KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL, 



Gl 



[You are duly "enrolled" Mademoiselle, and 

 we look to you for constant communications. You 

 have a tender heart ; and a flowing, ready pen.] 



The Sorrows of Werther.— The Southern 

 Literary Messenger (U. S.) for the past month 

 contains, in the " Editor's Table," the following 

 comic poem of Thackeray's, wfitten, we are told, 

 "one morning last spring in the Messenger's 

 office," during a call made by the author : — 



Werther had a love for Charlotte, 

 Such as words could never utter. 



Would you know how first he met her? 

 She was cutting — bread and butter. 



Charlotte was a married lady, 

 And a moral man was Werther ; 



And for all the wealth of Indies 



Would do nothing that might hurt her. 



So he sigh'd, and pined, and ogled, 

 And his passion boil'd and bubbled, 



Till he blew his silly brains out, — 

 And no more was by them troubled. 



Charlotte, having seen his body 

 Borne before her on a shutter, — 



Like a well-conducted person 



Went on cutting — bread and butter. 



Q. 



Immorality of Glasgow. — At page 373 of Vol. 

 LV, you mention Glasgow as having attained 

 " the bad pre-eminence" of being the greatest 

 whisky drinker. The "returns," there quoted, 

 are not correct ; but whether Glasgow deserves 

 the epithet, or no, I shall not now discuss. " Bad's 

 the best." The number of whisky shops in some 

 of the streets here, is perfectly appalling. Indeed 

 half the inhabitants must eat, sleep on, and be 

 clothed with — whisky. New Year's Day is here ; 

 and throughout Scotland, there is an annual 

 jollification. Whenever the bell announcing the 

 departure of the Old year has struck, numbers of 

 people issue forth to the streets to " first foot" 

 This ceremony is conducted as follows : — each 

 person has a bottle (filled of course), and a glass ; 

 and, in some cases, bun or sweet bread. At every 

 friend's house that he goes to, or with every 

 acquaintance that he meets, both bottles are pro- 

 duced. He gets a glassful, and gives a glassful ; 

 drinks a Happy New Year; is wished the same 

 in return ; and then sallies out to repeat the same 

 " feat." By day- light, or about eight o'clock, he is 

 if not " drunk and incapable," at least " obfustica- 

 ted." This means, that the clod he calls ahead is 

 making every endeavor to reach its mother earth. 

 Of every age, sex, and condition, these poor speci- 

 mens of humanity may be seen, — some " speech- 

 less," or " blind ; " others " fou " — here, one 

 " screwed ; " and there, one " happy." But to 

 the honor of Glasgow be it spoken, immode- 

 rate drinking is much less frequent of late years ; 

 as the police records and personal observation can 

 testify. This is to be attributed to various causes. 

 The many temptations to cheap excursions, 

 botanic gardens, and museums, at Id. ; the ex- 

 ertions of temperance societies and teachers; and 

 last, not least, the growing good sense and in- 

 telligence of the working classes. But, this year, 



that awful monitor, — the Cholera, restrained 

 many from excess ; for, during the Christmas 

 week, its horrible arms encircled not fewer than 

 twelve to twenty victims every day. The statis- 

 tics you quote at the before- mentioned page, arc, 

 no doubt, taken from the revenue returns, which 

 give only the quantity made, — not the amount 

 consumed. So that of course there have to be 

 deducted large quantities exported, and used in 

 various manufactories. Glasgow is, as you re- 

 mark, still " shut-up " on the Sunday ; but, never- 

 theless, things are not so bad as they used to 

 be. The people are gradually getting more free 

 and enlightened. Bigotry is subsiding, and 

 Christian charity springing up instead. Many of 

 our ministers, sectarianism thrown aside, have 

 banded together to teach the masses, — who, a 

 living sore, rot and fester in our midst. May 

 God reward them for it ; for the truest charity, 

 humanity, and philanthropy, is to teach, preach, 

 and relieve, " at home," before looking abroad. 

 In short, to take the mote from our eyes, before 

 we think of attempting to remove (what we call) 

 the beam from our neighbor's : — 



When I reflect on all the varied ills 

 Entailed on poor humanity by Satan's blessing, 

 And God's most awful malediction, — whisky, 

 It makes my blood run cold, and chills 

 The inmost marrow of my bones. 



Glasgow, Jan., 1, 1854. J. B. M. 



'■ Under the Rose." — The term under the rose 

 implies secrecy, and had its origin during the year 

 B.C. 477, at which time, Pausanias, the com- 

 mander of the confederate fleet, was engaged in an 

 intrigue with Xerxes, for the marriage of his 

 daughter, and subjugation of Greece to the 

 Medean rule. Their negotiations were carried 

 on in a building attached to the temple of Minerva, 

 called the Brazen House, the roof of which was a 

 garden forming a bower of roses ; so that the plot, 

 which was conducted with the utmost secrecy, 

 was literally matured under the rose. It was dis- 

 covered, however, by a slave ; and as the sanctity 

 of the place forbade the Athenians to force Pau- 

 sanias out, or kill him there, they finally walled 

 him in, and left him to die of starvation. Itfinally 

 grew to be a custom among the Athenians to 

 wear roses in their hair whenever they wished to 

 communicate to another a secret which they 

 wished to be kept inviolate. Hence the saying, 

 sub rosa, among them, and now almost all Chris- 

 tion nations. — Violet, Worcester. 



The late Severe Weather, and our Feathered 

 Songsters. — Anxious to ascertain what ravages 

 had been made by the intensity of the late frost, 

 and deep snows, we took a stroll through our 

 favorite haunts, — Acton, Harlesden, &c, on the 

 22nd ult. The sun was shining brightly ; not a 

 cloud was visible ; and the scene around was one 

 expanse of quiet loveliness. We found, as we 

 rambled, that our worst fears were realised. Star- 

 vation had sadly thinned our little friends; and the 

 voices that met our ear, though sweet, were very 

 few in number. Let us hope others will speedilv 

 come to fill up the many vacancies; for we cannot 

 live without the harmony of our thrushes, black- 

 birds, and skylarks. Bobins are plentiful enough, 



