and orders of nobility with which nature has honored him for his fidělity to her laws. 3. His fair complexion shows that his blood has never been corrupted; his pure breath, that he has never yielded his diges tive' apparatus' to abuse; his exact language and keen apprehension, that his brain has never been drugged or stupefied by the poisons of distiller or tobacconist. 4. Enjoying his appetites to the highest, he has preserved the power of enjoying them. As he drains the cup of life, there are no lees' at the bottom. His organs will reach the goal' of existence together. Painlessly as a candle burns down in its socket, so will he expire; and a little imagination would convert him into another Enoch, translated from earth to a better world without the sting of death. 5. But look at an opposite extreme, where an opposite history is recorded. What wreck so shocking to behold as the wreck of a dissolute man ;-the vigor of life exhausted, and yet the first steps in an honorable career not taken : in himself a lazar-house' of diseases; dead, but, by a heathenish custom of society, not buried. 6. Rogues have had the initial' letter of their title burnt into the palms of their hands: even for murder, Cain was only branded on the forehead; but over the whole person of the debauchee" or the inebriate, the signatures of infamy" are written. 7. How nature brands him with stigma" and opprobrium!12 How she hangs labels all over him, to testify her disgust at his existence, and to admonish others to beware of his example! How she loosens all his joints, sends tremors along his muscles, and 'Enoch, ('nok), see Bible, Gen. burning iron; any mark of infamy. chap. 5, v. 24. 'Dis'so lute, wicked; acting without principle; viciously dissipated. 12 Op prō' bri um, reproach mingled with contempt or mockery; shame. bends forward his frame, as if to bring him upon all-fours with kindred' brutes, or to degrade him to the reptile's' crawling! 8. How she disfigures his countenance, as if intent upon obliterating all traces of her own image, so that she may swear she never made him! How she pours rheum over his eyes, sends foul spirits to inhabit his breath, and shrieks, as with a trumpet, from every pōre of his body, "Behold a Beast!" 9. Such a man may be seen in the streets of our cities every day; if rich enough, he may be found in the saloons, and at the tables of the "Upper Ten;"" but surely, to every man of purity and honor, to every man whose wisdom, as well as whose heart, is unblemished, the wretch who comes cropped and bleeding from the pillory,' and redolent with its appropriate per'fumes, would be a guest or a companion far less offensive and disgusting. 9 10. Now let the young man, rejoicing in his manly propōrtions, and in his comeliness, look on this picture, and on this, and then say, after the likeness of which modèl he intends his own erect stature and sublime countenance shall be configured." H. MANN. I II. 51. THE VOTARY OF PLEASURE. SAW ǎ gallant youth depart From his early home, o'er the world to roam : Did he speed along, through the mingled throng; 1 Kĩn ́ dred, related; of the like nature or qualities. 2 Rěp' tile, anything that creeps; as, a snake, a worm, etc. In tent', having the mind strained or bent on an object; eager in pursuit of an object. 4 Rheum, (rồm), a thin, white fluid, produced by the glands in disease. 5 Saloons, (sa lonz′), large and elegant rooms for the reception of company, for banquets and balls, or for public amusement. the most wealthy and fashionable persons in a city. 'Pil'lo ry, a frame to confine criminals by the neck and head for punishment. "Rěd' o lent, diffusing or spreading odor, fragrance, or sweet scent; smelling. 'Comeliness, (kům' li nes), the quality of being handsome or well proportioned; gracefulness. 10 Con figured, arranged or disposed in a certain form, figure, or "Upper Ten, a term applied to shape. And he reck'd not of aught that lay in his course, That ne'er would rest till his goal was gain'd. 2. "Whither, O youth," a voice inquired, With an earnest tone, and a stifled groan, In thy inmost mind with an impulse blind?" 3 I saw that youthful form once more, When the goal was gain'd, and its end attain'd; From its alter'd mien, and its faded sheen. 4. "Oh, what," the voice inquired again, "Hath wrought this change, so sad and strange? Didst thou at length, O youth, obtain, In its full measure, thy heart's fond treasure? Didst thou reach the sphere where mirth and glee 5. "Too soon," exclaim'd the stricken form, With downcast eye, and a bitter sigh, The curse of pleasure is on my brow." CHARLES H. LYON. 'Im pět u oŭs, rushing with force and violence; hasty; fierce. abundance; great supply or plenty. "In tense', extreme or very great 'Profusion, (pro fù' zun), rich in degree; earnest; violent. OBI III. 52. A PICTURE OF HUMAN LIFE. BIDAH, the son of Abensina, left the caravănsary1 early in the morning, and pursued his journey through the plains of Indostǎn'. He was fresh and vigorous with rest; he was animated with hope; he was incited by desire; he walked swiftly forward over the valleys, and saw the hills gradually rising before him. 2. As he passed along, his ears were delighted with the morning song of the bird of paradise, he was fanned by the last flutters of the sinking breeze, and sprinkled with dew by groves of spices; he sometimes contem'plated the towering height of the oak, monarch of the hills; and sometimes caught the gentle fragrance of the primrose, eldest daughter of the spring all his senses were gratified, and all care was banished from his heart. 3. Thus he went on till the sun approached his meridian,' and the increasing heat preyed upon his strength: he then looked round about him for some more commodious path. He saw, on his right hand, a grove that seemed to wave its shades as a sign of invitation: he entered it, and found the coolness and verdure irresistibly pleasant. 4. He did not, however, forget whither he was traveling, but found a narrow way, bordered with flowers, which appeared to have the same direction with the main road, and was pleased, that, by this happy experiment, he had found means to unite pleasure with business, and to gain the reward of diligence without suffering its fatigues. He, therefore, still continued to walk, for a time, without the least remission of his ardor, except that he was sometimes tempted to stop by the music of the birds, whom the heat had assembled in the shade, and sometimes ǎmused himself with plucking the flowers that covered the banks on either side, or the fruits that hung upon the branches. 1 Căr`a văn' sa ry, a kind of inn or public house, in the East, where caravans rest at night, being a large, square building, with an extensive area or yard in the middle. 3 directly overhead; hence, the high est point, as of success, prosperity, or the like. › Remission, (re mish' un), the act of remitting, surrendering, or giving 'Me rid' i an, mid-day; the point up; relaxation; decrease. 5. At last, the green path began to decline from its first tendency, and to wind among hills and thickets, cooled with fountains, and murmuring with waterfalls. Here Obidah paused for a time, and began to consider whether it were longer safe to forsake the known and common track, but remembering that the heat was now in its greatest viölence, and that the plain was dusty and uneven, he resolved to pursue the new path, which he supposed only to make a few meanders,' in compliance with the varieties of the ground, and to end at last in the common road. 6. Having thus calmed his solicitude, he renewed his pace though he suspected he was not gaining ground. This uneasiness of his mind inclined him to lay hold on every new object, and give way to every sensation that might soothe or divert him. He listened to every echo, he mounted every hill for a fresh prospect, he turned aside to every cascade,' and pleased himself with tracing the course of a gentle river, that rolled among the trees, and watered a large region, with innumerable circumvolutions. 4 3 7. In these ǎmüsemènts the hours passed away unaccounted, his deviations had perplexed his memory, and he knew not toward what point to travel. He stood pensive' and confused, ǎfraid to go forward, lest he should go wrong, yet conscious that the time of loitering was now past. While he was thus tortured with uncertainty, the sky was overspread with clouds, the day vanished from before him, and a sudden tempest gåth, ered round his head. 8. He was now roused by his danger to a quick and painful remembrance of his folly; he now saw how happiness was lost when ease is consulted; he lamented the unmanly impatience that prompted him to seek shelter in the grove, and despised the petty curiosity that led him on from trifle to trifle. While he was thus reflecting, the air grew blacker, and a clap of thunder broke his meditation." 9. He now resolved to do what remained yet in his power, 1 Me ǎn' ders, indirect or winding courses; turnings. Cas cãde', a small cataract 'or waterfall. * De`vi a' tion, a wandering from one's course or way. 'Pěn' sive, thoughtful, or sad. › Cir` cum vo lū' tion, a turning turning of a subject in the mind; or rolling round. close or continued thought. |