The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1858-11-25

| somewhat, yet not case-hardened like that of
| his shpmate. silken brown beard, short and
disposed to curl, covered his lips. cheeks, and
chin, and he had his neck free, save of the
black cravat with flowing ends over which his
collar was rolled. A very handsome. frank.
capable, reliable young seaman he appeared to
be, quick, willing, and intelligent The Cap
tain accosted the elder of the two steersmen:
! "How's her head, old Brawny Back?r
| "NOthewest-leetlew west, SIR responded the
seaman.
swell give her point more to the north -
Best not, sir, responded the man, sturdiy.
| "Why not, Brawny Back I? " Intercepted the
Captain, mildly, for the old man was old in the
ways of the waters.
Because this easterly amt going to hold us
two hours. An L know the Cape and weather.
ed it sixteen times have IT, added the old chap,
with little pride in the tone of his voice, the
old fellow over yander amt a-going to let us off
this easy, and the lands too close under our lee
now for US to try and play off any tricks upon
him, Cap'n, especially as we're likely to get a
slap or two from the Hell-breeze
"Hell-breeze! old Brawny Back, what do YOU
mean by that! If it would melt the ice from
oar rigging and the s1eet from our decks, it
would not be bad visiter, blow as hot as it may,
would it, Matey
"Taint that sort, Cap'n," said the old steers
that blows your masts over if you face it. and
smashes in your stern if you scud, and ANYHOW
sends you on the breakers, or on an ice-moun
tain, if you haint got a wide offing. 1t comes
from the sou'west, and you haint seen it vet,
Cap'n."
"Pshaw, B. B., you're getting old. Look, the
sun is out, and the sea quiet, scarce white
cap to be seen. In thirty-six hours, we'll be
way out in the Pacific, almost in the Trades,
and on our way to Valparaiso. Matey, let's
shake that reef out of the main t'gallant-s'l.r
and cheerily he trod the quarter deck
l Now it was Jasper that stood at the wheel
with Brawny Back, managing the spokes with
firm hand.
Not the same Jasper that used to play with
white Jewel down the sunny lane, and tease
Ruth into laughter. Nor vet that Jasper, for
lornly desperate, who fled from home and friends
by night, because of broken love and blighted
hope There is spirit in man at a certain age,
this of Jasper, spirit engendered of the Grass
and exuberant humors of youth which is very
imperfectly comprehended. Goethe, without
having experienced it, has, with a wonderful ac-
curacy, diagnosed its mooder manifestations in
his Werther. Byron tired it, and set it to music,
in his Childe Harold and his romances Yet
few have properly understood this " fervid sea-
son of youth, so exaggerated in imagining, so
boundless in DESIRES" though many have pro-
posed grand intalHble panaceas for its evils.
For instance, the Werther remedy-efectual,
no doubt, as the English method of crushing out
rebellion in India, by blowing the rebels from
the mouths of cannon, and in divers other
ways annihilating them--yet remedy entirely
subversive of economical laws. Your Lord
George not only did not suggest remedy, but
even proved in his own person the ineihcacy of
another cure-all, very popular here latterlv,
viz: E
" TO look on nature,
hearing oftentimes l
The still sad music of humanity" D..
Perhaps were it practicable, the suggestion of
worthy Herr Diogenes Enthusiastically that " it
were a real increase of human happiness, could
all young men from the age of nineteen be
covered under barrels or rendered otherwise in
visible and there be left to follow their lawful
studies and callings, till they emerged, sadder
and wiser, at the age of twenty-five" contains
very excellent solution of the problem but it
= unfortunately is not. We must look elsewhere
/ for our specific. And it is this: Let our
youth learn from the plenitade of his own
experience and the direr and sadder that
experience the better for him-that "spiritual
: music can spring only from discords set in uni
son. that hut for evil, there were no good, as
Y victory is only possible after battle" and then
I he will be able to appreciate and act up to the
fact that the end of man is an action, not
thought and brings himself thus within the
circle of truly possible magic, wherein ts york
with the Faust purpose:
Dass ich erkenne, die Welt
I'm lnneTsen zusamm n halt
| Schau' allie Wrkenskrafi und Samen,
| Uid thu NIGHT nehr III Weren kramen"
Our Jasper was in the fermenting state, with
out fixed aims, without knowing either himself,
or what to do, himself being agent, and yet,
through the minsterings of that potent wizard,
| Employment, to all outward appearance, and
for all reasonable intents and purposes, strong
and healthy. You take man from a bilious
country, his eye yellow and injected, his skin
tawny, his blood slow, his motions lazy, and his
temper cross-in Short giving every evidence
of having diseased or torpid liver; you trans
plant him into some purer air, change his diet,
make him exercise and he seems to be com
pletely regenerate but return him to his mala-
rious atmosphere months afterwards, and he is
stricken down with fever, for the seeds Of the
disease still in his system. And so it is
with Jasper. The bile remains in the system
he has not purged himself of it with the specf-
les indicated by the symptoms has gone
through no course of calomel-set himself up
with no invigorating quinias, but, changing Of
scene, the stimulatig, Influences Of a new mode
of life, 4 series of experiences, acquaint-
ance with new phase of humanity, contact
with Nature in her loftier manifestations, and
the great distracter, labor, have sptheed 70 rem
der him for the timp being q very tolerable
| fellow au anomaly, nevertheless, for with the
undeyeloped wildness fyouth-morbid cratic
untempered youth--he has combined tho life
| (less the ams) of steady, earnest manhood. A
strong handed sailor no seems to his fellows
with bright prospects for a " foremost man" of
his years and 70 seem SO is much indeed, for it
evidences proper doing of his duties in the
path of life he had chosen A "wide and fair
inheritance vas his, for he was an heir of
time ...I
A firm friendship had grown up between him
and Brawny Back, which latter was stout
hearted old seaman, son of Neptune, knowing
no nationalities but free by conquest ai all salt
water guilds; a whale sshe5 nom ON his youth an
honest SD sea heart, soaked in brine, and redo,
lent Of the wave; an antique Norman OH his
travels, whom one would not at any tine wonder
| at finding on his way home 10 wife and children
under the coral reef; skilful sailor, learned in
the lore and superstitions of the forecastle re-
| ligious with the rough instinct of an ignorant
observer of Natures mighty ways; and loving
Jasper with the devotedEegs u q Newfoundland
| dog. .-
| Jasper, my hearty" said he, looking out
anxiously to leeward when the Captain was out
of hearing, Jasper, thou hast heard of men to
whom bad luck keeps sticking to the end like
| Jonah -
| e Like me- old tanned one yes"
= Nay, never like thee, lad, 1 hope; but men
who are driven or led ON to do the very thing
! thai wall Xiii them-men who lean on rotten
tafrail to look at the sharks that are even then
whetting their teeth for them 49,
Yes, yes. The ase@ pews cult pcrdere
sort"