SEPABATIOir.
A wall was grown up between the two ,
A strong , thick wall , though all unseen ;
Jfono knew when the first stones were laid ,
Nor how the wall was , built , I ween.
And so their lives were wide apart ,
Although they shared one board , one bed ,
A careless eye saw naught amiss ,
Tet each was to the other dead.
lie , much absorbed in work and gain ,
Grew soon unmindful erf his loss ;
A hard indifference worse than bate
Changed love's pure gold to worthless
dross.
She suffered tortures all untold ;
Too proud to mourn , too strong to die ;
The wall pressed heavily on her heart ;
Her white face showed her misery.
Such walls are growing day by day
'Twist man and wife , 'twixt friend and
friend ;
Would they could know , who lightly build ,
How sad and bitter is the end.
A carelcRS word , an unkind thought ,
A slight neglect , a taunting tone
Such things as these , before we know ,
Have laid the wall's foundation stone.
[ Springfield Republican.
FORTY YEARS AGO.
Prentice Mulford writes in - the San
Francisco Chronicle : Forty years ago
gentlemen shaved themselves , and car
ried their apparatus for this purpose
while traveling. Whiskers were worn
from the ear naif-way down the face ,
that being the military style of the
period. Full beards and "mustaches
were deemed disreputable. I recollect
hearing a gentleman of the "old
school" argue seriously with a young
man from the city on the propriety of
.shaving off his mustache , and another
full-bearded individual just arrived , in
our village caused by his appearance a
howl of derision on the part of a small
.group of negro hoys.
Board was from § 2.50 to § 3.00 per
week. Silk umbrellas wore unknown.
Overshoes were made in South America
of pure rubber , and in shape resembled
oval-bottomed soda-water bottles. The
shoe of 1842 contained enough rubber
to make a half-dozen of the overshoes
of to-day.
Country farm wagons wereunpaint-
ed , without springs , and on their sides
jgrew the dry yellow moss of genera
tions.
Saturday was maaket day in the
country towns. The rural wives and
* daughters sat in the wagon on straight-
backed , tnag-bpltomed chairs. Then ,
after bartering their egs and butter ,
they drove off home. The head of the
the family sat bolt upright on the front
seat , his "lash-gad" shouldered like a
musket on parade , and sometimes betraying - ,
traying an extra degree of stiffening in
his attitude through the influence of a
few drinks. Every country store-keeper
sold rum by the measure. The bucolic
rum jug was an institution and came to
-town regularly to be filled.
Gongs summoned the guest's meals
There was great parade , marshaling o
the negro waiters , who , with military
precision , removed the-covers from the
-chafing dish , and , returning , in a line
bore away the dishes also , while.the
Crural guests of the house were deeply
impressed with all this pomp and cir
cumstances of dinner.
Many householders bad under their
roofs the family flint-lock musket , bay
onet and cartridge-box ready for the
summons which once a year required
them to appear "armed and equippec
' .as the law directs , " to be reviewed and
inspected by a gorgeous military gen
eral with a glittering staff. A genera
tion exists to-day who never saw a
country . "general training , " so replete
with awkwardness , rusty guns/muskots
that went off with last year's charges
when the "inspector" snapped their
locks , root beer , rum , negroes , runa
way horses unused to warlike sights
= and sounds , gay plumes and epaulets
.attached to staff officers pitched over
equine heads and describing in the air
graceful parabolas with drawn swords.
But the present , with all its boasting
and self-congratulation , has not a monopoly -
< nopoly of the good things of this life.
--Cannon were then "touched off" with
-"p'ort fife ! " Percussion" capa hnd-just
made their appearance.
Every old man' had seen "General
"Washington" or "came near it. " Patriotism -
-triotism ran largely to an intense desire -
-sire to "lick the British. "
Every murder made a sensation , and
it was usually expected that some one
would hang for it. Carrying anns se
cretly about the person was deemed not
anany degrees shore of murderitself. .
"Pistol-pockets" were unknown. The
revolver was a curiosity. The derrin
ger had never spoken. Nothing akin
to the present cheap , easy and expedi
tions methods for stopping human exis
tence had been devised.
Whale oil was much used for lighting.
It was the terror of housewives and
-played havoc with table cloths and par
lor carpets. .Numerous jecipeswere
.given , but none were infallible for re
moving the stain.The candlestick and 3
3i
snuffers were in every house. 3V
The "district school" of the period V
Tvas unwholoiornely crowded in winter. B
Jt commenced in the morning with a r
long prayer , and generally ended at tl
night with a succession of cow-hidings.
Itfost of the teachers wpre from. Con Cf
necticut , and generally dyspeptic or klai
'consumptive. A "box stove' " burning ait
wood , heated the apartment , all aglow aiw
at one - moment and cold the next. w
Water for drinking was brought in at m
intervals in a pail , passed around , and
drunk out of. a tin dipper. The unpainted - ai
aiu
painted desks were cut and'hacked , : vml aiP
ink-stained from the arduous efforts of 5 P <
; r ; Ht
generations of school-boys. tried
. "spit-balls" were flattened on the walls.
The big boys chewed tobacco , and the
marks of missiles of this character
might also be seen prominent on the
ceiling. The odor of a country school
in full blast seemed compounded of ink
and unwashed juveniles. There was
no system of gradation text-books , save
at the will of the teacher , and schoolbook -
book publishers had not learned the art
of making fortunes through an innum
erable series of readers and writing
books. One duty of the master was to
make or mend the quill pens for the
whole school , a work of no small pro
portions.
School was dismissed with an up
roar. It was like the bursting of a
huge bomb filled with boys. They
scrambled over desks and benches
without order or discipline. Half an
hour after the weary master had flogged
the three boys , "kept after school , " ho
emerged frona the scene of educational
torture , went to his boarding house ,
and received what nourishment no could
from the thin 6 o'clock tea of the pe
riod.
Jn the country a steam engine was a
great curiosity. The rural mind most
wondered at the readiness with which
it was stopped , deeming that such a
concentration of power must require
many minutes to run down.
Country graveyards were of tea unfenced -
fenced , neglected , and uncared for.
Cattle ran freely in them , knocked
over , and shattered the tombstones.
The grounds were overgrown with
weeds and wild shrubbery. Flowers
and other tokens of remembrance com
mon to-day were seldom seen in them.
The burying ground was then a place
shuaaed and feared. The grave filled
up , relatives and friends hurried away ,
and might never visit the place again
until the next burial.
It was an age less gentle and humane
ia its tendencies than ours. More fath-
3rs lashed their sons unmercifully for
small offenses. No Bergh had been de
veloped. There was little restrictioa
ja cruelty to animals in any locality.
There was no more honesty than to-day
possibly less. People drove hard aad
sharp bargains with each other. Prov-
dence was often made responsible for
; he spirit of covetousness , greed , and
indue accumulation. The phrase ran
hat "it was our duty -to care for the
joods committed to our trust. " This
vas a broad door for the entrance and
> xcuse of a multitude of sins. Inhu-
naaity and aeglect oftea prevailed at
he town poor-houses. There was no
reporter" to ferret out such abuses.
Jo-press to expose them. Chapters oa
ihapters of such misery are never to be
mtten or known. Such facts died out
.nd were buried in pauper graves. The
own poor-houses were sometimes
armed out for the year to the lowest
lidder , who did not , as } a rule , repre-
ent the culture of the community.
Even to the man now living , who was
f "mature age in 1842 , a sudden transi-
ion , were it possible , to the habits ,
aanners , customs , and general system
f the life of that period would be full
f surprise and wonder. It is impossi-
le to estimate the true character and
xteat of such changes , when suuh
ransition from the life of the post to
iat of the preseat has been slow and
radual. As generations merge into
ach other , so imperceptibly the old.
abits disappear. The new take their
laces , and the smaller peculiarities
ommoa to the period are soon forgot-
jn. '
Some people are always .regretting
10 "good old times , " and wishing they
rere back. Possibly , if those times
ere back , the grumbler would wish
lem still further back. The passion
> r the old , whether it be the old of a
uadred years ago or five hundredmay
B largely a glamor and fiction begot-
sa in the brains of novel writers.
llailroads may be prosaic , but how
ould the thousand people desiring to
ave San Fraaeisco to-morrow mora-
ig like to be crammed into stage-
mehes , traveling ten miles' per hour ,
put on board sailing crafts ialieu of
earners and drift up the Sacramento
TO miles an hour , while the mosqui-
es held high carnival over them ?
rhat a secluded place California would
> without * steam navigation , and sepa-
ted at least four months from New
ork.
r
How would wo fancy going back to
e barbarous old surgery of a'hundred '
iars ago , when in a sea fight they cut
f a man's leg without aa aesthetics ,
id dipped the stump ia hot tar to
Leek the bleeding ?
Judging from the fragments handed
> wn , old times , oven very recent old
nes , must have been pretty rough ,
lie gentleraea seem to have been very
uch inclined to bully , aud used the
rords they wore to enforce their bul-
ing. Their estimation of womanhood
hausted itself in fine speeches. Bend -
> nd this they were brutes. The me-
; anic of one hundred years ago did
> t hold the place he does to-day. He
uld not then get into the legislature
any governing body outsmo of his
As for honesty they cheated than : is
ill as now. Our revolution developed
10 man who wanted to sell us out and
ilf a dozen who tried to freeze out
commander-in-ohiof.
ashington as - -
> rn Americans constituted themselves
Lo "cowboys , " the bushwhackers of
o time , and plundered equally from
end and foe. The meanest of these
me from Connecticut and used to
jan out'my native village'on Long Isl-
d about three times a year. 'One of
am snatched my great grandfather's
itch from , the wall and t my grand-
> thor , then a little girl , saw him do it.
on the "patriots" in the American
my would plunder their own people
d "dignify their raids "
as "scouting cx-
ditions , " "packed conventions , " etc.
The modern political huckstering com'
mencedwith the federal government ,
Good New England people did not hes
itate to fit oufslavenj. There was fai
less'toleration than "to-day. The pioneer
neer Methodists and Baptists were
abused and hated and encouraged to
stav away.
A "spiritualist" in 1776 would have
been hooted out of town and a "me-
jum" tarred and feathered , if not hung.
A mild dose of tar and feathers wouui
prove beneficial to some of the present
impostors.
The " old times"
"good were probably
good enough for those who lived in
them. Wo might endure their styles ,
costumes , and manners for curiosity's
sake. Perhaps the getting of one
breakfast over a wood fire in a fire
place , when the wind was in its smoky
quarter , would cure us. And the morn
ing paper of fifty years ago , full of
dry political essays and news two
months old from Europe , would make
the cure lasting.
And the novelists and writers of the
"good old times , " with a few notable
exceptions. What dreary lots of soft ,
gushy bosh they wrote ! What mires of
words 'their readers waded through !
What unreal pictures of life they pre
sented ! What lies they told or inferred
in their stories ! What impossible ,
gaudily-painted heroes and heroines
they made up in their closets !
Life as it really is is not all printed in
the books now , but it's a much better
copy of the original than it was in the
"good old times. "
Is not ours a great improvement on
the ' "good old times ? " True , our
newspapers are full of murders , burg
lars , thefts , and other crimes , but not
one-tenth of these found the irway into
the papers in the old times. People
could not realize the amount of evil
among them. Such realization is the
first step to the cure. A man now can
seldom be robbed and murdered with
out its being known throughout the
length and breadth of the hind In the
Dick Turpin days of England how
many unknown crimes of the roud must
have been committed , when there was
neither live paper , live reporter , nor
live telegraph to make it known ! Our
papers to-day have a great deal to say
of the corruption in legislatures , state
and national , and of abuses of those ia
power. Probably more or less truth is
involved in such statements. What
opportunity in any land had the rank
and file of the people two hundred
years ago to know what went on in
high places and governing bodies , save
by word of mouth ? Print such matter
in a paper ? Had there been a paper to
print it in , and an editor daring enough
to printhe would not have seen twenty-
tour hours of liberty after the first issue.
tt is doubtful if ever he would be seen
ifterward. Recollect that it it still less
; han one hundred years since the time
) f the French ouoliettes and lettres de
: achel , when a man arrested by the
joverumeutwent out of sight forever.
Then ours are improved times , but
lot by any means perfect. If not bar-
> arous , we are in some respects semi-
) lvrbarous. Our laws put people to
leath in a most revolting fashion. Did
ve take the criminal by the hair of his i
lead , bend his neck over a block , cut
lis throat , and allow him to bleed to
leath , he would die far easier than at
lalf our official strangulations. With
he fact that a shock from an electric
attery will put the life out of a man as
[ uick as a wink , we still go on comruit-
ing executions to the charge of bung
ing sheriffs who know far more about
nixing their whisky and water in prop-
r proportion than they do about the
aost expeditious method of taking 1m-
lan life , and who so often f.llow their
ictims to hang aud kick , agonize and
Irangle from ton to twenty minutes
fter the drop is cut. The condition of
iie poor , too , -in such tenement-housed
ities as New York , is , as regards the
rivileges of fresh air and sunlight ,
rorse than in any city of the "good old
ines. " But we are alive to this , and
aero is persistent outcry against
; . Those are evils consequent
pen the rapid concentration of pop-
lation. Shall we ever- find a remedy
> r this crowding of people together
nd the trouble arising from it ? A New
ork police judge once said to me that ,
i his estimation , one-third of the daily ,
ises brought before him were caused
y the inconveniences and friction of
fe against life in the seven-storied and
fty-familied tenements. And what
olds good in this respect as regards a
trass , may also ia some matters hold
aod regarding a block of houses hon-
j combed together , no matter the
ealth or standing of the occupants.
Still ours is a great improvement over
ic "good old times. " 1 never lived in
lose times , at least to my present
aowlede. If it be true that nothin
ever gained or lost in the universe ,
> mo element now wrapped up in my
resent organization may have been
Dating around in the "good old times"
low long ago I know not ) . Possibly
L the shape of a tree , a shrub , a stone ,
cat , a rat , or a donkey. But these
e problematical maundering. Pres-
it ego to all practical intents und pur-
was not there , andean only judge
r a portion of , the "good old times"
omwhat thev have.loft us.
Not many years ago no counsel would
ive thought of showing himself inside
e United States supreme court bar
ileas clad in the most rigid swallow-
Us. . Now , however , the black frock I
permitted.
Mr. Vanderbilt quaintly remarks that
vhen money becomes the question-
en lese all gentlemanly instincts , and
3op to anything' , no matter how mean c
id diriy. " v
Premier Gladstone gets up at four 1
2lock every morning. He probably j ' ti
lioves in the fable of the early bird.
THE BOOK-KEEPER.
It was an ancient book-keeper ,
Aud he was tall and dim ;
Though his face was mild , he rarely smiled.
His clothes wore dark and prim ,
And everything about his desk
He kept exceeding trim.
He always hung his hat and coat
Upon the selfsame hooks ,
And laid hs ! ruler , pen and'lnk
Ia their respective nooks ,
And the only exercise he had
Was footing up his books.
Each day upon the self-same hour
He took his lofty seat ,
And bent his body and his mind
His labors to complete ;
And blots were neither on his fame
Nor on his ledger sheet.
The music of his pen was heard
From morn till eventide ;
Up columns vast his eyes were cast ,
Then down again with pride ;
Quite pleased was he though he saw his work
Increased and multiplied.
*
The cash that o'er his fingers came
Each day was something grand ,
And yet no schemes to bear it off
By him were ever planned ,
Although he .saw with half an eye
That he wrote a eloping hand.
He had no wife , he made no friends ,
His joys and cares were few ,
And his dearest hope from day
"Was to keep his balance true.
A good world thia if every man
The latter thing would do.
He never sighed when little IlLi
His way of life would croea ;
And o'er the errors of his youth
He showed no vain remorse ;
But set down all that came along
To profit or to loss.
One day the creditor of all
Dropped in for his account ;
He found the old man at his post ,
Though low ran nature's fount ;
The books were closed and he was berne
Up to his last account.
New York Journal of Commerce.
Southern Senators.
Correspondence of the Cincinnati Inquirer.
WASHINGTON , November 4. A local
writer , who is a native of the south and
an ex-confederate , says of the financial
standing of the southern senators :
Morgan , of Alabama , has an income
of about $8,000 per annum from his law
practice , and resides in an interior
Lown , Selma , where living is not expen
sive.
sive.Pugh , also of Alabama , is also a lavr-
rer , and makes about 7,000 in the prac
tice of law.
Garland , of Arkansas , is worth about
575,000. made by planting and lae prac
tice of law.
Walker , Garland's colleague , is worth
320,000.
Lamar , of Mississippi , has real estate
tvorth about $25,000 , and if he were
ible to attend to it , would have the best
law practice in the state. As it is , he
aas all he cares to attend to , which
jring him about $8,000 a year.
Senator George has made his inoder-
ite fortune by the law and planting , and
n this way has accumulated $40,000.
Harris , of Tennessee , is worth $60-
100. His fortune is mainly in real es-
; ate in Memphis , which yields him a
landsomc income.
Senator Jackson is a rich man for
lis section. His fortune is estimated at
jslOOOlXJ. Besides his income from
cal estate he lias a valuable law prac-
ice , worth about $10,000 , yearly.
Jones , of Florida , has a comfortable
evidence in Pensacola , besides ethereal
eal estate worth $40,000 , and a legal
msiness which is good for $6,000 aanu-
illy.
illy.Brown
Brown , of Georgia , ia one of the
icheot men south of Mason and Dix-
m's line. It is impossible to say what
IB is worth , but those most likely to
: now put his fortune at $6,000,000 ,
rhich is increasing every year.
Gibson , of Louisiana , is" the second
i the matter of wealth of the southern
enators. His property , estimated at
low valuation , would affgresato $1-
00,000.
Jonas , the senior senator from Louis-
ma , 'has'a comfortable fortune , con-
of rezil estate and securities , of
.otlesa thau $80,000. His law prac-
ice is one of the most profitable in c
few Orleans , and is worth $16,000 to t
20,000 annually , and is growing in I
alue. V
Maxey , of Texas , is a rich man fora
6
is section. He is the President of the
ank in his town , Paris , and has lands ,
: lroad stockSj and bonds easily worth
100,000 , besides a fine business as an
ttorney.
Coke , of the same State , is worth
erhaps $25,000 , mostly in real estate.
Cockrell , of Missouri , owns a nice
roperty in Warrensburg , and has a
no plantation , with a good law prac-
re of $8,000 aunnuallv. He is worth
60,000.
Vest , the Missouri Seuator , is well off ,
ivniug some good property in Kansas
ity , and taking care of a" good local
usiness at the bar , worth about $8,000
ich year.
Wade Hampton may be called well-
-do , with a prospective fortune and a
resent income of $8,000 , besides his
ly as Senator.
Butler , of South Carolina , has an in-
> mo from his profession which is very
indsome , considering the condition of {
lings in South Carolina.
Neither Ransom nor Vaucc , the N.
nvolina Senators , can be called
ealthy , though they are well-to-do. j
hey are both lawyers , in good prac-
It is a question of doubt whether any 1
one , whether ho himself , , knows just , ; i
what Mr. Mahone , of Virginia , ia
worth. That Jierhas saved a handsome
fortune from the wreck of his railroad j
enterprises both his friends and ene
mies beiieve.He. . * is rated'- anywhere
from $500,000 to $1,000,000 , but all es
timates are guesswork.
Camdenf of West Virginia , is very
richHe"is rated as twice a million
aire , with a fortune which is fast in
creasing.
Kenna , the junior senator of West
Virginia , has no fortune to speak of ,
except , youth , health and courage.
The Kentucky senators are both well
off. Beck has a fine estate near Lex
ington and a comfortable residence in
the town itself , besides some interests
ia the west. It is stated that he is
worth about $290,000.
Williams is a large land-owner in ono
of the finest sections of Kentucky , and
is rated perhaps $50,000 below his col
league in fortune.
- * * *
Christmas Gifts Suggestions.
American KTicnlturlet.
Christmas is coming ! with its de
mand for pretty fancy articles suitable
for Christmas gifts ; and a few sugges
tions as to new styles of art needle
work may be acceptable to those hav
ing a aurnber of friends to provide for.
A nice present for a housekeeper is a
set of half a dozen doylies or small
fruit napkins * . . The latest fashionMs to
turn down one corner of the linen
squares and work upon it an orange ,
banana , or other fruit , varying the de
sign on each. Embroidered aprons
are now very fashionable for homo
wear , and may be made of satin , linen ,
pongee , or muslin , and decorated with
silk , wools , or crewels , as the material
suggests. A very tasteful apron for a
young lady is oije of pure white pongee
worked with dainty knots of violets ,
the waistband and strings being of deli
cate lavender ribbon. We have seea
them of ecru , tied with scarlet , the
front decorated with comical looking
honey-bees , and the motto , in outline
stitch , "How doth the little busy bee
improve each shining hour ! " These
are for ev ning aprons.
A aew feature of art needlework ia
using small worsted or plush balls ,
which are sold by the do/en. These aio
flattened oa oao side , and sewed oa in
groups of three , a shadow being work
ed beneath each , and when mixed with
artistically shaded leaves , are very ef
fective. One thing always to be re
membered in embroidery , as well as in
painting , is to decide at first on which
side of your bunch or spray the light
3hall fall , : ind work accordingly , the
shades gradually melting into each
other , from the deepest to those which
are almost white.
It is said the old-fashioned- -
jtifcch oa canvass is to be revived ; and
people are bringing out the old screens
md pictures worked by their grand
mothers , and having them remounted
md reframed. Patchwork ; too , ia
juite in vogue , but ia a more artistic
: orm than the past generation ever
Ircamed of. Beautiful sofa pillows are
Bade of curious shaped patches of silk ,
latin or velvet , each bearing some dainty
) ifc of embroidery flowers and fans of
lifferent shapes and styles. A.i exauis-
le tidy may be made of a piece of
sloth ten inches square , on which ia
ewed patchwork of plush in the form
if a wido-spread fan. The corners of
he blek arc of black velvet , aad from
he top , trailing over the fan , is a
pray of moss rosebuds , in Louis XVI
tyle , or ribbon embroidery. The edge
3 neatly finished with suitable lace.
An effective , though simple table
carf , is of dark-green felt , half a yard
ride , pinked on the edge , and oma-
neriteu with a strip of silk patchwork ,
bout a quarter of a yard deep on each
nd. .JJelow falls a fringe of the felt ,
aadeby _ slashing it into narrow strips ,
tvo of three inches up. A willow-work '
asfcet makes , a very pretty present ,
rhen the handle is tied with a bow of
ibbon , enlivened on one eacl by a
raceful spray in gold-thread couching
rhich is very easily done.
A new material for -working on , ia
hamois , which is nice for portfolios ,
lotting-books , cigar and shaving-paper'
uses , ami other little conveniences suit-
ble for gentlemen. These are usually
rnamentcd with conventional designs ,
utlined with gilt tinsel and colored
raid , and filled in with pink , yellow ,
ad blue silk or crewels in longstitches.
For those not carin < r-to take the time
r trouble to embroider , there come
sautiful machine-worked flowers ,
irds , heads of animals , and { esthetic fig- "
res , which can be easily and quickly
spied to any article , and they will look
cceedingly well.
*
8 9 *
Still Waiting for Henry-Clay.
nclanatl Commercial-Gazette.
On the streets yesterday one might
ive seen an aged gentleman whose'
iir flowed in white waves over his
loulders , while his beard was b"shy
id long , and his wide-brimmed , soft
it and strange garb told that he was a
ranger. He was Judge N. Bannino-
orton , from Dallas , Texas , and years
fo he was a violent whig. When
enry Clay made his first great race -
r the presidency Judge Norton sol-
only vowed that he would never cut
s hair until he saw his leader in the
hite house , and * consequently for all
esc years since 1842 the judge's hair
is been growing and growing and will
ill continue to grow until the hand of
iath cuts it short.
The first weather report Thunder.
[ Pittsburgh Telegraph.
The. for putting the : has , again.
ioston Star.
Sunshine and shade are the warp
> of of character. *
Superior court sparking a rich iri.
Belles of the bawl girl babies. "
