90 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[Maech, 
THE ORGAN UUINDEU AND HEK VET.— Engraved for Iht American AgricuUuriai. 
Organ grinders were formeily seen almost wholly in 
large cities, but of late years we liave met them far out 
in the country, where they seemed pleased to receive a 
bowl of milk or a plate of food, instead of the customary 
penny. They are a wandering race, somewhat like the 
gipsies, and are as strongly bound together by ties of 
clanship. It is said that they never cheat each other, and 
as a class they bear a good reputation for general honesty. 
Most organ grinders are natives of Italy, many of them 
from Savoy. Savoy you may remember formerly belonged 
to Northern Italy, but in 1860 was annexed to France. 
A few Germans have taken up the trade of making cheap 
music on hand organs, but the Italian members of the 
craft look upon them as interlopers, and will not associ- 
ate with them. It is estimated that at least three to four 
thousand Italian organ grinders have emigrated to this 
country. Most of them are poor, for the business does 
not pay very well. Occasionally one of fnem snows con- 
siderable entei-prise and talent in bringing out new fea- 
tures, and is rewarded by quite a harvest of pennies. 
Some of this class accumulate enough to buy several 
instruments which they let out to their less fortunate 
brethren. Frequently gills travel about with organs, 
often in pairs, one playing an accompaniment with a tam- 
bourine. If they are neatly dressed and attractive in 
personal appearance like the one in the picture, they 
may earn large wages. A well trained monkey is a great 
addition to the music-maker's stock in trade, as its comi- 
cal tricks are quite sure to attract a crowd. Some of 
these animals educated for this purpose sell as high as 
lifty to a hundred dollars each. 
The Italian organ grinders of New York City live to- 
gether in a block of poor rickety buildings in one of the 
filthiest and most poverty stricken streets. They are 
huddled together six to twelve In a single room, with lit- 
tle or no furniture. Yet they are not without their en- 
joyments. Every year they have a grand ball to which 
only members of the profession are admitted, and where 
it Is said there is as much pride of rank as among the 
most aristocratic circles. Some of them claim relation- 
ship with noble families in their own country, and they 
are looked up to accordingly by their companions. 
The few organ grinders who acquire competence usu- 
ally return to their native land to which they are passion- 
ately attached. All through long years of toil and priva- 
tion they are cheered by the bright vision of home in the 
distance. Although they are vagrants, let us not judge 
them too harshly. They bring much pleasure to the chil- 
dren of the poor at least, and the melodies they play are 
often the finest compositions, which in some degree aids 
in giving correct musical taste to the hearers. Surely 
they are better thus employed than in simply oegging. 
The Fate or tlie Elm. 
A thrifty young elm sprang up near the edge of a forest. 
The surrounding trees cared for it tenderly. They shaded 
it from tl^e rays of the burning sun, caught the heavy pour- 
ing rains which might have drowned it in infancy, and 
gently bathed it with careful drops ; no harsh winds 
could penetrate ttte kind shelter they gave, and when 
winter came they dropped down their leaves to protect 
Its roots from the frost king. It grew rapidly. Soon it 
looked down upon the ferns and azaleas, then It over- 
topped the hazels, and ere long it stood strong and grace- 
ful, its head so high that it could look far out of the forest 
into the wide fields. Then it began to complain. "Oh, 
that I could see more of the woild ; the flowers of the 
plain are more beautiful than those which grow here in 
the shade ; I am tired of this dreary darkness ; I long to 
play with the free winds." And thus it had no pleasure 
in the good things around it. One day a strange sound 
was heard in the forest. Blows of the ax fell thick and 
fast, and tree after tree came down with a crash before 
the industrious workmen. "'We will leave this hand 
some elm," said the owner, " it mil ornament the field. 
In a flw months it stood alone ; its companions had 
all been removed, and grass and flowers were springing 
at its feet Its wish was accomplished ; but a wise man 
that lay beneath its shade one hot day heard it sigh, as 
the wind tossed its branches. " I am fitted for better so- 
ciety ; men seldom visit me ; coarse animals rub against 
my trunk ; nothing but daisies and clover live here ; by 
the side of yonder mansion are noble lords of the forest, 
rare flowers surround them, and beautiful ladies sit in 
their shade." Thus the unhappy tree found no pleasure 
in the beautiful field. In autumn workmen removeil 
the graceful elm to the coveted place near the owner's 
dwelling. It was planted where the light streamed upon 
it through the windows of the kitchen, from the blaze in 
a large open fireplace. For a little season it seemed 
content. But soon came the murmur, " Why am I con 
demned to stand here like an outcast? The angry blast 
chills my bare limbs ; all around me is desolate ; I can put 
forth no le.aves, while those insignificant roses, helin 
tropes and geraniums are tenderly cared for, and kept 
blooming in their summer home within doors. Thus tho 
tree moaned unhappily through the winter. Spring came, 
tlie trees awoke and put on their new I'obes to hail tho 
season, all but the poor elm, which showed only here 
and there a feeble leaf. Presently the owner, while 
walking through his gi-ounds, said, " See, this tree is 
worthless, its heart is cankered ; it is no longer an orna 
ment, take it away." Tlien it was cut down, prepared 
for fuel, and when cold weather came, it was burned in 
the room which had excited its last discontent. And an 
old man who one night sat dreamily by the fire was heard 
to say, " See my fate in these expiring embers ; all my 
life I have despised the good of the present, and pined 
for the future, until now the past years ai-e all a waste, 
and consumed by discontent, I can only give to others 
the possessions which might have brought joy to myself." 
A Useful Dream. 
Some months since a gentleman forwarded a club of 
subscribers to the American Agriculturist directing them 
to be sent to Springfield, giving neither County nor Stale. 
The clerk entei-ed the names and money on the books, 
but as there are tuienty-four Springfields in the United 
States, he thought possibly he might not guess llie right 
one, and therefore waited for further instructions— per 
haps a scolding— before sending the papers. Recently a 
letter came from the same place, comphiining that the 
papers had not been received, this time giving the Stale. 
Thousands of subscribers had been received and enter- 
ed since tire first letter, and the clerk was puzzled to 
know whei-e to look for this " needle in a haystack." 
After some huntinir, and a good deal of vexatious think- 
ing, he left it for the time. Tire same night he dreamed 
the whole thing over, remembered where the first entry 
was made, and early in the morning turned at once to the 
place he had dreamed of, where sure enough every thing 
was plainly recorded. Subscribers should not be en- 
couraged in carelessness by this incident, as it is hardly 
fair to expect our clerks to work all day and dream all 
night, to keen their books straight. 
The Beroic Switch Tender. 
The following incident is related in a European paper 
as having lately occurred in Prussia. A switch tender 
had just taken his place to change the track, in order to 
turn a train which was In sight, so as to prevent a collls 
ion with another train from an opposite direction. At 
this critical moment, on turning his head, he discovered 
his little boy playing on the track of the advancing en 
gine. He might spring to his rescue and remove him 
safely, but then he would not have time to turn the switch, 
and hundreds of lives might be lost by his neglect. In 
an instant his resolution was taken. " Lie down !" he 
shouted to his boy, and the child happily accustomed to 
obedience, promptly threw himself on the ground, and 
the whole train thundered over him, the passengers little 
dreaming how much their safely had cost that father. 
The trembling man rushed forward, fearing to find only 
a mangled corpse, but no words can express his joy at 
seeing his child alive ,and unhai-med. The next day, the 
liing having heard of the ciicumsLince, sent for the man 
and presented him the Medal of Honor for his heroism. 
Tongh Pies.— Army pies are so terribly tough that 
soldiers call them leather-pies, A poor fellow of Grant's 
Army, probably a shoemaker formerly, whose arm had 
just been amputated, w.as being cari-ied past a "stand" 
the other day where an old woman was selling pies, when 
he raised himself In the ambulance and called out, 
"I say old lady, are those pies sewed or pegged?" 
