The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1858-01-07
DIOaENEs.

by pirates, who carried him to Creete, and
exposed him for sale as slave. On being
asked what he could do, he replied: Gov
ern men ; sell me, therefore, 10 one who
wants master. Ncniadcs, a wealthy Cor
inthian, struck with this reply, purchased
him, and, on returning to Corintb, gave him
his liberty and consigned his children to his
education. The children were taught TO be
Cynics, ,:1uch to their own satisfaction. 1t
WAS during this period that his world re-
nowned interview with Alexander took
place.-Thc prince, surprised at not seeing
| Diogens joining the crowd of his tlattcrers
went to see him. He found the Cynic sit
ting in his tub, baskirg in the sun. 4 am
Alexander the Great said he L am Dlo-
genes the Cynic,' was the reply. Alexander
then asked Inn if there was anything he
could do for him. yes, stand aside from
between me and the SUM- Surprised at
such indifference to princcly f;,vor-an in
difference so striking'y contrasted with
everything he could hitherto have witness
cd-he exclaimed Were I not Alexander,
would be Diogcncs One day, being
brought before the King, and Lciug asked
who hc was, Dioycnes replied "a spy on
your cupidity,'-ianguage the boldncss of
which must have gained him universal ad-
miration, because implying great sngularIy
as we'll as force of character.
Singularity and insolcnce may be regard
cd rs his grand characteristics. Both of
these are exemp!ilicd in the ancctlote of his
lighting lamp in the daytime, and pccring
about the streets rs if earnestly seeking
something being asked what he sought, he
replied, "A Man The point ofths story is
lost in the usual version, Which makes him
seek San honest man. Diogcncs did not
seek honesty he wanted to find Man, in
whom honesty would be included with many
other qualities. 1t was his constant reproach
to his contemporaries, that they had no man
hood. He said he had never seen men at
Sparta he had seen children at Athens
women. One day he called out, Approach,
all men? When some approached, he beat
them back with his club saying, L called
for men; We are excremcnts.'
Thus he lived till his nineteenth year. Dit
ter rutal, ostcntacious, and abstemious ::
disgracing the title of The Dog Qor dog
has affection, gratitude, sympathy, and ca
;, ressing manners) yet growing over his un-
cnvied virtue as cur growls over his meat
less bone, forever swapping and snarling
without occasion an object of universal at
tention, and, from many quarters, of un-
feigned admiration. One day his friends
went to see him. On arriving at the porlico
under which he was wont to sleep, they
found him still: lying on the ground wrap.
ped in bis cloak. He seemed TO sleep.
They pushed aside the folds of his cloak
he was dead.
Hourishing Condition Of the african
Stare Trade.-Notwithstanding the general
breakdown in the financial and commercial
affairs of the civilized world, we perceive
that there is one branch of business which
continues in tho most fourshing and pros
porous condition. We allude to the prolita-
bic taflic in niggcrs between the coast of
Africa and the Island of Cuba. Vessel after
vessel arrives at tho "ever faithful island,"
with two, three, four, five, six, orseven hun
drcd niggers, fresh from the sod," and they
are landed and run off into the interior with
out tho slightest difficulty. The Yankee
captains and traders have pockcted in this
way, no doubt, a sufficient quantity ofspecie,
in twelve months operation, to enable nil
the banks Of New England to resume specie
payments, if the said traders would only in
vest their money for this object. But we
presume that their slave trade profits are ap.
proprated for newclippcrs and new ventures
for more niggcrs, and the Southern fire. eaters
may make the most oft. The African slave
trade is a Nothern monopoly, excepting a
little schooner now and then from Baltimore.
anG the Southern fire-eatcis couldn't COM
pete with the Yankees if they were to trv,
for the Puritans are old hands in the busi.
ness, and know all the ins and outs of every
barracoon along the African coast. Talk
of whale oil why. one vessel slipped into
Cuba with five hundred niggers, is worth
dozen whaling voyages.-New York Her.
aid.
The fact has long been known to build
ers, yet apparently but little regarded by
by them, that the action of coal gas is
highly destructive to mortar. L; is not un-
usual; to find cbimneys in which bricks
maintain a position in a mere honeycomb
or weakened lime cement, through which
large holes may be found Communicating
with the open all, or with the most infiam-