National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-05-28
ECHOES.
For TIE REpuBLTcAN..

| the wonderful success of C0lOnel IOm Scout WAS
the result of opportunity. and yet how very far
| they are from the truth when they say It, IL was
not opportunity but brains and brains rightly d.
rectd are sure to win every time Every year there
| are ten thousand young men in this country who
have greater opportunities for fair start IN life
than he had, and many of them have not only
been helped on the road to success, but have act
ually been pushed on, and instead of success fol-
| lowing as it should have done their lives have
been miserable failures.
The new Bible, or rather the revised Testament,
has created stir in the world which in these in
different times could hardly have been expected
The revision may NOT be an improvement, but II
has had the good effect of arousing the curiosity of
many and of inducing some to read it who never
cared to look into the book before, and then there
is fashion in having the very latest of everything
whether it be novel, magazine, or Bible.
Ignorance is not always amusing, but sometimes
the mistakes made by the unlearned are very
laughable. The story of Stetsoi and the sciatica
| now going the rounds cf the press is something
like mistake made some years ago by man liy-
ing in small village in Maryland Although no
musician, he was passionately fond of music. His
early education had been somewhat neglected,
and Spanish was dead language to him. One OF
his favorite songs was I" Juniata" D" pronounced
wau-nee-ta). 4 young lady friend sang 1t very
sweetly from memory, but had never had the notes
| of it. When the young man visited the city he
went to music store and asked for the song. 1t
| was given to him neatly rolled up, and upon his
return he called on the lady with the roll and
asked her to sing it. She took her seat at the
piano, and the gallant admirer unroled the music
to place before her. Imagine her surprise to hear
him exclaim: 81 asked for UdG nee Ia and that
cOnfounded fool has given me Ju-ni-ata!"
1t does seem too bad that the Car cannot enjoy
dish of salad without having added to it an in
gredient not usually found in books on cuisine
How utterly wretched must be the lie of one liy-
ing in constant expectation of something dreadful
He cannot go out to enjoy the pure, fresh air with
out the fear of stray shot, or something worse,
Overtaking him before his return. He cannot en-
joy draught of water without the suspicion of
drop of poison lurking in its limpid depths. Even
his sleeping hours are haraSSed by dreams of the
dangers surrounding him. Lives there the hum
blest workman in free happy America who would
be willing TO exchange places with the Gar of all
the Russias?
A new interest has been awakened in this city
and elsewhere i'll the subject of training for
the care of the sick and of providing schools for
the purpose. 1t is almost impossible at present to
form any estimate of the good to result from the
experiment, for it is stI too and its operations
too limited to do So Every one knows of individual
cases where the assistance of a trained nurse has
been invaluable and in times of public calamity,
not only in this country but in others, they have
been angels of mercy. \ gentleman writing from
ChioS after the terrible calamity which overlook
that fair island not long ago speaks of the great
service rendered by the Sisters of Charity, who
went TO the island as as it possible to do
so, and from their experience in the care of sick
and suffering humanity were able to alleviate
much of the misery found there.
The atlantic Monthly published very interesting
article upon the use and the abuse of flowers.
That the abuse is constantly increasing no one
denies, and the great profuSion OF flowers with
which some persons adoFn themselves and their
homes instead of indicating the taste of the indi-
vidual oftener stamps them with vulgarity. But
of the proper use of flowers who shall limit it or
estimate its influence? What can be more beauti-
full and touching than the practice followed
in New York of distributing them through the
hospitals and prisons? The brightness and fra
GRANGE which always accompanies them has fire.
quently been the means of bringing back the tide
OF health to the i'll and suffering and of cheer
ing the long hours Of weariueSs and pain.
OF course this beautiful idea was first
suggested by woman, and for ten years
has been successfully carried ont. The firSt
day the ladies started ON their mission among
others they visited little boy in an uppey room of
a tenement house: he had been i'll with fever. and
was very weak and Iangrlid and il seemed "a if
nothing would rouse him. The young lady held
up before him Il bunch of shining. golden butter
cups. Immediately the dull eve frightened a faint
smile passed over his face, aud the feeble hand
reached out 10 receive them. The litllc fellow
held them fast all d5y-sleepiug or waking they
were tightly graspel. From that hour he began 20
improve, and during The weeks that followed until
fully restored 10 hesl.h the ladies sent many more
to make him happr,
The SONGS Of the Birds are very sweet as they ft
in and Ont through the lcafy branches Of the trees
or soar away ont Of sight into the ethereal blue
above US and duh must be the ear that Is iudifer-
ent 10 them: but the same songs lose much uf their
sweetness when they come from the gilded bars Of
a cage. While the friends Of the dumb animals
are turning their attention to the suffering Of the
noble horse and the faithful dog, and % the mil
lions of cattle, swine. and sheep which are yearly
slaughtered for food would il not be as well to turn
their attention AT the same time to the prisoners
who pass their whole lives in confinement? Spare
the horse all the suffering you can, for he is
splendid creature; be kind 70 the dog and to the
little fishes: but set the little prisoners free, Mr.
Bergh.
The original sayings of little children are often
very bright and interesting. and are sometimes
much more expressive than the carefully selected
words of their elders little girl was invited not
long since with other children, to visit lady who
had the misfortune 10 be deaf mute. She enter
tained the children in her own way and made the
time pass very pleasantly. When they returned TO
their home the mother of the fair, blue eyed four
year old asked her what the lady said TO her. The
little fairy replied: Why, mamma, she did not say
anything-She had q lame mouth"