The Illinois free trader., July 17, 1840, Image 1

About The Illinois free trader. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1840-1841

Image provided by: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, Urbana, IL

4 J-
-4
THE IILMNOI
FREE TMABEM
Our Country, her Commerce, and her Free Institntioiis.
VOLUME I.
OTTAWA, ILLINOIS, FRIDAY, JULY 17, 1840.
NUMBER 9.
V
PUBLISHED WEEKLY BY
GEORGE F. WEAVER & JOHN HISE,
Canal Slrtet, nearly opposite the Mansion Jtutist.
terms:
Two dollars and fifty ccnU per annum, if paid in
advance; Three dollars if not paid before the expi-
ratinnnfthft first hit months: And three dollars
nd twenty-fire cents if delayed until the end of
the year.
Advertisements inserted at $1 per square for
the first insertion, affd 35 cents for each sub
sequent insertion. A literal discount made to
those who advertixc by the year.
All communications, to ensure attention, must
be post paid.
JOB WORK
Of every description, executed in the neatest man
' manner, at the usual prices.
Ottawa i the scat of justice of La Calle
' county ; is situated at the junction of the Fox river
with the Illinois, 200 miles, bv water, from Saint
Louis, and mid-w ay between Chicago and Peoria.
The population of Ottaw is about one thousand.
LITERARY MISCELLANY
xm: cottage wooit.
by t. k. nunvY.
How sweet the rest that labor yields
The humble and the poor,
' Where sits the patriarch of the fields
Before his cottage door !
The lark is singing in the sky,
. The swallow in the caves,
A nd love is beaming in each eye,
Ueneath the summer leaves !
The air amid hi fragrant bowers
Supplies unpurchased health,
And hearts are bounding 'mid the flowers,
More dear to him than wealth !
Peace, like the blessed sunlight, plays
Around his humble cot,
And happy nights and cheerful days,
Divide his lowly lot.
And when the village Sabbath bell
Kings out upon the gale,
The father bows his head to tell
The music of its tale
A fresher verdure seems to fill
The fair and dewy sod,
And every infant tongue is still,
To hear the word of God !
Oh ! happy hearts to Him who stills
The ravens when they cry,
A nd makes the lilly 'ncath the hills
. So glorious to the eye
The trusting patriarch prays, to bless
His labor with increase ;
Such "ways arc ways of pleasantness,"
And all such " paths are peace."
Consideration for Young IUru.
Reading is a most interesting and plea
sant method of occupying your leasure
hours. I am aware that men of business
have, usually, little time to devote to the
-improvement of their minds. Their
active 'occupations must necessarily en
gross their chief attention. And yet in
the business of lite there are many unoc
cupied hours, fragments of time, which,
if carefully gathered up and duly improve
cd, would afford oppertunity for reading
a great many useful volumes, and of ac
quiring much useful knowledge. If there
are any persons so deeply engageu in
business, that they can find no time to
read, I would say to them, take lime.
It is not meet that you should spend the
whole of your life as a mere beast of
burden, providing only for the body
wliile you leave the mind, the immortal
rabid, to famish and starve. The truth
is, all men have or many have time
enough to read. The difficulty is, they
are not careful to improve it. Their
hours of leasure are either idled away, or
slept away, or talked away, or spent in
some other manner equally vain and use
less ; and they complain that they have
. no time for the culture of their minds and
hearts. This is all wrong. The infinite
value of time is not realized. It is the
most precious thing in the world, the onlv
thing of which it is a virtue to be cove-
'' tous, and yet the only thing of which al
men are prodigal. 1 lme is so precious
that there is never but one moment in the
' world at once, and that is always taken
away before another is given. Only take
care to gather up your fragments of time
my friends, and you will never want leis
ure for the reading of useful books. And
in what way can you spend your unoccu
. pied hours more pleasantly than in holding
converse with- the wise and good thro
the medium of their writings t To
mind not altogether devoid of curiosity
books open an inexhaustable source of
enjoyment. And it is a high recommen
dation, of this sort of enjoyment that it
always abides with us. Nothing can
take it away. It is the mind ; and go
vuore we may, if our minds are well fur
nished and m good order, we can never
want of means of enjoyment. The grand
volume of nature will always he spread
before ns : and if we know how to read
' its wonders, the whole world will pour at
our feet its treasures, and we shall hold
converse with God himself.
But to those who are unaccustomed to
read other books, this sublime volume
must of course appear an unmeaning blank
They cannot read the glorious lines of
wisdom and power, of majesty and love,
which the Creator has inscribed upon it,
all is to them a sealed book, and they pass
through ' the world none the wiser for all
the wonders of creative power and .good
ness by which they are surrounded.
A taste for useful reading is an effectual
preservation from vice. Next to the fear
of God, implanted in the heart, nothing is
a better safeguard to the character than
the love of good books. They are hand
maids of virtue and religion. They
quicken our sense of duty, unfold our
responsibilities, strengthen our principles,
confirm our habits, inspire in us the love
of what is right and useful, and teach us
to look with disgust upon what is low,
and grovelling, and vicious. It is with
good books as it is with prayer ; the use
of them will cither make us leave off sin
ning, or leave off reading them. No
vicious man has a fondness for reading
and no man who has a fondness for this
exercise is in much danger of becoming
vicious. He is secured from a thousand
temptations to which he would otherwise
be exposed. He has no inducement to
squander away his time in. vain amuse
ments, in the haunts of dissipation, or in
the corrupting intercourse of bad compa
ny. He has hiffher and nobler source of
enjoyment to which he can have access.
le can bo happy alone - and is indeed
never less alone than when alone. Then
te enjoys the sweetest, the purest, and
most improving society, the society of
the wise, the great and good ; and while
he holds delightful converse with these,
lis companions and friends, he grows
into a likeness of them, and learns to look
down as from an eminence of purity and
ight, upon the low born pleasures of the
dissipated and the profligate.
The high value of mental cultivation is
another weighty motive for giving atten
dance to reading. What is it that mainly
istinguishes a man from a brute? Know-
edge. What makes the vast difference
then between men, as they appear in the
same society ? Knowledge. What rais
ed Franklin from the humble station of a
printer's boy to the first honors of the
country ? Knowledge. What took Sher
man from his shoemaker s bench, gave
him a seat in congress, and there made
his voice to be heard among the wisest
and best of his compeers ? Knowledge
What raised Simpson from the weaver s
oom to a place among the first of mathc
maticians ; and llcrslicl lrom being s
poor fifer's boy in the af my, to a station
among: the first of astronomers ? Know-
edge. Knowledge is power. It is the
philosopher's stone the true alchemy
that turns every thing it touches into gold.
It is the sceptre that gives us our doinin
ion over nature ; the key that unlocks the
store houses of creation, and opens to us
the treasures of the universe.
And suppose you that her last victory
has been won, the utmost limits of her
dominion reached? Nay, my friends,
she has but commenced her march. Her
most splendid triumphs are yet future
What new honors she has to bestow on
her followers, into what new fields of
conquest and of glory she will lead them,
no one can tell. Her voice to all is, to
rally around her standard and go forward
and aid her victories, and share in honor
of her achievements. None are excluded
from this privilege. Her rewards are
proffered to all, and all, tho in different
measures, may share in her distinctions,
her blessings, and hopes.
l he circumstances in which you are
placed, :is members of a free and intelli
gent community, demand of you a care
ful improvement of the means of know
ledge you enjoy You live in an age o
great mental excitement. The public
mind is awake, and society in general is
fast rising in the scale of improvement
At the same time the means of knowledge
are most abundant. They exist every
where, and in the richest variety. Nor
were stronger inducements ever held ou
to engage all classes of people in the
diligent use of these means. Usefu
talents of every kind arc in great demand
The field of enterprise is widening and
spreading around you : the road to honor.
to wealth, to usefulness is open to all
and all who will, may enter upon it with
the most certain prospect of success. In
this free community there arc no privilege
ed orders. Every man finds his level
If he has talents he will be known and
estimated, and rise in the respect and con
fidence of society. Hawes Lectures
rtrnatiftil Extract.
The following beautiful extract it from Gallath
er'a Hesperian, a monthly publication, issued in
Cincinnati, Ohio :
"Young Womanhood ! the sweet morn
on tho horizon's verge," a thought ma
turcd, but not uttered a conception warm
and glowing, yet not embodied the rich
halo which precedes the rising sun th
rosy dawn that bespeaks the ripening
peach a flower
" A flower which is not quite a flower,
Yet is no more a bud."
(0 Upon this, the Sunday News makes the
following capital parody :
"Young Womanhood! molasses touch
ed with a little brimstone spread on
bread not buttered a being all joints and
angles, not filled out an uninformed form,
deformed by stays a pallid thing that
loves the ripening peach a young wo
man A woman which is not quite a woman,
Yet something more nor a gal."
The Koae and the Zephyr.
ut n. iiiMiLTox, sa
A wild Rose in fragrance was blushing,
All gemm'd with the diamonds of deW J
A Zephyr on pinions camo rushing
From the chambers of morning, all blue ;
Hekiss'd the young llossom of beauty,
And the tears from its soft petals fell,
Then sped on his balm-breathing duty,
Sighing, "Rose of my bosom farewell."
When cvrtiing in glory was glowing,
I saw then th rose but how changed !
O'er earth were its crimson leaves blowing,
And Zephyr o'er other (lowers ranged.
True symbol, I cried, of love plighted,
Art thou, my frail, perishing flower !
Dy falsehood too often thus blighted
Are the blossoms of youth's rosy hour
From the Philadelphia Chronicle
Iniiuortnlitr and Ibe Orarc.
We had a little boy that was advancing
towards his fourth vcar. He was our
only son ; he had nothing of the boister
ous happiness of childhood about him ;
but seemed to live m the tranquil enjoy
ment of the delights that nature had scat
tered at his feet; and lie grew in the
breeze and the sunshine, a creature of
pure and gentle elements. He had few
affections, but they were unusually strong
Two beings he loved with an intense pas
sion ; his mother and a kind and singlc-
hcarted man, who delighted to have my
lttlc boy by his side when, he weeded his
garden, who culled for him the brightest
rosebuds, and who would hold him for
lours in his arms, to look upon the swal
ows as they dipped their rapid wings in
to the clear and silent stream that flowed
y my cottage. If ever human beings.
were entirely happy, it was this honest
man and my poor child, as tliey wander
ed about from the rising to the setting of
the sun, exchanging those most innocent
thoughts, which the rough touch of
worldly feeling will in a moment destroy
but which rest upon the untainted soul,
ike bloom upon the ripening fruit.
The boy gradually sickened ; there
was languor in his eyes which told of
growing disease ; there was a torpor in
his movements which spoke of feebleness
and pain. The spring came, but he did
not float upon its gale like the butterfly
V hue the crocus leaped out of the earth
to proclaim the approaching hours of re
novation, the work of decay was begun in
the sappling whose blossoms and fruit
shone so richly in my day dreams. I saw
him once more enjoy the sunshine but
it was in his nurse s arms.
The crisis quickly approached. I sat
by his bed for two days and nights, re
gardless of anything in the world but my
sick boy. The wrestlings with death of
a firrt mind and mature body must be fear
ful; but who can gaze without shudder
ing upon the agonies of infancy ? Who
can see the burning fever pass over the
trembling lips of childhood, like the hur
ricane sweeping the lily, without shrink
ing from the sight of this contest between
weakness and power ? I looked out for a
moment from the chamber of suffering,
upon the face of the bright and tranquil
world when I turned again to my boy
the hand of death was closing his eyes.
I now knew, for the first time, what it
is to have death about our hearths. The
excitement of hope and fear in a moment
passes awav ; and the contest between
feeling and reason begins with its alterna
tion of passion and listlcssncss. It is
some time before the image of death gets
possession of mind. Wc sleep, per
chance, amidst a feverish dream of gloomy
and indistinct remembrances the dbject
of our grief, it may be, has seemed to us
present, in health and animation we
wake in a struggle between the shadowy
and the real world and wc require an cf
fort of the intellect, to believe that the
earthly part of the being wc have loved,
is no more than a clod of the vallc.
I followed my boy to the grave. I
looked down into the deep, deep resting'
place they had prepared for my child.
At that moment a gleam of sunshine sud
denly burst upon the scene. I thought of
the dim morning of death, and the " day
spring" of immortality ; and I turned for
comfort unto Him who said, "Suffer lit
tie children to come unto mp, and foTbh
them not." Provineial Journal.
A Romantic Adventure.
An English paper says the following
adventure has of late been the subject of
much conversation. On an evening early
in March last, about dusk, a commercial
traveller was proceeding from Chelten
ham to Gloucester in a gig, when he was
accosted by a respectable dressed lady,
who informed him that she had been dis
appointed by the coach, and requested him
to give her a seat in his gig to Gloucester.
Commercial travellers are proverbially
gallant and good naturcd: and the gentle
man of the road, in this instance, posses
sed all the best characteristics of this or
der.' He was happy at the opportunity
offered him of being of the least service
to the lady, whose petition was couched
in the most moving terms; and delighted
rather than otherwise with his good for
tune, which had thrown such a companion
in his way to beguile the solitariness and
tedium of his journey, he at once granted
the request; and handed the lady to the
scat at his side.
The lady's proportions were oomewh
of the largest, and the arm which the
traveller assisted as she sprang into the
vehicle appeared capable of defending its
possessor from any improper liberties.
Whether this circumstance induced the
traveller to cast his eves downward, to ob
serve whether all proportions correspond
ed, or whether, like many other gentle
men of his craft, he boasted of being a
connoiscur in fine ancles, wc do not
know but the story goes that, while his
eyes did wander towards the lect ol lus
companion his sight was far from being
gratified by detecting something which
bore very much the appearance of a man s
trousers peeping f:om beneath a silk cloak
and flounced petticoat.
All the comfortable reminiscences of
past dangers, and all the anecdotes which
he had ever heard or read from the 'New
gate Calendar,' came fresh to his recol
lection. He had no doubt he was riding,
cheek by jowl, with a second Dick lur
pin, who was only waiting a suitable op
portunity to rob, and perhaps to murder
him. A lucky idea rose m his mind : he
drew his silk handkerchief from his pock
et; it fell into the road; it was a splendid
wipe,' and as valuable as tho one that an
Egyptian gave to Othello's mother ; he
could not think of losing it, but his horse
was too hasty-tempered to allow him to
trust the reins into strange hands a thou
sand apologies, but would the lady be
kind enough to step out, and pick up the
handkerchief which was now some yards
in the rear of the gig. The lady readily
assented, and while she was performing
this errand, the commercial gentleman
gave the whip to his fiery courser, and
soon left his suspicious fellow voyagcur
far behind him. When he felt it prudent
to moderate his speed, he discovered that
the lady had left in the seat, when she
dismounted, a handsome muff, and putting
his hand inside of it, he found a brace of
pistols, loaded, capped and balled ; and,
with the muff and its formidable contents,
the traveller arrived safely in Gloucester,
congratulating himself most heartily on
the narrow escape which he had experi
enced.
Original Anecdote of Decatur.
The late gallant Decatur was a sailor to
the very heart s core, and loved to tell the
1 t . 1 V
anecdotes oi the common sailors. 1 re
collect one which he used to relate, to the
following purport : In one of the actions
before Tripoli, while fighting hand to
hand with the captain of a gun-boat, De
catur came near being cut down bv a
Turk, who attacked him from' behind.
A teaman named Reuben James, who was
already wounded in both hands, seeing
the risk of his commander, rushed in and
received the blow of the uplifted sabre on
his own head. Fortunately the honest
fellow survived to receive his reward.
Some time afterwards, whrn he had re
covered from his wound, Decatur sent for
him on deck, expressed his gratitude for
his self-devotion, in presence of the crew,
and told him to ask for some reward.
The honest tar pulled ttp his waist-band
and rolled his quid, but seemed utterly at
a loss what to claim. His messmates
gathered around him, nudged him with
their elbows, and whispered in his car
He had all the world in a string, and
could get what he pleased ; the old man
could deny him nothing, fcc."
One advised this thing, another that;
" double pay "boatswains birth,
u pocketful of money, and a full swing
on shore," &.c. Jack elbowed them all
aside, and would have none of their coun
sel. After mature deliberation, he an
nounced the reward to which he aspired ;
it was, to be excused from rolling up the
hammock cloths! The whimsical re
quest was of course granted; and from
that time forward, whenever the sailors
were piped to stow away their hammocks,
Jack was to be seen loitering around, and
looking on, with the most gentlemanlike
eisure. He always continued in the
same ship with JJccatur. " I could al
ways know the state of my bile by Jack,"
said the commodore. " If I was in rood
liumor, and wore a pleasant aspect, Jack
would be- sure to heave in sight, to receive
a friendly nod ; if I was out of humor,
and wore, as I sometimes did. a foul
Veathef physiognomy, Jack kept aloof
and skulked among the other sailors."
It is proper to add, that Reuben James
received a more solid reward for his gal
lant devotion than the privilege above
mentioned, a pension having been granted
to him by uovcrnment.
On another occasion, Decatur had re
ceived at New York the freedom of the
city, as a testimonial of respect and grat
itude. On the following day, he over
heard this colloquy between two of his
sailors : Jack," said one. " what is the
meaning freedom of the city,' which
they've been giving to the old man 1"
' U hy, don't you know ? Why, it's
the right to frolic about the streets as much
as he pleases ; kick up a row ; knock
down the men, and kis9 the women !"
" Oh, ho 1" cried the other, " that's
worth fighting for !" Knickerbocker,
I'.reuintr.
I think there are two periods in the life
of man m which the evening hour is pe
culiarly interesting in youth and old age.
In youth, you love it for its mellow moon
light, Us million stars, its then rich and
soothing shades, its still serenity; aiH
there we can commune with our loves, or
twine wreaths of friendship, wliile there
is none to bear us witness but the hcav
ens and the spirits that hold their endless
there or look into the deep bosom of
creation, spread abroad like a canopy a
hove us, and look and listen till wc can
almost see and hear the waving wings and
melting songs of other beings in other
worlds. To youth the evening is delight
ful, it accords with the flow of its light
spirits, the fervor of his fancy, and the
softness of his heart. Evening is also
the delight of virtuous age, it affords hours
of undisturbed contemplation it seems
an emblem of the calm and tranquil close
of busy life serene, placid and mild,
with the impress of its great Creator
stamped upon it ; it spreads its quiet
wings over the grave, and seems to prom
ise that all shall be peace beyond it.
Franklin.
London.
" I hat stilled hum ol midnight, says
Carlyle, " hen trafhc has laid down to
rest, and the chariot wheels of vanity 6til
rolling, here and there through the distant
streets, are bearing her to halls roofed in,
and lighted to the due pitch for her, nnc
only vice am' misers, to growl; or the
like night birds, are abroad that hnm, I
say, like the sturtorotis, unquiet slumber
of sick life, is heard in heaven. Oh! am
under that hideous coverlid of vapors
what a fermenting vat lies simmering and
hid. The joyful and sorrowful arc there,
men arc dying there; men are being born;
men arc praying on the other side of a
brick partition men arc cursing; and
around them is the vast void night. The
proud grandee still lingers in his perfumed
saloons, or reposes within damask cur
tains; wretchedness cowers into truckle
beds; or shivers hunger stricken into his
lair of straw. In obscure cellars, Rouge-
et-noir languidly emits its voice of destiny
to hungry villians; while counsellors of
State sit plodding, and playing their
chess game, whereof the pawns are men.
The lover whispers his mistress the coach
is ready; and she full of hope and fear,
glides down to fly with him over the bor
ders; the thief, still more silently seta to
his picklocks and crowbars, or lurks to
wait till the watchmen first snore in their
boxes. Gay mansions, with supper
rooms, and dancing rooms, are full of
light and music, and high swelling hearts;
but in the condemed cells, the pulse of
life beats tremulous and faint, and blood
shot eyes look out through the darkness,
which is around and within, for the light
of a last stern morning. Riot cries aloud,
and swaggers in his rank den of shame,
and the mother with streaming hair, kneels
over the pallid, d)ing mlant, whose
cracked lips only her tears now moisten.
All these heaped and huddled together,
with nothing but a little carpentry and ma
sonry between them."
Hhe would be ftol.tlrr."
The following thrilling anecdote of a
young South Carolina girl is copied from
a work entitled " I ales of Marion's men:'
Sally St. Clair was a beautiful, dark eyed
Creole girl. The whole treasure of her
love was freely poured out to Sergeant
Jasper, who, on one occasion, had the
good fortune to save her life. The pros
pect of their separation almost maddened
her.' To sever hrr long jetty ringlets
from her exquisite head, to dress in male
' attire, to enrol herself in the corps fo
which he belonged, unknown to him, wsi
a resolntioh no sooner conceived than ta
ken. In the camp she attracted no par
ticular attention except the night before
the battle, when she was noticed bending
over his couch, like a good and gentle
spirit, as if listening ;o his dreams. The
camp was surprised and a fierce conflict
ensued. The lovers were side bv side in
the thickest of the fight ; but endeavoring
to turn away a lance aimed at the heart of
Jxsper, the poor girl received it in her
own, and fell bleeding at his feet. After
the victory her name and sex were dis
covered ; there was not a dry eye in the
corps when Sally St. Clair was laid in
her grave in a green shady nook, that
looked as if it had been stolen out of Par
adise.
Washington's Name among the brat ttUhl
Mr. Hackett, the actor, gives the fol
lowing account of an occurrence at the
Dublin Theatre : " The first flight 6f Rip
v an Winkle, when in the midst of the
scene when he rinds himsell lost id
amazement at the change of his native
village, as well as in himself and every
body he meets, a person, of whom he is
making an inquiry, mentions the name of
ashington. Rip asks who is he? The
other replies, "What! did you never hear
of the immortal Washington, the Father
of his country?" The whole audience
from pit to gallery seemed to raise, and
with shouting huzzas, clapping of hands
and stamping of feet, made the very buil
ding shake. These deafening plaudits
continued some time, and wound up with
three distinct rounds. To describe to
you my feelings during such a thunder
gust of national enthusiasm, is utterly im
possible. I choaked the tears gushed
from my eyes, and I can assure you it
was by a great effort that I restrained
myself from destroying all the illusion of
the scene by breaking the fetters with
which the age and character of Rip had
invested me, and exclaiming, in the ful
ness of my heart, "God bless Old IreJ
land:1
Dialogue in a Court of Justice;
The attorney in the case attempted td
invalidate the testimony of the witness,
by declaring him to be too ignoiantto be
a competent one ; said he to the judge, I
can convince your honor of the incom
petency of the witness in a very few mo
ments ; he has been reared in the country,
has never been out of sight of his father's
barn, never saw a school house ; and your
honor permitting, I will propound a few
questions tnd upon his answers, yor hon
or can decide.
The Judge assenting, he turned to the
witness and asked who made you ?
Witness. I don't know I reckon it
was Moses. .
Attorney.--Tin re, your honor, to the
satisfaction of yourself and the jury, i
have proved the witness a non compos
mentis, totally unqualified to decide upon
the serious nature of his oath. ,
Witness. Now, Mr. Lawyer, may I
ask you one question ? I've answered
yours.
Attorney. A thousand, sir, a thous
and, if you please.
it ness. Who made you ?
Attorney. Why,.! dontknow, I reck
on it was Aaron.
Witness (turning to the Jury) Well
now, I have read in the good book, that
Aaron made a calf, but I dont know how
the darn'd fool got here. -
The Court was convuUed with laugh
ter. . . "
Keeping truth in the dark.' s
A very good widow lady loved porter
ay, dearly, and ore day just rs she was
receiving half a dozen bottles from (he
man who usually brought her the com
forting beverage, she perceived (O, hor
ror !) two of tue grave elders of , the ,
church approaching her door. She ran
the man out the back way, and pat the
bottles under the bed. The weather was:
lot, and while conversing with her friends.
pop went one ot the corks.
" Dear me !" exclaimed the good lady;
yesterday just the same way I past
have a new rope that's sartin."
In a few moments pop went another.
followed by the peculiar hist of the esca
ping liquor. The bed cord wouldn't an
swer this time, bat the good lady was not
at a Kiss. , ' .
" Dear me J" says she, 44 that black cat
of mine must be at some mischief there.'
S'catvon torment !'.', ," . ...
Another bottle popped" off, and' the pos
ter came stealing out from under the bed
curtains ! This was the hardest caM of
all to get over but our good old . oai
was yet " on hand" v , . t
0 dtfar me 1" said she, " I'd forgot-
its the yeast i Prudence 1 come her tod
take WBy these bottles of yrMTi r
i. f
: 0
j
. . i
:'