Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, May 01, 1856, Image 1
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samVwMh^^^ An Independent Journal: For tlic Promotion of tlic Political, Social, Agricultural and Commercial Interests of the South. j lewis m. grist, publisher.
VOL. 2. YOEKYILLE, S. C., THURSDAY, MAY 1, 1856. NO. 18.
#riptal..
ADDRESS OF HON. D. WALLACE,
On the occasion of laying the Corner-Stone
of the King's Mountain Military School,
on the 22d of April, 1856.
WousHiPFDL Master,
Ladies and Gentlemen :?
To trace the rise and progress of an institution,
which is exerting au important influence
upon the destiny of civil society, is
ever a subject of grave aud interesting inquiry,
to the historian, the statesman and the
citizen.
The human races,?the States and Empires
of the world, are impelled to action, in
the great drama of life, uuder the impulse
of ideas It is ideas, then, which, uuder the
sanctions of the laws of Divine Providence,
shape and control the fortuues of mankind.
The ceremonials which we have here assembled
to witness, and in which each one
of us is to act a pari, are but the result
of ideas long since conceived, whatever
may have been thci. source, and which have
produced, and are now producing important
results, in which the State has a deep and
vital interest. *
I deem this, therefore,an appropriate time
and occasion, to write the history of the ideas
and events, which have brought this assemblage
together, and express the well
founded hopes which this community has a
ritrht to entertain and cherish, in re card to
o '
their future effects upou its honor, dignity
and happiness.
Anterior to the year 1842, an annual appropriation
of eight thousand dollars was
made by the General Assembly of the State,
to defray the expeuses of a corps of soldiers,
whose duty it was to guard the public arms,
in the Arsenal at Columbia; and the additional
sum of sixteen thousaud dollars, to defray
the expenses of another corps, to perform
a like service, at the Citadel and Magazine,
in and near the City of Charleston.?
These two funds amounting together to the
sum of twenty-four thousand dollars, were
annually expended to protect the public
property; and this purpose gained, its expenditure
had no other effect upon the
fortunes of the State.
In December 1840, the Hon. John P.
Richardson was elected Governor of South
Carolina, and on the first of January 1842,
he, upon his own responsibility, discharged
these two military guards, and converted
the Arsenal in Columbia, and the Citadel in 1
Charleston, into military schools; appointed '<
corn-Detent instructors to suDerintcnd them. '
t * / ,
and expended the above named funds in '
defraying the expenses of each department (
of these schools; and at the same time, with- :
out any additional expense, accomplished 1
the purposes of the law by requiring the :
Cadets to perform the police duty before
performed by the soldiers. And thus, while 1
this large item in the annual expenditure
of the State was devoted to the great object
of public instruction, the arms and public
property were cs effectually guarded as
they were under the old system.
An important reform in the public administration,
was thus accomplished; for, instead
of expending this fund to support a
band of soldiers, who unavoidably lived a
life of demoralizing idleness, which is incompatible
with a sound national policy,
the Arsenal and Citadel were converted into
schools of practical science, and the fund
devoted to the great object of educating the
young men of the State, and qualifying them
for the important duties and responsibilities
of citizens and they, in return for this providential
care over them, performed the 1
guard duty before performed by the soldiers, s
and without the loss, of any portion of the 1
time, which a proper attention to their studies
required.
These facts evolve another, which it is
proper to bring to public notice. If the State
.Miliary Academy were abolished to day by
legislative enactment, the protection of the a
public property would require the same ap
propriation, to accomplish that purpose, that c
was required at the beginning; and as the s
public property has been greatly iucreased *
within the last few years, the reason for ma- 1
king that appropriation would be proportion. ,J
ably stronger now than then. It is an error
then to suppose that a Cadet is educated grat- t
uitously in the State Military Acadeipy, for i
each one of them performs for the State a ]
military service in guarding the public prop- <
erty, which is an equivalent for the education t
and support he roceives; but as the number i
of Cadets in the institution is greater than i
is required to guard the public property, \
the excess of this number are required to t
pay their own expenses, and thus equal jus- i
tice is meted out to the State on the one j
lmn/1 ft rwl ? ?/ ! rtin r,? a Ail* AM II
UiUJUj uuu DUC vuUCW UU LUC UlUCI. f I J
Now, by assuming this appropriation and c
the fourteen years which have elapsed since v
the institution was founded, as a basis of j 'J
calculation, it will appear, that by this sin-1 c
gle act of wise statesmanship, Uov'r Kich- s
ardson has already saved for the State, and j a
devoted it to the great purpose of public in- ' c
struction, the sum of three hundred and ! <
thirty-six thousand dollars; and in half a j
century, at the same rate of appropriation, i
he will have saved and devoted to the same t
noble object, the sum of one million two <
hundred thousand dollars. This is the first t
chapter of my history, but there is yet ano- '
ther which is brighter still. c
At the commencement of the General As- 1
senibly in November, 1842 Governor Kich- j
ardson, in his Annual Message, made known c
to that body the policy he had pursued up- ^
oir the subject under consideration, and rc- j s
commended that an act be passed making 'c
that policy permanent. The Legislature, |1
asseutiug to the wisdom of his couusels aud i *
acting upon his recommendation, on the !
20th of December 1842, passed au act, "to s
convert the Arsenal at Columbia aud the C'it- I
adel and Magazine in aud near Charleston, i
iuto Military Schools." c
I have thus briefly stated the origin of this )
Cr'A -w * - .
important institution, and will now as briefly
sketch its history down to the present
time. At the session of the Legislature before
stated, Governor Richardson's term, of
office expired, and his successor, Governor
Hammond, in conformity to the requirement
of the act referred to, appointed a Board of
Visitors, to carry the act into effect. The
Schools, one at Columbia, and one in Charleston,
so constituted as to make one the
organ of the other, were organized upou the
basis of the Military Academy at "West
Point; superintendents and professors were
appointed, their salaries determined, and the
infant enterprise, under the sanctions of the
legislative authority, embarked upon its experiment.
But like all untried and but imperfectly
comprehended experiments, it encountered
the opposition of popular incredulity
aud prejudice, in a degree that rendered
its perpetuity doubtful. The citizens of
"Columbia presented the Arsenal Academy
i.- xi. ~ T . * A 1.1* : i
tu tuu jjggisiature as a puunc uuisuuui*, auu
it required all the influence aud firmness of
its friends to pilot the ship safely through
the popular storm. But it survived the
shock, and lives to day, a proud moument
of the wisdom, patriotism and far seeing
statesmanship of its founder, and of the benefaction
of the Stfltc.
As each year of its existence has passed
away, its importance as an institution of 1
learning has become more and more apparent,
and opposition and error have in like
degree retired before the light of successful
experiment, and wcll-fouuded public confidence.
And the General Assembly of the
State, participating in that confidence, have,
with remarkable unanimity, augmented the
appropriation for its support to the annual
sum of thirty thousand dollars, which in 1
half a century will save to the people out I
of the public treasury, to educate their <
young men who are without the pecuniary 1
means to educate themselves, the sum of one 1
million and a half of dollars, the greater :
portion of which, under the old regime, :
would be utterly thrown away.
The complete success of this important in- "
stitution is now no longer doubtful. Tts A
value to the State is felt and admitted '
throughout its borders, and far exceeds the ?
most sauguine hopes of its founder. Such *
is the public confidence in it at the present 1
time, that at each Annual Meeting of the *
Board of Visitors, many applicants for ad- ^
mission are turned away for want of room 0
and means to accommodate them. On the ^
first day of January last, the number of Cadets
in the four classes, was one hundred si
ind eighty-one. Besides the large number v
af young iiicu whom since its establishment if
in 1842 it has materially aided, but who o
did not graduate, from its list of graduates c
it has already given to the country five Miu- ti
isters of the Gospel; twenty-three Professors n
aud Teachers in colleges and schools; twen- n
ty Civil Engineers; fifteen Physicians; elev- h
en Lawyers; nine Merchants, and nine u
Planters, without taking into the estimate n
those who are engaged in other honorable 3
pursuits, or the graduates of the last year, a
who for high promise are surpassed by no c
class heretofore given to the State; and five si
have gone to their last rest and sleep iu hou- ii
orable graves. Out of eight Superintend- i(
cuts and Professors in the mother institu- o
tion, four are its own graduate.;, brought up I
md nurtured in its own bosom; and as gen- b
tlemen of sterling worth, and high scientific o
lttainraents, they may fear no contrast. And si
aot the least pleasing part of the picture re- f<
uains to be drawn. The life and character n
)f each graduate have been uniformly mark- a:
id by a high toned moral conduct, and a gen- ti
Icmanly deportment, as gratifying to their
'amilics and friends as honorable to them- j,
1 it . i*. i* i i n. i XT.
seives, me institution anu tne orate. x>o ](
'ond father has been brought to lament over c
she early wreck and ruin of a prodigal son,? ^
10 heart-broken mother, to weep over the r(
mtimely grave of her darling boy, stricken cj
lown in the bright morning of his days, by ^
he remorseless wine cup. An institution,? p
i method of instruction which evolves such SI
:ffects, and sets before the rising generation
>f men such a bright and hopeful example, sj
hould surely arrest the attention of every w
'riend of his country. Of all its graduates, fc
lot one has thus far failed to take high mor- 0j
11 rank among his species. Not one. w
It is worthy of inquiry, what is the cause pi
vhich produces such effects? The answer c(
s, I think plain, and conclusive. The State ji
Military Academy has solved a problem in tl
iducatioual science, of the gravest impor- 1)
ance, and which should stamp its lasting ft
tupress upon the public mind. It proceeds tl
lpon the proposition, that the wild horse is li
vorthless to his owner, while he is permit- ni
ed to give his mane to the wind, and speed si
n wild wantonness over the pasture and sc
)lain, unrestrained and unguided by the bit. tl
[hat physical culture must precede mental ot
ulturc, or go hand in hand with it, and in
vithout the former, the latter is impossible, ir
That human society demands that mere fan- li
:y institutions of learning shall give place to m
chools of practical science, in which men si
ire to be educated and trained to a practical g<
md and purpose, so that when the public ui
;;ood demands their services they may be ni
ircpared to render them efficiently and un- a<
lerstandingly. I Tore a great fact is added gi
:o the sum of our positive knowledge,?a j li
:lass of knowledge, which we so much need, sc
n nnionrtinnfn onr? ml?-?<1 -? ^.1*ilI I*1
,V vuiuuvi|y?uv, VUI luiuua 1IUIII lilt. 11 Al^UUCQS 11
*ropings. The bodies, as well as the minds st
)f our youth, should be held, by the fundanental
organism of our schools, in stern sub- g,
ection to the law of obedience, the violation p,
>f which expelled our first parents from ,.(
Paradise, and under the curse of which we i n]
till lie, with the darkness and gloom which n]
:over us only brightened by the promise of V)
leliverance upon the condition that we obey j,
lereafter. ai
When the fathers and mothersof the State w
hall learn to enforce this law within the d
>osoiu of their families, and to sustain the al
nstructors of their children in doing it with- ol
>ut one scruple of allowance, there will be ol
Yell founded hopes for their sons and daught- h
era, and they themselves will be saved the
pains of many a bitter tear, shed over ruined
hopes and blasted expectations.
Upon premises like these, the State Military
Academy proceeds, and hence the fortunate
results which I have brought to your
notice.
It devolves upon me now, to present that
institution to you in another deeply interesting
phase; for the great idea upon which it
was founded, and upon which it proceeds,
has not yet accomplished its mission. I have
given a hasty sketch of its origin and progress,
and the effects it has produced within
its own walls, i present it to you now as
the propagandist of its method and purposes
of instruction into other localities, and into
the bosom of other communities; that the
area of its usefulness may embrace a wider
field; that, like the current, which augmented
in volume by its tributaries and the rains
of heaven overflows its banks, and pours its
fertilizing and refreshing streams over the
arid plains, it may make the sterile wastes of
ignorance and self ruin fruitful, and enable
those who thirst to drink freely of the waters
of practical knowledge. From henceforth
we may be encouraged to hope, it will
be no more one, but twain, and we arc here
to-day to ofiieiate at the baptismal font of
its first born, and to bestow our blessing and
encouragement' upon its offspring.
Two of the distinguished graduates of the
mother institution, iu whose names and at
whose request I stand before you, acting upon
the noble conception that since man is
iloomcd to toil, lie can toil to no better purpose
than the good of bis country, have
come to your community, identified, for good
or ill, as Providence shall determine, their
lot with yours, and have founded an institution
in your midst, for the benefit of your
children, which in all its principles and
methods of instruction, is identical with the
nother institution, save in this only, that
mother department of learning has been
ulded.
The kind reception you have given them,
?the liberal support and encouragement,
vhich York and the surrounding Districts
lave extended to them, while they are most
gratifying to them, have evolved another
act, not less pleasing, that the high estimate
hey placed upon your public virtue and inelligeuce,
before casting their lot with you,
lid you no more than justice; for a system
f instruction like this can live only in the
losom of such a people.
To such of you, if there be any such preent,
who" believe the personal discipline
rhich this method of instruction requires,
; too stern and exacting,?that the law of
bedicncc to established authority is enforcd
with a mind and will, which look with
do little forbearance upon the wild waywardess
of youth and young manhood?permit
ic to say, the superintendents dare not re- 1
ix the inflexible requirements of that law,
nder the penalty of total failure. Like the
lothcr institution, the King's Mountain <
lilitary Academy proceeds upon ideas that
re based upon an established educational
reed, and if any portion of that creed be 1
urrendcred in obedience to demands com- 1
jg from any quarter, from that hour its 1
lentity, vitality, cohesive power, and hopes 1
f future usefulness, will be forever lost.? 1
f the system of instruction be based, as I '
elieve it is, upon positive knowledge,?up- '
n a demonstrated problem of educational 1
:ience, the law of which must be sought i
>r in the physical and mental organism of 1
inn, any departure from that basis involves
n abandonment of truth, and the substitu- j
on of error in its stead. j
There is another fundamental principle 1
lvolved in this matter, which is often over- 1
>oked. All who enter the institution are <
ntitled to the enjoyment of equal rights.? 1
aid as every act of disobedience has a di- 1
3ct tendency to diminish the value and efli- 1
icncy of the institution, and thereby to t
ring the instructors themselves into disre- t
ute, so every act of disobedience, however :
nail, is a wrong not only to the faculty, but 1
? nmrv r>otr/-in <>nil rmr>il nf iVin rinil (
mplc justice therefore requires that the i
rongdocr shall be punished, not in revenge c
ir the offence committed, but that similar I
[Fences may be committed no more. Those c
ho entrust their sons to the care of the su- c
wintendents, thereby not only admit their i
mfideuce in them, but also make them the r
idges and administrators of justice between t
mm; and to hold the scales of justice equal- i
poised in their hands is au essential and c
indanicntal article in the compact by which 1
ic school was established. To an audience c
kc this I am sure it need not be said, that t
3 patron has a right to demand that a wrong c
mil be perpetrated upon all, that his own f
m may be permitted to violate the laws of f
le institution, with impunity. May we not i:
herwisc be permitted to hope, that this (
iethod of instruction and the objects it has i
i view, sustained and approved by the pub- s
c judgment, will yet expand into one, t
iore enlarged and effective still, and which f
Kill impress upon the minds of the rising 1
alteration the great truth, that the individ- s
als of our race can ascend to their true dig- s
ity and glory in the scale of being, only by i:
:tiug in conformity to the moral and rcli- f
ious responsibilities which the Author of 1
fe has unalterably associated with life it- a
:lf, and that to this law they must conform, 1
they would avoid dishonor or avert deruction.
I will not say, tliat popular education in
outli Carolina has proved a failure. Few,
owevcr, will deny the proposition, that the
>sults produced by long continued, and ^
lost praiseworthy efforts, have not been com- ^
icnsuratc with the means so liberally de- c
otcd to that end. Is it not time then, to ^
ivestigate the subject, and if possible, learn ^
ad make known the cause'( In announcing
hat I believe to be the cause, I do so with 1
iihdcnce and well founded mistrust of my t
bility to state it as clearly as the importance c
F the subject requires. Both history and s
bscrvation concur in teaching us that Ma- <
oniedan and Pagan fathers and mothers i
encounter as little difficulty, itr making their
children Mahouiednns and idolators, as the
fathers and mothers of our favored cliiue, in
making their children Christians. The process
in either case, is easy and natural.?
The plastic minds of the young, ere sin has
shed its blight upon the tender bloom of
their spirits, and ere the world has profaned
their hearts by its fatal delusions, make
tlinm neeuliarlv suscentible of earlv imnros
I J - 4 ^ J ?I
sious, and the task easy to write the laws of
the great Creator upon their hearts and consciences;
and thus the very laws of our being
point to the period of childhood and youth,
as the proper hour to engraft upon their
minds the great principles of the moral and
religious responsibility, which should constitute
the rule of their lives and conduct in
maturer years. It is a lamentable truth,
that as fathers and mothers we do not give
sufficient heed to the weighty and all important
obligation which the Divinity has imposed
upon us in this matter, as the essential
condition upon which our children are
given to us. The destiny of immortal souls
under 'feavcu is inourhauds. The responsibility
is indeed a fearful one, and how will
we auswer for our fidelity to this vital trust-,
in the day when the Lord of the vineyard
shall come, and demand of us an account of
our stewardship? The fathers and mothers
of the State, too often for its good blinded
to these solemn and irrepealabie truths, (for
" the Almighty never repeals anything,")
by their loudness for their child permit him
to travel on in the road of self-ruin, fatally
believing that to make him high-toned he
must roam over the fair face of nature wild
and free, and that to restrain his passions will
cup tne wings oi ins rising genius. U latai
delusion ! Is it not indeed strange, that the
warniug voice of Divine truth coines not in
startling tones to both parent and child,
" rejoice, 0young man, in thy youth, and let
thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth,
and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in
the sight of thine eyes; but know thou, that
for all these things God will bring thee into
judgment."
It seems to me plain, therefore, that inasmuch
as many of the early years of our sons
and daughters are spent at school, the fundamental
organism of our schools and colleges
should be so constituted, as to incul- .
cate in the minds of our children, as one of !
the essential objects of education and the <
exalted sourceof their moral faith, a kniwl- .
edge of the relations they bear, as "a conse
quence of their being, to the Divine author j
of all good; and that obedience to his moral
law, and a dependence upon his providential ]
guidance and protection, arc their only hopes j
of happiness in this world, as well as that I
which is to come. The cornerstones, then, j
of our colleges and schools should be laid j
nearer to the Dible, and the hearts and miuds
of our children brought in closer communion 1
with the moral image of its author; for
there is no way provided under Heaven, to i
compensate a moral and responsible being, ^
for the absence of a good conscience, and a ^
well founded hope in Divine protection.? ]
That in too many instances, these vital priii- 1
ciplcs, upon which t1 e true glory of our ^
commonwealth depends, havcbccn disregarded,
cannot be denied and hence the cause
of the evils we deplore. If the seeds of -j
vice be permitted to grow and thrive in the I
very hearts of our institutions of learning, S
the people of the State must surely eat the g
fruit of the tree they plant, though it be I
watered with their tears. I
It is too late in the worlds progress to expect
to obtain the enlightened judgment of *
mankind in favor of institutions of learning, y
which profess to impart to their pupils a I
knowledge of the whole encyclopedia of sci;uce
and learning. Our knowledge upon ,
;his subject is not speculative and conjectu- q
*al merely; it is positive. We know they do
lot succeed. In institutions of this kind,
,he term of pupilage is wholly inadequate 1
;o the accomplishment of the desired end; 'I
ind hence, under their administration, the ^
ew who by nature perhaps are studious, sue- ?
;ccd iu laying the foundation of a solid ed- 11
icatiou, upon which a structure may be rear- A
id in after years, while a much greater numicr
fail in their object, despairing it may be 1
if accomplishing a task so difficult and to ;j,
irdinary capacities impossible. The knowl- t
idgc of the human race, does not in this age ^
evolve altogether in a circle. It now and ^
lien takes a few slow and measured steps y
? i 1,1
n advance of its old beaten traeK, ana uius
lachfyear, as it passes away, distills into the
amps of our minds a little of the essential
il of truth and experience, which makes
hem shine with a brighter and purer ray up n
our pathway. And even at this moment jj
or the rising generation, a hopeful omen ap- ^
tears. Let theorists and transcendental Jo- 0
;icians speculate as they may, this is a n
Christian country; and Christianity de- s
nands that schools shall be established, which a
hall impart to our children a better moral *,
raining, and inculcate a higher reverence ^
or Divine things; and an enlightened pub- j
ic judgment, and the great interests of civil j,
ocicty, demand, that schools of practical a
cience shall be established, that our young c
nen may be educated with a well defined ^
mrposc, and in direct reference to the cal- ^
ings they are to pursue, and the arts they v
re to practice. The denominational col- n
cgcs and schools of the State are a proper a
'csponsc to the first demand, and the King's f]
douutain Military Academy is a proper one ^
r\ locjf o riil T thp flDnrAV.il _
u niw m.ji, ??'? ~r i ? g
if my judgment. Whatever there be that a
s wrong in each, we may be permitted to j,
lope, time and experience will correct, while p
)oth together, and each acting in its own pc- r
:uliar sphere, I am persuaded, constitute by p
ar the best system, that has yet been devised ^
jy the wisdom of man. v
The King's Mountain Military School, is t
lowcvcr the immediate subject of considcra- t
ion. It has fairly embarked upon its great e
ixperimeut, and its superintendents have been a
lustained by an approving public opinion, so p
lecided that the lathers of the community n
lemand enlarged accommodations for their r
sons. Obedient to the public voice, Messrs.
Jenkins & Coward, the first to venture beyond
the bounds of the fostering care and
protection of the State, and to rely upon the
enlightened judgment of private individuals
to sustain them upon the merits of their
cause,?the pioneers of a method of instruction,
which takes alike the minds and bodies
of its pupils captive, and makes both subservieuts
to the great ends of moral worth and
practical usefulness, propose to erect upon
this spot a structure, which shall be commensurate
with that demand and the vital
interests involved; and to lay the cornerstone
of that structure, is the purpose for which
we arc here assembled.
Worshipful Muster?Let the Cdrner Stone
ho now laid;?and may the great Architect
of the Universe vouchsafe, that upon that
stone a structure shall arise, beautiful in its
proportions, perfect in its strength, and gloriniiti
in flm ilnciirnc fur irtiinli if in nrnnfnr}
May wisdom and power from above guide
the hands of the workmen, and protect them
from all harm as en eh stone is laid. And
may the interior of its walls become ahchool
of virtue and wisdom, fortitude and truth,
and so continue from age to age. May all
who enter it as instructors govern with prudence
and justice, and teach with wisdom
and patience, and may each pupil know, that
his first,?his last great lesson, is to " fear
tjiid, and keep his commandments, for these
include the whole duty of man."
Select lilisccllam
NO CROSS, NO CROWN. *
[Wc give the following poem by Sheldon
Chadwiek, extracted from his .volume of
poems, just published, in the hope that it will
not be unacceptable to our readers:?London
illustrated Times."]
'Twas cveyand in a lowly room
A student sat, in sombre gloom,
Twirling his fingers in his hair,
Like one in reverie ordespnir.
Before him'.ay an open book ;
Sadness was in his languid look;
And as he traced the pages o'er
Four golden words his spirit bore?
No Cross, 110 Crown !
Around, in death-like silence, stood
The forms of many great and good?
Prophets, Martyrs crucified;
Uprn Pnlriot<j ivbn for Frppflom ilipd
7 ~ 1 '
And Poets, who died desolate,
Scanning the wondrous scroll of Fate.
While glory round their foreheads shone,
lie read upon their lips of stone?
No Cross, no Crown !
Hard wus the toil, through learning's lore,
For one so young and worldly poor.
[lisbooks were precious, though but few;
Vnd deathless fire from heaven he drew,
[feart-wearicd oft, and overwrought,
lie traced in throbbing lines his thought;
Vnd 'ninid his toil this seemed to be
Che voice alunc of destiny?
No Cross, no Crown !
Sometimes his noble spirit turned
rewards fame's pillar as it burned ;
Vnd oft lie judged his efforts vain
ro cross the burring bars of pain,
le groaned in agonized distress ;
dfe's cup was dashed with bitterness;
Vnd then he thought of those of old,
Vhocarved in brnss those words of gold,?
No Cross, no Crown !
L'hey fought the battle, bore the Cross,
["hat truth might never suffer loss,
tut, like the tcmpest-cradied flower,
Spring through the storm?the martyr's dower?
Souls that, while beaconing the free,
Sank like a lighthouse in the sea ;
lutfrom thoii"'graves a spirit came,
Jttering words of winged flame,?
No Cross, no Crown!
lis soul sometimes would droop her wing,
Vhen envious arrows sped the string; i
Jut, like a trumpet's martial strains,
lis country's voice thrilled through his veins;
Lnd, heedless of the critic's ire,
lis heart glowed with Immortal fire ;
ind, like a man in earnest, he
>n Thought's l'atmos toiled wearily,?
No cross, no Crown!
ind thus lie woke his spirit's strings ,
'o Music's rare imaginings;
'o Love and Freedom, Truth and Right,
ustice and Mercy, gods of lighl! j
lh ! cheering fell those golden words
fpou his worn heart's tender chords;
11 death those words his spirit bore, I
.ml chants them still forevermorc? j
No Cross, no Crown!
his he the motto of the brave,
nil this the watchword of the slave;
he Patriot's, with the people's scorn;
lie Martyr's, with his garland-thoru ;
Hiocver seeks to win a name, )
i'hoever toils for Freedom's fame,
Whoever human tears would dry,
.et this forever be his cry,? 1
No Cross, no Crown! |
^ ,
VEGETABLE POISONS. '
BY MRS. LOUDON. i
At this period, when so much attention (
as been directed to the subject of vegetable
oisons, from the frequent deaths that have (
ccurred, I have thought that my readers 1
light be interested in learning which of the (
howy inhabitants of our English gardens 1
re most inimical to human life. Unfor- ?
unatcly, there is nothing in the outward ap- (
earancc of these plants to indicate their 1
cadly nature. They are generally bright 1
a color, and sometimes very elegant in form; ?
nd the greater part of them are common in 1
very flower-garden. Among these last may 1
c mentioned the Aconite, also called "\Volf3- 1
ane; or Monkshood, of which there are ?
orious species, all ornamental. The com- 1
aon Monkshood is well known from the
muscment children find in pinching the t
owers, so as to make the curiously-folded i
etals start from beneath the hood, like two 1
;reat eyes.. These petals look like gigantic {
nd crested stamens, and the hood, which (
5 only a calyx, is generally supposed to be \
ornicd of the petals of the flower. The
cal stems are, however, the centre of the f
lower, and they surround a little group of i
hree or five seed-vessels or follicles, which, j
rhen ripe, burst open at the top to discharge i
heir seeds. The leaves are deeply cut, and t
he stem, which is tall and'upright, is thick- 1
ned at the bone, where it joins the root, so '
s to give it the appearance of celery ; and s
iersons have been poisoned by eating it in i
aistakc for that vegetable. The part of the ^
oot which is buried in the ground is also f
thickened, and resembles horse-radish so
much, that a party of friends dining together
at Dingwall, in Scotland, were poisoned
by the cook fancying it was a root of horseradish
she was scraping, when she was, in
fact, offering to her master's guests a deadly
poison. There is nothing in the taste of
this plant to warn the eater of it of his danger.
It is slightly acrid, but not more so than
many plants that are perfectly harmless.?
The Aconite is very uearly allied to the Larkspur,
which is also poisonous, the seeds acting
as a violent emetic. The Anemone is
another poisonous plant, from its acidity and
its emetic qualities; and the juice of its
leaves will raise blisters. This is also the
case with various kinds of Clematis and
Ranunculus. The juice of the common Bnttercup
is extremely acrid, and the species
with a creeping, fleshy root is a deadly poison
to human beings, though pheasants seem
to cat it with impunity, as its tubers have
been found in the crops of birds that have
beeu shot.
The seeds of Peony will occasion symptoms
resembling cholera, with violent sickness;
and the juice of the Poppy is, as everybody
knows, highly narcotic. Opium is prepared
from the capsule, or seed-vessel, of
the large White Poppy, which is cultivated
for that purpose to a great extent in the East,
particularly in Turkey, Persia, and some
parts of India.
The capsule of the Opium I'oppy is much
larger and more fleshy than that of tho Com
Poppy, and this fleshy substance is full of a
milky juice, which hardens by exposure in
the air into the kind of gum which we call
opium. In countries where opium is cultivated
as an article of commerce, the Poppies
are grown in large fields, and planted
in rows to enable the people to reach their
heads easily. When the petals of the flowers
have fallen, and while the Poppy-heads
are yet green and full of juice, the cultivators
of opium wound the capsules with a
kind of lancet having two blades, so that
iwo cuts are maue witn eacn stroxc. ?ne
milky juice which exudes hardens in the
course of the night, and is scraped off the
next morning with a blunt knife, before the
sun has had time to melt it. It is afterwards
kneaded into cakes, and packed in
leaves for sale. Laudanum is opium steeped
in spirits of wine; and paregoric is laudanum
with aniseed and camphor added
to it; morphine is the sedative part of opium
separated from its intoxicating quality.
In England all Poppies are more or less
narcotic, and of course poisonous; but the
milky juice is not secreted in sufficient
quantities to render it worth while to cultivate
the Poppies for their opium.
Nearly all the umbelliferous plants are
poisonous in a wild state. Even Celery is
only rendered wholesome by cultivation.? j
Wild Chervil is also poisonous, but the cultivated
kind is eaten in salads. Of all the j
umbelliferous plants, Water Hemlock, or
Cowbane, is, perhaps, the most deadly. It j
grows in marshy land in several places in ,
the neighborhood of London; and, as it has j
no bad smell, it is sometimes eaten by cows, j
who die immediately. Children are also ^
frequently poisoned by chewing it. It is an (
acrid poison, ana destroys lite by burning ^
the coats of the stomach. Fool's Parsley is
very dangerous, as it often comes up in gar- j
dens with the other parsley?and when both ,
are quite young, it is not easy to tell the dif- j
ference between them. When in flower, it
is distinguished by two long beards hanging j
from each flower, while the common parsley
has none. But even when not iu flower, the ,
two kinds may be distinguished by the leaves ?
of the Fool's Parsley being of a darker and j
bluer greeu, and having a smell of garlic.? ^
Hemlock is also often mistaken for parsley.
Water Parsuip is sometimes mistaken for j
Skirret, the tubers of which are often eaten
in Scotland under the name of Crumuiock. j
rhc Water Parsnip, however, may be known j
by its always growing in water, which the
Skivret does not. The Water Dropwort is t
still more dangerous from its strong resem- j
blance to Celery; and this last plant is so j
poisonous that many persons feel giddy only
from smelling it.?London Newspaper. l
A WOLF HUNT IN KANSAS. c
A letter to the "St. Louis Republican" e
from Palermo, Kansas Territory, says the t
jold weather and deep snows have driven \
;he wolves into the settlements to seek for *
food, and the most pleasant and exciting (
pastime of the settlers is to give thera'chase. a
Fhe writer then proceeds to give the follow- a
ng account of a wolf hunt and the finding a
)f a human skeleton in the cavity of a tree : t
A few days since, while riding*in the rear g
)f our town, in a small ravine through which
i streainletrtakes its quiet way beneath its
jrystal covering, and whose irrigation has p
jroductu tall grasses and shrubs that makes v
i hiding place for game, I came suddenly up- g
m a large black wolf. He was scratching j,
it a thin place in the ice, almost and seemed v
janished for water. When die saw me he j
started in full run for the forest in the river
rntom. I kept upon his heels and tried to ^
ide upon him. He was almost exhausted, ^
ind just as I supposed he would give out, he u
slipped into the hollow of a large cotton j
vood tree.
I stopped the hole through which he en- p
ered, and came back to town and got an
ixe and the dogs, and the assistance of n
Frank Mahan and William Palmer, and to- s
jether, we returned to cut him out. The t
logs were anxious, and we were prepared
vith our guns to receive him. t.
When we had made a large hole, about u
'our feet from the ground, the dogs jumped t
.A !l i.1 iV. A msslf AM AUa.
II 11 UU U1U UUUjlUC UUU tllC VYU1I UU LLit: 1U- y
lide, and such barking, growling snapping fc
ind howling, I never heard before. It made
,he words resound for a great distance and ^
irought several of the neighbors to the spot. s
rhings continued so for a while and we conlultcd
what had best be done. We could 0
lot shoot the wolf through this opening^!
vithout too great a risk of killing the dogs,
or he only appeared at the inside when the c
dogs were at the outside. We finally concluded
to stop the hole that we had made,
and fell the'tree by chopping a narrow gash
all around it.
The*troe came down a little sooner than
we expected. Frank Mahan had the axe
lifted for another, stroke, as it went over
with a crash. The wolf, with bristled back
and glaring eyes, and glittering teeth, leaped
at his throat with terrible ferocity. The
decending axe met it half way, cleaving its
skull and laying it dead at his feet.
We had no time to express our wonder
finrl' rnnnrflfnlnt inni nf. Vila nnrrnw oml ainr/fi.
c ? ~ " b~
Iar escape, before our attention was called to
that which filled us with amazement, if not
dread. It was a human skeleton, medinm
size, and of a female, hidden in the cavity
of llie tree. Its posture was erect, and the
bones were held together by a kind of clear
integument that' seemed to cover, like a
transparent skin, the entire frame. The
jar of the felled tree severed several of the
joints, and wo drew them all out and placed
them again in form. The proportions were
perfect aud the limbs straight, indicating a
contour, when in flesh, of perfect symmetry.
Who could it have been that thus perished, - .
years ago, in this wild forest? and how came
her death in this strange place? were queries
that were immediately suggested. Could it
have been some maiden, who like the bride in
"The Mistleto Bough," had concealed herself
from her lover in the heart of this old
tree, aud become fastened there and died ?
Or, in escaping wild beasts, had climbed in
this close retreat, whence she could not extricate
herself? These were natural sug
gestions, for the skeleton fitted close in the.
cavity and seemed to have been fastened
there. IIow many years ago this frame possessed
vitality, and how many years it had
inhabited this.^time-worn, storm-wroughttenement,
and how it came there, and to
what race it once belonged, will remain a mystery
until the universal revelation. ? .
WHY I LOVE THEE.
Dost thou ask me why I love thee ?
. Ask the sunbeam why it shines,
Ask the blossom why it opens,
Ask the woodbine why it twines:
And the sunbeam will make answer,
" In the dark I cannot stay, - ,
When the morning winds are calling
With the birds sweet roundelay
*.'
And the blossom will make answer,
" Still and lone I cannot dwell, ' ^
Selfishly my odors nursing
In their narrow, folded cell
And the woodbine will make answer,
"Ah 1 I cannot live-alone,
So I lean upon the poplar,
And his strength is now my own." r.
A BEVOLUTIONABY INCIDENT.
The second volume of Irving's Life of
Washington has just been published. From ' '
it we cull the following anecdote. At the
time Gen. Washington had his headquarters
in Cambridge:
"A large party of Virginia riflemen, who #
had. recently arrived in camp, were strolling
ibout Cambridge, and viewing the collegiate
buildings, now turned into barracks. There
half-Indian equipments and fringed'and ruf
Bed hunting garbs provoked the merriment
)f some troops from Marblehead, chiefly
Bshormen and sailors, who thought nothing
equal to the ronnd jacket and trowsers. A
bantering ensured between them. There
was snow upon the ground, and snowballs
began to fly when jokes were wanting. The
parties waxed warm with the contest. They
iiosed and came to blows; both sides were
reinforced, and in a little while at least .
i thousand were at fisticuffs,' and there was
l tumult in the camp worthy of the days of
Somer. 'At this juncture,' writes our inormant.
'Washington made his appearance,
vhether by accident or design I never knew.'
[ saw none of his aids with him; his black
iervant was just behind him mounted,
rle threw the bridle of his own horse into
lis servant's hands, sprang from his seat,
ushed into the thickest of the melee, seized
wo tall, brawny riflemen by the throat, keep
Jl .i A 1.
ii^ Liicui at uiiu a icugbu^uii&iug to auu puun.*
ng them.'
"As they were from his own province, he
nay have felt peculiarly responsible for their
;ood conduct; they were engaged, too, in
me of those sectional brawls which were his
(special abhorrence; his reprimand must,
herefore, have been a vehement one. He .
riis commanding in his serenest moments,
>ut irresistible in bis bursts of indignation.
)n the present occasion, we are told, his
ppearance and strong-handed rebuke pat "*
.n instant end to the tumult. The combat.nts
dispersed in all directions, and in less
han three mimutes none remained on the
;round but the two he had collared."
Take a Paper for your Wife.?A
riend says an exchange not long since, told
is a good story in relation to one of our subcribers,
which contains a good moral for
msbands, aud also furnishes an example for
rives which is not unworthy of imitation unler
similar circumstances:
The subscribes referred to, says our friend,
a the presence of his wife, said that it had
een his intention to call at the office, pay
id his arrears, and discontinue his naDer.?
* ' *
lis wife very prompty asked :
"Why do you intend to discontinue the
aper ?"
"Because," said the husband, "I am so
such away from home on business, and have
o little time to read, there seems to be lit*
le use in taking a paper."
"Yes," replied she, "it may be of little use
o you, but it is of great use to me. I reaain
at home while you are gone. I wish
o know what is going on in this world. If
ou discontinue the paper, I will go straight
o town and subscribe Htyself."
As the papyf has not been discontinued,
?e suppose the wife's reasoning was eoncluive.
.
The moral of his incident must net be
yerlooked.
I?" You will never have a friend, if yott
oust have one without a failing.