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KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL, 



Origin of the Moss Rose, 



The Angel of the flowers, one day 



Beneath a rose-tree sleeping lay; 



That Spirit, to whose charge is given 



To bathe young buds in dews from heaven. 



Awaking from his light repose, 



The angel whispered to the rose, — 



" Oh, fondest object of my care, 



Still fairest found where all are fair, 



For the sweet shade thou'st given to me, 



Ask what thou wilt, 'tis granted thee." 



" Then," said the rose, with deepened glow, 



" On me another grace bestow." 



The spirit paused, in silent thought — 



What grace was there that flower had not? — 



'Twas but a moment. O'er the rose 



A veil of moss the angel throws; 



Thus robed in nature's simplest weed, 



Say, can that Rose in grace exceed? 



The Uses of Punctuation, Emphasis, etc. 



How often do we recognise the most 

 curious verbal errors, and find cause for 

 laughing at incorrect punctuation ; emphasis 

 being often laid upon the most improper words! 

 And yet the necessity of correct punctuation 

 is generally acknowledged. 



We have heard various instances cited 

 in which the sense of certain phrases 

 was entirely changed, from the omission 

 of a note of interrogation, the misplacing 

 of a comma, or vice versa, as the case 

 might be. The following extraordinary 

 instance is from a speech made by Mr. 

 Wilson, 3rd December, 1161, during the 

 debates of the Convention of the State of 

 Pennsylvania, in which he, after observing 

 with reference to the constitution (proposed 

 for the Government of the United States) 

 that, if detached parts are taken of any 

 system, it may be made to appear absurd 

 and inconsistent with itself, proceeds as 

 follows : — " I do not confine this observation 

 to human performances alone ; it will apply 

 to Divine writings. An anecdote which I 

 have heard, exemplifies this observation. 

 When Sternhold and Hopkins' version of 

 the Psalms was usually sung in Churches, 

 a line was first read by the clerk, and then 

 sung by the congregation. A sailor stepped 

 in just as the clerk was reading this line : — 

 1 The Lord will come, and he will not ;' — the 

 sailor stared : and when the clerk read the 

 next line : ' Keep silence, but speak out,' the 

 sailor left the church, thinking the people 

 were not in their senses." 



Again, with regard to emphasis, — we have 

 heard of a clergyman, who, when reading a 

 certain chapter of the Book of Kings, where 

 an old man addressing his sons desires them 

 to prepare an ass for him to ride,, laid the 

 emphasis thus : " saddle me, the ass ; and 

 they saddled him." 



If there be a difficulty in comprehending 



these sentences, how much greater must 

 the inconvenience be when the phraseology 

 in general use is considered unintelligible, as 

 was the case with a medical man, who was 

 once summoned to a cottage in Teesdale, 

 where a boy was in need of his services. 

 "Put out your tongue," said the doctor; 

 the lad stared in astonishment. Esculapius 

 himself, had he been present, could not have 

 spoken in a tongue more unknown to the 

 patient, than did his disciple. The doctor 

 repeated the request, but with no better 

 effect. The mother of the lad at length came 

 to the rescue, and exclaimed, " Talk English, 

 doctor ; the boy does not understand." Then, 

 turning to her son, she spoke to him in their 

 provincial dialect, which the boy gave in- 

 stant token of comprehending, for he com- 

 plied immediately. 



We see still, daily, the most ridiculous 

 instances of bad punctuation, false emphasis, 

 and incorrect expression — even amongst 

 those who ought to know better. Let this 

 be reformed, say we ! 



The Orchis. 



In some of our gardens may be seen a parti- 

 cular species of the Orchis. This flower has a 

 spot in its breast, resembling a bee, sipping its 

 honey. Hence is it called the Bee-flower. 

 Langhorne thus alludes to it in his " Fables of 

 Flora :"— 



" See on that floweret's velvet breast, 

 How close the busy vagrant lies ! 

 His thin-wrought plume, his downy vest, 

 Th' ambrosial gold that swells his thighs. 



Perhaps his fragrant load may bind 

 His limbs ; we'll set the Captive free, — 

 I sought the living bee to find, 

 And found the picture of a bee /"' 



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