New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1854-07-31
DAILY CRESCENT.

Nssss
DAILY CIR ESCENT.
a The EFFEcr on Music on ANIMALS. Many
well .snbstantiated stories are told Of the effects
of music upon the animal creation which seem
to be deserving Of the fullest credence. Some
curious person enoe collected in q farm yard o
variety Of animals, consisting of q cat, dog, a
horse, ain ass, hind, COWS, small birds and fowls,
and tried the effect of music upon them. The
cat Did not appear TO be effected; the horse was
sensibly influenced raising up his head and
showing evident signs Of interest; the dog looked
steadfastly at the player during the whole time
ofthe continuance Of the music; the ass showed
no signs Of being touched; the birds were in
perfect ecstasy while the cock and hens did not
appear to be at al Interested. Lizards are SAIL
to be- affected by music, and q traveller in the
island Of Madeira relates that he has assembled
number Of them by the power of musical in
strnnaent. Negroes there, when they wish to
catch them for food, accompany the chase by
whistling some tune, which always has the effect
OF drawing large numbers towards them.
Stelman, in his = Expedition to Surinam,.
describes certain SYPHILIS among the negroes who
can charm or conjure down from the trees GER
tain serpents, and cause them to wreathe about
their arms, necks and breasts, listening to their
voices. The sacred writer's speak Of the charm
ing of adders and serpents; and nothing is more
notorious than that the East Indians will rid
houses Of the iercest and most venomous snakes
by playing on q flute, and thus drawing them
from their holes. These anecdotes are fully con
frmed by Sir William Jones, in his curious des-
sertation on the musical modes Of the Hindoos.
Mice are particularly susceptible to the charms
OF music and instances have been related where
they became almost frantic at hearing &c the
melody of sweet sounds A French officer, con-
fined in the Bastile, used to amuse himself by
playing upon musical instrument, and soon
found that he drew an audience Of mice, and
even spiders about him. Another inmate of the
same prison diverted himself by placing a fly
near the web Of a spider, and then playing on
his bagpipe; when the insect would come out
and feed. BY removing the fly farther and
farther off, he succeeded at last in attracting
the spider close to his knee, and it never failed
to appear at the first sound of the music
Lions have been known to leave their prey to
hear music, and instances are not unfrequent in
England of drogers going before herd of ami
mails with bagpipe and violin, in order to attract
them. All accounts, however, agree in stating
that the ass is perfectly impervous to the infiu-
cnce Of music, but that nearly if not quite every
other animal is more or less susceptible of its
power. Experience also teaches us that this is
the case, Horses have been trained to dance
with almost faultless precision, and the power
full effect music has on human beings would, by
parity Of reasoning. show that it must operate
TO some extent on brutes. Saul was soothed by
the harp Of David, and the ferceness Of Achilles
WAS allayed by similar power. Shakespeare
says music can
f1iee w. s---ft ravage savage ears
And plant In tJfants mild humility.'i
The fabulous stories Of Orpheus, when he
touched his harp, is but descriptive Of the amin
ating effect Of music. Congreve thus describes
it in the two following lines, which, BY the way,
have been brutality parodied:
Music hath charms to sooth the sayape breast
To soften rocks or bend the KIP. otted oak.p
ENew York Sunday Times tlssi
y =----==------==--,= W
EEIss AND RATS. Some of the sewers of the
city afford subterranes,n tenements which are
as densely populated as the human abodes
above them. The cells and the rats there con-
tend Tor the waste of the scullery, and various
substances washed down the culyerts With
the rise Of the tide which sets into the sewers.
the rats retreat, and the cells take possession,
and psce versa, Yesterday, one of the latter,
who was rashiy curious, penetrated into one Of
the vaults beneath our office, and as he was of
large size, made d furious splashing until
silenced by blow. The rats avail themselves
OF this subterranean highway and provision
Store house, as means Of access to the down
town eating houses, hotels, etc., where their in
cursions are said to be very destructive. A
tempting dish Of viands left exposed is sure to
disappear before daylight We are informed
by well known restaurateur that his place is
nightly visited by scores of them, who traverse
the drain. An eating house down town is in
course OF removal, and the sudden disappear
ance of things edible has thrown the rats into
confusion worse confounded 1t was during
their researches for supplies last Saturday
night. that stray dog, who was traversing the
streets contrary to law, found his way among
them unbidden, and destroyed about thirty Of
them The Paris gleve-makers are said to de-
rive handsome profit from the use of rat
leather, taken in the Paris sewers. 1t is sug-
gested that they found a branch establishment
Ia this city, where the raw material for manu-
facture may be obtained in abundance, and it
is presumed, from the venerable aspect of the
animals, to be tough and durable quality,
well suited to ladies' wear. Eel skins, also,
may be procured in abundance. They are used
chiefly for the manufacture of whips; at least,
such is the use to which they have been appro-
priated by some Of the Yankees The exceed
1ngly tough and flexible nature of these skins
also makes them valuable in fastening together
the two parts of the fail, or grain thrashers
There is room for enterprise in both these de-
partments of trade.
BY the way, we have made a discovery in the
rat line, which we hasten to announce. It has
been triumphantly asked, s.Of what use are
rats = and echo has answered, 6 OF what use ~
But If any one will look at the window of Scott
& Bell Sugar Brokerage, Oh Wall street, after
they have closed for the day, he will see a rat
inside of the window catching flies at an aston
fishing rate. He moves over the window panes
with the agility Of q dancing masters though
with little apparent effort, and the flies disap-
pear before him like dew before the sun. We're
it not for the decided unpcpularity of rats
every where, such establishments as that of
Scott & Bell could afford to keep a few, just to
clear their premises of flies. Let it not be said
then that even rats were made altogether in
vain.
P.S. We understand that after clearing the
window Of flies, perhaps 100 or SO, scarcely any
OF which escape, the rat retires for while, to
allow o new set to collect, and then returns and
resumes his useful labors. N. Y. Jour. Com.
WHY Work so HARD Where's the use of
toiling and sweating to make money, unless we
are to enjoy our earnings as we go along De-
pend upon it, it is all vexation of spirit, vanity
and nothing else. That man should wish for
30 much as will permit him to enjoy an occa-
sional holiday, to be sick for month or two, if
the circumstances are so disposed, to be relieved
from the necessity of labor when the strength
fails, and to have snug something over for the
widow and little ones, is natural and right.
But why should one strive to hoard large sums
for his children? Perhaps one in hundred of
children who inherit wealth improves his m
heritance. A few, with most marvellous good
sense, strive to turn their money to o good ac-