The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-07-21
'erms $500 per assnuns, "a, adrance.

4
uouStS with regard to the veracity of 'Sinbad
m tre oallor, and had no belief whatever il
me wonderful Lamp or The Enchanted
'IorSe; DICKENS, rafting his mental can,
over the head OF Mr.. Barlow was much bette
I9an any play as can be well be imagined
ne Siorled IN many of Hoods poems, es
pecially in that biting Ode to Rae Wilson, anC
lines, A"' 'ef'o' 'h'
oh.eononty tne nypotEltes p t who ope Heaven, door
UpsequIous to the sinful man OF riches
nqI put the wicked. naked, bare legged Ioor
III parish stocks instead OF breeeheso
one OF his favorite books was Pepys's Diary
the curious discovery of the KEY TO which
and the odd characteristics of its writer wera
a never-fallln9 source of interest and amuse
| ment to him. The vision of Pepys HANGING
| round the door of the theatre, hoping for an
| invitation to go in, not being able to keer
away In spite OF promise he had made 10
himself that he would spend no more money
ioolishly, delighted him. Speaking one day Of
Gray, the author of the Elegy, he said: aNo
poet ever came walking down to posterity with
SO small a book under lis arm" He preferred
Smollett TO Fielding, putting "Peregrine
rlckie above TON Jones'" OF the best
novels by bis contemporaries, he always spoke
with warm commendaton, and "Griffth
Gaunt" he thought a production of very high
merit. He was "hosptable to the thought
oil all writers who were really in earnest, but
at the first exhibition of foundering or in
exactness he became an unbeliever. People
with dlslocated understandings he had no
tolerance for.
AMONG the best things in the Galary for
August are the first five chapters of a Pacific
slope story entitled Overland. Titus Munson
Coan discourses pleasantly of one national
characteristic,-Timidity; DR.. Draper fur
nishes valuable article on Bread and its
Adulterations; Thurlow Weed has another
chapter OF his entertaining Diplomatic Incl
dents; Justin Mccarthy critcises Bulwer: and
Richard Grant White examines and con-
trasts the styles of Disraeli and Dickens.
The Miscellany, Driftwood and Nebule-pe-
culiar features of the GHa1y-are tolerably
well sustained. In the last We find some
wholesome reflections upon social question
of Importance
complaints OF the dearness of living Are
not confined to even the comparatively moor.
Iney are common among persons who twenty
years ago would have Leen and been consid-
cred positively rich. Men with small fam;-
lies and net incomes of from fifteen to thirty
thousand dollars, and no pet vices or hobbies.
declare themselves unable to keep a proner
distance in the reaE of the constable. The
reasons assigned and assiguable are yarions
and numerous, while all foreigners and Amer.
leans OF foreign experience agree about the
fact that in no European country do Won
spend so much and receive so little for vour
expenditure. Putting aside war debts, paper
currency, tariffs and other directly political
n1I trn lind nI H..
is usually denomiDated extravaganza. bnt
which seems more strictly to he recklessness
in disbursement; readiness to paw without
question or dispute whatever is asked; hes
ltation to insist on preparatory estimates
when possible. This trait is often referred IN
our generosity and good nature. We believe
it to be more owing TO our democratic insti-
tutons and business habits. ParadoxicaI
as the assertion seems at first, that abundance
of industry and lack of leisure make us waste
iul, we think it very probable. for this reason:
Wherever leisure is on the whole, other
things being equal, rather more respectable
socially than business occupation, we find a
goodly number of gentlemen and ladies in
good society and moderate circumstances.
persons whose time is worth little to them in
a pecuniary sense, and who can therefore af-
ford to spend great deal of it in order to
make some small pecuniary savings. We are
sometimes amused by the little economies of
elderly single ladies, in paper for instance:
how they will save tie unwritten halfsheets
of letters, and even turn and regum old en-
velopes. What We have here on a small
scale is going on all overEurope on a much
larger. A young Frenchman of good family
will walk two miles TO buy his gloves ten or
fifteen cents pair cheaper than he can pro-
cure them on fashionable boulevard. A
Continental gentleman will not put up at
hotel till the price of his room has been fixed
by preliminary correspondence or inquiry. If
house-owner, he viii not rashly let car
penter loose on the premises (from the plumb-
er plague most Europeans are 1ee,t nur will
he pay mason's "little bill" without careiuI
scrutiny. The democratic citizen, absorbed
in industrial pursuits, has no time to spend
on these small discussions about small sums:
it is cheaper for him to pay through the nose
and take the chances OF making good his loss
OF some other citizen. Political and moral
theorists hoped that the hard lessons of war
would correct our "extravagant" way but If
the war made many poor men, it also made
more rich men and more busy men than ever.
And also bit with a moral, from one of
Mrs. Stones Oldtown Fireside stories:
SAM LAWSON ON COUNTING.
IL member 1 used to lead the singin' in
them days, and Miry she used to sing counter.
SO we ot.putty near together in the singers
seats; and l used to think Sunday morpin's
when she come TO meetin' in her white dress
and her red cheeks ana her boanet all timed
OIL with laylock, that twas all the world jest
like June sunrise to have her come into the
singers seats. Them was the days that 1
didn't improve my privileges. boys" said Sam,
siehDg deeply. "There was times that ef I'd
!poke, there's no knowin' what might'nt' a.
happened, 'caus you see boys, j was better
lookin' in them days than be now. Now
you mind, boys, when you grow up, eff you get
a waitin' on a nice gal, and you're most
mind to speak up to her, don't you go and
put it of, cause efyou do, you may live to re-
pent it.
"Wall, you see from the time that Bill El-
derkin come and took the academy, 1 could
see plain enough that it was time for me to
hang up my fiddle, Bill he used to set in the
singers seats, too, and he would have it that
he sung tenor. He no more sung tenor than a
skunk blackbird, but he made h'lieve be did,
jest to get next to Miry in the singers seats,
and then they used to be writin' backward
and forward to each other till they tore out
all the leaves Of the hymn-books and the
siDgin' books besides. Wal, never thought
that the house o. the Lord was jest the place
to be courtin' in, and | used to get consdable
shocked at the way things went on atween
'em. Why, they'd be writin' all sermon
time; and I've seen him a lookin' at
her all through the long prayer in
WAS SoXR S%aXR that want right, considerin they
| fact was, old Black Hoss John was to bam
for it, cause he never let 'em have no chanc
| to home. Ye see old Black Hoss he was so
agin Elderkin cause he was poor. You Sc
his mother, the old Widdah Elderkin, she wa
| jest about the poorest peakedest old body owe
| to Sherburne, and went out to days works
and Bill Ederkin he was all for books an,
larnin', and old Black Hoss John he though
it was just shifllessness; but Miry she though
he was genius and she got it sot in hel
mind that he was goin' TO be President o. thu
United States, or some sich.
Wal, old Black Hoss he want none too DO
lite TO Miry's beauX in gineral, but when FL
derkin used to come TO see her he was snarli.
er than saw; he hadn't good word for him
noways; and he'd rake up the fire right be,
fore his lace and eyes, and rattle about fasten.
ing up the windows, and tramp up to bed and
call down the chamber-stairs to NIiry to 90 tC
bed. and was sort o aggravatin' every way.
wal, Ell folks want to get q gal set on havn
a man, that ares the way to go to work. Miry
had eonsid'able stiff will of her own, and @
| she didn't care about Tom Beacon before, she
hated him now; and eff she liked Bill Elder
kin before, she was clean gone over to him
| now; and so she took to goin' to the Wednes
| day-evening lecture, and the Frday-evenins
prayer-neetin', and the singing school, jest as
regular as clock, and SO did he; and after
wards they always walked home the Longest
| way. Fathers may jest as well let their gal.
Il ha aOtrr nd In, hn hta N