Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1871-04-27
The Fabulous Upas Tree.

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The Fabulous Upas Tree.
When Marco Polo, Mungo Park and
the great early navigatOrs returned
home from the strange countries which
they had visited, they came back with
most marvellous stories of things that
they had seen. The inquiring and ig-
nOrant popular mind was glad enough
to accept, without hesitation, the my
thical narratives of these old WORTHLESS.
and the more dreadful the stories, thu,
more eagerly they were seized upon and
transferred to the literature of the times.
Legends and traditions became so lin
extrieabiy mixed up with facts. that it
was impossible to discriminate between
the true and the false. Among these
myths of centuries was one which held
out longer than the others, and which,
indeed, may still be said to have its be-
levers. This is the famous death dis
tributing Upas tree, Of Java, under
whose spreading branches the lively
imagination often pictured the bones
and skeletons of the countless victims
who have fallen beneath its deadly in
huence. A writer who has visited q
similar tree in BorneO gives some ac-
count of the Upas as he found it. In
stead Of seeing it surrounded by an
arid plain, the approach that led To it
was grassy and green with yerdure, and
bright with flowers. The trunk Of the
tree was girded round with creeping
vines and many -eOlored parasites, that
wound their way from the ground to
the topmost branches. This writer
states that the people Of the island bury
their dead near these. trees, a fact which
probably accounts for the wonderful
stories of the early travellers. As a
work of nature, the Upas tree is de-
serving of recognition. Its girth of
trunk Is immense, and its branches are
lofty and spreading. But, here, its
wonders cease, and as a phenomenon it
must be consigned TO that cabinet of
exploded suPerstitiens, which already
contains the kraaken, the maelstrom,
and the mermaids with, their golden
harps. - - - go p =
Miss ChalmefA
In one of the alleys running off
from Fountain Bridge Edinburgh, a
street crowded with drunkenness and
pollution, is a Iow-roOfed building in
which the daughter of DIR. Chalmers is
spending her life to help unfortunate
drunkards out of their miseries. Her
chief work is with drunkards, their
wives and daughters. Some poor wo-
mon ofthe place who have sober hus-
bands complain against her, saying.
why do you pass us? Because our
husbands are good, you, do not care for
us. If we had married some worth
less sOt, you would then have taken
care of us in our poveriy!n In the win
ter when, the nights are, long and cold.
you may see Helen Chalmers, with her
lantern, going through the lanes of the
city, hunting UP the ldeprayed and
bringing them out TO- her reform, meet
ings. Insult her, do they.sn Neuer:-4
They would as soon think of pelting an
angel of God. Fearless and strong in
the righteousness of her work, she goes
up to Q group of intoxicated men, shak-
es; hands with them, and takes them
along to hear the Thursday night
speech on Temperance, I ~ sSro--ar5e m9fa g.. /
',WHQa THE BABY LOOKED LIKE
Professor o., who. had b, en- away from
home for several months, called on his
eiurn, on his frienff Dr.. w. In answer
to the summons OF the, door-belL, Mrs.
W.appearetf at the door. Now IL han
pened that a neigh Dor woman with her
young babe, had called on Mrs, w. a
few moments before, and when Ms. ".
at the door, she had the babe
in her arms. After the usual greetings,
seeing surprise depicted on the Profes-
sor''s counteilance, Mrs. w. asked him
what he thought Of her baby! The Pro-
fessor replied, Of course, that it was "a
very fine child" Mrs. W. then asked
him (the usual question) whom he
thought the baby looked most like
The Professor, still wishing to be gal
liant and complimentary, ihnocently re-
piled that it undoubtedly looked uey.y
much like the Doctor! Z, The balance. of
the conversation is not recorded, but
the Professor is reported to have neg
lected music lately, and taken to the
study Of physiognomies.-Belzyontdine
Republican,. TilhGo4ss17oo aetgni
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