The ladies' garland. [volume], June 24, 1826, Page 79, Image 3

About The ladies' garland. [volume] (Harpers-Ferry, Va. [W. Va.]) 1824-1828

Image provided by: West Virginia University

                
• Wlint is genius, Imt a “art ol somethinjr
iiich tlistiii”'tiisli>'' <>i:'■ mind from another. u“
:i: differences id iita* anil features, mein tmJ
umplexion. itiiliv iilaali/.c the persons ut diffcr
Mil men?—We all hear, nee. taste, had ami
.tin'll alike, though some have a keener reh-h
■ (he enjoyments el one sense than tii . e ul
, luither.
> ,me :?r«* delighted by tho ear v iih irn 1 di -us j
»-nmds—others by t •' <*•>«* u« !] • >r;! • r<-d
lb mis ; and the mu •d *1- di»' i * 1 * n <»f mb mrs:
■ a* ..id] :ifv those artists Id addiv-s 1}i* !i*~* i\< -s
Jo t!n; imn iti »n. The epicure bus bis para
dise in h> palate; tli*- v ’*lu{*i• *iy in his exqui
t«* iullrb ; Olid 1 have sometimes Tought that
tin1 faculty of the poet was hvt best in bis smell;
for no other revels so hixiiri'-u-!\ m the reve
••ins ami ruminations ( !’ the arumatie summer,
finds in the penumes of leaves am! tinners j
•,orb reminiscences of wisdom ami beauty.— j
)' spite. then, of all controv« lyy ami metaphv- j
sics it may be sue!, as tin* senses are the gates j
• if the miml, tint genius sit^ as warder at that 1
which is be t constructed to give entrance, or :
perhaps, t!iat which the circumstances of for
bin* have made tlm mo>t frequent* d—quick- ;
of sense, or a habit of observation.
!5ut v.'iulh.r that melancholy foreknowledge, ,
with which 1 was so often depressed, came of on- ;
c nvmenl or custom, it would be thr'.ftii rs to ir.ves- !
ignte , for, as an old musirian once told me, such !
dimes arc too shrew d ami .subtle ever to be tasted j
* jy philosophy.
\h• vv. 5 a lh man by bird) and came to teach the j
• . ! was one of his pupils ; but soon disc-ovt j
that lie was cm ions!\ versed in a pecul ar ex i
• i .ence, I took h s-ons trom hen in a studs more j
. .y.m al to mv disposition even than music, lie i
;..ui been bred up from h;s childhood in the hand
.fa regiment, and y e% sue!) was tin- dominion his
genius had over him, such his fascination to havmo- ]
• ious sound-, that lie i • ui iined as •simple in Ifs !
morals and imaginations as the -Iw-pln rd bo\ when !
be tries his hr.-.t oatennip.-, alone on the bills, in
1C calm of a sunny May morning.
■ l i I i i /1 ' I' ’’v II n i I It « V 'll • nr '[u I I V. 11 (J : i IS
,'i iiivl hK , ” I have ■ ‘! * en heard hen vi\, “ t g-.fr j
fr mi U-.iven i Th nk \ »u it wa- g vcn to d* dgh!
but i'll-- car-4 * That wmild ’><• to *a\ Providence
make:, fiddle-strings. No: 'snitch prophe
cli\ in ill the sounds of niUu.c, speak c,-; to our in
stinct ; but the use of instinct v.e ha\e !<*>?, ami
therefore do not tinders?m:l tin m. Yes: bv the
\ irtue of the oracle in mine eat-, 1 have discos red
many tilings that are among *!»•• lie.', and r gule -
lies of nature. Those p'-'V'i for example, who
particularly di light in the <!• bench's of cliToir.at m
melodies, modulated on a flit key, whet!) * the\
be compose^, pei formers, or listen* v<, re si Mom
lung lived For the most part tli v die- be fire their
forty -.econd year, though a f w, h\ reason of m< in
Strength, do sometimes reach to hart)-nine. Such
trutlo cannot be put into the cro euL.> of plnioso
phy.
And teen In? would reek . r»n !, fin ders mnu
rccmdc bounce* * 4* r »* x'-.u,* of tii.u dedicate or
lift', w ho died in their youth ; adding1, ‘‘Ami have i
I not the w itness 1 most believe in mine own sell '
1 can tell by the kev to which the rising corn rus
tles through in the winds of spring, whether the
harvest will be plenteous or niggardly; for the
world is hut a hand of instruments that were all ;
tuned to the same pitch, the celestial key to which i
the innocent angels tune their harps. Whenever,
therefore, there is any lack of cone id with that
which was the universal kev, expectation w dl be •
disappointed, and the harmony of nature >e\t with
some d licieiicy. In this lieth the mystery of tor
tune. Those who, 1>\ their vigor and intelligence,
should be prosperous in health and in worldly cir
cumstances, and \et are a!wa\ s otherwise, are ever
sensible of some discord in the diapason of them- '
selves, uh ■ h mars the etfect of their best endea
vors in performance.”
Oik? night us I was returning home, \ met this cu
ri:>us li\ |;i thesh’ in the street, and bantered him
on his being abroad at so lute an hour.
“Speak not so,” said lie, very seriously, “for !
am going to die ; I have had my warning. As 1
stood on the bridge, listening to ^t! e clapping
longues which the wind gives to tin* leaves of trie
trees in the neighboring garden', making them all
to sing hke the little cherubim, 1 heard a requiem
tor one that is doomed on the morrow to die.”
! attempted to speak lightly of Ills superstition,
though hi' accent curdled my veins ; but he add
ed :
“ Aj.i1 when their hymn was sung, 1 heard the
soft low voice of a willow tree, singing an old ditty,
one with which my mother long, long ago, often
lulled me to sleep. JH the music of the requiem,
ami the pity which was in that melody, 1 know
ui.cn l r.ext shall fall asleep, I am never to awaken
again.”
\\ oh these words he left me, and in the rr rning !
he was f und dead of apople.w . Who, therefore, ;
shall venture to sa\, that what the («; rman entlmsi
us* called I s g ;h.s in-duet, or lea g.-niu-, v. as not
some incommunicable faculty which mad' his spi.it
as d.tt'erent from that ^f any otlier man’s us he v.
in Ins person distinguishable from ever) ind:\ .hi:d
of the unive rsal r.ce ? 11c had faith, howev ;, in ,
the wart:mg of his fate. I have had but a f.--. i
(.{’ the import that was < vrr in the bod runouts of
mind; and by work mg against it with tl.e ticeli- *
ti-main fallacies of reason, I have become—let mv
stor\ tell wiiat.”
TH2 LADIES’ GARL.ft.UO.
S\ 1THDAV I'.VI'.MNC. Jl Ni; A, lS’ti.
Tii< Si Or\ }Ji'H< 1 L“f 1 *4 I II h. I' I MI*LK III lll TTHIH M s.”
though hij»!.l\ i;- Klc-d, is tph wit it m;m\ naturul ami j
In- u;t nil touches. The p *.lifer \ i . nu ordhnn ^
' , 9 Ok- r. :t ’er will iv.i l,)\ :»-<■ a upon perusal ;
:i? i 11" K n^'li of the picture c*Uj.»'iit nut to foil/:* 1 <ts j
\*tv*'i. \ t <. xuniiiiatmn ; lor we are sore it will yield
J>1» .b'll f, i nOt profit.
nuj.'i “MtM nus nr tii:; m a if n ii a v f \ v. op a vspach. ’’
KMIMtKSs JOS KIM I INK.
Josephine was extremely I’.md ol India muslin j
I’iio P« iM.in .\iii!i;issiul.ii’ had presented her
with sornr* of the finest quality. Napoleon had !
anxiously wished to introduce at court the
I'roneh Caxlme re- , hut the new ttobility. fol
low ing the example of the' old court in articles
of the toilette, wore not desirous of according
w iih his taste ; and !>•• found it impossible to |irc
vail upon them to adopt these ornaments. Kr«
tpiently did he knit hi- brows when the laihe*
were prex.-nted to him w ho w >re fori ign inanu
laeture-; nor dal lie cease to torpa nt dosephine
bv asking her euntimiallv the pi i- of the dress
es which she were. In order to satisfy hitn. s]a
wunld !■ ply that they were made ;.t Saint tjuen
(in. “ Ah! ah ! observed he. •• that proves tin
superiority of our manufactures mer those of
our in-i”!i!ii»rs.” .losephine was amused, for the
greater part ul lit-r I'm'm-s wcie «l the muslin of
India, ami ol t!».■ most exquisite texture. Oik
day Napoleon <• 1111-n• c 1 her apartment in "real
warmth—lie had obtained information that dil
brent "noils which the empress had procured,
were conlrahaml from the coast of Holland.—
lie gave positive onlers to have any that might
come in future seized before their introduction
into France. The emperor afterwards appeal
ed to enjoy the trick which he had played upon
Josephine, lit' saw that she was disconcerted
at not receiving articles which she expected—
and. in a moment of petulance,observed toiler,
that the greatest punishment which could be in
dict'd on a woman, was to deprive her of her
robes and her chijj'oon!S. He then told her that
he would pardon her that time, hut on one con
ihtion, w lit, h was, that it he detected any thing
of the kind in future, he would condemn anti
execute as guilt\. those w ho might commit sue;
faults for hi i pleasure—•• Tout Impcratiee qin
vouseie-, ma femme, vous n'etes pas aus ties
Misers la-.' Napoleon detested shawls; hi.
liked to see the shape of women, and pretended
flint it was null the deformed who first invented
th ni—nor could he hear to see a woman with
out rouge—their paleness gave him pain, as Ji
alwnvs m apihod tin m to he ill.
SIR JOHN DUDDLKSTONK.
The follow ug siury, which is taken from an ole.
lk'i-.;ol newspaper, deserves preservation; i >pec.
ally us it uppeii's to be founded on fart, though
some 'u i n.- Circumstances have an air of cxaggeiu
tion, which p» rhups rentiers tlie anecdote so much
the mor< amudng. Tiie scene at court bears some
s.in.litnde to one in the legendary ballad of tic
M l! r of M.ni'fn Id Prince George of Denmark,
the husband of Queen \nne, happening to be a*
liristu), went on the exchange, with only one a'.'tr.
a military oihe.r. f|<- continued there till
most of the ni'. reboots ha 1 left tlie place ; none c
them having addressed thin, or paid him any pa;
ticidar respect. 11 <w ver, he was not entirely nc
gl<'ctfi!, tor one John Duddlestom , a buddwomu
k- r, then residmg in Corn slicct, went up to his
royal Ugliness, and asked him if lie iuj n t
QueeuU husband. On being answered in * : e i.Ui
in.i'iv , Du ! !h s;one s.ed in* had <» : *■ cd, v.
g'*od th d of c V i til a* non of ti; *, .. ' ; * c* .
hud invited hii legUucsj to demur ; and teat us .*