of Ross-I-Donoghoe, all which -premises came to the family by immediate bargain and grant from the Earl -of Clancarthy, by the indenture before mentioned. “But,” as Smith adds, -“some question being made of the validity of this grant from the crown, -the king, by privy seal, dated at Greenwich, 28th May 1618, directed -Sir Oliver St John, lord-deputy, to accept a surrender thereof from him -[Valentine], and to re-grant the same to him in fee by a new patent, for -clearing all doubt, and the better settlement of his estate.” - -But though the lands of O’Donoghoe More have passed away from his race, -he still retains possession of the waters: and, though dead himself -corporeally, he still lives, and governs spiritually in his ancient -principality. If, reader, you doubt the truth of our statement, ask -the people of the lakes, and they will at once remove your scepticism. -They will tell you that he frequently appears to them on May-day, on a -milk-white horse, gliding over the glassy lake to the sound of unearthly -music, and attended by troops of spirits scattering spring flowers. -They differ, indeed, a good deal in their accounts of the appearance -of their ancient lord. Derrick, in his amusing Letters on Killarney, -written in 1760, tells us that he was assured, when O’Donoghoe revisits -his friends, which is every May morning before sunrise, he is “attended -by an incredible number of followers, wrestling, hurling, and playing -football upon the surface of the lake, which affords them as sure footing -as the solid earth.” And Derrick’s friend, Mr Ockenden, whose letters -descriptive of Killarney are printed in the same volume, describes -O’Donoghoe’s horse not as a white but a black one. As this gentleman’s -account of O’Donoghoe’s visits is the most minute, as well as the -earliest, that we have seen, we are tempted to give it in full. - -“There lived in the largest island (for there are several islands on the -lake) many hundred years ago, a petty prince, named O’Donoghoe, who was -lord of the whole lake, the surrounding shore, and a large district of -neighbouring country. He manifested, during his stay upon earth, great -munificence, great humanity, and great wisdom; for, by his profound -knowledge in all the secret powers of nature, he wrought wonders as -miraculous as any tradition has recorded of saints by the aid of angels, -or of sorcerers by the assistance of demons; and among many other most -astonishing performances he rendered his person immortal. After having -continued a long time upon the surface of the globe without growing old, -he one day, at Ross Castle (the place where he most usually resided), -took leave of his friends, and rising from the floor, like some aërial -existence, passed through the window, shot away horizontally to a -considerable distance from the castle, and then descended. The water -unfolding at his approach, gave him entrance down to the subaqueous -regions, and then, to the inexpressible astonishment of all beholders, -closed over his head, as they believed, for ever: but in this they were -mistaken. - -He returned again some years after, revisiting, not, like Hamlet’s ghost, -‘the glimpses of the moon making night hideous,’ but the radiance of the -sun making day joyful, to those at least who saw him: since which time he -has continued to make very frequent expeditions to these upper regions, -sometimes three or four in a year; but sometimes three or four years pass -without his once appearing, which the bordering inhabitants have always -looked on as a mark of very bad times. - -It was feared this would be the third year he would suffer to elapse -without his once cheering their eyes with his presence: but at the latter -end of last August he again appeared, to the inexpressible joy of all, -and was seen by numbers in the middle of the day. I had the curiosity, -before I left Killarney, to visit one of the witnesses to this very -marvellous fact. - -The account she gives is, that returning with a kinswoman to her house -at the head of the lake, they both beheld a fine gentleman, mounted upon -a black horse, ascend through the water with a numerous retinue on foot, -who all moved together along the surface towards a small island, near -which they again descended under water. This account is confirmed, in -time, place, and circumstances, by many more spectators from the side of -the lake, who are all ready to swear, and not improbably to suffer death, -in support of their testimony. - -His approach is sometimes preceded by music inconceivably harmonious; -sometimes by thunder inexpressibly loud; but oftenest without any -warning whatsoever. He always rises through the surface of the lake, -and generally amuses himself upon it, but not constantly: for there is -a farmer now alive, who declares, as I am told, that riding one evening -near the lower end of the lake, he was overtaken by a gentleman who -seemed under thirty years of age, very handsome in his person, very -sumptuous in his apparel, and very affable in his conversation. After -having travelled for some time together, the nobleman (for such he judged -him to be by his appearance) observed, that as night was approaching, the -town far off, and lodging not easy to be found, he should be welcome to -take a bed that night at his house, which, he said, was not very distant. - -The invitation was readily accepted; they approached the lake together, -and both their horses moved upon the surface without sinking, to the -infinite amazement of the farmer, who thence perceived the stranger to be -no less than the great O’Donoghoe. They rode a considerable distance from -shore, and then, descending into a delightful country under water, lay -that night in a house much larger in size and much more richly furnished -than even Lord Kenmare’s at Killarney.” - -With respect, however, to the colour of O’Donoghoe’s horse, the -prevailing belief seems now to be, that it is a white one, and this -notion has been adopted by our national bard, Moore, in his beautiful -song called “O’Donoghoe’s Mistress,” which, as he informs us, is founded -on one among other stories connected with this legend of the lakes, and -in which it is said that there was a young and beautiful girl, whose -imagination was so impressed with the idea of this visionary chieftain, -that she fancied herself in love with him, and at last, in a fit of -insanity, on a May morning, threw herself into the lake. But we had -better give the song itself:-- - - Of all the fair months, that round the sun - In light-linked dance their circles run, - Sweet May, shine thou for me; - For still, when thy earliest beams arise, - That youth, who beneath the blue lake lies, - Sweet May, returns to me. - - Of all the bright haunts, where daylight leaves - Its lingering smile on golden eves, - Fair lake, thou’rt dearest to me; - For when the last April sun grows dim, - Thy Naiads prepare his steed for him, - Who dwells, bright lake, in thee. - - Of all the proud steeds that ever bore - Young plumed chiefs on sea or shore, - White steed, most joy to thee; - Who still, with the first young glance of spring, - From under that glorious lake dost bring - My love, my chief, to me. - - While, white as the sail some bark unfurls, - When newly launch’d, thy long mane curls, - Fair steed, as white and free; - And spirits, from all the lake’s deep bowers, - Glide o’er the blue wave scattering flowers, - Around my love and thee. - - Of all the sweet deaths that maidens die, - Whose lovers beneath the cold wave lie, - Most sweet that death will be, - Which under the next May evening’s light, - When thou and thy steed are lost to sight, - Dear love, I’ll die for thee. - -But we have been attracted by this phantom chief too long from our -immediate subject, and we must now return to it. From the historical -notices of Ross Castle, as collected by the historian of Kerry, it will -be seen that it was of old a place of some strength and importance, and -that its possession was not to be acquired without expense and trouble. -In his description of Ross island, published in 1756, Dr Smith states -that “on it stands an ancient castle, formerly the seat of O’Donoghoe -Ross, which hath a new barrack adjoining to it. This place hath been for -some years past a military garrison, having a governor appointed for it -upon the establishment. Before the castle are a few dismounted iron guns, -which give it something the air of a fortification. The castle had been -flanked with round turrets, which together with its situation rendered it -a place of some strength. In the wars of 1641, it surrendered to Ludlow, -who was attended in the expedition by Lord Broughil and Sir Hardress -Waller, and was the last place that held out in Munster against the -English parliament.” - -This surrender followed the decisive battle of Knockinclashy, in the -county of Cork, in 1652, fought by the Lord Broughil on the English -side, and the Lord Muskerry on that of the Irish, after which the latter -retreated into Ross Castle, and was followed thither by Ludlow, who, -with 4000 foot and 200 horse, laid siege to the castle. The subsequent -proceedings are thus described by Ludlow himself:-- - -“In this expedition I was accompanied by the Lord Broughil, and Sir -Hardress Waller, major-general of the foot. Being arrived at this -place, I was informed that the enemy received continual supplies from -those parts that lay on the other side, and were covered with woods and -mountains; whereupon I sent a party of two thousand foot to clear those -woods, and to find out some convenient place for erecting a fort, if -there should be occasion. These forces met with some opposition, but at -last they routed the enemy, killing some, and taking others prisoners: -the rest saved themselves by their good footmanship. Whilst this was -doing, I employed that part of the army which was with me in fortifying a -neck of land, where I designed to leave a party to keep in the Irish on -this side, that I might be at liberty, with the greater part of the horse -and foot, to look after the enemy abroad, and to receive and convoy such -boats and other things necessary as the commissioners sent us by sea. -When we had received our boats, each of which was capable of containing -one hundred and twenty men, I ordered one of them to be rowed about the -water, in order to find out the most convenient place for landing upon -the enemy; which they perceiving, thought fit, by a timely submission, -to prevent the danger that threatened them; and having expressed their -desires to that purpose, commissioners were appointed on both sides to -treat.” - -After a fortnight’s debate, says Ludlow, articles were agreed upon -and ratified on both sides; and the son of the Lord Muskerry and Sir -Daniel O’Brien were delivered up as hostages for the performance of the -treaty; in consequence of which, about 5000 Irish, horse and foot, laid -down their arms and delivered up their horses, and thus terminated the -hostilities in Munster. - -Smith, in his History of Kerry, tells us that “a man whose name was -Hopkins, and who a few years ago was sexton of Swords, near Dublin, -was present at the taking and surrender of this place, and assisted in -drawing the above-mentioned vessel into the lake. The Irish,” he adds, -“had a kind of prophecy among them, that Ross Castle could not be taken -until a ship should swim upon the lake; and the appearance of this vessel -contributed not a little to intimidate the garrison, and to hasten the -capitulation. The said Hopkins lived to the age of one hundred and -fifteen years, and died at Swords.” - -We have already stated that a barrack was erected in connection with the -castle in the commencement of the last century, and a small garrison -was kept here till a few years ago. These hideous barracks, as Sir R. -C. Hoare called them, were a dreadful eye-sore to all the lovers of -the picturesque who visited the Killarney lakes; but Ireland seems no -longer to require such structures, and the barrack of Ross Castle has -been some time dismantled, and its ivied walls now contribute to the -picturesqueness of the parent fortress. - - P. - - - - -EDUCATION OF YOUTH. - - -Action of both mind and body ought to be so continued as to serve as -relaxation to each other. The mind of a man, still more of a child, is -incapable of long perseverance in mental exertion. This is a generally -acknowledged truth, to which I shall add one more to the same purpose, -which is less known. Young men, and those who are not advanced in years, -if healthy and of warm constitutions, are never very greatly inclined to -mental exertion till their bodies are to a certain degree fatigued, I do -not say wholly exhausted. Till this fatigue is produced, their body has -a preponderance over the mind, and in this case it is a truly natural -want, which cannot easily be silenced. Each muscle requires exertion, -and the whole machine strives to employ its powers; this is vulgarly -called to have no sit-still flesh. If the fatigue be once brought on, -the call for bodily exertion is stilled; the mind is no longer disturbed -by it, and all its labours are facilitated. Our common mode of education -pays no regard to this: youths appear in school to be strengthened by -sleep and food, and too frequently, alas! thrown into an unnatural -heat and commotion. How is it possible to fix the attention under such -circumstances? The body requires action; if this be not allowed, it will -obtain it in silence; it will act upon the passions, and, above all, the -fiery temperament of youth will influence the imagination. Thus attention -slumbers. We are barbarous when we attempt to awaken it with the rod; -we require from innocent children what is unnatural; we inflict pain -on the body to prevent its action; yet activity was bestowed on it by -its creator; yet nature renovates this activity every night; the mind -is soon carried away by the whirlwind of corporal energies, and lost in -the realm of chimeras. To facilitate the contemplation of them, I shall -just repeat the desirable parallel between the qualities of the body -and mind:--Health of body--serenity of mind--hardiness--manliness of -sentiment--strength and address--presence of mind and courage--activity -of body--activity of mind--excellence of form--mental beauty--acuteness -of the senses--strength of understanding. - - MEDICUS. - - * * * * * - -ANCIENT MUSIC.--The Egyptian flute was only a cow’s horn with three or -four holes in it, and their harp or lyre had only three strings; the -Grecian lyre had only seven strings, and was very small, being held -in one hand; the Jewish trumpets, that made the walls of Jericho fall -down, were only rams’ horns. Their flute was the same as the Egyptian; -they had no other instrumental music but by percussion, of which the -greatest boast was the psaltery, a small triangular harp or lyre with -wire strings, and struck with an iron needle or stick; their sacbut was -something like a bagpipe; the timbrel was a tambourine, and the dulcimer -was a horizontal harp, with wire strings, and struck with a stick like -the psaltery. They had no written music; had scarcely a vowel in their -language, and yet, according to Josephus, had two hundred thousand -musicians playing at the dedication of the Temple of Solomon. Mozart -would have died in such a concert in the greatest agonies.--_Dr Burney’s -History of Music._ - - - - -POETICAL LECTURE ON ANATOMY. - - -The following is the purport of a lecture on anatomy. The lecturer is -represented as taking up the human skull, containing the brain and its -appendages, with the nervous cords exposed to observation, and with -“_apostrophic eye_” proceeding:-- - - This is the tenement of thought, - The mansion of the mind, - Whose empire, as the universe, - Is boundless undefined! - ’Tis vaulted, like the evening sky - In star-wrought grace unfurl’d, - And like that very firmament, - Hangs o’er a breathing world-- - A world of thought, a world of sense, - A world of passion, pride, - Reason, perception, hope, love, light, - In glory side by side! - Here gather, too, in crowded thrall - Of agile grace and hue, - Imagination’s thousand forms - Fast thronging on the view. - Here reason reigns, here genius dwells, - And here ambition lives! - And brightest ’mid that mighty throng, - The soul immortal thrives. - Here, too, imperial will resides - In regal state enshrined, - In stern dominion over all, - With majesty combined! - Mark this! it is his messenger, - That, like electric fire, - Swift-wing’d, the mandate beareth forth - Of reason or desire. - This filament, this very thread, - Hath power to shake the frame; - THAT, whispering to the heart’s warm core, - To light love’s genial flame. - And THIS, or THIS, to sense inclined, - Hath magic in its spell, - To waken pleasure, pain, or hope, - And rapture’s story tell. - And this small cord sent to the eye, - Can comprehend the whole-- - The limitless, the vast profound, - Where worlds unnumbered roll! - THAT, to the tongue can captivate, - THIS, epicures enslave, - THAT, to the same makes slander rife, - And THIS perchance a knave. - THAT, to the ear, oft makes the soul - Quake ’neath the thunder’s peal, - Or to the heart, with genius warm’d, - A dream’s low tones reveal. - Concenter’d in one mass, this brain, - These make man what he is, - The offspring of yon world of light, - The life and soul of this. - - --_From an American work._ - - * * * * * - -THE RIVER ST JOHN, IN NEW BRUNSWICK.--In this river there are several -falls, not downwards, as in the ordinary course of rivers, but upwards -against the current. The River St John is of the size of the Rhine. It -drains a large portion of the province of New Brunswick. The mass of -water it discharges into the Bay of Fundy is prodigious, especially -during the spring floods, when the tides rise to the height of 35, 50, -and sometimes even 60 feet, above the ordinary level. The remarkable -fall of the water backwards is produced by the enormous volume of water, -occupying a channel in some places ten miles in breadth, being confined -near St John’s into a breadth of 300 yards, which occasions it to roll -back impetuously in the form of a magnificent cascade. - - * * * * * - -CHILDREN OF THE POOR.--Charles Lamb has truly and touchingly remarked, -that common people’s children “are dragged up, not brought up.” There -is a precocity--not, indeed, of intellect, but of prudence and worldly -wisdom--in them, that is truly painful. Care has usurped the empire of -carelessness, that legitimate monarch of a child’s being; and like -all usurpers, has in the vehemence of his achievements anticipated the -slow march of Time. Life itself, which among the children of the rich -is an exuberant overflowing, that, lavish it as they may, still seems -inexhaustible, among those of the poor is a lean phantom, grasped at with -pain and maintained with a struggle; in short, they know nothing of youth -but its feebleness and its wailing; its bloom and its buoyancy being, -like every other luxury, beyond their reach. To me the most painful sight -in this world is a poor, that is, a destitute child. Whatever misery a -grown-up person may be plunged into, a thousand suppositions are left for -its palliation: they may once have been well off, or they may have been -the artificers of their own ruin, and they may live to see better days: -but children--they can have done nothing to deserve that the one blessing -unmortgaged at the Fall, the carelessness of youth, should be taken from -them.--_Lady Bulwer._ - - - - -THE DECAYED OLD GENTLEMAN, A SKETCH. - - -There is something very touching about this character--something in his -mild tone of speech, in his polite and gentle demeanour, that at once -engages our sympathies. We have the poor old gentleman distinctly before -our mind’s eye at this moment. Let us endeavour to sketch him. - -He is of middle height, well proportioned, and of rather slender make. -His clothes, though a good deal the worse for wear, are carefully -brushed, and put on with scrupulous neatness. His linens are clean and -bright, and his neck-cloth, equally faultless, is adjusted with nice -precision; for, old as he is, he has not lost, nor ever will lose, -that sense of propriety which dictates a decent attention to external -appearance. - -Some sixty and odd summers have passed over the head of him who is the -subject of our sketch, and they have left their usual traces behind. His -hair is thin and scanty, and of the silvery hue of eild. His countenance -is expressive at once of a gentle and benevolent nature, of a cultivated -mind and refined taste. He has seen much, read much, and thought more. -A certain air of mild, subdued dignity--for the old man, poor though he -be, never for a moment forgets that he _is_ a gentleman--adds a grace -to all he says and does. When in society, or when accosted by a friend, -a pleasant smile, speaking a sincere affability, plays on his cheerful -countenance. But when alone, when there is no one present to demand the -exercise of his politeness, the expression of that countenance subsides -into a gentle melancholy. His look is then grave and thoughtful; somewhat -sad, but not morose. There has been disappointment in his life, high -hopes laid low, and noble aspirations foiled in their aim. - -Delightful it is to see the old gentleman enter a room in which some -friends are assembled--his bow is so graceful--his smile so cheerful--his -words of greeting so pleasant to the ear. All rise, smiling, to receive -him--all hail his presence, with a quiet but heartfelt joy. Welcome, -thrice welcome is he to all. His gentle manners, his exhaustless store -of anecdote, all so well selected, all so neatly told. His intelligence -and extensive information render him one of the most delightful of -companions. A welcome visitor is he at all times--a welcome addition to -the family circle into which it is his delight to drop, just in time to -share in the sober, social cup of tea, his favourite beverage. - -The old gentleman is unmarried--he is a bachelor. There is some vague -unconnected story of an early attachment and of disappointed love, but -nobody knows any of the particulars--no one knows who the lady was, nor -what were the circumstances of the case; and our old friend never alludes -to them in the most distant manner. The history of this passage in his -life is a secret pent up within his own breast; one that will go with -him to the grave, and with him be buried within its silent precincts. -But it is one over which he often broods in the solitude of his solitary -chamber, and during those sleepless nights, and they are many, when -reminiscences of the past forbid the approach of forgetfulness. - -Being a bachelor, and his circumstances narrow--a small annuity being now -his only dependence--our old friend has no house of his own. He lives -in hired lodgings--humble, but cleanly, comfortable and respectable. -His landlady is a “decent widow,” and he has been her lodger for -fifteen years. Little as he has, he has always paid her punctually, and -to the last farthing; and much does she esteem and respect her kind -and gentlemanly inmate. Regular and temperate in all his habits, and -moderate in his desires, he gives her little trouble, and even that -little he is at all times anxious to abridge. His cup of tea or coffee -morning and evening is nearly all in the way of cookery that he requires -at her hands. Quietly he comes in and quietly he goes out, and he -never does either without saying something kind or civil as he passes. -In all things easily pleased, he expresses thanks for every little -attention shown him, and never raises his voice in anger, never even in -querulousness or impatience. To every one around him, without distinction -of rank or worldly circumstances, he is all politeness, all gentleness, -and all kindness. - -Who can but love and respect the decayed old gentleman! - - C. - - - - -THE ITALIAN ORGAN BOY. - -PART FIRST. - - -The streets of a great city, whether swept by the tumultuous tide of -life by day, or echoing only to the dull and solitary tread of the -patrol by night, are never devoid of material for interesting remark -or rumination to such as are so disposed. He must, indeed, be a man -of sluggish sensibilities and slender fancy who could traverse any of -our great thoroughfares without finding them occasionally touched by -some of the thousand little tales of anxiety or satisfaction, mourning -or merriment, legible in brief upon the faces of the motley and -many-featured throng around him, or at least, by the supplemental aid of -a little imagination, plausibly constructed from the elements thereby -supplied. There is perhaps no period so well fitted for these studies of -life, as it is in its private and more important aspect, as the close -of one of our short and busy winter days, when the pressure of diurnal -toil is removed from men’s minds, whether its effect has been to sway -them from the contemplation of joy or wretchedness, and unbiassed they -are left to imprint their character on the countenance of each. When -does cheerfulness appear so undiluted as when a long winter evening’s -recreation spreads out before it, whether spent within the mellowed glow -of a happy domestic hearth, with all its easy, pure, and unsuspicious -pleasures, or in the social reunion with its friendly, careless, and -unclouded gaiety? and when does wretchedness feel so blank and dismal -as when a weary length of dim and rayless hours gives space for all its -melancholy broodings, undiverted by occupation, unmitigated by that -spirit of hope which more or less mingles with the temperament of all by -day, as if a constituent of the glad light of heaven in which we then -live and move? A cursory reading of the countenance of each passer by -will at this hour give the poorest physiognomist no inaccurate notion of -the complexion of his domestic lot; and, selecting an individual from the -homeward-wending crowd, I often form my speculation as to the scene that -awaits him, follow him in the freedom of all-privileged and all-pervading -thought across the threshold of his abode, conjure up the circumstances -of his reception, glance through the perspective of his evening -arrangements, and, as I find them agreeable or the reverse, extend or -curtail my domiciliary inspection. - -During a recent winter, on one of its most cheerless evenings, I was -thus exercising my discernment and my fancy in a long homeward walk -through the centre of the city, and mentally apportioning to each that -attracted my eye the share of satisfaction or discomfort that lay -before him--my own mind subject to the lights and shadows, the glow and -chill, which in various degrees were suggested as the lot of each. It -was precisely the evening to lend the keenest zest to the happiness of -the light-hearted, and a more poignant bitterness to the misery of the -unfortunate. A cold icy wind whistled shrilly through every narrow street -and entry as I passed it, and swept more boldly down the wider spaces, -bearing, occasionally, slanting showers of sleet, which a glance at the -dun and overcharged canopy of snow-clouds and of smoke above showed to -be but premonitory intimations of a heavy and continuous fall. For the -most part, all below was impatient motion and occupied expectation, -because almost all had a goal in view to which they hastened, the fierce -inclemency of the weather impelling alike the mirthful and the melancholy -onward. The well-fed, well-defended passenger, with muffled neck and -arms thrust to the elbow in the pockets of his dreadnought, rubbed -shoulders with the half-paralyzed and shivering wretch that shuffled amid -the hurrying throng, often apparently without other object than that -of joining in the stream of fellow-creatures, whom he could resemble -in no other way. Carriage after carriage rolled past, the children of -affluence for their tenants, interchanging careless comments, or looking -with languid and heedless gaze upon the squalid, the impoverished, the -abandoned, the degraded, that, alas! met the eye so often as to account -for, and almost justify, the indifference displayed. - -“What a collocation, not merely of the extremes of human condition, but -of almost every interposed gradation!” thought I, as, sated with the -multiform instances presented in the concourse, and half bewildered -with the medley of sights and sounds--the glittering ostentation of the -glaring shops, the hum and tramp of the jostling crowd, the din and -rattle of ceaseless vehicles, from the lumbering dray to the elastic -carriage, the oft-mingled appeal of importunate mendicants, and, not -least confounding, the sleet-laden and staggering blasts that met me -with wild caprice at almost every corner--I gladly turned aside into -a more sheltered and less frequented street, to pursue a route of -greater ease, though at the expense of a greater circuit. But misery -in the aggregate can generally be encountered with less disturbance -than when submitted to in the case of solitary sufferers; and before I -had proceeded half the length of a private and comparatively deserted -street, I had more effective calls upon my charity--there was at that -time no legal provision for the necessitous--than when passing among the -abounding instances of destitution I had just witnessed. My stock of -small change, and I must add, co-equally therewith, that of my patience -too, was nearly exhausted, when my eye fell upon the figure of a young -lad, who stood indifferently sheltered from the wind under the projected -doorway of an uninhabited house. I had made up my mind to the customary -solicitation: but he seemed so abstracted as not to notice my approach, -and, pitying the forlorn looking youth, and wondering at his forbearance, -I walked slowly past, to give him an opportunity. I found him to be -an organ-player, for the instrument, unslung from his shoulders, -rested upon the flag at his feet, and a brief notice of his collapsed -but characteristic features showed him to be an Italian. A shivering -marmoset, partly covered by his jacket, was lodged on the hollow of one -arm, while the other, resting on his raised knee, supported his head, as, -unconscious of my proximity and observation, he gazed fixedly upon the -ground. The sight of mute personal privation and friendless loneliness -would at such a crisis have been influential enough to stir up whatever -humanity one had, but when witnessed in a stranger from a far land, -in one, too, nurtured under the sapphire skies and blissful clime of -Italy, and withering now by a dismal change beneath such dense and murky -clouds, and such a pitiless and scourging breeze, the demand on one’s -kindly offices was irresistible, and, drawing near to the desolate lad, -I accompanied a small gift with a few words in his own most musical and -thrilling tongue. He started from his musing posture as the electric -syllables struck upon his ear, and, as he gazed with keen enthusiasm -upon me, the blood mantled vividly upon his chilled and weather-wrinkled -cheek, while with grateful but melancholy earnestness he poured out his -thanks. There was something to me unusually touching in the aspect of -the friendless young foreigner, as well as in the circumstances in which -I found him. He had a cast of thought and maturity in his face which -hardship, isolation, and self-dependence, seemed to have anticipated -years in producing; for his slender and stripling figure, and the -unshaven down upon his lip, bespoke him still in an early stage of -youth. After a word or two of compassion, I passed on. But his dashed -and disappointed look at separation followed me: my conscience chid me -for resting in a cold gratuity to one so dejected, yet so sensitive to -relief--a spring of gladness for whom my acquaintance with his native -language, it appeared, could so easily unseal. - -He was a stranger, weary, friendless, cheerless, and -necessitous--unsusceptible of those mitigations of suffering which even -the poorest experience among their own people and their own kindred. I -was hastening to my unshared, ’tis true, but far, therefore, from joyless -lodgings, an abundant board, a radiant fire, a storm and snow proof -apartment, furnished with all the appliances of comfort which winter -covets; and would they be diminished by the admission of this homeless, -and, from his countenance, I dare certify, guileless wanderer, to share -for a time their influence? No. I have it in my power to interpose one -bright spot in his life of hardship and privation, to suspend for a -while the yearnings with which doubtless, at this hour of dreariness and -suffering, he turns in thought to the scenes of his but recent childhood -in his own lovely land, to the sunny azure skies the joyous vine-clad -hills, the playmates that even now, perhaps, at the close of a bright -and genial day, are clustering in merry meeting for the evening song -and dance, his father’s cottage, his mother’s caress. “Yes, I will turn -back,” exclaimed I, “and enable him, if ever he rejoin the social circle -in his own ardent home, to tell his eager listeners a trait of kindness -and sympathy shared in the far off frigid country of the north.” As I -concluded, I again stood before him, as with a shiver and a sigh the poor -lad was about raising his organ upon his shoulder again; and, telling -him that I had been in and loved the land from which he came, that I was -fond of its people, and of their music too, and wished to talk with and -hear him play at leisure and in comfort by my own fireside, asked him to -accompany me to it. A smile of gladness lighted up his pale expressive -face as he gratefully declared his readiness; and a car passing at the -moment, I hailed it, and in a few seconds, young Carlo Girardi--for that -he told me was his name--his chattering and half perished marmoset, his -muffled music mill, and my enlivened and approving self, were rattling -rapidly to my lodgings. I found him a fine, intelligent, unhacknied lad, -to whose fervid heart my partial knowledge of his native tongue secured -me ready access; and, after cold and hunger had given way to fire and -food, I experienced no difficulty in drawing from him an ingenuous and -vivid narration of his personal story--one so singular and romantic in -its character, and so illustrative of the purest impulses of the human -heart, as to merit a repetition better than many a more highly wrought -and complex tale. Cleared of the circumlocution caused by his indifferent -stock of English, and converted into a dialect more uniform and familiar -to our ears, it ran substantially thus:-- - -“I come from the neighbourhood of the little village of Montanio, at -the foot of the great Appennines. My father was, and I pray is still, -a small vine-grower and gardener, supplying the market of Telese, and -other towns within reach, with fruits, flowers, and vegetables. We were -a family of five--my father, my dear mother, my elder and only brother -Ludovico, my beautiful and gentle sister Bianca, and myself;” and his -tone grew touchingly tremulous, as, in connection with his cottage home, -he went over the old, familiar, household names. “Oh, that I was ever -called upon to leave them to wander, unfriended and unknown, among rough -and careless strangers, to forsake all pleasant things, the gay and -glad green fields, the sunny hills, the sparkling mountain streams, the -flowered and fruited gardens, and the ever bright and beautiful sky which -stretched its unclouded azure overhead, for this cold and shivering, this -dim and misty land! But yet I would do as much again, if such a call -again were made upon me--dark shame upon me if I hesitated!--and when I -return to them once more--and oh, may heaven grant that now I shortly -may!--I will look with the greater rapture upon all I left, upon beauties -and on blessings I then too little, far too little, cared for. My father -was ever kind to us when we were in the way of obedience to his wishes -and ideas of duty, but rigid and severe to resent every error we might -commit. I have heard the elder neighbours say that in his own young days -he had been wild and perverse, and entangled thereby in many troubles, -and that, therefore, in affection and providence for us, he was the more -exact in our care and education. I was too young to be much in the way of -following my own bent, and so had little opportunity of offending him; -but my brother Ludovico, who was hot, daring, and adventurous, was often -led to look for wild and irregular excitement with the roving hunters -and rude shepherds from the mountains above, and his mingling in their -lawless society always raised my father’s resentment, and, despite my -mother’s exerted influence, often brought disquiet and disunion among -us. But though reckless and unsettled, Ludovico was ever frank, winsome, -and honest-hearted, which, however, could not save him from sharing in -the evil fame of his companions; and though his handsome figure, open -temper, and ready offices for all who sought them, made him a favourite -with the young, yet the elder looked grave and severe upon him, as one -already committed in the road to ruin. Our sister Bianca, who, not in our -eyes only, was the sweetest and prettiest maiden within the circle of a -league, drew to herself, as she grew up, the admiring looks of all; and -at our gay village festivals, at the sowing, vintage, and noted holidays, -he was a happy and envied youth who could oftenest engage her hand for -the tarantula, or follow her voice upon the mandoline. But the one who -paid his court with most success was Francesco, the only son of Marcolini -the wealthy miller, who was by far the richest man in our community. -But when his son’s courtship became known to him, he forthwith fell into -a rage at the notion of so imprudent a match, for he was a purse-proud -man, who valued his gold above most other things, above the beauty and -innocence of our Bianca, and the pledged affection of Francesco, for whom -he looked far above us humble people for a more equally dowered bride. -Resolute to extinguish his folly as he called it, at once, he solemnly -vowed to cut him off with a carlino, if he pursued his thriftless -project; and, not assured that even this would deter him, he determined -to engage, likewise, the authority of my father, whose strict and -unswerving character was well known to him, and accordingly besought him -to lay his prohibition upon Bianca. My father, who would have scorned to -force a thus forbidden union, hurried to comply with his wishes; and in -Bianca’s obedience there was found a surer safeguard than in Francesco’s -fear of poverty, as, even in defiance of his father’s menace, he -vehemently urged my sister to become his, and trust to the labour of his -hands for their maintenance. But my father’s injunctions were habitually -paramount; and poor Francesco, finding her hesitation not to be overcome, -soon fell into despair and declining health. He became melancholy, -faint-hearted, and neglectful of all his old occupations; and his strange -and moody habits, quenched spirits, and fast failing strength, so wrought -upon his father’s fear and affection, that he began to think it better -to make some compromise, and forego a little of his ambition rather than -endanger Francesco’s life. In consequence, he intimated to my father -that on reflection he was disposed to forward the marriage, provided a -certain sum, which he named, was settled upon Bianca, as it was scarcely -to be expected, he urged, that he would give his son and the heir of all -his money to a portionless bride. My father acknowledged his request to -be but natural, but professed at once the insufficiency of his means to -satisfy it without impoverishing the rest of his family; an act which, -however devoted to the happiness of his daughter, conscience would not -allow him to commit. - -Old Martolini, finding him intractable upon the point, proposed then, -that as Bianca and Francesco were still very young, their marriage should -be postponed for at least three years, at the end of which time, if he -were prepared to give her a certain portion--making a large abatement -from his first demand--it might with his consent take place. But, -exasperated at his disappointment and forced concession, he added a -passionate oath, that on no other terms would he hear of the connection, -even though his son Francesco were such a fool as to pine till it brought -him to his death-bed. My father, balanced between his anxiety to close -an arrangement so beneficial to Bianca, and his sense of the hardships -and extreme frugality it would necessarily impose upon us all during the -interval, desired a short time to make his decision. The same evening -he called all of us, except my sister, to him--declared the proposal of -Francesco’s father--asked our opinion separately upon it--and when with -one voice we all professed our readiness, our eagerness, to undergo any -and every additional labour and privation that might take a tear from our -gentle Bianca’s eye, or add a blush or a smile to her now pallid cheek -and lips, he answered, “It is just spoken as I would have you speak, my -dear wife and children: but saying is easy, doing difficult. Three years -will give you many opportunities of proving this, for there must be -much denial, frugality, and toil, brief nights and long and busy days, -to enable us to accumulate within the time a sum so ill proportioned -to our means.” Bianca was then informed of the arrangement, and smiles -of rekindled hope and rapture mingled with tears of grateful love and -sensibility; and her rapidly returning bloom and gaiety gilded every -thing around with its own gladness, and rendered our ruder and scantier -fare and more lengthened labour pleasanter at times than the merry -meeting and the music, which we could now of course but rarely join. -The impulse of affection for dear Bianca was strong in every heart, and -this, with the prospect of a happy completion of our undertaking, almost -changed every sacrifice into a delight. But, young though I be, I have -now lived long enough to know, that as the brightest morning sky is -often overcast before the close of day, so are our most shining hopes -subject to many a cloud and chill before, if ever, they attain to their -fulfilment.” (Here poor Carlo paused for a moment in his narrative; -and with your leave, gentle reader, I too shall rest, till I have the -pleasure of meeting you again in next week’s Journal.) - - J. J. M. - - - - -ON STIMULANTS. - -TOBACCO. - - -Repose is the remedy which nature points out to tired mortals when -exhausted either by mental or bodily fatigue. This is her prescription -for refreshing man’s animal spirits, and enabling him to resume his -labours. Stimulants are by no means congenial with her methods or her -processes. They are like whip and spur to the weary steed; they may -force him on indeed, but it is at the expense of his constitution and -his powers. In medical science, the great art, as the doctors say, is -to assist nature; and with this view, the skilful practitioner will -sometimes order stimulants, and find them doubtless highly useful to -his patient; but their habitual use is no maxim of the healing art, but -much rather that of the destroying or disabling one, if I may use the -expression. By the way, we are sadly prone to habits, and therefore it -“stands us upon,” in a most serious degree, to consider well the nature -and probable results of any custom before we adopt it. In this astute and -intellectual age of ours it has been discovered that it is much easier to -abstain altogether from a dangerous indulgence than to adhere strictly -to moderation, and temperance has been superseded by teetotalism; and -I would just add to this, by way of corollary, that it is much easier -to slide into a bad habit than to get rid of it again. But to return to -our theme. The effects produced by stimulants are all agreeable for the -moment. Wine and opium raise men above earth and all its cares; and so -long as the stimulant lasts, they sit as it were at the supper of the -gods. Anacreon is then the only ballad-monger, and with him each is ready -to sing, - - Strew me a breathing bed of leaves, - Where lotus with the myrtle weaves; - And while in luxury’s dream I sink, - Let me the balm of Bacchus drink! - In this delicious hour of joy, - Young Love shall be my goblet-boy, - Folding his little golden vest, - With cinctures, round his snowy breast; - Himself shall hover by my side, - And minister the racy tide! - -But when the influence of the spell is over, immediately they sink down -as much below the level of ordinary mortals, as they were before raised -above it. For a delightful exhilaration of body and mind, they now -experience a sad reverse, in which they find much more pleasing music in -the prudent advice of the apothecary, than in all the Odes of Anacreon. -The cry is not then, - - Let us drain the nectar’d bowl, - Let us raise the song of soul--&c. - -But, - - Let us drain the _saline dose_, - Let’s expel these humours gross. - -Now, though poets have favoured us with many a canto on the raptures -inspired by flowing bowls and sparkling goblets, they have rarely -condescended to give us one line, if it were only by way of note, on the -“state of the stomach” on the morning after one of those “nights and -suppers of the gods.” Such a detail indeed was never intended for the -divine art of poesy. It is a job not at all calculated for the lover of -agreeable fiction, and hence the world hears little on the subject. Those -after-reckonings are nevertheless serious, though unpalatable things. -Pleasure here acts much like a tavern host, who remembers most accurately -all the good things he provides, though his guests are both apt and -willing to forget them. Every item is carefully put down, and must be -paid for. I shall only say, that fortunate is he who takes warning in -time. I might moralise on this theme in good set phrase, but the ground -has been so well and so frequently beaten by others, that I forbear. -With respect to such articles as opium and spirits, the “spirit of the -age,” as I have already intimated, runs quite in an opposite direction -to that of indulgence; and it is wisely considered that as those who can -be temperate in the use of such ticklish commodities must owe a great -deal to a happy temperament of constitution, and be few in number, whilst -the greater part of mankind are not so felicitously moulded, the rule -of teetotalism, viz., entire abstinence, is on the whole the safest and -best. But there is one article in our pharmacopœia of stimulants, upon -which there seems to be some difference of opinion, and with regard to -which I should wish to record my humble opinion. I allude to the nicotian -leaf-tobacco. - -Now, I regret to say that a long and attentive study of the subject -compels me to pronounce an unfavourable sentence on this article. -Whatever value it may possess as a medicine--and that, in the present -state of our knowledge, is not much--I must say that, as an instrument -of luxury in ordinary use, it is unwholesome and injurious. To the -physician it may be satisfactory to ascertain in what way, precisely, the -injurious effect is produced; but it may suffice others to learn from -experience and observation what is the actual result. It is obvious that -tobacco causes an excitement of the nervous system, and thus disturbs -the course of nature; but nature never is, and never can be, disturbed -with impunity. To apply a stimulus to the system for which there is no -natural demand, is to cause a waste of nervous energy, of which nature -has need for her own legitimate purposes, and therefore to inflict -an injury upon her, greater or less according to the amount of that -uncalled for expenditure. To keep such an unnatural stimulus in constant -action, is tantamount to the creation of a constitutional derangement -of the functions, or the introduction of an actual disease into the -body; and nobody will pretend to say that this is not injurious. To my -simple apprehension, it is anti-hygeian practice with a vengeance. I am -no physician, but I believe this to be the true theory of our subject, -regarded in a physiological point of view, and it is decisive against the -nicotian habit, however small the quantity of the article used may be. -People are rather indisposed to believe that an “agreeable” sensation -can be an “unwholesome” one; but unfortunately for poor humanity, and -the popularity of us sages, nothing in nature is more certain than the -possibility of such a conjuncture. It is not only certain, but, alas, -commonly known by experience, that an agreeable thing may be unwholesome, -and a pleasant sensation anything at all but a symptom of healthful -action. - -Again, people are apt to suppose that no injury is done to their health, -because they are not sensible of the wound at the moment; but this also -is a notion which we must class among vulgar errors. It is a matter -of demonstration, not merely of hypothesis, that we may sustain most -grievous injury of which we are not instantly sensible; nay, that so -long a time may elapse after the impression has been imparted, that we -become unable to trace the effect to its cause; and yet the relation of -cause and effect stands sure, however ignorant or unconscious we may be -of it. As an illustration of this position, I shall mention a case which -came under my own observation. I was once acquainted with a gentleman, -who at eighty years of age was what would be called a stout, healthy old -fellow. He was certainly of a most robust constitution, and had never -addicted himself to any habit “calculated to shorten life,” as they say -at the Insurance Offices, saving and excepting that of taking snuff. -Well, it has been said to me, “See how your anti-nicotian theory is set -at defiance by this hearty old fellow. If tobacco be a slow poison, it -must be, as was said of tea, very slow indeed, or how should we have -such an exemplary octogenarian as this, ‘o’er all its ills victorious?’ -He has been taking snuff all his life, and yet, you perceive, is nothing -the worse for it.” Now, I did not perceive any such thing, but was well -aware that the contrary was the case. I was of opinion, and am now fully -convinced of the fact, that he suffered extremely, nay, intensely, -from the habit, without himself or others being at all aware of it. I -do not speak of a nose and face perpetually begrimed with snuff--of -a waistcoat and inexpressibles embrowned and powdered all over with -it--of the expenditure of pocket-handkerchiefs, and waste of time in -nose-blowing--everlasting sneezing and coughing, &c.: such matters are -mere trifles in the estimate of your professed snuff-takers; but I do -speak of an habitual depression of spirits, and frequently an access -of the most miserable melancholy, to which this gentleman was subject, -and which I attribute to his inveterate habit of snuff-taking, and to -no other cause. He would complain bitterly of his wretchedness on those -occasions, and ascribe it to the skyey influences--the humidity of our -climate, the fogs, and I know not what besides; but it was nothing but -“the snuff.” Such intelligence would have doubtless been very unwelcome; -for this very snuff--this actual _fons et origo malorum_, ay, “more -snuff”--was his most favourite remedy and consolation under these -distressing visitations! So much for our ignorance of causes. - -The late Doctor Adam Clarke was a great enemy to the tobacco leaf, and -published a strong paper in condemnation of it. He takes high ground upon -the subject. - -“That it is sinful to use it, as most do,” he says, “I have no -doubt--if destroying the constitution, and vilely squandering away the -time and money which God has given for other purposes, may be termed -sinful. I have observed some whole families, and very poor ones too, -who have used tobacco in all possible ways, and some of them for more -than half a century. Now, suppose the whole family, consisting of four, -five, or six, to have used but 1s. 6d. worth a-week, then, in the mere -article of tobacco, nearly £200 sterling is totally and irrecoverably -lost in the course of fifty years. Were all the attending expenses, such -as appropriate implements, neglect of business, and other concomitants, -taken into account, probably four times the sum would be too small an -estimate.” - -Captain Scott, in his interesting work “Rambles in Egypt and Candia,” -says-- - -“All the Arab race are addicted to the use of the pipe, and to this -pernicious habit may be traced the origin of most of their vices, -and a great proportion of their misery.” And again, in a note, he -observes--“Nothing tends so much as the pernicious and universal habit -of smoking to retard all improvement amongst the natives of the East, -producing habitual indolence, and occasioning an irreparable loss of -time.” He calls it elsewhere the “predominant vice of Mahomedanism.” -Now, with such warning and such examples before me, I own that I cannot -contemplate the possibility of my countrymen becoming a nation of -smokers, without the utmost pain. I would wish to put all parties, but -especially the young, on their guard against the insidious and seductive -approaches of the habit. The elegant pipe, the splendid snuff-box, and -all the curious conveniences of tube, light, tobacco-pouch, and so on, -are so many lures to the unwary; and many, by simply nibbling at these -captivating baits, have been gradually led on, and at last turned into -confirmed consumers. There is a temptation in the furniture of our -fashionable snuff and cigar shops--“divans,” as they are called, which it -is hard to resist. It would seem almost worth while to “consume,” for the -sake of encompassing oneself with such beautiful toys; but I class all -such resorts in the same category with the gin-palaces of London. Look to -the end--observe what a confirmed habit of snuffing or smoking is--how -wasteful, how enervating, how every way pernicious! The tyranny of it -is dreadful. No man knows it thoroughly but he who has once been its -slave. The craving of the nose once accustomed to be fed, for snuff--of -the throat and fauces once seasoned to the use, for smoke--and of the -teeth and gums once used to be drawn, for the reiterate chew--oh, it is -dreadful!--and I say there is no remedy against the evil but teetotalism. - -I have said nothing on those popular stimulants, tea and coffee, for, as -generally used, I think they are both innocent, as they are certainly -agreeable beverages. Let not my fair countrywomen, however, when they -indulge in the “cup that cheers but not inebriates”--I mean the Howqua, -or any other tea-mixture--aim at celebrity for preparing it over strong; -for in this state, like other stimulants that we have been considering, I -have no doubt that it is bad for weak nerves. - - F. - - * * * * * - -PEOPLE WITH ONE IDEA.--There are people who have but one idea: at least -if they have more, they keep it a secret, for they never talk but of -one subject. There is Major C----; he has but one idea, or subject of -discourse, Parliamentary Reform. Now, Parliamentary Reform is (as far -as I know) a very good thing, a very good idea, and a very good subject -to talk about; but why should it be the only one? To hear the worthy -and gallant Major resume his favourite topic is like law-business, or a -person who has a suit in Chancery going on. Nothing can be attended to, -nothing can be talked of but that. Now it is getting on, now again it is -standing still; at one time the Master has promised to pass judgment by -a certain day, at another he has put it off again, and called for more -papers; and both are equally reasons for speaking of it. Like the piece -of pack-thread in the barrister’s hands, he turns and twists it all ways, -and cannot proceed a step without it. Some schoolboys cannot read but in -their own book; and the man of one idea cannot converse out of his own -subject. Conversation it is not, but a sort of recital of the preamble of -a bill, or a collection of grave arguments for a man’s being of opinion -with himself. It would be well if there was any thing of character, any -thing of eccentricity in all this; but that is not the case. It is a -political homily personified, a walking common-place we have to encounter -and listen to. It is just as if a man was to insist on your hearing him -go through the fifth chapter of the Book of Judges every time you meet, -or like the story of the Cosmogony in the Vicar of Wakefield. It is a -tune played on a barrel-organ. It is a common vehicle of discourse into -which people get and are set down when they please, without any pains or -trouble to themselves. Neither is it professional pedantry or trading -quackery: it has no excuse. The man has no more to do with the question -which he saddles on all his hearers than you have. This is what makes the -matter hopeless. If a farmer talks to you about his pigs or his poultry, -or a physician about his patients, or a lawyer about his briefs, or a -merchant about stock, or an author about himself, you know how to account -for this; it is a common infirmity; you have a laugh at his expense, and -there is no more to be said. But here is a man who goes out of his way -to be absurd, and is troublesome by a romantic effort of generosity. You -cannot say to him, “All this may be interesting to you, but I have no -concern in it;” you cannot put him off in that way. He has got possession -of a subject which is of universal and paramount interest, and on that -plea may hold you by the button as long as he chooses. His delight is -to harangue on what nowise regards himself; how then can you refuse to -listen to what as little amuses you? The business admits of no delay. -The question stands first on the order of the day--takes precedence in -its own right of every other question. Any other topic, grave or gay, is -looked upon in the light of impertinence, and sent to Coventry. Business -is an interruption to it, pleasure a digression from it. As Cicero says -of study, it follows the man into the country, it stays with him at home; -it sits with him at breakfast, and goes out with him to dinner. It is -like a part of his dress, of the costume of his person, without which he -would be at a loss what to do. If he meets you in the street, he accosts -you with it as a form of salutation; if you see him at his own house, it -is supposed you come upon that. If you happen to remark, “it is a fine -day,” or “the town is full,” it is considered as a temporary compromise -of the question; you are suspected of not going the whole length of the -principle. Is not this a species of sober madness more provoking than the -real? Has not the theoretical enthusiast his mind as much warped, as much -enslaved by one idea, as the acknowledged lunatic, only that the former -has no lucid intervals? If you see a visionary of this class going along -the street, you can tell as well what he is thinking of and will say next -as the man that fancies himself a tea-pot or the Czar of Muscovy. The one -is as inaccessible to reason as the other: if the one raves, the other -dotes!--_Hazlitt’s Table-Talk._ - - * * * * * - -COMFORTABLE CIRCUMSTANCES FAVOUR FORESIGHT.--It is a most remarkable -fact, totally at variance with what might _a priori_ be expected, but -confirmed by the universal experience of mankind, that the dominion -of reason over the passions, the habit of foresight, and the power of -forming a systematic plan for the conduct of life, are just in proportion -_to the degree in which the danger of immediate or the pressure of actual -suffering has been removed from mankind_. The savage who has no stock -whatever for his support--who is in danger of immediate starvation, if -his wonted supplies from the chase or his herds were to fail--is totally -regardless of the future in every part of the world; while the rich man, -whose subsistence and affluence are almost beyond the reach of chance, is -incessantly in disquietude about the manner in which his subsequent life -is to be spent. The certain prospect of instant death to himself and all -that are dear to him, from the occurrence of a probable event, is unable -to draw the attention of the one from the enjoyments of the moment; -while the slight and improbable chance of a diminution in the smallest -articles of _future_ comfort, renders the other indifferent to the means -of _present_ enjoyment which are within his reach.--_Alison’s Principles -of Population._ - - * * * * * - -APPRECIATION.--After all, it is appreciation rather than praise that is -delightful. An artist, for instance, how tired he must be of hearing -his pictures called “beautiful, exquisite!”--of being told for the one -hundredth time that he has surpassed himself; but let any one point out -to him one of his own thoughts on the canvass, which he supposed likely -to escape the general eye, and how grateful it is! - - * * * * * - - Printed and published every Saturday by GUNN and CAMERON, at - the Office of the General Advertiser, No. 6, Church Lane, - College Green, Dublin.--Agents:--R. GROOMBRIDGE, Panyer Alley, - Paternoster Row, London; SIMMS and DINHAM, Exchange Street, - Manchester; C. DAVIES, North John Street, Liverpool; SLOCOMBE & - SIMMS, Leeds; FRASER and CRAWFORD, George Street, Edinburgh; and - DAVID ROBERTSON, Trongate, Glasgow. - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of The Irish Penny Journal, Vol. 1 No. -37, March 13, 1841, by Various - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK IRISH PENNY JOURNAL, MARCH 13, 1841 *** - -***** This file should be named 55003-0.txt or 55003-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/5/0/0/55003/ - -Produced by Brownfox and the Online Distributed Proofreading -Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from -images generously made available by JSTOR www.jstor.org) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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