676 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



Dec. 



life," till utterly worn out, he delivers up his purse 

 by disgorging his honey from its spacious receptacle. 

 The graceless creatures release liim at once, while 

 they lick up his sijoil and carry off to their homes. 



THE CLOSE OF THE YEAR. 



Another of the distinctly marked periods of our 

 existence has now passed away — another of those 

 twelvemonth circles, so filled -with alternating hope 

 and fear, and joy, and sorrow, and so diversified 

 in the cares and duties which it has presented as 

 it rolled along, is now numbered with those which 

 have for ages successively gone before it. ]Many 

 who kindly listened to our suggestions at the close 

 of the last year, can listen now no longer ; the ear 

 is dull, the tongue dumb ; the eye hath lost its fire, 

 the hand its power. Their Spring, and Summer, 

 and Autumn, and Winter, have come to them, and 

 passed, and they are numbered with that great con- 

 gregation, which has been called to an existence, 

 M'here times and seasons are not known. Such is 

 the fiat of Him who has called us and all this great 

 •world into existence, and who knows all our emo- 

 tions, and without whose knowledge a sparroAV, even, 

 cannot fall to the ground. 



He has ordered all things aright, and acquiescence 

 in His will becomes us all. "Though, at the ap- 

 proach of winter, the comitry is desolate, and 

 stripped of its most beautiful ornaments, it still pre- 

 sents, to a properly organized mind, the image of 

 happiness. We may say with gratitude, Here we 

 have seen the corn grow, and these dry fields 

 crowned with an abundant harvest ; and notwith- 

 standing the orchards and gardens are now de- 

 serted, the remembrance of the presents we have 

 received from them, inspires us with joy, though we 

 are exposed to the influence of the north wind." 



Nearly all the duties of the Farmer are emblem- 

 atic of our condition in life. The Spring is full of 

 Hope — Summer of Acti\ity — Autumn of Fruition, 

 and Winter of calm Contentment, and contempla- 

 tion of a Year or a Life well-spent. "The fruit trees 

 have now shed their leaves ; the snows or rains fall 

 in hea\y showers; the roads are impaired, and 

 walking abroad is almost impracticable. The man 

 who has no resources in himself murmurs at this 

 change ; but the considerate, thinking man contem- 

 plates it with satisfaction. The sere leaves and 

 withered grass, moistened by the autumnal rains, 

 form a rich manure to fertilize the land. This con- 

 sideration, and the sweet expectation of Spring, 

 naturally ought to excite our gratitude for the ten- 

 der cares of our Creator, and insjjire us with a per- 

 fect confidence in Him. Whilst the earth has lost 

 its beauty and external charms, and is exposed to 

 the murmurs of those it has nourished and de- 

 lighted, it has commenced its labors anew, and is 

 busily employed in secret working for future good." 



There are rich compensations, then, for these 



seeming e^ils. If the sim is obscured, wild winds 

 sweep the earth, and gloom rests upon the hills, 

 how these increase the comforts of the warm hearth, 

 the cheerful fire, the gathered household, and all 

 the dear delights of domestic love ! He who has 

 faithfully discharged the duties of the fleeting year, 

 whose mind is established on the principles of truth, 

 will not find the winter one of discontent, but will 

 be able to declare with the poet — • 



"My minde to me a kingdom is, 

 Such perfect joy therein I finde." 



All the phenomena of nature, with such a mind, 

 may be converted into so many sources of pleasure 

 to us ; and if we attend to her procedure it will be 

 found that her most common things and appear- 

 ances are the most agreeable. So that by contrast, 

 and by investigation, we shall always find enjoy- 

 ment in the world about us. 



Gracefully and gently has waned the dying year, 

 and brought us to the close of those Months, 

 through which we have travelled so peacefully and 

 profitably together. We trust the recollections 

 of them will be pleasant to all, and that they will 

 inspire us to future usefulness in the new duties 

 which will cluster around us, with the in-coming of 

 the new year. 



Farewell, then. Year Eighteen Hundred and 

 Fifty-five. Though thou didst bring gray hairs 

 to some, — to youth some sorrows, — to manhood 

 some sharp trials, — and to all, didst mingle some 

 bitterness with the sweet cup of life, yet we will 

 cherish thee as a period of great practical improve- 

 ment, — a period of success to the tiller of the so 

 and we trust of progress towards higher and holi- 

 er purposes in all. 



Causes of Indigp;stion. — Doctor Wieting, when 

 lecturing at the Brooklyn Institute, lately, described 

 the manner in which persons destroy their stomachs, 

 and produce indigestion and dyspepsia. A gentle- 

 man sits down to dinner, and partakes of a multi- 

 tude of dishes, each seemingly prepared for the 

 purpose of coaxing the stomach to accept more 

 than it can digest. Being completely loaded, it sets 

 to work to agitate the heap, and put it through the 

 process of digestion. The gentleman then starts 

 for home and sees some seductive looking ajjples 

 on a stand, which he thinks l.e should like to eat. 

 He purchases a few and commences to gulp them 

 down. "Halloo !" says the stomach, looking up in 

 alarm, "what are you about there ? I have more 

 work than I can attend to already." However, re- 

 monstrance is in vain, anfl with a gripe or two, the 

 stomach goes to work as before. The gentleman 

 next meets with a friend ; a glass of wine, a brandy 

 smash, or some other liquid compound is gulped 

 down, aided by some tobacco fiunes. Supplies are 

 lowered into the stomach Uke bales of cotton into 

 the hold of a Mississippi steamer, until the organ, 

 wearied and overburdened, gives up in disgust, and 

 leaves the mass to indigestion, dyspepsia, and its 

 train of accomj)anying evils. Thus the harmony 

 of the system is destroyed, which might have been 

 prevented by a Uttle prudence and self-denial. 



