Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1874-10-15
Ghi1dreu's Department.
AN OLD LETTER.

AN OLD LETTER.
The following letter was written by John
Quincy Adams when he was nine years old
to his father, John Adams. At the time il
was written, the father was President of the
United States, and the son was President
from 1926 to 1880. Both were great men
Some of our modern boys may learn an i'm
portant lesson from the simple letter:
BRA1NTREE, June I'd, 1777.
DEAR SIR: love to receive letters very
we'll much better than 1 love to write them
1 make but poor figure at composition. My
head is much too tickle. My thoughts are
running after birds eggs, play, and triAes,
till I get vexed with myself Mamma has a
troublesome task to keep ME a studying. l
own am ashamed of myself | have but
Just entered the third volume Of "Rollin's
History" but designed to have got halt
through with it by this time. l am deter
mined this week to be more diligent. Mr..
Thaxter is absent at court. l have set my
self stint this week to read the third volume
half out. If can but keep my resolution, l
may again, at the end of the week, give a
better account of myself wish, sir, you
would give me in writing some instructions
with regard to the use of my time, and advise
me how to proportion my studies and play,
and l will keep them by me and endeavor to
follow them. With the present determination
of growing better, l am, dear sir, your son,
JOHN Quincy ADAMS.
P. S.-If you will be so good rs to favor
me with blank book, I will transcribe the
most remarkable passages meet with in my
reading, which will serve to fix them upon
my mind.
ORIGIN OF THE SPIcEs.-Nutmeg is the
kernel of small smooth, pear.shaped fruit
that grows on tree in the Molucca islands
and other parts of the East. The trees COM
mence bearing in their seventh year, and con-
tnse fruitful until they are seventy or eighty
years DID, Around the nutmeg, or kernel, is
a bright brown shell.
This shell has soft scarlet covering, which,
when fattened and dried, is known as mace.
The best nutmegs are solid, and emit oil when
pricked with pin.
Ginger is the root Of a shrub first known in
Asia, and now cultivated in the West Indies
and Sierra Leone The stem grows three or
four feet high, and dies every year. There
are two varieties of ginger-the white and
back-caused by taking more or less care in
selecting and preparing the roots, which are
always dug in winter, when the stems are
withered. The white is the best.
Cinnamon is the inner bark Of a beautiful
tree, a native of Ceylon, that grows from
twenty to thirty feet in height, and lives to be
centuries old.
Cloves to the Molucca islands, and
so called from resemblance to nail (clavis. }
The East Indians call them "changkek," from
the Chinese "techenkia" fragrant nails.)
They grow on straight, smooth-barked tree
about forty feet high. Cloves are not fruits,
but blossoms, gathered before they are quite
unfolded.
Allspice-a berry so called because it COM
bines the odor of several spices-grows abuu-
dainty on the beautiful allspice or bay-berry
tree, native of South America and the West
Indies. A single tree has been known to pro-
duce one hundred and fifty pounds Of berries.
They are purple when ripe.
Black pepper is made by grinding the dried
berry of a climbing vine, native to the East
Indies White pepper is obtained from the
same berries freed from their husk or rind.
Red or cayenne pepper is obtained by grind
ing the scarlet pod or seed-vessel of tropical
plant that is now cultivated in all parts of the
world.
ATE THE SUGAR MYsELF.-A little girl
named Caroline had very lovely little cana.
ry-bird. 1t sang from early morning until
evening" and was of beautiful golden yell
low, with black tuft upon its head. Caro-
line gave it seeds and cool herbs to eat d.; some
times, also, lump of white sugar, and fresh
water daily to drink. But suddenly the little
bird began to droop, and one morning as Car
oline brought it some fresh water, it lay dead
in the cage.
Caroline loudly lamented the loss of her
darling pet, and cried for a long time. Her
mother went and bought another that was
Just as sweet of song and yet more beautiful
of plumage than the former, and put it in the
same cage. But the maiden wept still louder
when she saw this new sougster. Her mother
wondered much at this and said "My dear
child, why are you so much troubled, and
wherefore do you continue to weep? Your
tears cannot call back your dead canary to
life, and here you have another that is just as
good and as pretty as the first" Then the
child said: "Oh! dear mother, I have done
wrong to my canary and did not treat it as
ought"
"Dear Lima" returned the mother, "you
tended it very carefully" "Oh! no." said
the little girl, "a short time before it died l
did not bring it piece of sugar, which you
gave me for it; I ate the sweet, white lump
myself"
PoLLY's AppErITE-Did you ever see a
nettle? 1t may be that you do not know
what it is; will tell you. 1t is plant
callit a weed-and it has fine hairs like tubes,
that are placed all over little bags full of
poison. If you press your hands upon these
hairs the poison gets into the wound and
makes it smart or sting. Our nettle will not
do much harm, but there are plants of this
kind in hot climates that l should not like to
touch.
Can you think what stings worse than this
poison from the plants? Hot words from
evil tongues.
Polly is the old woman who comes to work
for me. She has sharp and evil tongue. l
fear there is bag of poison at the bottom of
it. If you do not take care when you come
near her she will be sure to sting you. keep
her because pity her and hope to do her
good We must be kind to those who are at
fault if we wish to help them to do right.
Too many people have poison bag at the
root of their tongue. Have you one? If
you have you must pray God to take it away,
and to give you grace to speak good words to
all. Good words are 80 sweet and pleasant.
So much better than nettles.
How TO RETURN a FAvoR.-An old
Scotchman was taking his grist to mill in
sacks thrown across the back of his horse,