Butte record., 1855-11-17
Sleepy HoileWs.

There is no doubt that the earth
moves nor that man moves with it. Pro-
gress makes the age and the individual.
Yet along the course of time there is
here and there an eddy where society
instead Of joining in the general move
ment seems to revolve in an endless cir
Gle. Look at China, where the people
have not advanced a step, during these
dozen centuries! The heads of that
people seem to be cast in an unalterable
mould, and to bid defiance to all theories
of Development What China was 700
years ago, it is to-day. The sketches of
every day life in their ancient poets and
apologue-writers, still find their living
counterparts in every great city of the
empire. Sse- maKouang, distinguished
philosopher and statesman, in the elev-
enth century, wrote a poem descriptive
of his garden and his manner of life in
retirement, which might pass for an ex-
act description of the garden and the
habits of Commissioner Lin of the pres
ent day.
And what is true of manners is true
of morals. Can any past generation of
Chinese have exhibited more fendish
cruelty than is portrayed in the tortures
inflicted on the rebels at Canton? The
hearts as well as the heads of the Chi
nese seem to be cast in iron.
But China has been for ages shut up
within itself, and its lack of progress is
therefore not as remarkable as the i'm
mobility of smaller stationary spots near
to the centre of European civilization
and open to all its influences. Such
Sleepy Hollows there are, scattered
about in hooks and cornors. where old
Time himself seems to have fallen asleep.
Stepping aside to them you go back ages
in the progress of the world.
The Farce Islands for instance, are
distant but three days sail from Scotland,
but, in point of time they are separated
from it by three centuries. Upon the
largest of these Islands is the little Da-
nlsh town of Thorshavn-a town with
out streets or lanes, composed of rude
huts scattered about at random among
the rocks. A recent traveller tells US
that in these huts he fonnd women
grinding corn with handmill--the same
primitive engine for preparing meal
which is alluded to in the Bible, and is
now shown in the antiquarian museums
as thing of past ages. He also found
there in active use, another Of the dead
antiquities Of the museum. Scottish ans
tiquarians are acquainted with a small
stone cup with carved handle, which
is occasionally found in the earth. They
have long been puzzled to imagine the
ancient use Of it, but our traveller finds
the same article in general use in Thor
shawn for carrying lighted tinder from
one house to another. For these peo-
pie are so far from knowing anything OF
friction matches that they do not even
make use Of the flint and steel, but keep
thei: fires perpetually burning! On one
of the Islands, which is so walled around
by high cliffs that it can only be ap>
preached in favorable weather-and then
ropes are required to pull any one from
the sea-resides one single family which
on one occasion allowed their fire to 90
out; and they unavoidably remained
without fire or light the remainder of the
season!
1t is by the contrast with the general
progress of society which such spots af-
ford that we can get glimpse of the dis
comforts which the ancients endured,
and which we have fortunately escaped.