New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1875-03-14
MEERSCHAUM.
BY HENRY KINGSLEY.

1.-THE foam of the sea-" or, if you choos
the "scum" Of the sea, is the meaning of Il
name which poetical Germans gave to tn
singular substance before English scient
stepped in and called it ''soap-stone."
Forty years ago it was not much know
in England; now, combined with amber
is in the mouth OF half the lawyers CLERK
in London. 1t is a wOndrOus vehicle fG
tobacco; better zen than the root Of th
bruyere or wooden pipe, which is made {
the root of the Mediterranean heath, bu
the name of which has been vulgarized int
''brier-root," and lie derived, after sll froI
the Welsh "brwg," heather. We repea
that meerschaum is the best vehicle TO
tobacco. And now the question arises
what is the best tobacco to put in it, Tn
milder, we should say, the better. Sucl
tobacco as we have just lit will hurt no one
Puff! there goes the cloud. How it rolls NJ
and 0bscures the prints which hang befOr
me! the dear emperor, with the crucifix OF
his breast, is no longer visible; the woman
looking for the piece OF river has her lamp
put out. Lord Dufferin, Bishop WILDER
force, Sir Bartle Frere. Sir Gilbert Scott
have Disappeared; Ann BOleyn was being
arrested just now; we suppose they have
carried her off. The smoke swells like
storm clouds, and rolls about like ocean
waves, with no obvious figure at first. Stay;
there is one forming, growing more real
every instant-nOw distinct as he was years
ago.
"A boy, large for his age, say about twelve,
with very bold, fearless, courageous, hand.
some features, and most remarkable ewes;
head well shaped and well set on, curly
Drop of tine hair in want Of the barber;
dress, two garments only, ragged shirt
with no buttons, and an old pair of foot
mans breaches with but few buttons.
There he stands at the end of the bench,
just come in, holding his breeches and shirt
together by clutch with his left hand on
his lefs hip. We have never seen him be-
fore. On the tramp!. No: his well shaped
feet show no signs Of it. A thief No; he
would be better dressed. Tried with a
hymn book upside down, he knows no diff
ference, but says that he came there to see
if the gentlemen would teach HIM something
to get his living by. This demand for
technical education being pretermitted I'M
til the proper time, the boy is asked if he
knows anything. He replies that he learned
some of the Catechism once. Here is an
opening.
What is your namel'
"Meerschaum."
"Who gave you that name!'
Judas Iscariot."
This would not do by any means. There
was burst of laughter from the more
boisterons of the Field Lane boys, and the
interrogation was about to suggest a more
private interview, when Meerschaum ex.
planned further, with the mos: perfect
amiability:.
ut amt his name, but they give him that |
name because it was wrote up similar over |
his shop after the gentleman give my |
mother her trouble because Akers wouldn't |
give his evidence; which could have given |
the same evidence as what he did, but the |
magistrate wouldn't let me, cause he said |
didn't know the nature of oath. l ought |
to, for have beard as many swore az he
has. Know the nature of oath WHY.
could swear as many as a clever gentleman
like you. But don't do it, because Judas
says that God will be angry with you for it,
and
Meerschanm was proceeding into theo.
logical regions far beyond the farthest flight
,f his questiOners, when the evening hymn
was started, previous to the closing prayer.
which was fortunate for one of the two
PARTIES in conversation. at all events. Be-
ore the boys we're sent to bed the original
interrogation OF Meerschaum and the man
yer had an interview with the boy.
Father had been sailor, drowned. |
Mother had been very kind to MIN, until the |
Judge gave her six years about a bad half
rown; they were always giving his mother
,ad money Any relatiOnsl An aunt, mar
led at Gravesend, but no good, at least not
o him. He wanted to learn trade.
Would he be goodl If he hadn't wanted to
Ne good he wouldn't have come here; if he
wanted to be bad he might have gone to
eaps OF places. Wanted to be like his ,
ather, wanted to be like the good gentle ,
nan that old Judas told him aboutSJesus !
:hrist. What did he know about him! !
'othing: except that he was good gentle :
IAN without any money; thought he would q
ave helped him to learn a trade if he had a
cen alive, but he was dead now, though
udas said he was coming alive again. y
Wished he would come soon; thought he :
'as very much wanted. Asked "a TO the a
haracter whom he had go often mentioned q
Judas, he replied that he was a general Y
ove who lived III Gravel Lane with a !,
Dung girl the same age as be, Meerschaum, \
as. The boy was dismissed to bed,
The original interlocutor and the mana.
Or merely nodded their heads at one an. ),
her. The former said, Great Queen e
rect, OF course and the latter said, "Of ~
'urse." Then the interlocutor took his !,
vmn book and departed up harrington -
rect, past Coldbath Fields Prison, toward y
g home at Highgate, praying tor com h
llsory education, dsnominational OF other, r
any price. E
Before he was we'll past Kings Cross. Ii
oking for an omnibus, the manager had t,
NC IA wltu Lis ldHp " see IL Jne DOyS | e
re asleep. Meerschaum emphatically I
rs; he had put on . clean shirt provided
: him. and was lying on his back, pic Y
re of innocence and beauty among the
IRE squalid and meaner faces around him.
e shirt he wore was too small for him. II
he had pulled it up until his left fore N
n was barred. On it, done in gunpowder,
'bably by his sailor father, were the Al
tials NJ. ID. "
shortly after the manager slept the sleep Oh
the just, and the next day Field Lane n,
,w Meerschaum no more: he was alb
bed into Great Queen street, into the til
ne for hOuseless boys, an institution W
ich honors itself, while it disgraces the | if
te which SO feebly supports it. in
fter the revocation OF the edIct of hi
ties the French Protestants fled away. Sc
storm birds in a gale Of wind in spring an
9, to find the nearest place in which they re-
ID make their nests. The nearest place tn
many of them was in the east of London on
in Spitslfelds, where We may find them
or, to be more correct, their descend tel
"b
70 Couliers came there at tho revocation; 70
were Dieppe people. and worked at go
,. Long after the revocation Of the | an