The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1831-1858, 1832-07-11
THE DARK SIDE.

i NO, nut L am glad TO hear It: she ma
waited long enough"
Mr.. L. the great merchant has failed"
"Ah, indeed I'll indeed be bound h
has lost nothing his failure. He knows hi
own interest too we'll"
Have you read Mr.. Ms new work? TIM
papers are praising it highly"
No wonder, lie sent volume TO all thu
editors and they can dothing less than dea
out few puffs"
/ "Mrs. r. is a fine looking woman /;
think her complexion really beautiful
/ "Sbe owes all her beauty 10 her dress,
assure you: saw her one day in disha
/ billie, and she was yellow as an ogre"
The natural eye must look at objects JUS
| as they are presented, but the mental eye
is under no such necessity--it possesses
The wonderful faculty of turning things over
and over TO suit ITSELF How unwise then al.
ways to turn up the dark side.
Some people run into this folly in regard
to things, others respecting events, and a
more guilty class in regard to character and
action. The last form of the evi! is the
worst, and is frequently made familiar by
indulgence in others.
An individual first begins to scan the OBJ
Jects around him, marking and magnfying
every little defect; if he pluck rose, he
hardly notices its beauty or fragrance, hut
is wondering roses should have so many
thorns
If he is RECALLED with delicious fruits. in
stead of praising their favor, he wishes they
were not so full of stones and seeds Show
him fine building. and he looks at it on
purpose to find something wrong, and of
course succeeds.
But wo to the individual who has formed
this evil habit of looking at earth's pleasant
things through the smoky atmosphere of
his own bad feelings! 1t will be sure to lead
10 similar views Of every event past or fu-
ture.
The choicest blessings of life NAV, by
persons of querulous disposition, be- convert
ed into calamities. When he looks hack, it
is not to recall happy hours, or dwell on the
mourntul pleasures which Joys departed
should >excile,-his retrospective glunce
dwells only on the dark passages, the wea-
ry path of his journey, and he lifts, with
unholy hand, the veil of oblivion which
time has dawn over the past.
Those who are in the habit of throwing otll-
er things into the shade, are very apt to en-.
terrain the same dark views ofthe character RS
and actions of their fellow men. They
doubt the affections of their friends ques-
ton the motive Of every good action; they
weigh every person, and every person is
found wanting.
Alas for the community, if infested by
such dark spirits. There will be tales of
scandal, and broken friendships and ruined
characters, and broken vows, and broken
hearts.
The habit of looking on the gloomy side
may not at first sight, appear very criminal,
but when we follow it out, and see that it
leads almost certainly to jealousy, hatred
and detraction, we must confess it is an evil
tree whit brings forth such hitter fruits.
David Hume declared he would rather
possess cheerful disposition, inclined al
ways to look on the bright side, than with a
gloomy mind to be master of an estate with
ten Thousand year. And he was wise in
his estimate. 1t would be better, because
more conducive to happiness.
There are no melancholy children, and
there need be no dark souled men or fret
ful women. We can he happy, or at least
cheerful, if we choose. Keep the heart
right, and the feelings will be kind, equable
and oyous.-Ladies' Magazine.
The SULTAN's WAY OF RAISING FUNDS.
A Jew named Sphapdji had acquired, in
trade and banking transactions, an immense
fortune; he made the hest use of his
wealth; his generosity to the unfortunate
secured TO him the title of =" father of the
poor" and this from the unanimous voice of
Constantinople. For, superior the restric-
tive spirit of his caste, he gave to all,
whether the sufferer was Christian, Turk or
Jew, was disregarded by his universal phi
lanthropy. Popular sympathy was strong
in favor of such man and even the pre-
cepts of the Koran $50 fertile in its inculca.
tons of charity sanctifed and defended
him. But TO the eyes of Mahmoud, in
stead Of Sphapdji's covering Il multitude of
sins, his wealth covered all his virtues
Money was wanted: money must be had ;
and he unrelentlngly ordered the murder of
the good man and the confiscation OF his
property. The executoner and some chiv-
pushes confidential messenger) were des-
patched to the Jews residence: the latter
advanced and knocked at the door, which
was forthwith opened by a servant. The
chlvoushes desired to speak with Sphapdji :
the servant requested him to enter. They
declined doing so and said that Sphapdli
must descend to them, MS they were
hearers Of a message from the Porte. The
charitable Jew was confined to his bed by
sickness but he sent down lis brother 10
hear his business or again invite the mes
sengers TO ascend. They repeated that
must communicate personally with Sphapdii
that he must come down-that their bu-
siness with him would not occupy minute.
The sick man, nothing doubling what await
ell him, rose from his couch, threw on his
beneesh (cloak) and, supported by his broth
er and servant, went down to the door. His
foot had scarcely touched the threshold,
when the eXecutioner, who had hiterto re-
manned concealed, rushed upon him, and
passing the fatal chord over his neck stran-
gled him, without giving him time to offer
up prayer to his God. Sphapdi's brother
fell senseless into the street; the myrdons
of desp0tsm turned the domeslics out Of
the house, and put the imperial seal on the
doors. The immense wealth was presently
secured and conveyed to the royal treasury
and donation of 100000 piastres, or about
| CISCO TO the victims brother, to keep him
from STRIVING, was generously made by the
Sultan. When | was at Constantinople,
the tragical tale was still in every ones
mouth, and even Turks grieved for the fall
of the good Jew, and regarded this pro-
ceedlng OF the Sultan with horror Ii is
the custom, on all executions ordered by
the Porte, to afix yatta, or paper scroll
TO the bleeding head, or blackened corpse
setting forth the offences Of the deceased
The case Of Sphapdji was the first in which
the yafta was omitted. So spotless was bis