Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1859-06-03

fountain sings checrily its happy song:
"Fond, faithful and true!-Jond, faithful
and true ~
POPULATION OF TIC GRAvE.-From
careful and extensive calculations it
seems the average of human births per
second, since the birth Of Christ to this
time, is about SIS which gives about
$4,000, 900, 900; and after deducting
the supposed population Of the world
600, 900, O00,) leaves tho number
that have gone down to the grave 3d.
C4O, 0O0, 900; and thus Death and the
grave have the victory over the living,
to the number of 80, 00S, 900, 900!
OF this number in the grave, there have
died by
War, 5000, OOO,OOO
Famine and pcstilence, 1920, 100000
Martyrdom, 5O0,C0O,OOo
Intoxicating drink, SO,OOO,O0O
Natural causes, &C., 12,OO0,O 100000
War and strong drink, it will thus
be seen, have sent nearly one-third of
the human race to premature grave
The calculations on this subject might
be extended to an almost indefinite
length, and perhaps, too, with proprie-
ty, If thought and meditation would
dwell upon them and deduce the moral
they contain. For instance, if strong
drink has had its $50 10000 Of VIC
tins, how many more must it have be-
fore tbs moderate drinher will lay his
shoulder to the work of reform
Suppose thirty days Of intense agony
and misery to be the lot of each drunk
ards family of five each--think for q
moment what the aggregate would be !!
Suppose it required even no more than
fifty bushels Of grain distilled to make
Il man a drunkard-how long would it
last furnishing Europe nay, the whole
universal world? 1t would amount in
all to what is sufficient for 5S,O0O,O0O
barrels Of flour JILL, Cd
Again: suppose that the drunkard
loses or wastes only ten years of his
life, at three shillings per day--how
many solid globes of gold of the size
Of our earth would it ($655 ,O80, OOO,-
000) purchase Make your own cal
culations, not only on these supposed
cases, but any Others Of which the sub
ject is susceptible, and the result will
astonish you, and perhaps lead you to
somewhat different course Of life.
The estimates are, many Of them, be-
low the reality.-MerchanPs Ledger.
LIVING LINKS WITH DISTANT AGES.
1t is a very interesting thong hit, and
one that may net have suggested itself
to some Of our readers, that events and
characters Of period apparently re-
mote may be, and often are brought
"close home'' to US in the history Of
some aged individuals with whom we
associate. By tracing, in this manner,
the connection through two or three
past generations, it will surprise US to
see at what distant ages we may arrive.
Mr.. Robert Chambers, in an article
which appeared in the Edinburgh
Journal, (1847,) says:
"There is living, in the vicinity Of
Aberdeen, a gentleman who can boast
of personal acquaintance with an indi-
vidual who had seen and conversed
with another who certainly had been
present at the Battle Of Flodden Field"
Marvellous as this may appear, it is not
less true. The gentleman to whom the
allusion is made was personally ac-
quainted with the celebrated Peter Gar
den, Of Auchterless, who died in 1775,
at the reputed age Of ISL, although
there is reason to believe he was sever
al years older. Peter, in his young
days, was servant to Garden, Of Troup,
whom he accompanied on a journey
through the North to England, when he
saw and conversed with the famous
Henry jenkins, who died in 1910, at
the age Of 100. jenkins was born in
1901, and was, Of course, II years old
at the period Of the Battle Of Flodden
Field; and, on that memorable occa-
sion, he bore arrows to an English no
bleman, whom he served in the capaci-
ty Of page. F'When we think Of such
things" adds Mr.. Chambers, s'the Or
binary laws Of nature seem to have un-
dergone some partial relaxation, and
the dust Of ancient times almost be-
comes Lying flesh before our eyes.''
The CITIES OF THE DEAD.-The Cit
les Of the dead are not all found at
Herculeaneum and Pompeii, nor in the
depths of the sea. The saddest picture
of human weakness and decay is not
found in the crumbled tomb of nations,
nor in the shadowy vestiges of the en-
pires passed from earth. Could you
read that haggard visage-could you
trace the history of that sullen look,
and penetrate into the unutterable Sc
crets Of that lustcrless eye, dim with
unextinguishable remorse or sorrow
what graves would not be open to your
gaze! Buried hopes, buried joys, bu-
ried aspirations what realm Of aw-
full desolation would it not present.
spectre haunted cities of the dead.
The misfortunes Of time have been to
that once ..,
"Rare and stately palace of the sou1,'
as the seething lava to the cities at the
base Of the me untain; the joys, hopes,
aspirations, and all the glowing groups
OF heavenly visitants that once dwelt
therein have been borne down and over
whelmed with disappointment, doubts,
and fears.
A SHOT IN THE Flock We wonder