The Sun.
London, England, 1870-12-24 00:00:00

11 SUN, LONDON, SATURDAY, DECEMBI4.:II 24, 16 7C.

THE WEATHER AND THE LONDON
PARKS.

"HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS !"

" Cry Havock !' and let slip the dogs of war," is no
unworthy expression of Shakspere, to intimate a coming
state of hurly-hurly and disastrous confusion; but we
have strong doubts whether more mischief—albeit less
poetry—would not have been conveyed in the " Cry,
' Home for the Holidays !' and let slip the girls and
boys."
These few days are traced in illuminated letters
that we would not exterminate for the world.
They are the beacon-lights that guide many a tiny craft
through the stormy waters of "grammar, geography,
French, Latin, and history." Many a small breast with
large heart would sob itself to death, were it not for this
El Dorado ever kept in sight.. The frosty discipline of
school duties, and the sharp atmosphere of "classes" and
" examinations," would try many a susceptible constitu-
tion severely, were it not for the six weeks of relaxing
climate found in the southern latitude of " Home for th e
Holidays !"

There seems every probability of Londoners experienc-
ing a Christmas of the good old fashioned sort. During
the past few days the accidents generally concomitant of
frosty weather in the Metropolis have taken place, and
travellers have witnessed the usual sight at this time of
the year of fallen horses and overturned vehicles
in many of the principal streets. The frost was
very severe on Thursday night and yesterday morning
a thick sheet of ice was formed on the ornamental water
in St. James's Park. Early in the morning numerous
venturesome youths tried the strength of the ice, and
there were numerous immersions ; but owing to the frost
continuing throughout the morning it became firmer. and
towards mid-day a number of persons skated ; and if the
freezing continues the ice will be in an excellent condition
for both skating and sliding by this (Saturday) morning.

" Home for the Holidays," stares us in the face, as we
look round the boxes of Old Drury, and see a grinning,
rosy-faced regiment in white collars and• smart frocks.
" Home for the Holidays," jostles us in every highway,
as the troops of independent youngster 3 make a
dead stop at some enticing shopwindow, With
various pulls at the maternal arm, and corres-
ponding inquiries as to whether certain desired
articles cannot possibly be purchased. " Home for
the Holidays" is stamped on the tailor's bag, containing
loosely-fitting suits of dark blue, and the dressmaker's
parcel, teeming with deeply-tucked dresses. " Home
for the Holidays " is detected in the pifes of new shoes,
new stockings, new hats, new bonnets, new everything,
all coming in with the New Year.
" Home for the Holidays ! "—oh, words of magic
might t Who does not recollect the time when they
had the power of sending the warm blood bounding
through the heart with quickened glow ? Who does not
remember the joyous sense of liberty experienced as the
stage-coach whirled away from academic walls, and visions
grew stronger of fun, freedom, pantomime, and plum-cake?
Midsummer was merry enough ; but Christmas—jolly,
happy, glorious Christmas—was,the acme of delight, with
its beef and pudding festival, its Boxing-day, its New
Year's-day, its Twelfth-day, and all its appliances of
clowns, columbines, family feasts, juvenile parties, roasted
chestnuts, smoking flip, and " Blindman's Buff." Bright,
warm, young spirits—rollicking and romping; as we once
rollicked and romped—we bless you from our innermost
souls, although we are compelled now and then to scold,
and occasionally wish you back again at Mr. Whackem's
and Mrs. Trimtail's. Health and happiness attend ye,
and may the days to come never cause ye to look back
with a sigh on the days gone, when ye shouted " Home
for the Holidays !"—Eliza Cook.

" I HAVE NO CHANCE."
THOUGHTS FOR THE NEW YEAR.

Don't say that, young man. You have' five chances on
each hand. Thou you have thirty six at least in your
head. Every facility you have will vote you into office,
if you only enfranchise it, and form a confederation be-
tween the freemen in your brain and the freemen at the
ends of your arms.

Chances, plenty of them, fall under our eyes, if we
have only eyes to see them, and hands to pick them up.
The falling of an apple was the opportunity for Newton
to solve the secret of the skies.

A floating seaweed, drifting by the vessel when the
crew were uttering mutinous threats, was the chance
seized by Columbus to pacify an incipient rebellion, and
to inspire his men with the promise of a new continent
and a new world of enterprise.
The picking up of a pin in a street of Paris by a poor
boy, as he was going from a great bank, saddened at the
denial of his application for a place, was the founding of
the success and prosperity of one of the greatest bankers
of the queen city of the world. That simple act, illustra-
tive of the economical spirit asserting itself over present
grief, was observed from the window ; the lad was recalled,
and the refusal recalled at the same moment. Industry,
patience, and honesty did the rest.
A chance remark from a peasant girl, in an obscure
country district, falling upon the ear of the young observ-
ing thinker, Dr. Jenner, gave vaccination to the world,
and saves hundreds of thousands of lives annually.

A pewter plate founded the Peel family. Robert, in
the poor country about Blackburn, seeing a large family
growing up about him, felt that some source of income
must be added to the meagre products of his little farm.
He quietly conducted experiments in calico printing in his
own home. One day, thoughtfully handling a pewter
plate, from which one of the children had just dined, ho
sketched upon its• smooth surface the outline of a parsley
leaf, and filling this with colouring matter, he was de-
lighted to find that the impression could be accurately
conveyed to the surface of cotton cloth. Here was the
first suggestiOn towards calico printing from metal rollers.
The " parsley leaf " on the pewter plate opened up a
world of industry to Lancashire ; and Sir Robert Peel,
to this day, is called, in the neighbourhood of Blackburn,
" Parsley Peel."

Richard Arkwright, the thirteenth child in a hovel,
with no knowledge of letters—an underground barber,
with a vixen for a wife, who mashed up his models and
threw them out—gave his successful spinning model to the
worli, and put a sceptre in England's right hand such as
the Queen never wielded.

A jumping tea-kettle lid is said to have put the steam
into that boy's head who gave us the great giant of modern
industry.

A kite and a key, in Franklin's hands, were the grand-
parents of our telegraphs, and all the blessings of modern
nventions applying electricity.

- -
A swinging greasy lamp, just filled with oil by a verger
in the Cathedral of Pisa, caught the eye of Galileo at 18
years of age, taught him the secret of the pendulum,
made many a discovery in astronomy and navigation pos-
sible, and gave us the whole modern system of the accurate
measurement of time.
Don't say you have no chance, young man ! You have
the same chance, and better, than the world's greatest and
best men have enjoyed. "Men uniformly overrate riches
and underrate their own strength ; the former will do far
less than we suppose, and the latter far more."
" The longer I live," says one of earth's noble sons,
" the more I am certain that the great difference between
men, between the feeble and the powerful, the great and
the insignificant, is energy—invincible determination—a
purpose once fixed, and then death or victory ! " That
quality will do anything that can be done in this world ;
and no talents, no circumstances, no• opportunities will
be worth much without it. A. M. W.

Ceylon abounds with , insects of all kinds, mos-
quitoes and fireflies more especially. Two Irishmen who
had just arrived in that country were so pestered with
mosquitoes the first night that they put out the light and
covered themselves completely up, head and all, hoping
thus to keep out their tormentors. After a time one of
the men looked cautiously out from beneath the bedclothes
and saw a firefly wheeling about the room. He called out
to his comrade, "Arrah, thin, Pat ! What's the use of
hiding up ? Here's one of them crayt ures a seatching for
us wid a lantern."

CHRISTIAN NAMES.---The taking of the United
States' census, now nearly completed, has brought to light
some curious specimens of given names. A man in Illi-
nois has five children, who have been christened—lm-
primis, Finis, Appendix, Addendum, and Erratum. In
Smythe county, Virginia, a Mr. Elmadoras Sprinkle has
called his two sons Myrtle Ellmore and O'iyz Curwen,
and his six daughters Memphis Tappan, Empress Van-
dune., Tatnia Zain, Okeno Molette. Og Wilt, and Win-
tosse Emmah. The great number of persons surnamed
Sprinkle in that county is given as the excuse for these
extraordinary names.
TEE OLDEST TREE IN THE WORLD.—The Rev.
'J. I. Jones has been making a missionary tour in the
interior of Ceylon. He visited Anuradjapura, the city
of residence and burial of the old Singhalese kings. One
of the buildings there, called a Dagoba, was built 160 B. c.
But the most interesting sight was the 130-tree. " This,"
says Mr. Jones, "is the oldest tree in the world. It was
planted in its present position before the coming of
Christ, and still flourishes, bearing few marks of great
age. It has been time after time banked up, and now
occupies a place considerably above the level ground,
being approached by several terraces. It is surrounded
by an iron railing, and is guarded with great care, no one
being permitted to break a branch, even pluck a leaf."
NAPOLEON'S FLowitn.—The violet is the emble-
matic flower of the Buonapartes, as the lily is of the
Bourbons. When Eugenie agreed to accept Napoleon's
offer of marriage, she expressed it only by appearing one
evening dressed in an exquisite violet toilet—violets in her
hair, in her dress, even to a bunch in her hand. Louis
Napoleon understood, and it was his only answer. Napo-
leon the First, while consul, selected this as his flower. It
was through Josephine asking him to bring her a
bouquet of violets on her birthday —a desire he was only
able to serve after great difficulty. He cultivated violets
assiduously while a prisoner at St. Helena ; and they
were profusely planted over the grave of Josephine. After
his death his coffin was covered with the humble flowers
he loved. It is even said that in the earlier days of Louis
Napoleon he was silently made acquainted with who his
secret friends were by a cautious display of violets.—
Journid of Horticulture. •
BREAKFAST.—EPPS'S COCOA.--GRATEFUL AND COM-
FORTING.—The very agreeable character of this preparation has
rendered it a general favourite. The Civil Service Gazette re
marks :—" By a thorough knowledge of the natural laws which
govern the operations of digestion and nutrition, and by a
careful application of the fine properties of well-selected cocoa.
Mr. Epps has provided our breakfast tables with a delicately
flavoured beverage which. may save us many heavy doctors'
bills." Each packet is labelled—JAMES Ergs Co.. Homoeo-
pathic Chemists. London. Also, makers of Epps's Cacaoine, a
very thin evening beverage. —Advt.

FORCES OF ENGLAND AND AMERICA.
The New York Tribune advises the bellicose people of
the United States to make ready for war before they
embroil their country in hostilities. America has at
present neither army nor navy. Her land forces number
only 30,000 men, and these are so scattered over the
immense extent of territory that not a whole regiment
remains in any one place. Many volunteers who had
served in the war could be found, but there are no weapons
for them. As for the United States navy, it does not con-
tain a single sea-going ironclad. A few "iron death-
traps," as the Tribune calls the monitors, yet remain in a
serviceable condition, and could be made useful for har-
bour defence; but in the writer's opinion they are not
worth counting. "We have some forty odd
vessels of all kinds in commission, and about as many
more laid up at the various navy yards that could be
fitted out and made serviceable in a few weeks—
wooden vessels all of them, and most of them small,
useful for cruising and capturing merchantmen, or for
blockading purposes, but of small account as fighting
ships, when fitted against such powerful ironclads as the
Monarch, which visited our shores last spring, Nor have
we, like Great Britain, a steam mercantile marine that
could be made available in case of war. As far as naval
strength is concerned, the United States is 'snot even a
second-rate Power. If we want to fight England, there-
fore, we must first spend at least 100,000,000 dots. to
create a navy to meet her." Of the coast defences the
writer says they are mostly brick and mortar structures
built upon theories now obsolete.