INTEMPERANCE.
The histories of all nations show that, in the infancy of society, man has few wants. Food for the sustenance of life, clothing for the covering of his person, and a habitation to shelter him from the wind and the storm, form the chief objects of his desire; and these he is easily enabled to supply from the rich storehouse of nature, which the bountiful Creator has furnished for his use. The earth has never ceased to reward the industry of man; and his daily necessities being thus provided for, his future worldly wants occupy but a small share of his thoughts.
As mankind multiply and associate together in cities and towns, their attention is directed to other means of procuring the necessaries of life. Trade, manufactures, and commerce offer ample opportunities for the exercise of talent and industry; and the simplicity and contentment of rural life are exchanged for a more artificial state of society. The accumulation of property henceforth becomes an object of general pursuit, and the busy mind of man is occupied in forming and digesting plans to ensure such a result. Should prosperity attend his undertakings, and crown his labours with increase, he will not be slow in acquiring a taste for additional comfort and enjoyment, which his improved circumstances have placed within his reach. Thus the wants of man increase with his means of satisfying them. They are no longer confined to the simple necessaries of life, but embrace those elegancies and luxuries which owe their origin to the increase of wealth, the refinement of education, and the intercourse of society. Surplus capital thus finds ample and ready means of occupation in ministering to the growing wants of the community. Various trades, arts and professions are introduced, which open up new sources of employment; a stimulus is given to industry, and the powers of the mind are brought into operation to diffuse information and instruction through the land. Thus national wealth, education, and refinement advance together; and the riches which found entrance in one direction, find their way, through various channels, to every ramification of society, as the blood which flows from the heart circulates through every part of the human system.
So long as surplus wealth thus extends, and promotes a nation’s prosperity, it is legitimately employed. But there are certain limits within which it ought to be confined. The morality, intelligence, and industry of the people are the bulwarks of national greatness; and if, by the introduction of any article of luxury or common diet, these barriers are weakened or thrown down, and the flood-gates of immorality, ignorance, and idleness opened, their dark tide will begin to flow, and threaten the best interests of the country. This result is shown by the histories of all those nations which reached the summit of wealth and power by the exercise of temperance, and whose downfall was hastened by their intemperance, producing idle and licentious habits, discord, effeminacy, and a spirit of dependence. Such were the Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans.
Though there are distinctions of rank and station in society, there is a mutual dependence throughout the community at large, similar to the connexion existing among the members of the human body. “The eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee; nor the head to the feet, I have no need of you.” The man whom wealth has exempted from the common lot of humanity, “in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread,” is as dependent on the cultivator of the soil, the manufacturer, and the mechanic, as they are upon him. Hence all in their several stations are equally the guardians of the peace, happiness, and prosperity of the nation to which they belong; and it becomes both their duty and their interest, either to prevent the introduction of any traffic of an injurious character, or to expel that from the land which may have been found to have such a tendency.
The facility with which ardent spirits are obtained in this country, cannot but be regarded as the cause of those habits of intemperance which deface the fair page of our moral history. Drunkenness prevails to a lamentable extent throughout the land, and is the fruitful source of idleness, poverty, immorality, and crime. So far from being diminished, it seems rather on the increase; and the fearful change which it has wrought in the character of our artisans and labouring population, calls for the adoption of some measure to arrest its course.
Ardent spirits are destructive of health, property, and morals; unfit to be used by persons in health, being destitute of any nutritious quality; and the traffic in them is injurious to the prosperity of the country. Besides the misery which the use of them inflicts on individuals and families, it greatly augments the national expenditure. It increases the poor’s rates by increasing pauperism; it enhances the expense of judicial proceedings by promoting crime; and our hospitals and lunatic asylums are indebted to the same cause for by far the greater proportion of their wretched inmates. If the money wasted in the purchase of this worse than useless superfluity, were spent on articles of real utility, a stimulus would be given to trade, manufactures, and commerce.
Such being the consequences of the traffic in ardent spirits, as proved by incontrovertible evidence, the welfare of the nation calls for its suppression. This must be accomplished, not by an appeal to the legislature for an Act of Parliament to abolish the trade, but by enlightened public opinion. If the community be convinced of the noxious qualities of ardent spirit, and the vicious and immoral consequences to which habits of drinking lead, they will cease to buy, and the traffic must come to an end. But this object cannot be attained till the nation rise as one man to crush this enemy to its happiness. This is the result which the institutions called Temperance Societies aim to accomplish. The means they employ is simply the diffusion of information through the land, with a view to correct public opinion, and unite men and women in the practice of total abstinence from distilled spirits as an article of ordinary use. They act upon the well-established maxim that prevention is better than cure; and their first solicitation is to gain the countenance and support of the sober, temperate, respectable, and influential classes of the community, whose combined example may operate upon the mass of the population. Such being their principle and object, they deserve the support and assistance of every friend to humanity and every lover of his country.
In most quarrels there is a fault on both sides.—A quarrel may be compared to a spark, which cannot be produced without a flint, as well as a steel; either of them may hammer on wood for ever, no fire will follow.
Learn of the little Nautilus to sail,
Spread the thin oar, and catch the driving gale.—Pope.
To this little fish we are said to be indebted for one of the grandest and most useful inventions since the world began. It is thus described:—It swims on the surface of the sea, on the back of its shell, which exactly resembles the hull of a ship; it raises two feet like masts, and extends a membrane between, which serves as a sail; the other two feet are employed as oars. This fish is usually found in the Mediterranean.
A DEVONSHIRE SKETCH.
BY THE LATE REV. JOHN MARRIOTT, OF BROADCLYST
Ye green hills of Devon! I love to look o’er ye;
The glow of your verdure refreshes my sight!
In the wild and majestic let Westmoreland glory;
But yours is the palm of more tranquil delight.
Not that robes of rich beauty, in which Nature dresses
Her features of boldness, your limits disown;
To him who could deem so, deep Lymouth’s recesses,
And Dart’s rocky borders, must all be unknown.
But your own proper boast is the Combe, neatly rounded,
Which preserves through all seasons its emerald hue;
Whilst the dews, o’er the uplands by which it is bounded,
Impart, in soft contrast, the mist’s tender blue;
Not deserted, though lonely: the vale in its centre,
Girt with Barn and rough Linhay, encloses a farm;
And o’er the warm nook of its deepest indenture,
The orchard’s fair bloom sheds its fugitive charm.
An eye little used to such leafy profusion,
Might fancy yon hedge-row one wide-waving wood;
And furze and plumed fern, as to aid the illusion,
Here and there on the tameness of culture intrude.
But wildest the mixture of shrub, bush, and bramble,
And sweetest the scent which the wild flowers breathe,
Where the birchen-banks mark the stream’s devious ramble,
And the ear drinks its musical murmurs beneath.
How soothing the sense of serenity stealing
O’er the mind, whilst on plenty and peace thus we gaze!
Less grateful, perhaps, though more lively, the feeling
Awaken’d by prospects that awe and amaze.
If in those we acknowledge the symbols of greatness;
If earth’s pillars its Maker’s omnipotence prove;
In these let us hail Him, “whose clouds distil fatness,”
And who crowneth the year with his goodness and love.
THE MOCKING-BIRD. (Turdus polyglottus.)
The Mocking-bird is a species of thrush, not uncommon in many parts both of North and South America and the West India Islands. In size, it does not exceed the European song-bird, and perhaps is not equal to it in the beauty of its plumage; it is, however, far from being an inelegant creature, but it is better known for the peculiarity and amazing power of its voice. Although not gifted with any powerful weapons of self-defence, these birds display extraordinary courage in defence of their eggs and young, and will fearlessly attack any animal which may approach their haunts, even their greatest enemy, a species of black snake.
“To these qualities” (says Wilson, the American author), “we may add that of a voice full, strong, and musical, and capable of almost every modulation, from the clear mellow tones of the wood-thrush, to the savage scream of the bald-eagle. In measure and accent, he faithfully follows his originals. In force and sweetness of expression, he greatly exceeds them. In his native groves, mounted on the top of a tall bush, or half-grown tree, in the dawn of dewy morning, while the woods are already vocal with a multitude of warblers, his admirable song rises pre-eminent over every competitor. The ear can listen to his music alone, to which that of all the others seems a mere accompaniment. Neither is this strain altogether imitative. His own native notes, which are easily distinguishable by such as are well acquainted with those of our various song-birds, are bold and full, and varied seemingly beyond all limits. His expanded wings and tail, glistening with white, and the buoyant gaiety of his action, arresting the eye as his song most irresistibly does the ear, he sweeps round with enthusiastic ecstacy. He mounts or descends as his song swells or dies away. While thus exerting himself, a bystander, destitute of sight, would suppose that the whole feathered tribes, had assembled together on a trial of skill, each striving to produce his utmost effect; so perfect are his imitations. He many times deceives the sportsman, and sends him in search of birds that perhaps are not within miles of him, but whose notes he exactly imitates; even birds themselves are frequently imposed on by this admirable mimic, and are decoyed by the fancied calls of their mates, or dive with precipitation into the depths of thickets, at the scream of what they suppose to be the sparrow-hawk.
THE MOCKING BIRD.
“The mocking-bird loses little of the power and energy of his song by confinement. In his domesticated state, when he commences his career of song, it is impossible to stand by uninterested. He whistles for the dog—Cæsar starts up, wags his tail, and runs to meet his master; he squeaks out like a hurt chicken—and the hen hurries about, with hanging wings and bristled feathers, clucking to protect its injured brood. The barking of the dog, the mewing of the cat, the creaking of a passing wheelbarrow, follow, with great truth and rapidity. He repeats the tune taught him by his master, though of considerable length, fully and faithfully. He runs over the quiverings of the canary and the clear whistlings of the Virginia nightingale, or the redbird, with such superior execution and effect, that the mortified songsters feel their own inferiority and become altogether silent, while he seems to triumph in their defeat by redoubling his exertions.
“Both in his native and domesticated state, during the solemn stillness of night, as soon as the moon rises in silent majesty, he begins his delightful solo; and serenades us the livelong night, with a full display of his vocal powers, making the whole neighbourhood ring with his inimitable melody.”
A lover of natural history cannot I think be a bad man, as the very study of it tends to promote a calmness and serenity of mind, favourable to the reception of grateful and holy thoughts of the great and good Parent of the universe. He cannot be a cruel man, because he will be unwilling wantonly to destroy even an insect, when he perceives how exquisitively each of them is contrived, and how curiously it is made for the station it is destined to fill in the animal world.—Jesse.
Many methods have been suggested for saving life in cases of accidents on the water: the following was stated to me as an experiment actually made by the relater; he had thus supported himself in the sea, at Plymouth, for twenty minutes, and could have done it much longer. As danger of overturning or of sinking appears, have your hat in readiness, and place it under your chin, holding it with your hands in the same position upon the water as on the head. The air in the crown will prevent the water from rising, and is sufficient to keep the whole head above water.
Homerton. James Edmeston.
ANNIVERSARIES IN JULY.
MONDAY, 15th.
St. Swithin’s Day.—See Saturday Magazine, vol. i., p. 14.
1685 Execution of Duke of Monmouth, after his defeat at Sedgemoor.
1815 Napoleon went on board the British ship Bellerephon, Captain Maitland, after his defeat at Waterloo.
1817 Died, at Paris, the Baroness de Staël, the daughter of M. Necker, and author of several political works, which enjoyed considerable popularity while the events of the French Revolution, with which the name of M. Necker is so intimately connected, were recent. Her works evince much knowledge of the human heart.
TUESDAY, 16th.
622 On this day the flight of the impostor, Mohammed, from Mecca, took place, and from it his followers date the events of their history. This epoch is called, from the Arabic word, which signifies to fly, or to leave one’s country, the Hegira.
1377 Richard II., only child of Edward the Black Prince, was crowned at Westminster. He did not inherit the warlike genius or the talents of his father and grandfather, but seems to have been of a mild, amiable disposition, and may truly be said, in the words of Shakspeare, to have been “a man more sinned against than sinning.”
1546 Ann Askew, a young lady of great merit and beauty, (connected with most of the ladies of the court, and with the Queen, Catharine Parr,) was burned at Smithfield, for denying the doctrine of the real presence.
1800 Died, at his seat near Southampton, Bryan Edwards, the Author of the History of the West Indies.
WEDNESDAY, 17th.
1674 The remains of the two Princes, Edward V. and his Brother, were discovered in the Tower, and, by order of Charles II., removed to Westminster Abbey.
1761 Peter III., husband of Catherine II., was murdered. The unfortunate Emperor was strangled with a towel, and the next day his body was exposed to the populace, and his death attributed to that disease we now call cholera.
THURSDAY, 18th.
371 B. C. The Battle of Leuctra, in which the Lacedemonians were defeated, and their general, Cleombrotus, slain.
1100 Death of Godfrey de Bouillon, the most celebrated leader among the princes and nobles who went on the first crusade: when Jerusalem was taken, he was unanimously chosen king.
1374 Petrarch, one of the earliest, as well as the most elegant, among the Italian poets, whose romantic attachment to the beautiful Laura has rendered his name familiar, even to those who are wholly ignorant of Italian literature, was found dead in his library on the seventieth anniversary of his birth.
1796 Louis XVIII. compelled to leave the army of the emigrants, and place himself in the hands of the Austrians.
1812 A Treaty of Peace between England and Sweden was signed at Ærebo.
FRIDAY, 19th.
365 B. C. Rome was taken and pillaged by the Gauls, who put to the sword the senators and old men, who alone remained in the city.
64 Nero, for his amusement, caused Rome to be set on fire in various places. This conflagration was attributed by him to the Christians, and all who could not escape or conceal themselves, were put to death with the most cruel torments, among others, St. Peter and St. Paul suffered martyrdom.
1333 The Battle of Halidown Hill, in which the Scots were defeated by Edward III.
1588 The Spanish Armada arrived in the British Channel. This formidable fleet consisted of 130 vessels, carrying 2630 pieces of brass cannon. It was fitted out by Philip II. of Spain, and blessed by a special nuncio from the Pope. Its approach spread terror and dismay; but Elizabeth took advantage of the panic to excite her subjects to defend their country without draining her exchequer, and while nobles and citizens fitted out ships at their own charge, the lower orders flocked to man the vessels and defend the coasts. The armada, however was dispersed by a tempest, and, while still in disorder, attacked by the English under Lord Effingham, and compelled to seek safety in flight.
SATURDAY, 20th.
1620 A massacre of the Protestants in the Valteline, a fertile valley of Switzerland.
1819 Died, at Edinburgh, John Playfair, a celebrated mathematician and geographer.
SUNDAY, 21st.
Seventh Sunday after Trinity.
1403 Battle of Shrewsbury. In this engagement the Prince of Wales, afterwards Henry V., made his first essay in arms. The death of Henry Percy, bettor known as Hotspur, made this battle still more memorable.
1683 The execution of Lord Russell, for high treason, took place in Lincoln’s Inn Fields.
1704 Taking of Gibraltar by the English.
1796 Died, at Dumfries, in his thirty-eighth year, Robert Burns, the poet.
LONDON:
JOHN WILLIAM PARKER, WEST STRAND.
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