Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1856-07-16
CH0lCg LITERATURE.
Night of the Unhappy.

Night of the Unhappy.
An old man stood in the New Year mid
night, at his window, and looked with the eye
of long despair up to the immovable, always
blooming sky, and down on the still, pure
white earth, on which now there was no one so
ljoyless and sleepless as he. Then his grave
drew near him; it was only concealed by the
snow Of age, not by the verdure of you th; and
he had brought out of the whole rich life moth
ing but the errors, Gins and sickness of an en-
feebled body, desolated soul, breath full of
poisons and old age full of remorse.
His beautiful youthful days came back to
him to-day as spectres, and led him far away
back again to the fair morning when his father
first set him out upon the highway of life,
which, to the right, leads upon the sun path
Of virtue into wide and quiet land full flight
and harvests, and full of angels, and which to
the left leads down into the molepath Of vice,
into black cavern. full of dripping poisons,
and full of dismal close exhalations. Oh the
serpents hung around his breast and the pois-
on drops to his tongue, and he knew not
where he was.
Beside himself, and with unspeakable grief,
he cried cut to Heaven-"Oh, give me youth
again Oh, Father, set me out once more
upon the highway, that may choose the other
path !" But his father and his youth were
past long ago! He saw ignes .tatui dance
over the marshes, ,and go out upon the grave
yard and he said, "They are my foolish
daysp
He saw star shoot from heaven, simmer
in its fall and vanish on the earth. That is
me y said his bleeding heart and the serpent
fang of remorse dug deeper in the wounds.
His glowing Imagination revealed to him tot
tering sleep-walkers on the roof the tall
windmill raised its arms, threatening to crush
him and mask, which had been left in the
empty charnel-house, by degrees assumed
his own features.
Suddenly, in the midst of this struggle, the
music of the New Year flowed out of the tower
near at hand, like the distant sound Of a church
anthem. His Smind became calmer He look
ed up to the horizon and out over the white
earth and he thought on the friends of his
youth, who, now happier and better than he
We're teach hers on the earth, fathers of happy
children, and blessed Of men, and he said
ooh l might also have slumbered with clos
ed eyes on this first ght Of the year, if had
willed it! Oh! might also have been hap
py, nay dear parents, had | followed your
n ew Years wishes and instructions.
Amidst the feverish "reminiscences of his
youth, it appeared to him as if the mask,
Will Llo ISdLuICS, SlOOu up III Tie CudFHel
house; and, at last, by means Of that super
stiton which on New Years eve sees ghosts
and future events, it was changed into lir-
ing youth.
lie could look at it no more! He vailed
sofvfnge is,
but very low, beside himself and grie(-strick-
en-, Come again, only once, oh youth come
again y
And it came again for he had only dream
ed so bitterly, in the New Years midnight.
He was still young man only his wander
ings were no dream. But he thanked God
that he, still so young, could turn back from
the dark track of vice, and set out again up
on the sunny path of virtue, which leads tc
the fair land Of harvests
Turn with him, young reader, if thou stand
est on his path of error This fearful dream
will some times become thy reality. but once
thou shalt cry, full of anguish, Come bacl
to me beautiful days Of youth !" ah, they vii
come back never again!
p-
SLEEP-Six or seven hours of every day
men ar e breathing corpses; the face dischar
ges expression the brain gives up thinking
life is gone ; only the animal lies there, pul
sating, breathing, snoring-helpless as an in
fant-unnoticed as a stature; all gone, al
vacant, empty, useless. Looked at withou
fbdrSataa bddf%een man in bed and NAH III EBfnh6
And vet, such is the power of the heart
redeem animal life, and clothe all rude an
uncommon things with its own leaf bearin
branches, that there is nothing more exquls
ite refined, pure and beautiful than the chan
ber of the house. Sleep-it has sprouted u
with all the poets. The couch-from the da
that the bride sanctiies it to the day that tt
AGED mo ther is borne from it-stands clot
ed with dignity and beauty Cursed be Il
tongue that dare speak evil of the househo
bed. By its side oscillates the cradle-n
far from it is the crib. In this sacred pr
cinct, the mothers chamber, lives the heart
. the family. Here the child learns its pra
J. ers. Hither, night by night angels troop.
Angling There is certainly something
y angling that tends to produce gentleness
spirit, and pure sincerity of mind. As
English are methodical, even in their recrt
tions. and are the mos. scientific of Sportsmt
il has been reduced among them to pert
rule and system. Indeed, it is an amusem'
J neculiarly adapted to the mild and highly Gu
e waited scenery Of England, where every rouI
)r ness has been softcned away from the lam
y cape. 1t is delightful to saunter along tn
i. lin pid streams, which meander like veins
e silver through the bosom OF this beantl
ut country, Leading US through ulNeIoieJ
! ornamented grounds; sometimes rum
= along through rich pasturage, where the tr
green is mingled with sweet smelling tiowe
ut sometimes venturng in sight of village
be hamlet, then running capriciously away
de shady retirements. The sweetness and
ed enity of nature, and the quiet watchfulI
!. of the sport, gradually bring on pleasant
of musing which are now and then gel
ny interrupted by the song of the bird, the
ees tant whistle Of the pheasant, or perhaps
TO. yagary of some fish leaping out Of the
water, and skimming transiently abou
CLASSY surface e. Washington Irring.
Attend to Your Pedches.-The Alab
Planter says A gentleman handed as
terdav the following, which may be of
vice to some Of our readers. \ frien
om- mine has just informed rne Of the succe:
and met with by the application Of charco
Gu peach trees. A few years ago he had
and fine peach trees in his garden which inv
on bly, had wormy fruit, and the trees wer
of gum. When the fruit was about tn,
olne of marbles, he had the earth removed
yard each about two feet round and three il
wide deep, and filled with charcoal.-The
es of was that the fruit grew to a fine size
and from worms, and every year since the
X all has been good and the trees became ht
.om and free from gum, while two trees left