The weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1858-1860, 1858-08-24

NJ. Williams OF the Utica Herald writes.
Damascus il called in tho maguiloouent
language Of i'ir ant, the Eye Of the
East 1t Is sa.u that whom the Prophet
FIRST beheld it from the summit Of the west.
ern hills, he turned aside with the remark
that % it was given to man to have one Par
adise, he should not choose on earth. BY
many, Damascus 10 believed to occupy the
spot where the blood Of the righteous Abel
was shed, and on . mountain not very far
to the westward, tradition points out his tomb.
| But if Damascus is fairest Of towns with
out it is no less foul within. OF oil cities |
iire crer seen, it 10 the dirtisst and most
unwholesome. From the moment you enter
its walls you forget that such thing a. .
flower or green field ever existed Clouds
| ofdust are perpstually flying over the Streets
binding and choking the wayfarer. The
streets themselves are miracle of dirtiness
and narrowness and tortuosity and bad
odors. Piles OF filth are reeking in the most
prominent thoroughfares, dead cats and dogs
are rotting on every side; oxen and sheep
and calves are being slaughtered in the mid
die OF the streets; and every horror, conceive
able and uncomfortable, runs riot Half the
persons you meet are sore eyed, or blind, or
crippled or deformed in some way or other.
L
hundreds and dog you wherever you 60
Dogs in every stage Of disease and decay
some dead, some dying and some sleeping
| dogs affected with the scurvy, dogs rotting
with leprosy, dogs in the last stages Of oph-
| thalmia-dogs far gone into decline" are
lying about so thick that with difficulty you
can pick your way. These NANCY wretches
HAUNT enough vitality to move out of the
way, but rather suffer themselves to be trod-
den under foot, and mangled and murdered
by the iron hoofs of your horse They sleep
all the day and howl all the night they
don't seem to have any owners, or any
homes but the streets. They dine on dirt
and offall and the refuse of butchers stalls
and lead precarious life Of it altogether.
Yet with all it's dirt and sIualor, Damas-
Gus is one Of the wealthiest cities in the
world. He who sees only its narrow streets
and its squalid million has little concep-
ton of the splendor and magnifcence Of its
moro lordly mansions. The private palaces
OF Damascus are perhaps unriyalled in the
world Here, of all the cities of the East
is the magnidcence of Oriental life most
strikingly exhibited. Let me describe to
you the interior of a Damascus house, two |
or three Of which, through the courtesy of |
the Russian Consul, was permitted to visit |
I GU enter through mean looking door in a |
mud wall, into kind of lodge, whore porters
and other domestics are lounging. Passing
through this, you are admitted into spa.
cious triangle paved with MARBLE in the |
center of which fountain is gushing up its
crystal current, cooling the atmosphere and
lulling the senses by its musical flow
Around this fountain are lemon and orange
trees, and evergreens and towering shrubs
Running around this quadrangle Is an ar
cade, supported by slender columns, giving
admission to the lower apartments, which
are deliberately painted and gilded -Rich
carpets and divans and cushions of damask
and velvet, embroidered with gold, cover the
doors. A side passage from the open court
IS appropriated to itself. In some Of the larg-
sr apartments, fountains of marble and ala
oaster are playing.
The air even at midday is deliciously cool,
md is ladened with the fragrance of the
lowers. Swallows and tame pigeons
Iae fitting about and carroling among the
rees. The hottl at which am stopping,
kept by one Demetri, a Greek, is one of the
'est specimens of a private palace in Dam
sous A noble fountain is playing before
ne as | write, and the perfume Of orange
blossoms fills the air. My room is richly i
and the door and window castings
nd ceiling, are beautifully carved and gid
d. 1t looks out upon the marble pave be-
DIV, where servants and dragomen and mer-
hants and travellers, are promiscuousy :,
oungins. This house, by the way, has "
lstory. TWAS owned by an intimate friend :
t ibrahim Pacha, with whom that renown-
hero was accustomed to stop whenever
o came to Damascusf. One day the Pasha
1und this friend" conspiring against him,
'hereupon he very coolly cut off his head b
nd eoniistleated his property. don't
now how it came to float into the hands of 8
$ present proprietor; but the palace that
nee entertained Pasha, now snter.ains
ravelers.
About thirtyhye years ago there lived in
he town of H., certain Dir. H., VINO became NJ
cry much enamored of beautiful Young !,
ady, who resided in the same town. lnthe
curse OF time they were engaged to be =
The doctor was strong and de- /
ided Presbyterian. His lady love was =
trong and decided Baptist They were
ltting together one evening talking of
heir approaching nuptials, when the doctor ;.
emarked:
Il am thinking my DEAR of two events
Ihich shall number among the happiest
my life"
"And pray what may they be DOCTOR re-
larked the lady. :
"Ihe one is the hour when shall call you
fife for the first time II
and the other 2
at is when we shall present our first born
)r baptism
What for sprinkling?7
:" estmy dear, sprinkling
Never shall child OF mine be sprink-
d." n
Every child of mine shall be sprnkled."
'Ihey shall be, ha?
''les my love- !,
We'll, sir, can tell you then, that q
our babies won be my babies So good e.
ght, SIR ~
The lady left the room, and the doctor left G.
le house. The sequel to this true story was ~ ~
rat the doctor never married and the lady
an old maid
"a SUCKER. Bishop Ames, of the Meth
list Church, within preaching in the Third
resbyterian Church in Indianapolis, got
! pretty good pun. 1t is known that
lie inhabitants Of Illinois are called "Suck-
IS, as those of Indiana are called Hoo
ers.' The Bishop, it appears, once got lost TO
a q prairie in Illinois, and came very near
hiking under fatigue and exposure. At
myth he discovered cabin in the distance
o got to the door and knocked. and the
ne looked for Sucker (succor) came! 1
The Culture OF THE VoIcE-There is no !
udy more eminently practical than that of :
usic. There is no form OF life for which it AZ
,nnot be made useful, no vocation to which
may not be made subseryient 1t sweet n
ls the atmosphere of the boudoir, it ilIu- Of
mates the darkest shop Of the artisan the :,
,ng OF schools makes happy the home of N
lie weary laborer and the anxious merchant, pc
relieves the couch of sorrow, and imparts w
testiyity its highest pleasure There is
lother reason why music should be made
4 element in school instruction 1t is the
rst step in the direction of physical culture. =
is not only the first, but the most impor-
mt step in that direction The culture of
at majestic organ, the human voice. OF
hich it has been well said, that it seems
one, to have the power of
"Uatsisttng al The chains thar tie
lie of h4Tm