KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



303 



EVENING. 



See ! the shadows now are stealing 

 Slowly down the mountain's breast — 



Hark ! the turret bells are pealing 

 Cheerily the hour of rest. 



Now the mellow daylight closes, 



All the world from toil reposes ; 



Every breeze has sunk and died — 



'Tis the peaceful eventide. 



O'er the vale the mists are creeping; 



Chaunting hive-ward wends the beej 

 One by one the stars are peeping 



Through the welkin tranquilly. 

 Murmuring, like a child dreaming, 

 Starlight on its ripples gleaming, 

 Through the mead the brook doth glide, 

 In the solemn eventide. 



Oh ! how sweet, at day's declining, 



'Tis to rest from earth-born care ; 



Gazing on those far worlds shining, 



Dreaming that our home is there ! 

 Though the shadowy gates of even 

 Shut out earth, they open Heaven — 

 Where the soul would fain abide 

 In the holy eventide ! 



Dublin Univ. Mag. 



" TWO SIDES TO EVERY QUESTION." 



"To prevent an increase of bachelorism, there should 

 be an alteration made in the Code of educating women." 



Well ; it is truly delightful to think 

 that the manner of educating our girls is to 

 be entirely altered ; — and solely for the 

 purpose of preventing an increase of bache- 

 lorism ! How happy the little dears will be, 

 living in the belief that they are being 

 brought up for model wives ! Of course all 

 knowledge of French, music, &c, &c, will 

 be laid aside, and be replaced by an acquaint- 

 ance with the most approved set of culinary 

 utensils and implements of domestic use. 

 Moreover, to carry out more fully this new 

 system of training, the schools will be 

 superintended by a number of frowsy old 

 bachelors. 



How nice ! What clever people bachelors 

 must be ! and since they can so easily detect 

 faults in the present code of female education, 

 they are of course equally capable ( accord- 

 ing to their idea) of improving it. Now for 

 a change. Suppose we write thus : — To 

 prevent there being so many old maids, there 

 should be an alteration made in the educa- 

 tion of those who wish to become sensible 

 men. Instead of lounging about our prin- 

 cipal thoroughfares, to the great annoyance 

 and discomfort of all decent, right-thinking 

 people, with a cigar in one corner of their 

 mouth or, by way of variety perhaps, the 

 end of their walking cane — for which at 

 times they seem to have a particular relish 

 — with a glass stuck in one eye, and an 

 overpowering smell of perfume, to say nothing 



of a certain amount of conceit and puppyism 

 w r hich so plainly betrays the want of that 

 commodity which they think so requisite 

 in others — common sense, — I say let these 

 men fit themselves for the society of 

 sensible women ; for who would select as a 

 partner (and protector for life) any one 

 of these greasy-haired, highly-scented 

 dandies ? 



Men of the present day seem to think that 

 women are born, — either to be their slaves, 

 or to act the part of a doll ; to be spoken to 

 and treated kindly at pleasure. To what a 

 different end was woman created ! And how- 

 cruel is the part she is now often compelled 

 to play ! If there were fewer coxcombs, 

 there would be fewer coquettes ; fewer aching 

 hearts, and more happy homes. 



Devon, May 20. VlLETTA. 



INSECT-LIFE IN JUNE. 

 THE COMMON HOUSE-FLY. 



Let us behold thisjhappy fly, 

 With limbs and wings as perfect as the eagle's. 



James Montgomery. 



The heat of June, my dear Sir, will 

 bring with it a multitude of things having 

 life, which are worthy our special notice ; 

 and there are few objects deserving greater 

 attention than the common house-fly. In a 

 state of unceasing activity, no sooner is it 

 born than it may be seen and heard by day 

 and night. 



An anonymous writer in Nicholson's 

 Journal* calculates that in its ordinary 

 flight, the common house-fly (Musca domes- 

 tlca) makes with its wings about 600 strokes, 

 which carry it five feet, every second. But 

 if alarmed, he states, their velocity can be 

 increased six or sevenfold, or to thirty or 

 thirty-five feet in the same period. 



In this space of time, a race-horse could 

 clear only ninety feet, which is at the rate 

 of more than a mile in a minute. Our little 

 fly, in her swiftest flight, will, in the same 

 space of time go more than the third of a 

 mile. Now compare the infinite difference 

 in the size of the two animals (ten millions 

 of the fly would hardly counterpoise one 

 racer), and how wonderful will the velocity 

 of this minute creature appear ! 



Did the fly equal the racehorse in size, 

 and retain its present powers in the ratio 

 of its magnitude, it would traverse the globe 

 with the rapidity of lightning. I would here 

 observe, however, that it seems to me, that 

 it is not by muscular strength alone that 

 many insects are enabled to keep so long 

 upon the wing. Every one who attends to 

 them must have noticed, that the velocity 

 and duration of their flight depend much 



* Quarto, vol. iii., p. 36. 



