Ij  c 
supplicant,  with  a  preoccupied  air.  “You  want 
work.  Wliatcanyou  do?” 
What  can  you  do  ?  A  fatal  question.  But  here 
was  clearly  no  opportunity  for  mental  debate, 
so,  surnmonlnif  all  his  courage,  but  feeling  never¬ 
theless  very  faint,  he  answered  : 
“  I  have  passed  both  fxnuK'n  orUum  and  pJn'to- 
-and  got  ray  clear  In  the  former, 
but  In  the  latter  hnwi  on  the  llrst  point.” 
Mr.  Van  Itlrk  wheeled  round  on  his  chair  and 
faced  the  speaker.  “ That  Is  all  (ircek  to  me,”  he 
said.  In  a  severe  tone.  “  can  you  keeii  accounts?” 
“No.  I  am  afraid  not.” 
Keeping  a/jcounta  was  not  deemed  a  classical 
eccompllshment  in  Norway.  It  was  only  “  trade- 
rat-s”  who  troubled  themselves  about  such  gross 
things  and  If  our  Norseman  had  not  been  loo  ab¬ 
sorbed  with  the  problem  of  his  destiny,  he  would 
have  been  justly  Indignant  at  liaving  such  a 
question  put  to  him. 
“Then  you  don’t,  know  book-keeping?” 
“  1  think  not,  1  never  tried  It.” 
“  Then  you  may  be  sure  you  don’t  know  It.  But 
you  must  certainly  have  tried  your  hand  at  some¬ 
thing.  la  there  nothing  you  can  think  of  which 
might  help  you  to  gel  a  living?” 
“I  can  play  Die  piano— and— and  the  violin.” 
“  Very  wejl,  then.  You  may  <;omo  this  afUT- 
inou  to  my  house.  Mr.  Olson  nvIU  l(*11  you  the 
address.  I  will  give  you  a  note  to  Mrs.  Van  Kirk. 
I’erhaps  she  will  engage  you  as  a  music  teacher 
for  the  children.  Good  morning."— iTo  he  con¬ 
tinued. 
K  camen  artiam  is  the  rnitratice  examh'iitioti  to  tlu* 
NorwoK-iati  IJnivert^ily,  and  phtlosophU'iiin  iho  fniit 
dfijfrpfi.  Tli(\  rauka  KJVcn  attli'ise  iii't-  havHablltti  prir 
Cl’  irix  (in  Htinlcnt's  parlanco,  pra),  lauMhllU  or  I'tiiU, 
hiiiU  idrtudri/nlli',  or  hnwl,  etc. 
♦  ♦  ♦  - 
AMERICAN  AND  ENGLISH  TIME-SERVERS. 
The  great  diniculty  in  this  country  Is  that  we 
have  no  time  for  anything.  The  very  walk  or  an 
American  shows  that  ho  Is  lu  a  hurry.  An  Kn- 
gllshman  buttons  his  coat  and  gloves  and  goes  to 
business  as  deliberately  as  he  goes  to  church.  An 
American  business  wan  lllos  after  the  ear,  stnig- 
gllng  with  Ills  coat  sleeves  as  he  run.s,  plunges 
In  head  foremost  and  plunges  out  at  l-he  end  with¬ 
out  regard  to  his  neck.  Chief  among  our  aecldenlh 
stand  those  which  occur  because  j)(X)ple  will  Jump 
upon  Hying  trains  or  after  departing  boats.  To 
wait  ton  minutes  Is  something  not.  to  be  thought 
of.  Dinner  Is  not  oaten— It  Is  swallowed  whole; 
and  when  one  comes  to  the  dessert  he  llnds  that, 
the  fruit,  was  picked  hetorc  It  was  ripe. 
Every  thing  is  hurried  thiough,  from  the  Imlld- 
Ing  of  a  house  to  the  curing  of  hams.  The  women 
Avho  work  on  sewing-maehlucs  stop  before  they 
come  to  the  end  of  l,hc  seam.  'J'ho  dressmaker 
sends  home  your  dress  with  hasting  threads  In  it 
and  no  loops  to  hang  It  up  by. 
There  Is  none  of  the  slow,  sure  completeness  of 
the  old  world  about  anything,  and  loriunes  are 
made  in  a  hurry  and  lost  m  the  samn  way.  It 
any  man  wc  know  la  getting  rich  by  the  slow  and 
patient  process  or  saving,  be  sure  t.hat  he  was  not 
born  upon  this  continent-  Vet  j)eopIe  live  as  long 
here  as  t.hcy  do  anywhere  else,  and  the  day.s  are 
the  same  length.  Why  Is  It  we  have  no  time  for 
anything  ? 
- - - - 
DICKENS’  MANNERS. 
When  Charles  Dickens  wasln  this  country  some 
yearsago,  he  went  to  Albany  to  lecture  aud  put 
up  at  congress  Hall.  General  IVoodtorrt  was  then 
I-leutenauW.tOvornor  and  had  an  elegant  sult,o  of 
rooms  there  and,  as  he  was  absent  with  his  fam¬ 
ily,  heklndly  gave  permission  to  placehlsroomsat 
the  disposal  of  the  great  novelist,  iio  accepted 
the  courtesy  as  a  mere  matter  of  course  aud  had 
not  the  grace  to  e.vpress  any  thanks.  He  lectured, 
pocketed  the  money,  and  went  away  Uko  any 
other  showman.  A  few  mouths  aftenvards  he 
returned  to  lecture  again  and  w-os  shown  to  other 
apartments,  wdth  which  Uo  was  not  plCJised.  He 
sent  for  the  lautUoi'd  .and  demanded  ids  former 
rooms.  Mr.  Blake  said  that  t  hey  belonged  to  the 
Lleutenant-tmvernor  of  the  State.  That  did  not 
matter,  said  Dickens,  “  gt)  and  ask  him  if  ho  will 
give  up  Ms  room  to  me.”  Blake  demurred  to  this, 
but  Dlckems  insisted.  Wlt.h  a  very  long  face,  at 
last  Blako  went  to  General  Woodfonl’s  i-oom  aud 
put  the  question.  Woodford  looked  (]uletlylora 
moment  at  Blalce  and  then  said “  Two  months 
ago,  In  my  absence,  1  gave  up  my  rooms  to  Mr. 
Dickens  as  n  personal  imcornmodatlon  to  yourself 
.and  him.  Mr.  Dickens  had  not.  the  grace  to  ex¬ 
press  auy  thanks.  Perhaps  these  are  English 
manners.  They  are  not  good  inannei-s,  anyhow. 
Say  to  ilr.  Dickens  that  the  Lieutenant-Governor 
of  the  State  of  New  York  Is  not  lu  the  habit  of 
t  urning  himself  out  of  his  home  for  the  accommo¬ 
dation  of  traveling  showmen.” 
RECENT  LITERATURE. 
First  Steps  in  Enirlisli  l.itcrntiirc.  By  Aijthvr 
Gii.man.aIM.  Nuw  Vork;  A.  S.  Baruiis  &  C.o. 
It  is  j.ileasant  to  see  how  nicely  the  ways  of 
knowledge  are  being  smoothed  for  the  youth  of 
this  contury.  Elnally,  the  day  has  passed  when 
matured  talent  can  look  back,  with  self-compla- 
cent  glance  iind  murmur  to  himself,  “Ah!  how 
chiverly  my  blogiaapher,  if  he  should  ho  a  man  of 
function,  can  work  up  that  rush-light  episode  of 
my  struggling  existence,”  etc.  our  boys  can  no 
longer  say  that  their  ad,vantage3  are  not  ample, 
indeed,  the  text-books  now  issuing  are  written  so 
cleverly— combine,  skeletonl/.e  and  arrange  facts- 
incidents  and  prJncl|des  so  entertainingly  and  lu¬ 
cidly,  th<at  the  marvel  would  be  that  our  young 
people  should  not  llnd  pleasure  In  study. 
The  Idea  of  “  outUues”  of  subjects  Is  not  new, 
an  English  soeletyforthepromotlon  of  knowledge 
having  printed  many  little  volumes  of  this  char¬ 
acter.  The  scheme  may  not  be  said  to  have  been 
fairly  launched,  how’ever,  until  the  appearance 
of  Messns.  Inte  .c  Giuiekt’s  “Guilincs,"  which 
had  and  have,  we  bellevf!,  an  arnai'.lng  popularity 
In  England.  As  an  elementary  step,  nothing 
could  be  better  than  the  sysfem  under  discussion, 
which  ts  so  brtlllaully  sustained  by  the  autlior  of 
the  book  under  notice. 
The  world  moves,  hlstury  Is  being  made  at  a 
tremendous  rate  and  Important  f.acts  and  princi¬ 
ples  grow  apace,  it  is  necos-sary  t  hat  tho  student 
sboiild  have  a  general  knowlecigc  of  the  salient 
features  of  theinist,  In  order  to  Intelligently  digest 
the  facts  of  the  pro-sent.  H  this  need  wins  not 
met,  by  a  skillful  outline  Of  subjects,  the  mas.s  of 
literature  that  would  liave  to  be  attacked  might 
well  snuff  out  tue  curiosity  of  the  most  ardent 
sl.udent.  A  person  that  pretends  to  the  least 
culture  must  have  a  more  or  less  ivocurav.!  Idea  oi 
the  history  or  the  world,  I u  Its  various  branches. 
The  class  of  text-books  tindor  discussion  enable 
him  to  attal  ti  Ms  end  wit  h  the  least  waste  of  tf  roe, 
and  additionally  aid  Mm  to  pursue  in  detail  the 
special  subject  his  curiosity  Inclines  him  to.  It  Is 
by  following  the  bent  of  one’s  curiosity  that  real 
and  la.st,lng  irrogress  Is  made. 
Mr.  Gii.MAN's  “English  Literature”  Is  a  book 
that  can  he  read  with  prollt  by  children  of  a  larger 
growth.  The  author  has  adopted  an  admirable 
plan.  His  divisions  or  Ms  subjects  arc  clear  and 
easily  n-talned.  'I'he  matter  Is  suggestive  and 
should  sllmulato  the  least  active  mind  to  continue 
the  subject  where  tho  author  leaves  off.  Otir 
literature  Is,  a  great  extent,  colored  by  oui’ 
History,  and  the  author  uses  this  knowledge  most 
happily  by  giving  a  brier  sketch  of  i  lie  itollUr  al 
aud  social  state  of  the  country  during  the  era 
whose  literature  Is  under  discussion.  He  avoids 
biographical  details,  and  shuns  t  he  “  elegant  ex¬ 
tracts”  part  or  the  work  with  commendable  Judg¬ 
ment.  Tho  hook  contains  charts  that  arc  a  great 
help  to  the  student,  and  llnally,  lends  material 
aid  to  the  sl.udent  by  lurnlshlng  at  the  end  of  the 
book  a  carefully  selected  Il.st.  of  tho  best  authors, 
and  where  their  works  can  be  obuilued.  HIsstyle 
Is  limpid,  terse  and  excclleiiily  adapted  to  the  work 
he  sets  lilmseir  to  do.  NVe  liave  spatai  to  spare  lor 
a  lew  extracts  only.  Speaking  of  the  lUtllan  In- 
lluencc  In  Ms  Inlroducfory  to  Mature  English,  he 
says : 
“The period  before  us  Is  often  called  the  Ago 
of  Euzabetii  and  t  he  Golden  Age,  either  of  which 
terms  ts  appropriate.  It  Includes,  however,  not 
only  tho  reign  of  England’s  greatest  i|ucen,  but 
also  those  of  tii'r  aucceasors,  James  T.  (who  died  In 
1025)  and  C1IAK1.KS  1.  (who  was  beheadtU  Vn  iwa). 
The  first  hair  of  Ei.JZAnETii’s  reign  is  not  emi  ked 
by  the  production  or  works  that  should  give  tho 
period  the  high  dlsilnctlon  It  has  received. 
“  At  the  beginning  of  the  era  just  ooncludcd 
there  has  bt-en  a  notable  Increase  of  literary  life, 
but  Ibe  activity  did  not  continue  throughout  the 
period.  Thellfiy  years  before  the  accession  of 
Ei.izAUErn  wei'o  crowded  with  exciting  changes. 
“  HENRY  Mil.  began  to  reign  In  Liyy,  at  the  age 
of  eighteen.  He  wasa  monarch  of  eai-rlces,  which 
were  exhibited  In  other  relations  as  woU  as  in  Ms 
dealings  with  Ids  wive.',.  At  tho  time  of  Ids  ac¬ 
cession,  Thomas  WnnsEY  was  Dean  of  Lincoln, 
having  previously  been  one  of  the  <'haplalns  of 
llKNRY  VIL,  aud  to  lum,  for  various  reasons,  the 
young  king  looked  for  advice.  \Voi.sk  v  cuU  I  vated 
Ms  esteem  and  obtained  many  preferments,  but 
dUferlug  with  him  on  the  subject  of  tiuoen  (.;atii- 
BKixE’s  divorce,  Uknkv  charged  hts  favorite  with 
high  treason.  Woioey  wjrs  disgiw’cd  and  would 
have  been  cxemited,  had  lie  not  died  at  Leicester 
Abbey,  to  which  place  he  liad  Ued  for  refuge,  .sir 
Thomas  More  took  Worsky’s  jdaee,  but  was  sub¬ 
sequently  beheaded,  a  martyr  to  the  roy  al  caprice. 
Thomas  Cranmkr,  the  third  [.ivoiite,  outlived  Ids 
royal  master,  but  it  was  only  to  perish  at  the 
hands  of  his  daughic.r  Mary. 
“Among  the  oiuer  events  were  Hknrv^’s  de- 
nance  of  the  Dope  of  Home,  his  W'ars  with  France, 
the  demolition  of  the  monasterlos  aud  convents, 
terrible  persceutlons  of  papists,  hangings,  burn¬ 
ings  and  beheadings  and  such  violations  of  the 
llbei’Ues  guaranteed  by  ihe  Magoa  Chari  a  as  no 
English  sovereign  was  ever  before  guilty  of.  The 
people  were  In  terror, 
“  The  short  I’Clgn  of  edwaro  VI.  wa.s  a  season 
of  comparative  quiet;  but  when  his  sister  Mary 
came  to  the  throne  there  was  a  great  change. 
Inaugm-atlng  her  accession  by  the  execution  of 
LadyJ.vNE  grey,  she  made  herself  Inerca,slngly 
odious  by  eadeavoiiug  to  force  Roinau  Catholic¬ 
ism  upon  tho  nation.  During  the  five  years  of 
her  reign  near  three  hundred  so-called  heretics 
perished  at  liie  stake. 
“Notwithstanding  tho  delirium  of  Joy  with 
which  EidZABBi  tt’s  accession— or  rather  the  death 
of  Marv'— was  received,  the  early  years  of  her 
reign  were,  hy  no  menus  undisturbed.  The  painful 
Circumstances  connected  wUh  the  Imprisonment 
of  Mary  8tdart,  ending  with  her  execution  lu 
158T,  the  executions  caused  by  the  enforcement 
of  the  act  of  Supremacy,  and  the  loss  of  their  liv¬ 
ings  suffered  by  mauy  clergymen  of  the  Church 
of  England  who  could  not  In  eoti.scieuce  submit  to 
the  Act  of  Fulformltj',— these  exoltiug  affairs  so 
engro-ssed  public  alteniion  that  smaJl  Interest 
was  man! tested  lu  letters. 
“  By  degrees,  however,  quiet  was  restored  and 
men  began  to  breathe  more  freely.  There  was 
imlversal  prf)gress,  now  knowledge  was  eagerly 
received,  and  llterarj'  topics  assumed  greater  Im¬ 
portance. 
“  Nor  was  this  activity  apparent  only  in  En¬ 
gland.  In  Ms  Polish  observatory  corernicus  had 
already  concluded  the  observations  which  led  to 
the  publication  In  1543  of  Ids  great  work,  “  On  the 
Revolution  of  the  Heavenly  Bodies."  Cortez  had 
Jast  before  conquered  the  rich  kingdom  of  Mexico 
for  his  sovereign,  Cuarles  V.,  and  It  was  the  era 
of  the  formation  of  the  nulch  Republic,  as  w'cll 
a.s  of  the  revolt  of  t  he  Moors  In  Spain.  It  was  the 
period  of  the  Spanish  Armada,  of  the  voyages  of 
HlrFRA.xcm  Duakk,  ofthe  Increase  of  England’s 
naval  power,  of  t  he  introduciion  of  tobacco  and 
or  pomvjcs,  of  the  great  reformation  of  Lcthkk  in 
Oormauy,  of  the  Council  of  Trent,  and  of  tho  re¬ 
vival  of  art.3,  sciences  and  literature  throughout 
Europe. 
“  New  vvorld.s,  new'  people,  new  wealth,  every¬ 
thing  appeared  new  or  in  a  new  pha.se,  and  there 
arose  i.Uat  galaxy  of  lights  in  the  literary  tlrma- 
ment  which  pale  the  rays,  a.H  well  of  those  who 
went  before,  as  or  all  who  have  since  risen, 
“Another  Inlliience  contributed  also  to  mark 
the  line  between  Immaturity  and  maturity,  than 
which  no  other  was  more  potent.  This  was  the 
printer’s  preas,  which  had  been  introduced  In  the 
tUteenth  century  and  was  now  showing  its  fruits 
In  a  more  nxfxl  l-anguage.  before  this  time  every 
writer  wrote  and  spelhid  too  much  as  he  pleased, 
without  rule,  ami  not  even  observing  uniformity 
In  different  parts  of  the  same  work.  Now,  when 
one  man  punushod  many  books,  the  need  of  uni¬ 
formity  wa.s  more  apparent,  and  since  he  circu¬ 
lated  many  copies,  his  example  became  a  guide  to 
others,  and  the  form  as  well  as  the  style  of  our 
language  grew  more  fixed.” 
This  extract,  glve.s  a  fair  Idea  of  the  manner  In 
which  tho  historical  groundwork  of  the  scheme  ts 
worked  out.  At  the  conclusion  of  each  epoch  ho 
sums  up  terecly  Its  fruits,  as  In  this  example  of 
the  close  of  the  era  of  Imm.al  ure  English. 
“  Wo  saw  (mANMER  perish  at  the  slake,  but  it 
was  not  until  he  had  given  England  her  Prayer 
Book  and  her  Church  Polity.  And  now  Nichoi.ar 
ri)Ai.i.  crowds  himself  upon  our  view,  and  with 
mock  gravity  lays  before  us  “  Ralph  Ro.VKter  lioy- 
ster,”  and  we  recognize  the  llrst  English  comedy. 
The  patriarch  advancing  now  is  Rookr  Asen  am, 
holding  In  Ms  sun  sluewy  grasp  the  llrst  treatise 
on  education,  and  hl.s  argument  for  manly  sports. 
“Before  the  curtain  drops  wo  Mud  ourselves 
walking  down  the  nigh  .screetor  Edinburgh.  Just 
as  we  pas.s  tho  Heart  of  Midlothian  wc  encounter 
a  crowd  and,  looking  upward,  see  a  venerable 
form  al  k  little  pulplt-llko  wludow  tbat  juts  over 
the  pavement.  Tho  appearance  of  the  crowd  and 
tho  words  we  now  and  then  catch,  tell  us  the  old 
man  Is  prea<;hlt)g,  Llsteulng  again  we  hear  tho 
Monstrous  Regiment  of  Women  denounced,  and 
then  we  remember  that  It  was  John  Knox  who 
llrst  gave  Presbyterianism  to  Seollaud !” 
The  fact  that  tills  little  book  Is  in  Its  tenth  edi¬ 
tion,  Is  slgnlllcant  or  Its  Inllucnce,  and  we  can 
freely  add  that  we  should  like  to  knowltw.as  In 
l,hc  liands  of  many'  who  would  be  benellted  by  It 
(piite  as  much  as  the  schoolboy. 
- -  .  I 
I 
Till*  jVlask  of  Comiipi.  By  Joii.n  Mictos.  New 
York;  J.  W.  Scheiouerboru  K  (Jo.  (I'muj'Jilet.) 
To  those  Who  are  at  all  familiar  with  English 
classics.  It  Is  of  courso  xmnecessary  to  say  any¬ 
thing  of  this,  one  of  the  most  beautiful  produc¬ 
tions  of  the  genius  which  gave  to  the  world  "  Par¬ 
adise  J.ost.”  It  would  bo  well  In  this  case,  how¬ 
ever,  to  note  the  excellent  arrangement  of  F*rof. 
SrsAtii  E  In  his  aunotal  Ions  and  exercises  in  syno¬ 
nyms  for  tho  use  of  cla.sHeH  in  reading,  analysis 
and  parsing.  And  we  eannol  lay  the  little  book 
aside  without  remarking  also  1,he  e.xcellent  man¬ 
ner  In  which  its  publlshcrH_  have  issued  tho  work 
—Its  heavy,  strong  paper,  neat  tyqiograpliy  and 
special  aduiitablllty  to  the  uses  for  whlQhltls 
Intended. 
Water  I.tlii'M.  (Small  quarto— 20S  paiaroH.)  Now 
York:  NKlioual Tom jiox’aucc  Society ;  J.N. SteafUR, 
I’aljliHlnng  .Agent. 
Tins  ts  the  prelllestbook  for  children  we  have 
seen  lor  a  long  time,  aud  Ills  good  as  well  as 
pretty,  it  contains  about  one  hundi'cd  full-page 
engravings  and  smaller  ones  In  abundance,  all  of 
wMcli  arc  well  executed.  The  reading  matter  is 
excellent,  and  the  leasons  It  convey'S  cannot  fall 
to  bo  ol  service  to  any  child  that  roads  It,  through¬ 
out  Its  whole  Me.  d'he  binding  is  worthy  of  spo- 
elal  notice,  being  In  Itself  a  work  of  art.  In  se¬ 
lecting  holiday  presents  for  the  little  ones,  ask 
for  this  book  al  your  bnoksLore  or  order  ll  direct 
from  the  publisher,  as  above. 
NEW  MUSIC. 
From  F.  \V.  IIelmick,  Cincinnati,  O. : 
Prodigal  Son,  by  C.  Wallace  Daw'son.  It  Is  to 
be  hoped  that  Mr.  Dawson  knew'  what  he  In¬ 
tended  by  this  composition,  as  it  is  doubtful 
If  anyone  else  ever  will. 
Fko.m  tv.  A.  T’ONh  .t  I'O.,  New' York: 
Hip!  Hip!  Hurrah!  !  or.  On  the  Road  to  Pel¬ 
ham;  hy  Schtenbrun.  A  very' lively',  rattling 
song,  with  chorus  for  four  voices.  It  Illus¬ 
trates  Col.  Kuue’8  Pelham  conch  rides.  So¬ 
ciety  Waltz,  by  Geo.  11.  Stout,  Jr.  Avery' 
pretty  little  waltz  aud  not  at  all  diniculL 
Just  the  thing  for  dauclng  In  the  liome 
circle.  Hayes  &  Wheeler  March,  by  Carl 
Straudberg.  An  easy,  showy  piece,  wltli 
plenty  of  noise  and  some  harmony'.  Tiidcn  & 
Hendrlck.s  March,  hy  Wui.  1‘.  Adams,  (iulte 
pleasant  In  harmony  and  easy  to  e.xecute. 
Hayes  the  true  and  Wheeler  too— an  adap- 
T-aiion  of  the  popular  old  campaigu  song  of 
Tippecanoe  &  Tyler  Too.  Itose  BeU,  ily 
Darling,  hy  T.  11.  Illuton.  Simple  Utile 
song  with  chorus,  which  Is  sure  to  he  pop¬ 
ular. 
- ♦♦♦ - 
George  Eliot’s  last,  “  Daniel  Deronda,”  seems 
to  he  suffering  at  the  hands  of  the  critics. 
SUBMISSION. 
What  use  to  stniaifle,  Friend  ? 
Your  siah  but  gerves  to  swell  the  tempest’s  roar, 
Aud  does  not  haste  the  end. 
IJe  still  and  wait,  for  you  cau  do  no  more. 
Man’s  will  subdueth  much : 
God’s  will  subdueth  all  tlirouyh  time  and  space, 
Your  iiower  is  not  u  touch 
■\Vlien  used  to  turn  Uis  rod— or  force  His  (jrace. 
Would  It  nvftil  the  seed. 
If  it  ahoiild  weary  of  its  darksome  bed. 
And  cry  aloud  its  need 
Of  Huusbino.  and  of  liberty  insteiul  ? 
And  where  would  Ik*  the  now('r 
If  God  should  heed  the  seed’s  Impatient  cry, 
Aud  111  that  hitter  hour, 
Open  its  iTison-Uole  to  liRht  and  sky  ? 
1  tell  you,  Friend,  that  we 
(I  say  it.  thounrh  the  chain  dravs  hard  to-nlRht) 
Are  better  botuid  than  free— 
Who  wait  in  shade,  that  wc  may  live  in  liKht. 
[R.  IP.  EaHerbroohg. 
- - 
GEORGE  SMITH  AND  HIS  GENIUS. 
Mr.  George  smith,  the  young  and  surprising 
Assyrian  scholar,  whose  brilliant  genius  llrst 
na.shed  out  ujion  the  world  at  large  In  the  publi¬ 
cation  of  hts  .Assyrian  account  of  the  Deluge,  has 
fallen  lu  the  field  of  his  labors  aud  triumphs.  The 
mysterious  letter  on  a  Babylon  brick  seemed  the 
natural  channel  of  thought  to  hts  mind.  ’I’he  ab¬ 
struse  and  unsolved  secrets  of  that  curious  alpha¬ 
bet  became  plala  before  him.  other  men  labored 
for  years  U»  evoke  a  few  rays  of  dim  Intelligence 
from  an  inserlplloti  which  he  seemed  to  pem  trato 
wl(  bout  effort.  The  hoary  mysteries  burled  in  the 
ruins  of  A.sayrian  palaces,  which  troubled  ihe 
mind  of  Herodotus  and  of  all  curious  exiilorera 
since,  became  luminous  under  Ms  glance.  He 
brought  out.  revelation  wMcli  the  w'orld  supposed 
did  not  xL\lsl — dumb  but  unsUakublc  witnesses  to 
the  truth  of  things  which,  Itliad  been  pre.Humed, 
must  forever  rest  upon  simple  faith  lor  their  cre- 
dcnce-^5U>ne.s  of  thecreulloti,  of  the  Aposlacy  In 
Eden,  ofthe  biilhllng  of  ths  Tower  of  Babel,  of 
the  Deluge ;  written  long  centurtes  before  .Alosp.s 
was  born,  and  perhaps  when  Abrahum  was  still  a 
child  at  I  rof  the  C'iialdees.  These  things  had 
been  read  for  ages  In  the  Bible,  lim  t  he  world  had 
long  ago  given  up  all  expectation  of  ever  lludlng 
anything  more  direct  lu  eonttnnatlon  of  them 
than  the  vague  allusloms  and  iDchlental  hlrifa  ol 
precarious  tradition.  Believing  minds  felt  that 
they  bore  the  Impress  of  truth,  and  the  corrobo¬ 
rative  facts  were  muliltudluous  and  convincing, 
from  their  mass;  but  there  was  painfully  lliilc  in 
Hie  way  or  succinct  ami  circiiinhiantlal  statemeai. 
Bui.  Mr.  Smith  saw  the  tens  of  thousands  of  frag¬ 
ments  of  clay— teiblets,  eylluders,  sealed  sculpture 
—all  written  over  with  the  wedge-shaped  cliarac- 
te'i's,  many  soinlinitoly  engraved  as  lo  require  the 
use  of  a  magnifying  glass ;  ho  looket;  into  them 
and,  by  an  Insllnel  peculiarly  hts  own,  began  lo 
draw  out  their  burled  secret.s. 
He  was  a  poor  and  slenderly  educated  boy, 
whom  tho  strain  of  narrow  circumstances  had 
taken  from  seliool  at  tlfteeti,  to  be  apprenticed  to 
an  engraver.  Not  far  from  tho  pLace  was  the 
great  .Museum  In  which  .England  takes  such  hou- 
orable  pride.  He  went  there  at  noon,  pinching 
off  half  hours  alter  hastily  eating  his  dinner,  as 
the  InsUtiUlon  was  closed  at  sundown.  Rummag¬ 
ing  among  Assyrian  tablel.s  aud  Babylon  bricks, 
he  seemed  to  have  (Usoovered  his  natural  home, 
the  true,  field  of  Ills  genius.  Hts  quick  sight  and 
earnest  Inquisitiveness  drew  the  atteuUoii  of  fir 
Henry  R.'iwllnsori  and,  with  a  little  help,  lie  soon 
knew  more  of  the  language  tlian  those  who  hail 
studied  It  longest .  His  marvelous  insight  pierced 
through  the  eompHcallons  of  the  Involved  alpha¬ 
bet;  he  would  penetrate  the  moaning  of  an  ob¬ 
scure  pas-sage  or  complete  the  lost  part  of  a 
mutilated  Inscription  with  arettdlnrss  that  was 
like  inspiration  aud  with  t  he  certainty  of  a  native 
dealing  with  Ids  own  language,  jierfectly  convinc¬ 
ing  In  Its  coiTecinesH,  even  where  lie  could  not 
cleaj'ly  explain  Ms  inierprciailon  according  to 
grammatical  rule. 
Next  in  mysieiiousnoss  to  the  endowment  of 
this  remarkahle  man,  Is  i.hc  decree  of  Providence 
wMch  ordered  hls  death.  At  the  age  of  thirty- 
seven,  although  he  has  done  so  much,  Ms  work  la 
scarcely  more  than  begun.  A  vast  literature  still 
remains  locked  up  lu  these  crumbling  earthen 
tablets,  secrets  that  have  been  Md  from  ages  and 
generations.  Ills  accurate  eye  never  made  a  mis¬ 
take  In  discerning  a  leiror  or  copying  ll  out ;  Ms 
wonderful  memory  could  ideullty  and  mab  U  to- 
gelVier  unerringly  any  of  those  wyrtad  brokeci 
shreds.  When  will  a  man  arise  who  can  take  up 
hls  work  and  complete  It  ?— 7/.  c.  Swinuertou,  lu 
y.  }\  onsrrver. 
In  the  use  of  the  tongue  God  hath  distinguished 
us  from  beasts,  and  by  the  well  or  111  using  of  It  we 
are  dtstlngulsUed  from  one  another;  and  there¬ 
fore,  though  silence  he  Innocent  as  death,  harm¬ 
less  as  A  rose’s  breath  to  a  distant  passenger,  yet 
I  It  Is  rather  the  slate  or  death  than  life.— •/ej-cmi/ 
‘J'liylio’. 
Better  It  Is,  toward  the  right  conduct  of  life, 
to  consider  wliat  will  be  the  end  Of  a  thing  than 
whatlsthe  begluMlig  of  It— tor  what  prondscB 
fair  at  til’s!  may  prove  111,  and  what  seems  at  HrsC 
a  disadvantage  may  prove  very  advantageous.— 
n'cVii. 
ll’  anger  Is  not  restrained.  It  is  frequently  more 
hurtful  to  us  than  the  injury  that  provoked  it.— 
, Seneca. 
NOV.  i| 
I  i 
NEVV-YOBKEB. 
