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defence of tlie irovernepscs, tlicy met a 

 tliat iiotliing else could have so well 



lied. 



its Sedirewick, in our own coun- 

 try, has -written fiction to a good purpose. 

 Her "I'oor llich Man," and "Rich Toot 

 Man," with many others of like tendency, 

 are better than tones of divinity to Impress 

 the young with duties that are indispensable 

 to their happiness and well being. Her 

 ''Hope Leslie" is one of the most charming 

 books ever published, and the young swain 

 will be sure to fall in love with the heroine, 

 whose character is so attracting. Cooper, 

 the novelist, has left impressions of life that 

 strengthen our faith in virtue. The Spy 

 and Pilot, are stories of thrilling interest, 

 that taken singly, are not easily excelled in 

 the whole rangs ol fiet'cn. 



The works of Miss Edgeworth, the 

 Irish lady, chiefly ior children, are found 

 in almost every home in England, and 

 are a pillow of fire to lead the youth- 

 ful luiiid in the right direction. As 

 well obliterate the thinking principle of man 

 as attempt to decry such writings; they have 

 already been appropriated into the intellectual 

 and moral crucible of mind. Her "Murad 

 tlie Unlucky," and "Saladin the Lucky," 

 teach the young novice better than homilies 

 and moralizing, that a persistent effort in some 

 well considered plan is better than any chance 

 reliance in the work of life. 



3Ir. Dickens isanother good writer, 

 his Oliver Twist did more to reform 

 the poor laws of ]*]ngland than their 

 legislation. His portraits of low life, 

 eriniiual life, have turned the attention of 

 the British public in that direction with very 

 good effect. His "Xotcs on America" — the 

 journey being undertaken for a purpose in 

 which he did not succeed — are a blotch upon 

 ]iis fame — they arc false, unjust, and in ex- 

 cessive bad taste; he is also too foppish in his 

 manners, and latterly his domestic troubles 

 have left a stain upon him. It is said that 

 his writings will not live; that the pathos and 

 humanity are too much marred by humor 

 and phrases of forced drollery. AVe might 

 observe that our countrymen generally look 

 upon him with favor, and his sentiments are 

 republican in their tendency. 



('apt. Marrayat has disfigured his volumes 

 with expressions rather the plot, that are objec- 

 tionable. The London Waterman, the Naval 

 O'lieer, and Jack Tar, are made to speak out 

 in terms that none should be familiar with. 

 Taking a middle course between the levity of 

 the old writers and our own, lie has not met 

 with very decided .success. His characters 

 are as true to nature as AV^alter Scott's, the 

 one dealing with the higher impress of hu- 

 manity, the other with the lower, or at least 

 with the rougher life. lie sketches his 

 persons with more substantial humor we think 

 than Pickens. lie came to this country also, 

 but was neglected as his cotemporary was 

 feted, the result was about the same, a sple- 

 netic volume against us. But for all this 

 there is beneath this vestiture chiefly of pro- 

 fane phrase, a strata of good sentiment and 

 sterling i)hilanthropy — he appears to us just 

 what he was, a generous fellow, too free for 

 his own good, and we are constrained to say, 

 '■'peace he to his ashes." But the fame of all 

 other books has been eclipsed by Uncle Tom's 



Cabin. We participated in the prejudice 

 against it for several years, and it has not 

 convinced us that the fugitive slave law is 

 not inseparable from the institution of slavery. 

 But the pith of story lies here, that it does 

 not pretend to reason you into belief but lays 

 siege to the affections and the heart. The 

 description of the Ohio Senator is the finest 

 delineation of this power we have ever met, 

 and shows that slavery is a difficult subject to 

 deal with in its moral and humanitarian as- 

 pects. 



Works of imagination possess the pow- 

 er in an eminent degree of impressing 

 themselves upon opinions. The rugged Chris- 

 tian character of Pilgrim's Progress has done 

 more to sustain the severer schools of our 

 faith, than all Calvin's writings. All that is 

 unchcerful and sombre in that book sinks into 

 insignificance before the stern endurance, the 

 faith and hope, the startling events in the 

 career of the pilgrims. Our views probably 

 of the Scottish patriot, Wallace, their color 

 more from the "Scottish Chiefs" of that ad- 

 mirable writer and woman, Mrs. Jane Por- 

 ter, than from actual history. History itself 

 is written very much in the romantic style. 

 The tory writers of England, who composed 

 most of the early historians, have been very 

 much upset in their estimates of character by 

 Mr. Macauley. The plebian or democratic 

 elements of (Ircece or Rome have suffered 

 from the same cause; the Brutus's, Gracchi's, 

 and tribunes of the people, have been misre- 

 presented in consequence of monarchical sym- 

 pathies. We still want the history of those 

 nations written from our point of view. Of 

 late novels we know less, but our periodical 

 and newspaper literature have to bend to the 

 unconquerable demand for this species of in- 

 tellectual ailment. B. 



—*— 



CoutPiits of December NoDiber. 



Editor Farmer : — As you have given my 

 review of the articles in the Farmer for 

 Xovember, I will again try my hand, with 

 those of the last month. 



"Ideas of Progress," is a good article. 

 We are going a head in almost every pursuit, 

 and especially in that of farming. That man 

 who makes no progress in his calling, will be 

 far behind his neighbors in a few years to 

 come. Our business here is to improve in 

 mind, in morals, in manners, in the knowl- 

 eege of our profession, "do ahead in every 

 thing that is right I" — that's the word. 



We have a long letter from Washington 

 Territory. Where is that? It lays on the 

 shore of the Pacific, stretches from latitude 

 4.3° to 49° and runs back the whole width 

 to the Rocky Mountains. The Cascade 

 Mountains come down within 150 miles of 

 the coast — all West invite settlements — all 

 East is a mountainous, gravelly, sterile coun- 

 try, with foAv exceptions. Washington Ter- 

 ritory will be settled. There is good land 

 tlierc — plenty of rain and no chance to raise 

 corn. Let thoso go there who choose. Illi- 

 nois is good enough for me. 



"The Sugar Crop" and what's to be done 

 in raising cane next year, is an important 

 matter. Cane can be grown here and it will 

 make capital molas.ses. I like the plan of a 



few neighbors getting a small mill and work- 



A grand thing 



their own cane. A grand thing it 

 will be when a farmer can have half a dozen 



ing tip 



barrels of molasses in his cellar. The blacks 

 are always healthy when they can have plen- 

 ty of molasses — and the whites may — "profit 

 by the example." 



"Going to the country 1" — Some man 

 wants to go to the country so that he can go 

 about the house with his boots loaded with 

 mud'! Let him try it in some country house, 

 and if he don't find worse stumps than in the 

 town, I am much mistaken. Good fellow! if 

 you love mud so well, you ought to make a 

 business of well digging and cleaning sew- 

 ers ! You would be useful in that line. 



"Traveling 



Tree 



Pedlars !"— Well, they 

 are plenty. They have filled our prairies 

 with trees for a long time, but we don't get 

 fruit. Fruit don't seem to grow upon their 

 trees. They grow a little one year and die 

 the next. This is my experience at least. 



"Sugar Cane for Hogs." — That is so. 

 They love the saccharine. It feasts and it 

 fattens them. 



"Plant trees!" — Don't put it off. You 

 have an idle hour now, and the weather is 

 open. You may repose under their branches, 

 if you will do this; your children ''will rise 

 up and call you blessed." 



"Plant cuttings of currants and gooseber- 

 ries." Do it now, if the ground will permit. 

 If not, bury the cuttings in the cellar for 

 spring planting. 



"Raspberries." — We oflen misa in having 

 a crop because we do not protect them in 

 winter. It is not too late now to do this. 

 Lay the canes down, and throw litter over 

 them. 



"The Shubbery." — ^No garden Is complete 

 without shrubbery. Get that which is choice. 

 A single beautiful shrub is far more orna- 

 mental than a thicket of common shrubs. 



"The Wheat." — See that the drains are 

 kept open. Wheat will be worth money next 

 year. 



"Ornamental Deciduous Trees." — W^e pay 

 too little attention to the cultivation of our 

 beautiful native trees. Ruralist gives us a 

 list of several beautiful varieties, of easy cul- 

 tivation. 



"The Cherry Currant" grows very large 

 with good cultivation, and is a very fine 

 fruit, — perhaps the best variety of currant. 



"The Culture of the Grape."— No farm or 

 garden should be without grapes. When you 

 have more than you want for the table, make 

 them into wine. You will get a good article, 

 — not filled with nasty drugs. 



It is proposed to give more thorough trial 

 to machinery at State Fairs. That is a good 

 idea. No awards should be made without a 

 thorousrh trial. 



"The Steam Plow" made a good impression 

 at Decatur. It will finally, with improve- 

 ments, succeed. I have not a doubt of it. 



Mr. JCimball's experience with the Imphee, 

 is important. From the juice he made sugar 

 every time he tried. He made some 

 sugar which was very fine. And he had no 

 experience. Hurra for sugar and molasses 

 in Illinois ! 



"Illinois Nurseries;" and shouldn't we have 

 nurseries in Illinois? Don't our farmers like 

 to sell their hogs and wheat at home? 

 Shouldn't the nurserymen have a market at 

 home? Can't we get better trees from our 

 nurseries than from pedlars? Let those who 

 have purchased trees of pedlars answer. 



