


356 

KIDD’S OWN JOURNAL. 

AFFLICTION—HOPE—RESIGNATION. 
BY HELEN HETHERINGTON. 

Sue had known better days. Fortune had smil’d 
At her approach, and strew’d her path with 
flow’rs. 
Wealth, too, had welcomed her; and Affluence, 
With that kind smile that cheers the saddest soul, 
Had given her its blessing! But, alas! 
These joys were gone; and she had stood alone, 
A weary mourner o’er the fatal wreck, 
Had not her noble spirit braved the storm,— 
Breasted the billows, raised her gentle voice, 
And claim’d that mercy from the hand of Time 
Which Heaven administers to those who weep. 
She spurn’d the tempter; heeded not the voice 
That in the darkest hour of misery 
Bade her “ curse God and die.” 
Sweetly she smiled, 
And murmur’d not at Fate’s decree ; for Hope 
Had shed its lustre on the path of Life, 
Smooth’d the rough track, and led her gently on 
To bear affliction’s scourge, to “hear the rod,”— 
Meekly submitting to the will of God. 
Love, too, had cheer’d her heart. Within her 
breast 
Existed joys that neither pain nor care, 
Grief, anguish, wretchedness, torture, nor woe,— 
Could ever teach her to forget. 
The merry, sportive glance of her bright eye 
Had mellow’d to a look of calm, serene, 
And holy resignation. But her lips 
Still breathed a blessing ! 
EABITS OF THE ANT, 
A. GREAT DEAL has been said about the 
Ant laying up provision for winter, and there 
are many who deny the received opinion that 
they are thus provident. The late Mr. 
Kirby thus remarks upon the subject :-— 
Vili the manners of exotic ants are more 
accurately explored, it would be rash to 
affirm that no ants have magazines of pro- 
visions ; for although during the cold of our 
winters in this country they remain ina state 
of torpidity, and have no need of food; yet, 
in warmer regions, during the rainy season, 
when they are probably confined to their 
nests, a store of provisions may be necessary 
for them. 
Even in northern climates, against wet 
seasons they may provide in this way for 
their sustenance, and that of the young 
brood, which, as Mr. Smeathman observes, 
are very voracious, and cannot bear to be 
long deprived of their food; else why do 
ants carry worms, living insects, and many 
other such things into their nests? Solo- 
mon’s lesson to the sluggard has been gene- 
rally adduced as a strong confirmation of 
the ancient opinion. It can, however, only 
relate to the species of a warm climate, the 
habits of which, as I have just observed, are 
probably different from those of a cold one; 





so that his words, as commonly interpreted, 
may be perfectly correct and consistent with 
nature, and yet not be at all applicable to 
the species that are indigenous to Europe. 
But I think if Solomon’s words are pro- 
perly considered, it will be found that this | 
interpretation has been “ fathered” upon them 
rather than fairly deduced from them. He 
does not affirm that the ant, which he pro- 
poses to his sluggard as an example, laid up 
in her magazine stores of grain —“ Go to the 
ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and 
be wise; which having neither captain, over- 
seer, nor ruler, prepareth her meat in the 
summer, and gathereth her food in the 
harvest.” These words may very well be 
interpreted simply to mean that the ant, with 
commendable prudence and foresight, makes 
use of the proper season to collect a supply 
of provisions sufficient for her purposes. 
There is not a word in them implying that 
she stores up grain or other provision. She 
prepares her bread, and gathers her food— 
namely, such food as is suited to her in 
summer and harvest—that is, when it is most 
plentiful—and thus shows her wisdom and 
prudence, by using the advantages offered to 
her. 
The words, thus interpreted—which they 
may be, without any violence—will apply to 
our Kuropean species, as well as to those 
which are not indigenous. 
Here is sense enough, we imagine, to quiet 
all cavillers, who labor so hard to prove 
Nature wnnatural. 

NATURE’S PROVISION 
FOR THE SUPPORT OF 
VEGETABLE LIFE. 

All who love to trace the more minute 
works of the Almighty will read the sub- 
joined remarks, by a correspondent to an 
Albany paper, with delight. 
Whoever, says the writer, may have occa- 
sion to wander out amongst the numerous 
sphagnous swamps that diversify the sandy 
plains in the neighborhood of our city, almost 
at any time during the month of June—will 
‘not fail to have his attention directed to some 
singularly-beauticul clusters of reddish purple 
flowers, each one nodding on a solitary foot- 
stall, that ascends from a whorl of far more 
singularly-constituted leaves. 
These flowers are large in size, with the 
petals greatly incurved; while the pale yellow 
stigma which occupies the centre expands in 
such a manner as effectually to conceal the 
more important organs of fructification from 
the sight. The leaves, when mature, are of 
a fine green color; more or less stained with 
purple, and beautifully veined with tint of a 
much deeper hue. In form and general ap- 
pearance, they have a striking resemblance 

