The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-14 00:00:00

A NEW ASSOCIATION.

I am persuaded that if half-a-dozen clever young men
were to form themselves into a little association, each mem-
ber of which should be pledged to lose no opportunity of
crying up the other five members in conversation, through
the press, and in every other possible way, this would mate-
rially further their success in life and the estimation in
which they would be held wherever known. The world
would take them at the value so constantly dinned into its
ear. When you read on a silver coin the legend one shilling,
you readily take it for a shilling; and if a man walks about
with great genius painted upon him in large red letters,
many people will accept the truth of the inscription. Every
one has seen how a knot of able young men hanging to-
gether at college and in after life can help one another even
in a material sense, and not less valuably by keeping up
one another's heart. All this is quite fair, and so is even
the mutual praise when it is hearty and sincere. For
several months past I have been possessed of an idea which
has been gradually growing into shape. I have thought of
getting up an association, whose members should always
hold by one another, be true to one another, and cry one
another up. A friend to whom I mentioned my
plan highly approved it, and suggested the happy name
of the Mutual Exaltation Society. The association
would be limited in number : not more than fifty mem-
' bers could be admitted. It would include educated men
in all walks of life; more particularly men whose success
in life depends in any measure upon the estimation in
which they are commonly held, as barristers, preachers,
authors, and the like. Its purposes and operations have
already been indicated with as much fulness as would be
judicious at the present juncture. Mr. Barnum and Messrs.
Moses and Son would be consulted on the details. Sir
John Ellesmere, ex-solicitor-general and author of the
" Essay on the Arts of Self-Advaneement," would be the
first president, and the general guide, philosopher, and
friend of the Mutual Exaltation Society. The present
writer will be secretary. The only remuneration he would
expect would be that all the members should undertake, at
least six times every day, to make favourable mention of a
recently published work. Six times a day would they be
expected to say promiscuously to any intelligent friend or
stranger, " Have you read the 'Recreations of a Country
Parson' ? Most wonderful book I Not read it I Go to
Mudie's and get it directly"—and the like. For obvious
reasons it would not do to make public the names
of the members of the association; the moral weight of
their mutual laudation would be much diminished. But
clever young men in various parts of the country who may
desire to join the society, may make application to the
editor of Fraser's Magazine, enclosing testimonials of
moral and intellectual character. Applications will be
received until the First of April, 1861.

SUMMER DAYS.
Pleasanter scenes come up this afternoon with the men-
tion of summer days. I see depths of wood, where all the
light is coolly green, and the rippling brook is crystal clear.
I see vistas through pines, like cathedral vaults ; the space
enclosed looks on a sunshiny day almost black, and a bit of
bright blue sky at the end of each is framed by the trees
into the likeness of a Gothic window. I see walls of gray
rock on either side of a river, noisy and brawling in winter
time, but now quiet and low. For two or three miles the
walls of rock stretch onward ; there are thick woods above
them, and here and there a sunny field : masses of ivy
clothe the rock in places ; long sprays of ivy hang over. I
walk on in thought till I reach the opening of the glen ;
here a green bank slopes upward from a dark pool below,
and there is a fair stre: ch of champaign country beyond the
river ; on the summit of the green bank, on this side, moul-
dering, gray, ivied, lonely, stand the ruins of the monas-
tery, which has kept its place-here for 700 years. I see the
sky- framing eastern window, its tracery gone. There are
masses of large daisies varying the sward, and the sweet
fragrance of young clover is diffused through all the air. I
turn aside and walk through lines of rose-trees in their
summer perfection. I hear the drowsy hum of the laden
bees. Suddenly it is the twilight, the long twilight of
Scotland, which would sometimes serve you to read
by at eleven o'clock at night. The crimson flush has
faded from the bosom of the river; if you are alone its
murmur begins to turn to a moan ; the white stones of the
churchyard look spectral through the trees. I think of
poor Dr. Adam, the great Scotch schoolmaster of the last
century, the teacher of Sir Walter Scott, and his last
words, when the shadow of death was falling deeper--" It
grows dark, boys ; you may go." Then, with the profes-
sional bias, Igoto a certain beautiful promise which the
deepening twilight seldom fails to suggest to me ; a pro-
mise which tells us how the Christian's day shall end, how
the day of life might be somewhat overcast and dreary,
but light should come on the darkened way at last. "It
shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be
clear nor dark. But it shall be one day which shall be
known to the Lord, not day, nor night ; but it shall come
to pass that at evening time it shall be light." I think of
various senses in which it might be shown that these words
speak truly; in which its great principle bolds good, that
signal blessing shall come when it is needed most and ex-
pe,ted leest ; but I think mainly how, sometimes, at the
close of
*t}l,te. 4t,qtuheoreycLa and
andsobermdaadye,
the
ee
flaming
Better
purple and gold. I think how always the purSewunreslitghahalstl
comes, if not in this world, then in a better. Bowing his
head to pass under the dark portal, the Christian lifts it on
the other side, in the presence and the light of God. I
think how you and I, my reader, may perhaps have stood
in the ehamber of death, and seen in the horizon the sum-
mer sun in glory going down. But it is only tous who remain
that the evening darkness is growing--only for us that the
sun is going down. Look on the sleeping features, and
think, " Thy sun shall no more go down, neither shall thy
moon withdraw herself; for the Lord shall be thine ever-
lasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended."
And then, my reader, tell me—as the evening falls on you,
but not on him ; as the shadows deepen on you, but not on
him ; as the darkness gathers on you, but not on him—if,
in sober reality, the glorious promise has not found its per-
fect fulfilment, that "at the evening time there shall be
light I"

In the volume itself there are many other passages
full of fun or of feeling, which we have not space
to quote. The reader of cultivated taste and
thoughtful mind cannot fail to be gratified with
its perusal, however he may differ from theories,
or dissent from opinions, or even if he occasionally
discover too great a tendency to discursiveness and.
diffuseness. Such productions, as the author truly
says, cannot always be equal. Let us be thankful,
amid the abundance of mediocre and indifferent
publications, when we meet one so far above the
average, so true in its experience, so sound in its
teaching, and so fresh and captivating in its style,
as this volume of "Recreations."

TIIIS _DAY'S MAREETS.

CORN EXCHANGE.

iMI ERIAL WEEKLY AVERAGES. Wheat, 54s Od ;
barley, 39s 8d ; oats, 22s 6d ; rye, 36s 3d ; beans, 39s
Od ; and peas, 42s 7d.

THE SIX WEEKS' AVERAGES. Wheat, 56a lel ;
barley, 40s 3d ; oats, 22s 10d ; rye, 35s lld ; beans, 42s Od ;
peas, 42s 10&

ENGLISH GRAIN SOLD LAST WEEK.—Wheat, 57,621;
barley, 71,966 ; oats, 23,768 ; rye, 22; beans, 5,168 ; peas,
1132 quarters.

METROPOLITAN CATTLE MARKET.
Our market to-day was but moderately supplied with
beasts, nevertheless all breeds moved off slowly at Monday's
currency. Prime Down sheep were very scarce, and in re •
quest at full prices, Long- woolled sheep moved off heavily,
and in some instances the quotations gave way 2d per 81bs.
Calves, the supply of which was limited, changed hands
freely at full prices. Pigs were firm, but milch cows wore
very dull.

Per 81bs to sink the offal.
s. d. s. d. e. d. s. d.
Crse. &inf. beasts 3 2 3 4 Primecrs-wool do. 5 0 5 8
Second qualitydo. 3 6 4 0 Pme.Sithdown do 5 10 6 2
Prime large oxen 4 2 4 6 Large arse. calves 4 8 5 2
Prime Seats, &c. 4 8 4 10 Prime small do 5 4 5 8
Crse. & inf. sheep 3 10 4 2 Large hogs 4 0 4 6
Second quality do. 4 2 4 8, Small porkers
Lambs, Os Od to Os Od.
Suckling calves, 198 to 22s ; end quarter •old store pig,
23s to 3)s.
TOTAL SUPPLY.

Beasts 940
Sheep and lambs 3,960
Calves
Pigs

FOREIGN SUPPLY.
Beasts .............. 120
Sheep .............. 700
ICalves ........
I Pigs ....

MEAT MARKETS.
NEWGATE AND LEADENHALL. - The supplies of
meat, are only moderate, and trade is inactive as follows :--
Beef, from 2s 10d to 4s 4d ; mutton, 3s 10d to 5s
Od ; lamb, Os Od to Os Od ; veal, 4s 4d to 5s Od ; pork,
3s 10d to 5s Od per Blbs. by the carcase.
SOUTHALL, Feb.l3 .—A fair average business doing, as
follows : Beef, 3s 6d to 4s 10d , mutton, 4s Od to
5s 10d ; lamb, Os Od t@ Os Od ; veal, 4s 6d to 5s 2d; pork, 4s
Od to 5s 04 per 81bs to sink the offal.
ROMFORD, Feb. 13. —A steady sale, as follows
Beef, from 3s 64 to 4s Od; mutton, 4s 4d to 6s Od ;
lamb, Os Od to Os Od ; veal, 4s 8d to 5s 4d ; and pork, 48
Od to 5s Od per Blbs ; suckling calves, 14s to 19s ; quarter
old store pigs, 23s to 30s each; and milch cows, £l4 Os
to £l9 Os each.