Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-06-16

never CIOSS u DTlUS6 I'LL NOu tUlue u II;
Ny grandmother used to say,
Which means, little folks, that we mustn't fret
Over trihes that may the future beset,
If we've done what we can to-day.
You remember the time-wosn fable
OF the farmers eight-day clock
How the pendulum counted, with trembling
and fear,
The number of times it must tick in gear,
And then stood as still as stock.
Till aided by friendly counsel,
1t decided it would not shrK
The duty that plainly before IL lay,
Because at some very distant day
ii might be too tired to work
So. little folks, live in the present:
Daily strive to be useful and glad,
For when you are old you will 6nG this out,
That many a trouble you've worried about
Is one you have never had.
ABOUT PoMPEJJ.
ooh, dear [ do wish there was no such
thing as history. l just hate it,
"Harry, my boy, ! do not think you
mean what you say. You were very much
interested the other day when | was tell
ing you about Marie Antoinette"
80, mamma, that was Just lovely story
| wish all history was just beautiful stories
without dates. | hate dates"
l remember you were quite anxious to
know when Marie Antoinette lived, and
whether she was beheaded before Wash
ington was born. How could we know
these things without dates? l think my
Harry has been studying till his mind is
tired. So you may put away your books,
and | will leave my sewing, and we will
take a walk in the fresh air"
ooh, good! And while we are walking
won't you tell me a story, true story
about something that happened ever so
long ago?n
"Why, Harry, do you want me to spoil
our walk with the history you hate so
muci?"
Harry laughed heartily, and set off in
high spirits on the walk. There was moth
ing he enjoyed so much as these strolls
with his mother, who always contrived to
have something entertaining to tell her
only child. whose brightness and enthusi
asm were her greatest source of pleasure.
"a long time ago. cities were built with
stone walls around them. Imagine a stone
wall around this town wide enough on the
top for two carriages to ride abreast The
walls of the city am going to tell you
about were twenty feet thick. That is
| about half the width of this street. They
were as high as they were thick, and to
walk all around them would be walk of
two miles. In this walk there were five
gates. At each gate there was soldier
called sentry to keep guard over the
city. There were twenty-five thousand
people living in the city. Many of these
were very wealthy, and lived in very fine
houses. The houses, however, were not
built like ours four or five stories high.
but generally only one story and cellar.
| The bedrooms were made quite small, and
often without any windows. They did not
have so much knowledge of comfort as we
have. Their climate was very fine, and
they spent much time ont of doors, so
their houses had fine porches and courts
filled with flowers. 1t was one of their
customs to have the cemeteries for the rich
people by the roadside When any one
died they burned their bodies"
80, mamma, were they savages? /
think that was horrible to burn the
bodiesp
No, they were not savages. They
were cultivated people They were so ac-
| customed to it that it did not affect them
any more unpleasantly than our custom of
burying. After the bodies were burned,
! they gathered the ashes and put them into
an urn, and often placed this in marble
vault and inscribed the name on the out
side. The streets of the city were mar
row, and paved with blocks of stone. The
stores or shops were quite small. The
public buildings were large, strongly built
and beautifully finished. One bright,
beautiful day, the sentries were all at
their accustomed posts, and the shopmen
were showing their wares to their GUS
toners. Many fine chariots, with spirited
horses and filled with gaily dressed people,
were passing through the streets. Chill
dren were busy at play. Mothers were
tenderly caring for their sick. Families
were gathered on the broad plaza laugh
ing and chatting. Suddenly the sky was
| hidden by blacl; cloud. Some thought
| a heavy shower was coming, and
drove their horses rapidly toward
home. Others supposed it must mean
tornado or Thunderstorm, and fled
to the cellar. All attempt at escape was
useless, for in less time than it takes me
to tell it, not rain nor wind, but the
cloud fell instantly upon the city and
buried it with the people in grave of
ashes"
That was dreadful, mamma Did God
send the ashes down from heaven"
Mo- but not more than five miles away
| there was volcanoe-Nesuyius. 1t had
not had any eruption for so long that the
people did not think anything about dan
ger, and this beautiful city Of Pompeii, to-
gether with three other cities, was instantly
destroyed"
How long ago was that, mamma ?"
"Oh, | don't want to spoil my story with
those hateful dates, Harry. Never mind
when this happened"
Now, mamma, am going to like dates,
for they make stories ever so much more
interesting"
"This occurred in 70. The most won
derful part of it all is, that when the ashes
were removed, nearly seventeen centuries
afterwards, everything was so well pre-
served, that much of the lives of the peo-
pie and the history of the city can be read
in the ruins"
Wouldn't it be strange to walk in the
streets Of a citv built before Christ came
into the world?'
This city was built nearly four hun
dred years before Christ came Rich Ro-
mans used to have summer residences
there. Cicero had a villa, beautifully fitted
up, and often entertained Augustus Caesar
there. There was magnificent amphi
theatre, where they had the games told
you of the other day. But here we are
at home again. Now begins duty. We
are both fresh for our tasks"
Hurrah for history, dates and ALL 1
don't hate you any more" -Sasan S. Fcs-
sender IN Exchange.
I'VE have walked for miles in the streets
of old Pompeii, where uncovered, and the
wheel marks, worn deeply into the pave
ments, are now as plainly seen as if made
but yesterday, though they were covered
by the volcanic ashes 1909 years ago.
Pompeii is about Is miles southeast of
Naples In Italy, around the head or east
ern end of the Bay of Editor
Prairie Farmer
Curiosities of Magnetism.
Most well-informed peopIe are douh,