Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1826-09-16
ON RIDDLES.
From Mrs. Barbauld's Legacy for Young LADIES'

else TO the mind, which running and leaplng
and wrestling, are to the body. They are OF no
use in themselves-thev are not work, but play;
but they prepare the body, and make 1t alert
and active for any thing it may be called to per-
form in labor or war. So does the finding out
of riddles, if they are good especially, give
quickness of thought, and facility OF turning
about problem every way and viewing 1t IN
every possible light. When Archimedes com
ing out of the bath cried in transport, 'Eureha!'
Ct have found IT'D he had been exercising MS
mind precisely in the same manner as you VIII
do when you are searching about for the solu-
ton Of riddle.
Riddles are of high antiquity, and were the
employment Of grave men formerly. The hrst
riddle that we have on record was proposed by
Sampson at a wedding feast to the young men
of the Philistines. who were invited upon the
occasion. The feast lasted seven days, and l.
they found it oul within the seven days, Samp-
son was to give them thirty suits Of clothes and
thirty sheets, and if they could not guess it,
they were to forfeit the same to him. The rid
die was, sou! of the eater came forth meat, and
out of the strong came forth sweetness" he
had killed lion and left its carcass; on return
ing soon after he found swarm OF bees had
made use of the skeleton as hive, ana 1t was
full of honeycomb. Struck with the oddness
of the circumstance, he made riddle OF IT.
They puzzled about it the whole seven days,
and would not have found it out at last II his
wife had not told them.
The Sphinx was great riddle maker. Ac-
cording 10 the fable, she was hall woman, and
half lion She lived near Thebes, and 10 ev-
cry body that came she proposed riddle; and
if they did not find it out, she deyoured them
Al length Qdipus came, and she asked him,
"what is that animal which walks on four legs
in the morning, two at noon, and three at night!
Gdipns answered, Man; in childhood, which
is the morning of life, he crawls on his hands
and feet; liz middle age, which is noon, ne
walks on two; in old age he leans on a crutch,
which serves for a supplementary third foot
The famous wise men of Greece did not dis
dain to send puzzles to each other. They are
also fond of riddles in the East There is
pretty one in sume Of their tales. "What is
that tree which has twelve branches, and each
branch thirty leaves, which are all black on one
side and white on the other?" The tree is the
year; the branches the months; the leaves black
on one side and white on the other, signify day
and night. Our Anglo-Saxon ancestors had
also riddles, some of which are still preserved
in very ancient manuscript.
A riddle is a description Of thing without
the name: but as it is meant to puzzle, 1t APP
pears to belong TO something else than what 1t
really does, and often seems contradictory; but
when you have guessed 1t, it appears quite
clear 1t is a bad riddle if you are at all in
doubt when you have found it out whether you
are right or no. A riddle is no: verbal, as cha
rades, conundrums, and REFUSES are; it may be
translated into any language, which the others
cannot. Addison would put them all in the
class Of false wit: but Swift, who was as great
genius, amused himself with making all sorts
of puzzles; and therefore think you need not
be ashamed Of reading them. 1t would be
pretty entertainment for you to make eollec-
ton of the better ones-ior many are so dull
that they are not worth spending time about.
will conclude by sending you few which
will be new to you.