Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1856-07-23

summer, may De-and tnen com
back home for the winter If you look ava.
yonder-there-jus this side of that high poin
ike church-steeple, only lower down, there
4 place looks darker than the rest. Now, it
Just there | expect that great piece has broker
off and drifted away and calculate twas low
er and more shelving off-not so steep ant
rockville as it is now. Twas there that poo
chap was cast ashore from ship or boat. III
was trying to make his way up to the height
to take look round and hoist signal, whel
he lay down and went asleep, and never wok
again only where he is now, you see,must hay
been covered with snow then, or he couldn'
have kept his footing"
Having said thus much, he replaced the quiz
in his mouth, and spoke no more.
There was no earthly use in waiting longer
and yet the captain seemed 10th to give the or
der to fill and bear away.
''If the poor fellow had spark OF life in him
he would have moved before this, for it's six o
seven hours since we first saw him. But if h
did move, it would only be to slide down owe
the precipice, for no living thing could keep
footing on such slope as that. And If ther
are any more of them we should have seen then
before this time, although we could never ge
them off if we did"
Then pausng suddenly in his walk on tn
quarterback, he gave an order to get gun read
forward, and presently came the answer:
"All ready with the gun, sir"
"Firem
In few seconds the echo of the loud report re
sounded from the icy wall; for another instan
all was still, and then came noise like rat'
ling of loud thunder, proceeding from the centr
of the berg.
The danger of our proximity to this vast oh
iect now became more and more apparent, an
all sail was made to get q good otfing. But w
had barely proceeded quarter OF q mile whe
the same noise was heard again, only louder
more prolonged, and accompanied by rendne
crushing sound, the intensity and nature, c
which is perfectly indescribable. The vast is
land was parting in the middle, down the cours
of the deep valley before mentioned; and slowl
and maiestically the eastern half rolled overint
the sea, upheaving what had been its base, i
which were imbedded huge masses of rock GOV
cred with long sea-weed. The other part sti
remained erect, but was swaying to and fro,
if it also must capsze. This convulsion cause
less foam and turmoil than might have been SUI
posed, but raised wave of such tremendou
magnitude, that when it reached our ship sh
seemed about to be overwhelmed by rollin
of water higher than our masthead:
The good ship rose upon its crest, and befor
again sinking into the hollow, we saw the ina
upon the iceberg-still in the same posture
glide swiftly down the slippery incline-shoc
over the edge of the precipice, and plunge int
the raging surf.
A sensation of inexpressible relief was exper
enced by all; it had seemed so dreadful to sa
away and leave him there, unburied and alone
now, at any rate, we had seen the last ofhim.
Super-siIly Extravaganza.
A fashionable dry goods dealer advertises
lace scarf worth fifteen hundred dollars. ( Al
other has bridal dress, for which he asks twelv
hundred dollars. Bonnets at two hundred do
lars are not unfrequently sold. Cashmeres fror
three hundred dollars and upwards are seen b
dozens in walk along Broadway. A hundre
dollars is quite common price for silk gowI
In word, extravaganza in dress has reached
height which would have frightened our pruder
grandmothers, and appalled, their husbands. !
fashionable lady spends annually on her mantuf
maker and lace-dealer, q sum that would hav
supported an entire household, even in her ow
rank in life, in the days of Mrs. Washington. !
thousand dollars year is considered, we ar
told, quite q narrow income for such purposes {
mong those pretending to be in society in som
of our cities. Add to this the expenditure fc
opera tickets, for a trip TO the Springs, and for
score of little inevitable ct ceteras, and the reac
er gets some idea of the comparatively wanto
waste of money, carried on year after year, b
thousands, if not tens of thousands of America
women.
And for what end2 Do these human butter
flies improve their intellect, enlarge their Gu
ture, or elevate their characters by this spenc
thrift system9 On the contrary, they deterlt
rate all Do they bestow additional happineS
on their husbands and fathers3 The very rt
verse for to sustain these extravagances, tn
father or husband, as the case may be, tolls lat
and early, consumes his health, and often is drly
en- into Wild specuations that end in utter ruir
Do they win the approval of the other sex Z
Never was the esteem ofany worthy man secure
by costly, reckless style of dress All that TN
perilous extravaganza effects is, to crafty mise
rable, personal vanity. The fostering OF one
the most petty of human vices is the only resul
of these spendthrift habits. Mrs. Poripha
plumes herself on having outshone her rival j
laces, at some grand soiree, or in having wor
more jewels; and that is the single, barren hal
vest which she reaps by the expenditure of thou
sands. Can the pampering of such vanity bene
fit her or others? Alas! the women who liv
for such triumphs as these, whose whole soul
are given to diamonds and dress, are little titte
to be wives or mothers, to be companions TO
men or educators of children. When the Roman
matrons sunk to q similar condition, Rome com
nenced to decline
Fortunately for our country, however, sue
painted trihers form but small minority of til
women of America. Unfortunately, however
their influence on society is greater than thei
for, to their extravaganza and vanity i
united presumption, which asserts for them
selves socially superiority over the rest of thei
and this superiority, so unde
served, is conceded to them, partly because o
their apparent wealth. They are thus enabled
to give tone to society at large. Ii
city circles less ostentatious in country villages
and even in farm-houses, their extravaganza ant
vanity is copied, till, in half the families in TIN
land, females spend upon their dress more thai
they can afford. With too many, happily w,
need not say with ALL adornng the person take
the place of mental culture. To be showil,
dressed is often considered to be of more mo
lnent than to be graceful, amable and ndintelligent
Where will this end9 If this continues for an
other generation, where will we be?-Philadel
phiG Ledger.
LEeAoIEs.-The less you leave your children
when you die, the more they will have twent,
years afterwards. Wealth inherited should b,
the incentive to exertion. Instead of that, sit i
the title deed to sloth." The only money tina
does man good is what he earns himself. 4
fortune, like ready-made clothes
seldom fits the lnan who comes into possession
Ambition, stimulated by hope and half-iillet
has power that will triumph owe
beginning with the rich mans con
.umely, and leaving off with the envious man.
malice.