The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1855-10-10

nomination or an election, magnifying and com
bining the slightest breath of rumor into every
form of party falsehood. His thoughts travel
swifter than the magnetic telegraph, and he
is always hurrying off: from one caucus to
another, with hardly time to whisper the latest
intelligence into the ear Of friend as he passes.
He wipes the perspiration from bis forehead
with one hand as he takes you by the button
hole with the other, being at once the busiest
man and the greatest idler you shall meet in
any street in the city. s" <.ss sss95 sz1 7s's@'
Then there is the professional ider-the
student who sits in his Office all day long, with
the books of his profession open before him,
turning over the pages, while a thousand
thoughts pass through his brain, yet ignorant
Of the first principles of his profession and
hardly acquainted with the contents of the last
page he had read. .s..s s v ygs-7. Ass,ssss aai |
Then, there is the moral and religious idler
working not at all, but a busy body" He is
present at every possible religious meeting,
knows the name and face of every D. D. in the
city, and can tell you the popular estimation in
and moral reform meeting He has kind of
omnipresence at the time of the spring ami
versaries, is posted up as to the controversies
of missionary and bible societies, and knows
more about them than the secretaries, yet none
appreciate his zeal. He thinks it because heis
poor but it is in fact because all his zeal is but
a busy laziness. He is ever soaking up excite
ment, just as sponge soaks up water. t2a@*
Now, these all seem very respectable and
industrious people, but what are they in reality,
Idlers, for what is idleness but making relaxa-
ton the business instead Of the recreation OF
life? Recreationis good, relaxation is necessa-
ry, and the bow, to retain its elasticity, must
be at times unbent, but the idler is the man
who keeps it always unbent, or bends It only
for show, and to unbend again. .s...... ~
Every man, rich orpoor, ought to have some
great absorbing purpose, some active engage
ment to which his main energies are devoted
Not enjoyment, but duty, daily duty, must be
| the aim of each life. No man has right to
live upon this fair earth, to breathe its fair air,
to consume its food, to enjoy its beauties, Fpro-
ducing nothing in return. He has no right to
enjoy the blessings of civilization, of society
and of civil liberty without contributing earnest
and self-denyng labor Of the head or heart or
hand to the welfare Of mankind. Certainly no
man can be truly religious who makes grati6ca-
ton, as distinct from self denying exertion, the
great object of life, and the idler puts pleasure
exactly in the place of duty. ,tss ...ge sef.
This principle Of life once admitted, however
manifested, will produce daily deterioration Of
character, until thoroughly abandoned. Every
body appetite, every mental fancy, every mo-
mentary fashion will clamor till indulged. The
body will be pampered, appetite will lead on to
gluttony, wine to drunkenness, luxury to every
evil indulgence, while the mind, excited only
bv novelties and enfeebled by the lack of con-
tinual exertion, sinks into utter vapidity and
uselessness. There is more hope of the re.
formation of the worst sinner than of the idler
Poverty will sometimes scourge the vice Q
!, ideness out Of man, but the love of higher
and better mode of life, if once tasted, is tht
} chief hope. t-a.as --5 -3 = -.t sr7.4=a IL: aas
UMBRELLA ANEcDorE.-Both parasol ane
umbrella, prosaic as they appear in their daily
F attributes, have each their romantic and legen
f Diary annals. During the last insurrection ir
favor of Don Carlos, attack was made on the
summer palace of the marquis de Ia s.,
who was absent at the time combating in the
queens cause in another part of the country
} His daughter the widowed countess F., wa:
alone with the servants in the chateau. At the
onset she assembled all the men capable of de-
Tending her fathers property, and having bar
ricaded the doors and windows prepared te
meet the danger. But, taken by surprise, ano
il-prepared for attack, the defenders were soor
compelled, for want of ammunition, to surren
der Driven from room to room in search of {
fitting place of concealment from the invaders
the poor young countess at last took refuge II
small closet that had been for years used a:
a lumber room and where she hoped to remair
undiscovered while the pilage of the house
was going on. Butthe search, conducted witt
the sole view of capturing the young heiress
could scarcely fail to prove successful and she
was tracked to her hiding place, amid the bru
tai threats and still more frightful jests of the
assailants. -. .s-. @z-~.
For moment the poor lady stood defended
by the pile Of trunks and lumber behind which
she had crept. But this fragile barrier coulc
not be available for more than few minute:
longer In her despair she looked around fol
some weapon of defence, which would enable
her to keep off the attack until she could reaef
the window, resolved at once to perish rather
than fall into the hands of that lawless band o
rufians. Her eye fell upon an old cast-of um
brella belonging to her father, which all dusty
and moth h-eaten, had perhaps been standing fon
years against the wall in the place where she
now beheld it. She seized it in triumph. ano
rushed to the window, just as the fercest of al
her pursuers had succeeded in forcing the frai
barrier that stood before her. He laughed il
derison as she raised the old umbrella at his
approach, but nevertheless the surprise occa
stoned by the movement caused him to draw
back. In an instant the countess had sprung
upon the sill of the open window, and before
he had recovered selfpossession enough tc
grasp her garments, she had disappeared
through the easement. -l @sat @>E aH
A cry of horror burst from the groupof brl.
gands as they rushed forward to the window,
fully expecting to behold the form of the fail
countess dashed to pieces on the pavement o.
the courtyard. But the old umbrella, which
she still held in firm grasp, had saved her
from death and dishonor It had opened in
her descent, and catching the breeze as she fell
was bearing her gently to the ground, where
she alighted unharmed, and reaching the gate
before her pursuers had even thought OF de-
scending the stairs, found refuge at the cot
tage of one of the peasants Of the estate, The
SC Ey,ire of