The Minnesota pioneer. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn. Territory) 1849-1855, 1850-12-19

curing, testing everything by handling and dssec-
ticn, stripping off the covering Of all dogmas and
doctrines, without reverence, as they would un-
handage mummy in Boston, or would break in
pieces with stone hammer, one of the oracular
statues of Memnon, if they had it in tho 'sChy
of Notions.
Speaking of church music, we now have ex- |
cellent choirs Of church music, especially at Mr..
NeiIl's church. There is one thing which wor-
shippers ought to remember; and that is that the
choir is selected on purpose to do the singing
composed Of persons who are supposed by others,
not by themselves, (for no one is proper Judge
of his own voice. to be the best singers; and
proper proportion Of voices is allotted to the
al parts, as bass, tenor, treble and counter--and
all the voices are trained to harmonize unit.
Persons not IN the choir, (if there be one,) should
no more think of piping up a volunteer accompa-
niement Of the choir, than they should Of prompt
ing the preacher, to help him through his sermon.
One of the funniest centriyances for resisting
the cold and borrowing animal heat, we witnessed
three or four years ago, IN Wisconsin. An officer
Of the U. S. Army, arrived, one bitter cold day,
from Prairie du Chen with a live cat in each am
He said he found this poultice of live cats,
sure specific against cat-arrh in the head.
The roof Of the Episcopal church of st. Paul,
built in ''thc early pointed STYLE" is peaked
enough 10 split the sharpest lightning. Electricity
might glance at it, but could not near strike it,
unless bv full blow, sideways.
A little boy in St. Paul, went home from meet
ing the other day, after hearing that sublime quo
taton from Shakespeare, by the preacher, 'sThe
cloud capped palaces, &c., and began to turn
over the leaves of the Testament, to find the text
for his mother; all he could recolect of the dis
course, being the above passagefrom Shakespeare.
At last he gave up, in despair, searching for the
text; saying to his mother. ''here is Saint Mat
thew and Saini Marx and Saint Luke and Saint
John; but can't find Saint Shakespeare. Ma!
Was Shakespeare Saint, or only one of the apos-
ties at the latter end?''
The weather, since our last publication, has
been much milder, than during the few proceed
ing weeks. Every thing is now frozen up tight
however; and we do not expect thaw before
March. friend writing TO US from Prairie du
Chen the 2Slh uIt, 10 whose attention for ear
ly news, we are placed under renewed obligations
says there no ice in the river; but that snow
was falling fast. AS for snow here, we have
about seven inches, which is enough for most pur-
poses.
There is no use Of trying to diguise it. The
conveyance of the rHil, this winter, between ST.
Paul aud Prairie du Chen, is shamefully abortive
Although we have been trying for three weeks
past, 20 send the Pioneer away by mail, and have
sent il tu ice; the whole of our down river mail
after being gone few days each time. Las,
saturday morning, we tried again, Cor the third
time, TO send our mail; but we are daily looking
to see ii come back again; its return every three
, or four days, having become the only regularity
or certainty, that there seems to be, in the con-
veyance Of the mail. If Mammalian, the last con-
tractor, had performed his contract half as negl.
gently, there would have been perfect rou
about it.
We are indebted TO highly esteemed friend
for The following table OF statistics, copied from
Mr.. Presco'i's Register, ct Fort Smelling. i
shows the regular and rapid increase of bushes:
the river, also the remarkable regularity Of thu
appearance Of woicr fowl in QUE waters of which
6 we have such abundant supplies, almost uniform
y OH and after The 9Th day of every March.
Table of steamboat arrivals, &c, at Fort Smell
ing FOR the past six years
lSA4--Al arrivals. Otter. Harris, first boat
April 9th. Geese aud ducks flying, March 9th
Mississippi opened March 20; closed Novembe
23d, ls43.
1Sl5--4S arrivals. Otter Harris, April 9th
fist boat. Geese and ducks flying March 9Th
Mississippi closed Goth November Coolest da,
Feb. I9ih, is degrees below zero.
lSi6-24 arrivals. Lyo4, Atkinson, Marcel
slst, first boat. Ducks and geese flying Msrcl
Isl. Coolest day January 25tb, 10 degrees below
zero. Mississippi closed Dec. 9th.
JS47--47 arrivals. First boat, Cora, Throck
morton, April 9Th. Mississippi closed Nov. 29th
Geese and ducks flying March Eth Coolest da
Feb. 18Th, 81 degrees below zero
lS4S-63 arrivals. First boat, Senator, Harris
April 9TH. Mississippi closed Dec. 4th. Feb. 18th
26 degrees below zero. Geese and ducks lyina
March 9th.
1870 -S5 arrivals. Highland Mary, Atkinson
first boat, April 9th. Nov. 18th, first snow Dec
) It'll, Mississippi closed. December 30th, coldes
day, q degrees below zero. Geese and ducks
fyog March 4th.
JS5o-lot arrivals. Highland Mary, Apri
t 18th. Nov. 10Th first snow. Coolest day, Feb
Sd, IS degrees below Zero Geese and ducks
flying March 10TH Dec. 4th closed the Missis.
sippi at ST. Anthony.
VIM. Bowen, late Of the 6rm of Sergent s.
Bowen, who left st. Paul early last spring, fol
California, writes from Horse Shoe Eend, Califor.
mia, on the Sih of September last, the following