The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-04-02
R { M | N | S CE N CE S.
BY GAIL HAMILTON.

BY GAIL HAMILTON.
Many, many years ago, before the Ocean Tel
egraph had become necessity, and Mrs. Par
| tington was not yet, was young.
Gazing down the dim vista of the past-that
kindly and BENEVOLENT vista which has served so
many useful turn to distressed poetasters and
| halffedged novelists IL discern through the
veil which time and sorrow have woven around
me, diminutive time-stained edifce (which,
| being interpreted, means little brown house, J
standing upcn the unprotected summit of d
treeless, shrubless hill Viewed from dis
tance, it has nondescript appearance. 1t may
be the cottage of a rustic laborer yet, it bears
no marks of homeness; or it may be barn, in
spite of the windows; you cannot tell. A
nearer approach, however, dispels all doubt, Of
! fering testimony not to be gainsaid that this is
none other than the house where Young Amer
lea begins to learn how he may
"Bes,ride this world like Colossus"
This is school-house. Would any other roof
tree be so ruthlessly exposed to the pelting of
the pitiless storm and the embraces of the still
more pitiless sun, or would any other roof sub
tend such an acute-angle? Would thrifty
Yankee housewife suffer her bare and mar.
row cottage" to lend its swart face so matronly
to "baby-fngers, waxentouches 2" In this
very respect it is-ridiculed by the fastidious,
but lauded by those who have deeper insight
into the nature of things-that this edi6ce
claims advantage over the more pretending
ones of modern days. Look at the stately, three.
story, brick structures, that have superseded
the humble architecture of Lang Syne. There
may be good, substantial workmanship there
may be even artistic excellence but you see
only what the mason, the joiner, and the paint.
er, have done. On the unadorned expanse of
its walls, there is no indication of undeveoped
power, no spontaneous effusion of untutored
genius. Come hither, and behold my school
house, ye scoffers, who affirm that there is no
art in America. See its kindly 'front.' the pic
ture gallery of a score of youthful limners
Here, outlined in red chalk, in glorious defiance
of all conventional rules, is profile of the hu-
man face divine" surmounted by a hat, a some
what elongated species of the genus infundbuli-
form. The striking preponderance and excelsior
tendency of true nasal appendage is q feature
which Yankee precocity always bestows upon
such productions; and is doubtless an early and
slightly erratic development of that propensity
which, at later period of life, induces its DOS.
SCISSOR to roam the wide world over, acknowl.
eding the organ in question as his only guide.
Here, too, close by, is proof which metaphy-
scians will do well not to scorn, that the desire
of Immortality is natural to man. "Peter
Jowder," with the Ubiquitous Yankee jack knife
has evinced his wish in>h~-A yA--ri.-----~-
ne,f.sn;sy.cr,-srbzsuur than brass. Here,
where the ravages of time have been repaired
with half a dozen new shingles, Jack Lincoln
has incribed, with black-ball, in immortal verse,
his constancy and devotion
"sarah, love you,
Sarah do
Sarah, believe me.
Sarah It's uue.'
Ho! Jack Lincolnl With what infinite relief
he used to fiddle and sing the stirring notes of
good old Coronation" / see him now, sur
rounded by group of admiring faces, his head
thrown proudly back one bare foot advanced
beating time, and his black eyes glowing with
excitement Hero Jack He disappeared
among the wilds of the far, far West, and the
shaggy coat of many an ilstarred bruin has,
doubt not, bore witness to his prowess. Brave
Jack Lincolnl l have never heard of you since,
but you had the ring of true metal, my boy.
1t would be idle to attempt an enumeration
Let us approach the inner shrine of the temple;
and as we are of a metaphysical turn, mark the
door, and tell me, pray you, what is the lesson
it teaches? Certes, there needs no ghost to say
that the inhabitants of this village are peace
full and honest folk, dwelling each man in his own
tent, and laying not greedy hands on his neigh.
boris estate. For do you not see that one of the
lower panels of the door is gone, yet its absence
causeth no alarm else why is this the fourth
summer since the untimely departure, and the
breach is not yet healed? Verify, these quiet
people have solved the problem at which willy
diplomatists have worked in vain and Pal
merston might have learned from the humble
villagers the art of preserving the status quo.
Bereaved of its panel, however, that door has
been invested with an interest WHICH its pri.
meval integrity would never have created. Many
a passer-by, ignorant of the popularity which
distinguishes this door above its fellow doors,
has opened his eyes to an unwonted width, al
seeing little white head protruding through
The lower part Of the closed portal. If curiosity
led him to observe closely the phenomenon, he
will observe writhing, irregular, and constantly
| increasing motion; and he will presently ascer-
tain that bold young adventurer, scorning the
commonplace method Of commonplace people,
is striving to emerge thus to the outer world.
And when his laudable efforts are crowned with
success, with what thrill of exultation does
he look back upon this "new Thermopyle."
We, however, are not to be supposed hardy
enough to adopt the youngsters resource, and
will content ourselves with following the multi
| tude through the open doef.
From the absence of all clothing in the hall,
| (if SO you may designate this four-footv box,l
| YOU might infer that the school is not now in
session but your judgment Is premature for,
besides that the hall could not contain all the
| cloaks, hats, bonnets, mittens, comforters,
skates, dinner-pails, and cofeejugs, the owners
! Of these wares prefer to have their property
under their own immediate supervision. 1t is,
moreover, an agreeable exercise, just before the
close of school, when the "irst class" are deep
in the mysteries of ad-cap-tandums uul gus, 10
! ccnntirats the popuIace ad.tfnen, to the end,
! (vide Noah Webster,j LOT VIZ = younger ones S1 s
1 run over the tops of the benches in searcn Va
hats and bonnets which mischievous school
mates have hidden. A still stronger motive
induces the feminine portion of this little COM
munity to take their wearing apparel with them:
lreier to the ruling passion for "cuddy. houses"
Know you not what cuddy house Isl Alas !
poor unsophisticated city friend, let me en-
tighten your benighted mind. So far as my re-
searches extend, cuddy-h house is a species of
architecture that came into the world since
Sir Kit went out of it. The fashion is pecu-
liarity to certain localities in our great and
glorious land but where it has taken root, it
is clung to with tenacity worthy the descend.
1 ants Of Bradstreet and Winthrop. Few ped
agogues have had the temerity to atteppt its
overthrow, and fewer still have succeeded.
More than one radical young Dominic has been
summarily elected from his curule chair, as the
result of his foolhardy undertaking. But, not
to keep your curiosity any longer at bay, will
explain, as well as may, the nsodus operands,;;