The Wilmingtonian., 1823-10-02

in as many hours.
"Ah me my friend! it will not, will not last,
This fairy scene that cheats Our youthful eyes;
The charm dssolves; tn srial muslc's passed;
The banquet ceases, and the vision flies"
And even in the few instances when
mortality is suffered to linger past the ~
nit of perfect strength !; and weakness
creeps on, and by degrees breaks down
the fabric, still its fall is sudden and not
to be compared to the time required lor
its erection. sTheir strength says sa-
cred writer is labour and sorrow for it
is soon cut off, and we fly away
"To contemplation's sober eye,
Such is the race of man
And they that creep and they that fly,
Shall end where they began.
Alike the busy and the gay
Blu, hu,ter through life's little day,
In fortunes varying colours dressed;
Brushed by the hand Of rough mischance,
Or chilled by age, their airy dance
They leave, in dust to rest"
Autumn now chascs away all the re-
mains of Summer, whose reign generally
lasts until this time. The trees, by the
time the month is closed, will be stripped
nf their beauties; verdure will vanish be-
fore the frost-those animals whichnature
does not provide with thick coverings
adopted to their increased necessities, will
have found more congenial climates, and
every thing will dennte the preparations
Of Autumn to deliver up the dominion of
the year, as sightless as possible, to his
frlgia successor. Meanwhile the busy po-
puation Of earth, obey the promptinss of
reason and instinct IN preparing for com
fortabie and happy winter. Oh. that men
whilst thus employed would cast one kind
thought on those whose necessities are as
urgent, but not so easily supplied as theirs
The spirit Of Philanthropy ariH brave
the tempest and the storm, to rescue from
misery and death the unfortunate and
wretched. With this hint, we close this
part of our paper, which our prescribed
limits adm0nish US is encroaching on other
proportions; and bid our readers farewell
until the lapse of October shall remind us
of the duty we shall then owe them.
In this month is celebrated Halloween
But although this name is still retained
among us, it is almost all that is practl
calIy known of it in this country, or a
least in our part of it. Among the pea
santry in the north of Scotland, this nigh
was traditinnally thought to be entirel'
under the dominion of FAIRIES, witches, &c
and in it were tested various methods u
uuravelIing futurity, but chiefly the des
tiny OF the young as to marriage. An anus
ing account Of these, is preserved in Nj
Burns Poem, under the title of fIallov
cen; some extracts from the notes appen
ded to which, will, we hope, be amusing
and illustrative of the manners of that fan
cisnl people.
"Hhe first ceremony of Halloween. i
pulling each stock, or plant OF kali, (colt
wort.) They must go out, hand in hant
with eyes shut, and pull the first the
meet with: its being big or little. straig
or crooked, is prophetic of the size an
shape of the grand object of all their spell
the husband or wife. If any earth stic
to the root, that is, fortune; and Il,
taste of the heart Of the stem, is indicatiy
of the natural temper and disposition
Lastly, the stems are placed somewher
above the head Of the door, and the chri
tian names of the people whom chanc
brings into the house, are, according |
the priority of placing the stems, the nam
in question"
Another method of discovering the in
portant secret (and we believe somethin
OF the same kind is still payed) is by burr
Ing nuts.
"ihey name the lad and lass TO eae
nut, as they lay them in the fire and a
cordingly as they burn quietly tosethe
or start from beside one another, Il
course and issue Of tile courtship will be