Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1855-09-10
EVENING STAR.
sHARPEyIgG THE sCYTHE.

| The whole face OF the enormous cliff in which
/ 1t is contained Is hOueycombed with minu, c
/ qdarries; halt way down there is wagon road
| entirely formed of the sand east cut FROM them.
| T) walk along that vast scf. terrace on July
evening TO eEJoy one of the most delightful
scenes In England. Forests of fir rise over hea 4
Ike c'oud over cloud; through openings o. ihcSe
! there peeps The purple moOraud stretching far
/ soU'hward 10 the Roman Camp, and barIoRs
| from which skulls are dug continually What
/ ever may be underground, il is sii soft anI
! bright above with heath and wild howt Is
| about which a breeze will linger in the hottest
moon. Down 10 TIE sand road the breeze does
| not come; there may We walk IN calm, and only
| soc that II Is guiyeIlng among the trees From
| the camp the Atlantic can be seen. bu: from
| the sand road the view is more limited, though
many Bag and heslland fa: beneath show
where the ocean of past age relied. Fossils
! and shells are almost plentiful within th
elf as the scythe stone Itself and wondrou.
bones OF extinct animals are often brought u
| light.
Ali day long, summer and winter. in the SOM
| ore fir groves may DO heard the stroke Of the
spade 2ad click OF the hammer; a hundred
| men are to work like bees upon the elf, each
| IA his own cell Uf the honeyc ,mb his privat.
! passage. The ri sht To dig in MS own burIow
5acA of these men mas purchased for triling
sum, and nc tells in ii Lily Taough it is !,
| 'aI,ow space. In which lie is net able IL stand
upIigh and can scarcely tura-:hough the al
IN 1t that he breathes Is daiap and deadly
enough the color in his cheek l. commonly the
| ncctic of consumption, aud nc has n cough tia,
| ever leaves him night or day.-thsuZ IN he
| mlli himself remark tnat he does not I'm !,
! ini"rSst lis neiShbyIs enc ola Inan.--;,ra
| .h1usn oii marrying early, lew ever see IA
| tiief with his gGvTn az son, yet, for ali this,
| Jle scythe-stoHe cutter works in his ace usto,l-
| ii way, and lives his shot lie merrily, tn (
| : To say, he drinks down any sense or care
| that lac might have. These poor nan are a.
most IhCut exceptions sickiy druukardS
Ihe women Ot tDis community are mUc:.
| healthier. Ii Is their task 10 cut and sha %
Tue ru1gh EcTI stone lntO those pieces where
| with the mower whots his scythe.' Tie
piit'c!eS ofIust that ,sce pc Curing the process
| ..ic very perGIcious 10 the iU:-s, Ju., - uSus,
il Is 1ouEd impossible tn help tHc !,,uri. : Suf
fcTers by any thing IA the form Ui an ide al ON
! without; Il lumb2r OF masts sud respirIt"rs,
ave been N Bre than once provided tJ- thl m
| by tae charity of the ne. .shOorins gentry, b-t
| sctfceiy ole woman mas given them her
| c Uaten iGcc.
| TIE short life Of the scyihc-s:onc cutter is
| also Always liable - be- absait'Y ended.
| SAFETY requires taaI Gr-Po.es from tie neigh
! boring wood snculd be driven IN ope by 0n-
| on either side OF him, aid third IA. STAKE 10
| i.ili acIoSS - make the Walls and TvGf SAFE,
| tie diss5or pushes his long burrow forward,
Cheap as their fiT puies are, they are too often
| dispensed with. There is scarcely one Cf tie
| hundred mined entrances Of Gi>ased cayeruN
| here to be seen. ;hr, ush which some Tusae
| u sunJcated workman has not been brou ia;
| oct dead The case l. Common. 4 man can
| not pay the triEa that Il: nec ssSdTy 10 buy fir
| poles tyr the .upD0rt ot his ccil-G ais; thJ
| consequence Is; TIT sooner or .ster, &c ulust
| Almost Inevitably haTpcn tnat che stTa:,e oi
| the pickaXe shall pIouUce s fall Of saad be-
L nd sat an. inn. "a l.a.t
| between him and the word without. Ii VIII
| iieG be % little purpose luat another NAY be
| WORKING netr HIN prompt t. g.Se th= alarm
| ard ,et a>Si stance; tons upon tons cf heavy
| sand divide the victim frcm the rSscueTs, ai.a
| ih>y must prop ai.d ro"f their Way at every
| step, lest they too IeGIs4
| Suca accidents are therefore mostly fatal
| Ii tao Elsn wa- Rot al once crushed by fill
| Oh sand upon hin, he mas been cut II from
| the oCier Az, and SUI -c2t-i ia bis na row
| worn hole. Mhitelnign,S is q sII Ii yi.ia.c
al the loot Of tLi. c.it, iuha6iled almost ell
ilreiy by persons ciloNiag tho scyths-stole
| trade. Tlle fv - agricultural laborers thare l.
| ne met with kay be distll guishcd a. = glance
irom their brethren OF the pits; the Ui04zcl
| checks tcom tie hectic, the niGl-.U ar frames
| iT2m tie bodies which disease h.a Weakened.
! aud which dissipation h5ips n = more sgi.I
| .ecdy. Ihe cottages aTo not i'll bUiit, ali
| generality stand detached III Il small garden
| :
| .hI"nseG with diIty pretty children, helping
| lI'her outside his cavern by carrying tae
| stone awLy in Little baskets, as hc brings it
| Ju5 to them
| Besides the Luta liyuiet, which has pleas
lnter hooks, more fiowery banks, AID falls
| IA ITe musical than aAy stream al Devon; b.
| sides this brock, and parted by a li'tie wood
| ni 'echeS and wild laurel from tie village,
is very pearl cf cottIgcs. HO.cysucklC, red
| rose, aud sweet triar hold il cnra9gled in a
| network; they fail over the iittle UiuiCss,
| u lklI5 twilight at miGECOn, yet nobody haS
! ever thou ,ht Of cutting them away ~ tying
UP G single tendrli. GraId!Etncr Markham
| AID his daughter Alice, with john Brcwit,
| her husband and master # the huUSe, usCd 10
| live there, and they had three little children,
| Jane, Henry, and ice.
little room over the porch vas especially
neat. Ii was the best rCom in the cotia5,,
and therein was lodge old Markham, who
| had, 50 far as the means OF his children vent,
| the best of board as well. lie Was not IL very
| cid man, bat looked ten years older than lie
WAS, and his hand shook through the infr
| NIFTY moro griveOus than age. lie Was g;n |
| drinker john Drewit had TO work v-ry haId
20 keep his own ouSehOld il. food and clothing,
cut also his poor father-iU-!aT N drink.
JOHN wasa hale young rla2 when / aTst knew
bin, but hc soon began u alter. a soon as 4
Was light he MAS away 10 tue sand-c.if Uy Il
wood, and up the steps which his own spade
nad cut. Oae or TWO he hsd made broader
| than the rest at intervals, where one or two
IL sht willingly sit down to survey tic glory
sptead beneath the low, white, matched I'9!m
h uses cleaning like light amongst tie pasture
| Lands, the little LOVES each wIth liz shIai. z
| river, and the great Old city in tae hazy dis
tlnce; the high Beacon hill, the woO is and lar
as the eye could See the mist that hum over
| the immense Atlantic. Ih.G resting on tie Up
| ward path. ~ fist a pleasure, became soon
| mater Of necessity, and that, too, long bylnre
,ae cough Dai settled down on him: few men
| IN WbIteknigLts have their lungs 80 vince
that they can climb Up to their pas without
| malt OF t~o.
Ihe cd man helped .sson-in-law sometimes.
| ho VS. \ good scIt OF old maa by nature, aDI
| lot bit moTe selfish than a d. uhkaTd Always
must DC. He gfounl tie rousn stones into
shapa at home minded the children IL his
| dsus nter's aosence, ami even used the pick
himself when he was soDer. John, tco, was
4 sf- 81 f,l1.r