, 1872-11-24

other believing mankindto be radically vicious
and to be ruled with strong government.
| Oliver Wendell Holmes ends the talks Of ssTh
| Poet at the Breakfast-Table."
Mrs. Raffenspeyer tells story Of ssShake1
john;" and with reviews and editorial notes, ths
! Atlantic for 1874 ends.
HARpER's MAGAZINE.
MarcoPolo's Book has run through fifty edi
tions. but, though the favor of go many centu
ries is on it's pages they have lost none OF thei,
interest. When this great explorer, to whom
We oWe so much OF our knowledge Of Asia, la1
on his death-bed, his friends besought him tt
retract and revise his book in accordance Will
the facts: The dying traveller replied that he
hadnot told the half Of what he had seen. Mod
ern research and criticism his Vind1cated this
Livingstone of the thirteenth century. Whist al
one time was regarded simply IS the et1eryes.
cence Of heated fancy has been cound to be
substantial fact OF history and geography. 4
new edition Of the
BOOK OF SER MARCO poLo, TIE VENETIAN"
has recently been prepared by Colonel Henry
Yu1e, Of London, gentleman Of fine acquire
ments, and 80 eminent il his knowledge OF
Eastern manners and customs. and medieval
geography, that this work constitutes an epoch
an account Of Marco Polo and his most wonder
full adventures. taken from Colonel Yu1e's
book:
Several chapters devoted by Polo to the Old Man
Of the Mountain, Aloadin Of Mulehe who transformed
certain valley into earthly Paradise Of the Moham-
edan type Into which be introduced youths OF from
y to 20 years Of age, after administering to them
sleeping potion Of wondrous potency that when they
awoke "they deemed was Paradise in very truth
These youths were called Ashishin; "for, when tho
Old Man would have any Prince slai1 enemy mur-
FHf3 at 1nv
Of their number i'll the garden and then had him CIR
ried into his castle: And, when the young man
when they returned, my angels shall bear thes into
Paradse; and so it that there order Of his
that they would not eront any peril to execute,
hia According to Do sacy, these youths we1e called
Hashishi, from the of the preparation Of hemp
called hashsh and thence though their SYSTEM Of ter
the word assassin.
It is melancholy fact, and one that suggests
grave reflections to the Christian reformer that
scarcely Veshge now remains OF the Christian
Church that once dourished go extensively in
Asia:
The famous singanfu inscription il the most re-
1narkabe. If not the only, remaining memorial This
celebrated monument, discovered il suburb Of san
temple outside the city walls created no small stir
among the aarants Of that day, and has by no means
Lot ats melancholy interest in ours The Slab upon
bears the date Of A. D. $751; and appears to have been
intended to commemorate the introduction Of
Christianity into China in 6a5.> It con
alns brief record Of the rise and spread OF the new
religion for the next one hundred years, with synop
sis Of Christian doctrine IN which, strange to gay.
genuineness has been called IN question by abe critics.
1t would seem ii Panther, Renusat aud Colonel
able doubt.
AS to the which led to the decadence and nal
disappearance Of Christianity in the East 1t may be
observed that the purity Of Christian doctrine and
IN hacr
runted BY its constant contact with 1dolatry;
and, finally, by migrating upon its ceremonial.
length became merged into paganiam itself. Polo re-
ates na IN his me Christian prieats psactsed astro
oIgy I Nth "ina ot aaroabs, together with divtna
1he in Abyssnia he tells they observed the double
Baptism OF fire and water,-the former by branding
mark upon the forehead and either cheek With bot
ron- Abulfeda, in speaking Of the inhabitants Of
socotra, says they were "Nestorian Christians and
'irstes." As late as the Seventeenth century, while
hey entertained blind idoatIy for the cross they
,1actised circumcision and sacrificed to the NOON
lngular medley of Judaism, idolatry, and pseudo
Christianity.
very singular custom is this Of the Tar
ara; J.
Il any man have daughter who dies before mar |
tage, and another lave had son also die before
Marriage the parents Of the two arrange grand we'd
ng between the dend lad and lass. And marry them
papers are made out they put them in the ire
order <as they will have it that the parties In the
LIZ No1lu NAY 1no" the 1act, and 30 look each
ther ns man and wife,. Whatever may be agreed On |
etween the parties dowry those who have to pay it
Is to be painted On pieces Of paper and then put
On WILL get all the real articles in the other world
It is not improbable that ,7e ONE our mHov1-
dge OF printing to Marco Polo:
Inere appears to be local tradition in Venice that
annlo anu Gastsld Of Fetre having several Chinese
aeans Of wooden blocks, constructed moyable onden
,pea, eaen TYPE containing single letter, and with
Id to be o1 30 tdnees some Of which are
~: 1t reates, furthermore that John Fust fFanst
ay1ng passed some time with Castaldi In italy, ac
eloped it into the art Of printing Though thsra ~
EGng probability that the art Of printing was origi-
y OF Ceta a. the inventor Of that noble art Is to
, accepted with no emal degree Of mental reserys-
On.
Another ridiculous, custom Polo tel1a ma ia
ractiBed by the Lar-dandan:
"And, when one Of their wives has heen 7e131ared /
chlld, me infant is washed and swathed and then
omsa ga,s M up sna goss about her household
bis side and 50 keeps hH bed fof forty tays. and
the hth and kin come to visit him, and Rcep m
ea H.s III Insg bneg ot DO ths "
should have his share of suffering y Thia crator
'trithstanding its oddity, is BY no means u1ique
Iiornia and the West Indies: among tha sno1aot |
rsicana and 1be1ians Of Northern Stain a1nnnn |
me- q the trees Of south America, West Africa, aai
e Indian AIchlpelago, and, in q modified form in
udes to the custom in Hudibras'," willie Aponnius
lodus, in speaking Of the Tibareni Of Pontus tells
TIN the Tibarenian land
When some good woman bears het9ord . babe
'Tis be is sWathed and dgroaning put to bed:
while she arises, tends Ills baths, and eeryes II
Nice possets for her husband in the straw"
Colonel Yule cloees his book with an eloonent
roration in defence Of Marco Polo, which VA
lst quote: l.,
ie waa the first traveller to trace route aeroaa
whole longitude Of Asia, naming and describing l.
ngdom utter Kingdom. which he had seen with bis
eyes; the deserts Of Persia the towering plateau1
wild gorges Of Badakhshan, the jado-bearing |
ers Of Khotan, the Aongoi:n steppes-cradle Of hs
that had 1