The weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington, Iowa) 1858-1860, 1860-01-07

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NJ WILLIAM T. coG0k0HALL
[Yrom III Cincnnati 6asstte. Dec. ~
In quaint old book that read recently, it lie
recorded that among the ancient Britons, there
was a superstition that certain hawthorn, in
Glastonbury Abbey, always bloomed on Christmas
day, because it had grown from . twig Of . tree
which Joseph the husband Of Mary the mother
of Christ, had planted.
Then, Wilk- white blossoms hid from view its
rough branches and their sharp points. What,
during all other days. was unattrsctivc to the eve,
ON Christmas commanded admiration. II was
regarded by those simple minded people, Ms an
emblem Of peace-it was typical of loving kind
ness of generous forgiveness, and of liberal glad
ness Sitting around their ample 6reeides, be-
meath twining branches of holly and misletoe,
they forgot the asperities Of life.
One of the early English poets, illustrating
the universal goodfelloWship of the holidays,
| said
"-Even stranger dogs,
Meeting with bristiing backs, soon lay aside
| Their snarling aspect and in spOrtive chase
| Exclusive, scour or wallow in the snow
There is deep moral in the picture of a CON-
munity united in social festivity-for Christian
commemoration, for rcligious encouragement, for
moral counsel educational interest. even for the
celebration Of political anniversaries People
who open wide their hearts, the genial influences
AID welcome, generous impulses whether from
Christian faith, or, indeed from mysterious su.
perstition, are taught that kindness is wisdom
that gladness like mercy Is twice blessed, bless.
ing him who gives and him who reccives--aye,
more than that blessing him also who witnesses.
That is the philosophy Of cheerfulness-a philos.
ophy good not only for Christmas and New
Years Day; for Thanksgiving and Fourth Of July;
for birthdays and golden weddings-but good
for every day between them.
Cfie daln are words from one of the poems OF
Horace, for which we have no equivalent Eng
lish phrase They are translated, the useful with
the pleasant, and thus defined imply the vice Of
melancholy and the virtue of cheerfulness-a
virtue which every student Of human nature
acknowledges to be, not only conservative Of
morals but pronotive of mental yigor and Of
physical health Yet, cheerfulness and friyolity
fun and frolic, play and nonsense, are so init
mately, ifnot perversely, associated in many good
minds, that men in business, mothers at home
teachers III school, declare, by the gravity Of
| their cOuntenances, the decorum Of their de
meanor and the dignity Of the restraints they
impose, that as one Of the poets Of the Age Of
Elizabeth wrote
There's naught in this life sweet
If men were wise to see it,
But only melancholy.
| O, sweetest melancholy
| One Of the instructors of my youth always rep
| rimanded any outburst OF buoyant emotions he
| witnessed among his pupils. With countenanct
as demure as that of an OF in profound slumber
he would command the offender to study the
character of George Washington-the Father Of
his country. He often deliberately argued tina,
Washington was great man, because he was
| grave man. Cur school-n master, Whose grayt,
! wNa ~ iad nv his c,nlJ hal
read, or if he had, Indignantly repudiated stor,
told by Breckenridge, the traveller and vouclled
for with exceeding particularly, that Washing
ton was in. his earlier life guest at dinner par
| ty, to which wit, of much local reputation, had
been invited, and was expected 70 display his
storytelling faculty. He exerted himself brave
ly but failed to meet the expectations of hi.
| friends because General Washington. though at
tentive, appeared to be unmoved either by wit
| humor or satire. When the party broke up, the
wit went to bed restless and unhappy He tho't
he heard some one talking in an adjoining room
He listened. One of his best stories was cor
| rectly repeated. The point" was well made,
| and then there was burst Of loud, hearty laugh.
| ter. Another, and another of the brilliant saw
| iDgs at the dinInr table were repeated, and sue
| seeding each one, there was vigorous demon
stration of JOYOUS appreciation. The wit was
delighted. He recognized the voice. Ever
| alterward did he claim that the most apprecia-
tive listener to his best jokes was George Wash
ington.
John Milton sang
Hail, thou goddess, sage and holy
Hail, divinest melancholy
Whose saiutly visage is too bright
To hit the sense OF human sight"
But Young, who cannot be called lively poet
was nearer truth when he wrote
"'Tis impicus in good man to be sad"
And Dean Swift gave his satire wholesome d.
rection when he called the attention of serious
friends to the fact that animals never laugh
In an cid play, first acted at st. Johns College
Cambridge, one Of the characters says-
"A mere scholar Is creature that can put on
lined slippers AID sit rhenning till dinner y y
-oae that hath peculiar gift in a cauch
and a license I spit"
Why peculiar gift in a caugh. Because he
is without excrcise-recreation if you please
fresheaing diversement, or fun fycu are not too
fastidious. There are widely mistaken opinions
about fun. me of them Ii. ia differences IF
meaning attached to words others are deeper
and less easily removed. Coed people coniou,. d
fun with Oily, with giddncss which is pur-
poseless Now it is solid--there is common
sense in it-l,calth in it, morils in il, Exercise
is the fun of muscles and tento,s, and sinews
which have been idle, as laughter is of the brain
and nerves viii, h have been wearied with long
continued thought. Fun, justly considered, is
the bloom of normal conditions, mental moral
and physical. 1t should be rescued from clowns,
and montebanks and poor actors and bad farces,
and made to play part in the solemn TRACE
dies OF common life, which are enacted in Amer
lean homes, shops and offices.
These moody people who insist upon it that
genial humor and heroic spirit are incompatible,
should make themselves acquainted with the life
and writings Of Charles Lamb--gentle Ellie lie
was clerk in the India House, London His
mother was victim of par lyss her daughter
in paroxysm of insanity, stabbed and killed her.
Charles conquered an hereditary tendency to
msdness-devoted his life to the care OF his
gifted but wayward sister, and provided a home
for his father in his dotage--yct his essays and
his letters are full of the truest humcr, and his
stammered sayings are precious to all who can
appreciate keen wit which evokes laughter
Cheerfulness was charm which made sor.
row-burdened Charles Lamb hero Not truer
hero lives in literature. He went ALWAYS from
the irksOme tasks of his clerks desk. to his In.
valid father and his lunatic sister with pleasant
face and kindly thoughts, and his liveliest wit
and brightest humor were summoned to cheer
them
American society would be much improved
American morals widely promoted, If our fathers
and brothers more generally took gentle Ellie for
an example, in that conquering kindliness which
makes his memory dear.
How many men and women who are loved and
honored in the world to-day, can trace the saving
grace which gave them power to resist sore temp