Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1862-02-06


pectedly come upon him, he was driven from
his mansion, spent the last Of his days in mis-
cry, and died, another painful example Of the
folly of setting the heart on earthly enjoyments,
and proving again the truth of the wise mans
words, "Vanity of vanities saith the preacher,
all is vanity and vexation of spirit"
William Pitt, son of the great Earl of Chat
ham, was endowed with the rarest gifts of ma
ture, and, at the early age of twenty-four, was
prime minister of England. "The mighticst
intellects" says one who knew him well, "bent
before him, and the highest Offices were in his
patronage. Each morning when he rose he
was entitled to assert that, in all the vast en-
pire of England, the sun shone on none who
was in reality, however he might be in name,
more powerful than himself. And yet this
great man, during his public career was always
wretched, miserable, unhappy" ole died."
says a biographer, ain his forly-seventh year,
on the anniversary of the very day on which he
had entered Parliament. Oh, what difference
there was between the buoyant youth of twenty
and the careworn statesman ct fort seven
Before the eyes of the one sparkled long vista
Of political enjoymens and honors before the
eyes of the other were the anXieties and cares
which had attended them when craSped. lie
had followed as his object in life unsanctified
ambition and he found it vanity and vexation
Of spirit" land died. says Wherefore, "of
| broken heart"
Robert Give was a mercantile clerk in India.
! He had passion for the life of soldier, and
! obtained an ensigncy in the army of the East.
. Here he rose until he became the conqueror of
India, and had the treasures of the East poured
at his feet "The whole kingdom" wrote his
father to him, sis in transports at the glory and
success you have gained come away, and let
us rejoice together" lie returned, was i'm
peached by the House of Commons, and was
so chagrined and disappointed that he took his
! own life.
Among those who have sought for happiness
| in honors and excitcmcnts of public life, Rich
ard Brinsey Sheridan, the orator, is melan-
choly instance of the folly Of such COURSE In
the House of Commons, so powerful was the
impression produced by his speeches, that mem
bers could not trust themselves to vote OH any
ques ion on which he spoke, until the excite
ment had subsidized. Yet this man died in
wrctchedness and want. His last words were,
81 am absolutely uudon."
Turn we now to the field of literature. There
we have in the foremost rank Sir Walter Scott.
"Never, perhaps in any period of the worlds
history, says a cotemporary of Scott, "did lit
erary talent receive homage so universal as
that of Scott. His reputation was coextensve
not only with the English, but with the bounda-
ries Of civilization. In one year, too, his liter
airy productions yielded him fl5000. The
King conferred on him baronetcy, and wher-
ever he appeared, at home or abroad, he was the
lion of the day. All the good things of life
were his. His mansion at Abbotsford realized
the highest conceptions Of poets Imagination,
and seemed like poem in stone" His COM
pary was of the most honorable of the land,
and his domestic enjoyments all that his heart
could desire. Yet he was not happy. Ambi-
lious to found family, he got into debt, and
in old age he was a ruined man. When about
to leave Abbotsford for the last time, he said,
when think on what this place now is, with
what it was not long ago, feel as if my heart
would break. Lonely, aged. deprived of all
my family, am an impoverished and cmbar-
rassed man At another time he writes, Death
! has closed the dark avenue of love and friend
ships. | look ut them through the grated door
of burialpla filed with monuments Of those
who once were dear TO me, and with no other
wish than that it may open for me at no distant
! period And again, Some new object of com
| plant comes every moment. Sicknesses come
thicker and thicker; friends are fewer and
fewer. The recollection Of youth, health, and
powers of activity, neither improved nor en-
| joycd, is poor ground of comfort. The best
is, the long halt will arrive at length and close
all And the long halt did arrive. Not long
/ before he died, Sir Walter requested his daugh-
Ter to wheel him to his desk. She then put
pen into his hand, but his fingers refused to do
their office. Silent tears rolled down his checks.
take me back to my own ROOM he said F.;
there is no rest for Sir Walter but in his grave
A few days after this he died, realizing in ref
crence to all his fame, honor, and renown, tn,
truth OF solomon, Vanity of vanities, saith the
preacher, all is vanity and veXation of spirit"
Campbell, the author of the pleasures of
Hope" in his old age wrote, 81 am a,one in the
4 Z
dead-my only surviving child is consigned to
living tomb "a lunatic asy lum)-my old friends,
brothers, sisters, are dead, all but one, and she
too is dying-my last hopes are blighted. As
for fame. it is bubble that must soon burst.
Earned for others, shared with others, it was
sweet but at my age, to my own solitary eX-
perience, it is bitter. Left in my chamber alone
by myself is it wonderful my philosophy at
times takes flight that | rush into company !;
resort to that which bunts, but heals no pang;
and then sick of the world, and dissatisfied
with myself shrink back into solitude P" And
in this state of mind he died.
Charles the Fifth resigned his crown in des-
pair of getting happiness on the throne. Cath
crime Of Russia, an empress of the most am
bilious character, sought for happiness in earth
ly glory, yet could not get rest in sleep from
the torments of guilty conscience And many
other cases might be adduced to show how true
it is, as the poet says
"Unea,y lies the head that wears a CROWN"
These are examples of the vanity of pursuing
the mirage of life The objects of pursuit,
had they been sa1ctifcd and good, would have
Welded happiness if rightly realized for divine
| Providence has so constituted man that, even
as a mundane being, he may possess much real
enjoyment BE it ours, then, to "set the aiiec-
tions on things above and not on things below
that perish in the using;" to lay up treasures
in heaven, where "neihcr moth nor rust doth
corrupt and where thieves break not through
nor steal = so to run that we may obtain, and
so to struggle for the crown that, like Paul, we
1 may be enabled to say, 81 have fought a good
fight, have finished the course, | have kept
the faith henceforth there is lai up for me
crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the
righteous Judge, shall give me at that day; and
not to me only, but to all them also that love
his appearing, "-Reu. d. II. Nilsson, London.
TIE OLD FASHIONED FENDER.-If there is
a lady, in the room it is ten to one that she is
sitting very near to tae fire. and it is ten thou
sand to one that her dress bulges out towards
it, urged by the expanding nature of the steel
bands which lie concealed beneath its folds.