Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1859-02-17

on the day of his death. Some may think the
above impiouS but | would ask them this
question Have you not heard ministers en-
ploy figures in their dscourses which, if close.
ly anayzed, would not appear equally implous?
Doubtless the above was written earnestly,
and irreVerence by no means intended.
/ will give the names of a few, who were
buried in old st. Pauls, in London The
whole list would be interesting to the curious,
but would occupy too much space
Erkenwaldus, the LII, after the Anglo-Saxon
invasion of Britain. Selba, king of the eastern
Saxons. Ethelred, king of the English, son of
king Edgar William, confeSsor to king Edward.
Simon Burley. John GandavensiS, known as
John Of Gaunt, son of Edward Ill. Sir
Christopher Wren, employed by Charles Ii, to
lay out the city after the destructive fire OF
1866. One epitaph from the Church of St.Seph
ulchre, in London, and my allotted space is full:
" Milde Childe, Chaste Mayden, and religious Wife
The Even CrOwnes the Day, Jan Essex, Death her Life
The student of history will derive instruc-
ton, as we'll as amusement, from the perusal of
these relics Of the past. They are the little
index marks on the scale of human progress,
marking the gradual ascent of the world in
strides Such one it took in the age of Au-
gustus Another, when ConStantinople was
taken by the Turks in l454 at the destruc-
ton of the Eastern Empire, and the introduc-
ton of art and new means of studying antiqui-
ty into Italy by the Greeks, who took refuge
there. The period of time between the burn
ing of the bull of Pope Leo Y, by Luther in
Wittemburg, 1920 the treaty of Westphalia,
in l649, is another step. This latter so pro-
digious, that the eyes of all coming generations
will look back to it. In government, we
might cite the signing of Magma Chartar by
King John, 1915 and the passage Of the Ha-
beas Corpus Act in the reign Of Charles II,
May, 1879. These are some of the giant
strides They are visible even to the superb
cial student of history. They tell US, perhaps,
with the exception of the latter two, very little
about social refinement To take them as our
only standard, would be about as foolish, as to
Judge of the character of the people of the
United States from its Congress. We must
visit the homes of the people. Be not content
with a seat in the Cabinet of a Richelieu or
Colbert, but likewise rest beneath the honey
Sucke porch of the peasants cottage. We
must look as they looked on life, and most of
all on DEATH ere we stamp their character on
them For example, have found three minor
sources of information with regard to Eu-
glSh social history The drama, citizen life
in London, English graveyards and churches.
To see how slowly the popular taste was puri-
fed. read the old plays from Gammer Gurton's
Needle up to the Macbeth of Shakespeare. To
trace the progress of household comfort, regard
for health, formation of public libraries, peruse
the old histories of London. Last, but not
least, to get right to the heart of things, go
into a great churchyard, remove the decayed
leaves aud the long grass, bend down and read
While silence is around you read what the dead
give you, and surely you will go out again into
the ceaSeleSs care and tirmoil of life, knowing
more of the olden times, and, what is best OF
all, your heart purified. f.