1S24.J 



Mat, and I will unfold to you this impor- 

 tant tintli!" 



After tbis debut, tbe philosopher 

 proceeds. 



* Our whole body,inchiHinjr'he thinnest 

 epidermis, the finest locic of hair, de- 

 scends to tis from our parents ; to respect 

 and preserve the body is (he first law of 

 tiatnre, and tlie bci;iiining of filial piely. 

 This virtne is divided into tliree immense 

 spheres : the first is tliat of care and regard 

 for oiir parents and relations; the seconil 

 concerns our duties to tiie prince and to 

 the conntry ; (lie last, and most elevated, 

 is embracing tlie virtues at large, and this 

 will conslitnte our perfection." 



Hence it appears tiiat filial afTeclion, 

 with the Chinese, becomes tbe source 

 of all illumination and virtue. It is the 

 centre to wbicli all (he radii ol' public 

 order converge; and, by a sort of noble 

 affecting fiction, this principle connccls 

 different generations like a chain, mak- 

 ing them, as it were, contemporary. 



In another part of the Hiao-King, 

 'Filial piety,' says Confucius, 'com- 

 prehends all, from the emperor to the 

 lowest of his subjects ; it can have no 

 beginning or eniling with any indivi- 

 dual. How diffieult soever it may 

 prove to fulfil all its duties, it would be 

 rashness to pronounce it impossible.' 



' O, the immensity of filial piety !' ex- 

 claimed Tseng-tsee. ' What the regular 

 movement of the stars is in the firmament, 

 what fertile countries are upon the earth, 

 filial piety is for the people. The Heavens 

 and the earth are ever consistent and uni- 

 form ; let the people imitate them, and the 

 liarmony of the world will be as constant 

 as the light of Heaven and the productions 

 of the earth.' 



According to tlie Chinese, tbe finest 

 commentary wliicb they possess, upon 

 Ibe Hiao-King, is tbe cxan)ple of their 

 virtuous emperors, and their great men 

 of old time. No description of what is 

 termed honour and glory is admitted by 

 them, if filial piely does not throw a 

 lustre round it. In their estimation, 

 says father Cibot, even tbe saviour of 

 liis country would be no better than a 

 monster, to be strangled, if lie were an 

 cvil-dispo.sed son to bis parents. Indeed, 

 they would deem it impossible for any 

 one to feel the amor palrim, who did 

 not testify a due regard for his parents. 



To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine, 



SIR, 



IT 18 well known that a great many 

 accidents have occurred, one time 

 *r other, to chimncy-swcej)s, by getting 

 fixed in the tunnels of small chimneys; 



Observations on Chimney x. 225 



now, if an instrument could bo made no 

 cheap as to be an inducement for u.'sing 

 it (that is, by the sweeps,) instead of 

 climbing, similar accidents would not 

 occur again. I believe others, as well 

 as myself, have noticed men mounted 

 upon the top of chimneys, pulling up 

 and letting down bundles of straw, &c. 

 where the tunnel has been loo small lor 

 any person to get up, and which also 

 appears to be a troublesome and danger- 

 ous task, and would also be prevented 

 by a belter [troccss. I bad in one of my 

 rooms an old chimney, wiiieb was three 

 yards wide and one across, and tapering 

 to the lop something like one of the 

 Egyptian pyramids; Ibis I bad taken 

 down, and one built in its place too nar- 

 row for any person to get up, and u])on 

 the same plan all my others arc made. 

 I cannot say but I was told very seri- 

 ously by some of the workmen, (wiio 

 did not know bow they were to be 

 cleaned,) "that I should never get any 

 body that could get up them," wbicli 

 was very correct. 



Peibaps a description of the instru- 

 ment used for the cleaning, instead of 

 climbing, and the mode it is used, 

 would be useful to the public, — so here 

 it is. 



It is made of deal slate-Iatiiing, in 

 lengths about three feet, with two top 

 joints, one with a large brush attached 

 to it, and the other with a scrsper af- 

 fixed to it, at the bottom ends of whicli 

 are made two boles; through the top of 

 the next joint is put two strong nails, as 

 steady pins; and, to keej) them in place, 

 a piece of .string is attached, to tie over 

 the steady pins; and, according to the 

 height of tlie chimney, so many joints, 

 of course, it will require. The expense 

 of the lathing is about 2rf. per foot, 

 which may be got of most carpenters or 

 builders: the mode it is put together for 

 use, is by putting tbe top joint u]) tin; 

 chimney, and then fixing the others to it, 

 and so on to the length required; and 

 then tiie sweep begins to brush away, 

 taking off one joint at a time till he gets 

 to the bottom, and with the scraper 

 after the same manner. 



I mean to have another made with 

 the same sort of lathing, on tbe ])lau of a 

 fislilng-rod, with wrought-iron sockets ; 

 and, to kee() them in place, I intend to 

 have each joint cross-pinned through (jjp 

 sockets, for, owing to the working up and 

 down in cleaning the chinmey, if some- 

 thing of that sort were not done, it would 

 not keep together. 



Where chimneys are !!Ui;c ciiotigh 



tor 



