Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1871-04-19

subjects far less fertile. Why do you no
recall how inimitably Charles Lamb dlscoursea
on the transcendant merits of Roast Pig?
! imagine there are few minds that would bt
attracted to Roast Pig as the subject of al
essay, however much it might please by it,
appetizing merits ii served up in due form
rs a Constituent Of dinner yet he has given
us an article which for beauty and grace
stands quite unrivalleG in its peculiar field
Yes, for beauty and grace, repeat. He has
thrown a kindly veil of romance over this
most prosaio Of subjects. Now certainly one
should be able to find much more that is sug-
gestive of thought and invention when treat
ing of straw, although literally, admit, it
Is not such succulent basis as that upon
which Lamb founded his well-known essay.
Here the Professor paused. | imagine it
must have been from lack Of breath; it Ger
tainly could not have been from want oI
words; for these he is never at a loss.
Then Hettie took up the ball Of conyersa-
ton, and proceeded to unroll her thoughts
regarding the present topic. Now Hettie, |
must premise, is decidedly a matter-of-fact
person. Things are generally presented by
her in a very didactic manner So, as l fore
saw some practical information would prob
ably be furnished, helped myself to another
muffin, and prepared to place in my mental
pigeon-holes each fact duly ticketed and la
beled as it appeared. She began, " should
have no difficulty whatever First you must
- L. q
are barley. oat, wheat, rye, different species
of reed and, comprehensiyely speaking, all
the stems or stalks of the natural order of
grasses may be c.asscd a. straw. Next state
the various uses to which straw can be put.
These in themselves are subjects for a whole
series of books. If, in doing this, you wish
to employ historical research, you might ex-
anime the records Of the hardships of the
Israelites in the land Of Egypt, and note how
the malice of their opprcssors reached Its
climax in compelling them t. make brick
without straw-a demand SO unprecedented
in its injustice that it has been formed inte a
proscrb, 50 that at this late day. if We wish
to characterize something as apparently IN
possible, We have but to speak of it as max
ing bricks without straw, and our meaning
is fully appreheudei Then you may remem-
ber that the whole process Of the cultivation
and harvesting of grain is depicted upon
those ancient columns covered with hero
glyphics and sketchings which have been de-
ciphered by Ledyard and others thus We
have full assurance that the common uses of
-, Il, -,
present A. we come down 70 our own time
we sLal lind its uses multiplied. 1t has
been applied as a fertilizer employed in va
rious domestic economies and, as it is q poor
conductor OF heat, serves TO protect delicate
plants and trees from frost. Ii is also uti-
ized to a considerable extent, especially in
the West Indies, in the manufacture of straw
mating. 1t has been used in making paper.
merely coarse wrapping paper, until within
a very few years process has been discovered
by which the finest varieties are produced
from this material But my memory fails
me. have indicated the outlines it is for
you to furnish the substance.
During this time the Professor had sent
for the encyclopedia, and opening to the Dc
sired page, had patiently awaited the close
of Hettie's comments. A. I find, said he
=. there is one important fact of the utiliza-
tion of straw that you have quite overlooked
Now certainly young lady who patronizes
as many straw hats as you 30 in the course
OF one summer, should Rot be unmindlul of
this branch Of industry | will enumerate
the facts concerning the special item as l find
them here, without stopping TO quote the
words of the book. 1t seems that plating
straw for hats and bonnets is of comparative
ly modern invention not traceable beyond
the seventeenth century, when 70 cite the
chroniclers, - delicate straw hats and b1nnets
were woven and worn by the men and women
of Piedmont. In Tuscany, where the work
which is known as the Leghorn plat is car
ried to the highest perfection, variety Of
bearded wheat is grown solely for the straw
This straw is small; the upper joint is Sc
lected as the best for plating 1t under goes
a process by which it Is bleached, and IS then
made into bundles which, beside home con
sumption, are exported to England. In Peru,
Brazil, and other parts of South America,
straw is obtained from plants which resemble
in growth tufts Of marsh seeds, with their
delicate green color. 1t il largely used in
the manufacture of Panama hats =
"a All very well. interrupted VIII, Z. but
what we eollegians would call rather slow -
Now VIII had the pleasure of being Sluted
and hailed as psene' at the last com
meneement Mt Dartmouth, and consequently
is Freshman of just eight months standing.
Now, as far as my slender knowledge war
rants me in Judging, | should say that the
importance Of college life is best appreciated
during the first few months: the staid seniors
fail entirely TO express themselves as q we
collegans. But to return to Wills perora-
tion, said he, = | should advise YOU to get
up a little enthusiasm over your subject /.
Don't keep too close to straw. There are a
great many things you might bring together, /
and a very slender thread of connection is
warranted. By the way, if you would like
an anecdote with which to embellish your
production, | have just the thing; decidedly .
too; only don't fail to give me
due credit for it in your article. Once upon
a time, ye good old time, when England
used to furnish us colonists with sugar, tea,
and the fashions beside, some Dunstable bon
nets formed part of the cargo of an enter
prising captain, and at length found their
place in the shop window of
store in Providence, r. l. 1t
;hanced that a certain Mrs Betsy Baker
'pied these bonnets in their conspicuous po-
'ition, and was Immediately seized with