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THEHESPEEIAN STUDENT.
no longer forced into tbom I'1'01" ignorance
n-i they tHcd In l)i', but are wide awake ami
liiwc tin privilege of choosing for them
selves True, our newspapers arc overflow
oil iiinl our library sbelws crowded with
lid' kind of nonsense, but these heretics
arc getting lew and are struggling dospor
iilcl in the last throes of their ambition
Against reason, and must soon succumb to
the iiwnvhelming odds. A happy event
llHlieiP
You will say, no doubt, thai this is a free
cmiuiri. and you have, the right to circulate
whatever kind of literature you please.
Willi th's we perfectly agree, so long as it
port rajs sense, and does not ramble over
the same ground and turn out old and wise
sayings of our forefathers, that arc embod
ied in a hundred other different volumes
on our shelves, ll makes no difference
how much reading matter we have, provid
ed it is always pleasing and instructive.
Yet, in our wanderings around this "mini
dano sphere" of ours, it would be exceed,
ly monotonous were we not to como into
collision occasionally with some " old stylo1'
pedestrian, who would try to persuade you
into the belief that young and growing
minds should read only such literature as
bears upon their particular line of study.
They are opposed to the youth'o reading
light literature of any kind, in the form of
"daily papers," "telegraph news," and
11 flashy novels." Amazing intelligence!
yet, blissful ignorance! They insinuate
that the mind is incapable of that elasticity
which it requires to forget or remember at
will. Still they say the mind is immortal,
and upon this very principal of immortali
ty, the mind, in a common sense view of
the matter, is capable of exercising itself
to the fullest extent. By our telegraph re
ports, we get daily all thai occurs of im
portance id! over our land. If weary, rest
less and agitated in mind and body, an in
teresting and absorbing novel is no doubt
a good cure; it takes the mind from the la
bors of the day and wraps the imagination
in a shroud of mystery tmd pleasure, that
drives "dull care" away.
Indeed, great men in this Held of life
who are looked upon as commanders over
us common rankers, oft"ii sway the scepter
of deception in a graceful manner, and
rush blindly into the fray, where they And
to their amazement, that some of their
well-drilled disciples stai.d quietly luok,
with their arms calmly folded, eagerly
waiting to see the enemy overcome their
vociferous leaders.
Why hold that the works of Plato or
Julius Ciesar are so far superior to anything
produced in modern times? Tlitj , it seems
to me, is another whim that learned men
love to prate upon, and that too many edu
cators try to stamp so indellibly upon the
memory of the student. The reason for
this, we think, is because their education
is ho chaste and classic ; mid, because they
lmve been over the same ground so many
times that each sentence and word is stud
ied in all of Its iuaningH until they have
delved out the beauties and grandeur of the
language. By the side of Demosthenes
we will place Clay and Webster: and thus
in the annuls of modern literature wo And
men who are not to bo surpassed by their
predecessors. And why should thev bo
outstripped in the race by men who have
lived and died centuries ago? Certainly
they have the ice nlieady broken, and they
need not hesitate to plungo into tho chilly
current, and at last bear nwny in triumph
the laurels plucked from dame Ancient's
urow.
With whut uwestricken amazement do
we ga.e upon ,lm. nI(1 ,,,,, ()(. iK,liin(
plondor. when pointed , , , , om.
venerable instructors. Surh daring deeds
of barbarism are set forth In Grecian and
""nun characters, on which the student
may while away a few idle hours and be
no wiser for his trouble. Still wo give our
wise ancestors credit for what they have
done. They laid the vast foundation fr
l.terature, and upon ll we are erecting a
monument, almost without dimensions
Occasionally a guilded dome towers niaies
tlcally heavenward, piercing the flaky
clouds with its glistening spires that in
coming ages can scarcely be surpassed.
Yet we live in a progressive age, and aro
still laying down maxims for future gen er
ations to make their beginning point. And
as the world rolls on, and succeeding ecu
turics swiftly chase each other by on the
wings of time, the people make ii.n,lv
strides in advance of the past, and build
higher and higher the huge structure al
ready planned, until eternity itself shall
crown our undertakings. y. . N.
.Scraps from my Note Book.
vnr.
HIOUAHl) CO'.UU I)K I.HON.
Of all kings, ancient or modern, perhaps
the most interesting was Richard Ciuur de
Leon. He was not great, nor wise, nor
good; but he was emphatically a char
acter, and a character to Inspire universal
interest. The meditative mind goes back
to him with mingled feelings of amuse
ment at his habits, and of generous respect
for his personal courage, chivalry, and bar
baric mental grace. He was a valuable
friend, but a terrible foe. Nad he lived in
a later age of the world, and been moulded
by a firm civilization, hisname might lmve
been as famous for statecraft, and for high
literary cultivation and performance, as it
is forwar.
In frniiiot, Walter Scott has painted
Cumr de Leon at his best. In his Trouba
dour, Praed has touched up the "noble sav
age" in this fashion:
" In miolh ll wax n gtorlou day
For vufHiil anil fur lord,
When Comrdo Lion hud tho wuy
In battle anil ut board:
llo uiih Indeed it rojal 'Hie.
A prlnro of I'nliidln-:
Hero or triumph and of tun,
Of iioIhv fray and no! tun,
Iinmtl HhouldurH and liroad grins;
You might lmve looked from cum I to west,
And then from north to notith,
And never found an ampler breast.
Never an ampler mouth,
A softer tone for lady'H ear.
A daintier Upor tyrup,
Or n ruder grasp for axe nod spear,
Uru firmer foot In stirrup.
A ponderous thill; was Klclmrd's can,
And o mum ItlchardV boot,
And Saracens and liquor ran,
Where'er he net bin foot.
Ho ilddllng here and fighting there,
And murdering time and tuno,
With Hturdy limb, and listless air,
And gaiiiitle led bund, and jeweled hilr,
Half monarch, hulf liullbon,
He turned away from feast lo fray,
From quarreling to quaffl lg,
Ho reat fa prowess and in pranks,
So fierce and funny In the ranks,
.(That Saladln the Soldan said,
Whene'er that mad-cap Itlchard led,
Alia! hu held bin breath for dread
And hutst hid tilde for laughing!
"At court, tho humor of u king
la always voted 'quite tho thing;'
Morals and cloaks aro loosed or laced
According lo thu Sovereign's taste,
And belles and banquets both aro drost
Just as bis majesty thinks best.
Of courso In that delightful ago,
Whon Itlchard ruled tho roast,
Cracking of cranfutns was. tlmrego '
And beauty was thu toast;
A. I all wan liiugli, unit life, and Iom.;
And lips unit shrine weto ktsscil:
And vowh weie wmtiu-ed In tho grove.
-Min limn", hi t!it Hu!;
And hojs roamed out In situn. wontlu-i
Towoiiuiu wiimthitiid Hi) mi' together
While dnmus. In nIIoiipo, and In mi tin
l.nv IMonliig to tin. soft Kriiiieh.l.nilii
And tin it tc their stubus unit thulr sighs I
From odor-breathing balconies." j
It would be hard to tell a storv in a vein i
ol more elegant fun than that. Praed was
a master in his line, and he wrote hofore
Hood had made his reputation.
I IX.
I T.WUlV ATTKNDANUK.
In his first book, Liw tells a tah of r...
buke for tardy attendance, that has always ,
moeu my aili... ration. In ancient time,
at tho institution of a religious rite in lion
or of Hercules, on the spot where Rome
now stands, nil the inhabitants of the
neighborhood were itivlfnil in 1m nni
I The most distinguished families of those
I parts were then the Potitii and thcPinarii.
Of these, the Potttii arrived "on time,"
and the masses of the people, unwilling to
wait upon the- tedious, fashionable, and
more presuming movements of thoPinarii,
clamored for the sacraflcc and feast to go
on. Their wishes were complied with, and,
as a mark of proper honor, the entrails
were set before the Potitii, who " fell to,"
and consumed them all. Subsequently,
the Pinarii arrived; hut the very last en
trail had been devoured, and their chagrin
may be conceived, if not adequately ex
pressed, when they found themselves set
down to such second rate fare as porter
house steak, and sirloin roast. But, even
this was not enough for the people. So
disgusted were they with the lack of
prompt attendance on the pait of the Pin
arii, that they went into an examination of
the matter, and established an infallible de
cree, that "doner, Pitta ritnn ye.nnfuit, tie
extis sollnn ilium cencermtur" while the
Pinnrian family existed, thev should not
eat of the entrails of the sacritic.es. This
was indeed a severe rebuke.
J THK PKKKHOT HUMAN KKIUItK.
i A writer says "The proportions of tho
j perfect human figure are strictly mathemat
lical. The whole figure is six times thu
length of the foot. The Greeks
made all their statues according to this
rule. The face, from the highest point of
tho forehead, where the hair begins, to the
end of the chin, is one tenth of the whole
stature. The hand, from tho wrist to the
end of the middle finger, is the same.
From the top of the chest to tho
highest point of the forehead is a seventh.
If tho length of the face from the roots of
tho hair to the chin, be divided into three
A LOW FBM.AH'8 1'ItAVKU TO M0HAMMI5I).
From PihImh like Nmnel 1'anlin deliver tie,
III hand Ik d lioivy, bis look so Kiullv-orona.
lie Iiiih bottomless pocket, mid loinnoli oinnlver-
ohm;
Whllo his giants, fed Mild reted. Ills praise sing vo-
clferotiH,
NVu'-imroo lentil to unt. and "earuii taM-rn to
kiwir tt.
The Hgyptlan fellah has to p-ty for Mrs.
Fitch's diamonds, as well as for all thootb...
er needless extravagances of tin magnlfC
cenl Ismael; mm probably no other man
living is more needlessly extravagant and
more "magnificent" than he of the " IChe-div-erous
look." o. 0. I).
Vacation Ilumbio.
11.
equal parts, the first division determines
the point where the eyebrows meet, and
the second the nhice of the nostrils.
The height from lhe feet to the top
of tho head is the same as the distance
from the extremity of ono hand to the ex
tremity of the other when the arms arc ex
tended."
These arc general rules of art, and, as
such, worthy of the art student's attention.
But they are liable to special modifications,
for special effects, and perhaps very few
people reach the Greek standard of perfect
proportion.
XI.
IflMAEti TABHA.
The criftof maGrniflccntr diamonds bvthc
Pasha of Egypt to a daughter of Gen
Sherman, calls to mind tho following scrap,
which appeared some years since in the
London Pun'h:
One and a half miles from the ancient
village of Eisenach is the famous castle of
Wartburg. It is situated on an elevated
piece of territory, and furnishes an admir
ablevicwof the surrounding country. Na
ture fortifies the place and it could easily
contest the rivaling hosts of the mcdiiuval
epoch; the upper portion being so sleep
that parties are obliged to make the tire
some ascent afoot. At the summit is n res
taurant, where excursionists refresh them
selves before entering the castle. A jolly
looking proprietor smiles at your breath
less state aud hastens to know your wants.
Once ready, the guide conducts our party
of five through corridors and open passage
ways until wc reach the chapel ; with un
covered heads wo enter this little place of
worship still in a good state of preserva
tion. It is here Hint, r.ntlmr rtmw ,,-Intl.,
prayers during the long months of confine
ment in Wartburg. We pass into the ban
quet hall, which retains a portion of its
wu-iy uccornuons. iJie guide notices our
anxiety to see the chief attraction of tho
place, and he hastens through the minor
apartments. We stop for n moment in tho
armory to see the accoutrements worn by
the knight who captured Luther ; another set
of enormous size is shown, which none but
a giant could have ever worn. It was of
such magnitude that wo donlitpd if tim nnr.
son ever existed who could fit himself with
sucn apparel. After considerable unbolt
ing unu ui'iocKing, our guide opens a door
and announces, in a low tone, Luther's zim
mer. It is a small apartment nearly empty
of all sleeping-room comforts. Light Is
admitted at one window and discloses an
old stove, bedstead frame and a chair, which
formed part of tho room furniture when
Luther occupied it. Our guide points out
the Ink mark on the wall, where Luther
dashed his ink bottle and its contents, while
imagining himself aiming a blow at tho
head of his Satanic Majesty. Tho deeds
of this rem likable man are too well known
ior any nonce in tins, and here shall closo
our short account of uhlonz Wartburg and
of the peasant who went forth to face num.
arch and priest and to proclaim his relig
ious doctrines.
At Frankfort. This famous city, rich
in its historical associations, is one of the
principal business centres of the Rhino
provinces, unlike many old places that
have not the lire to follow the course of
Time, it shows tho commercial activity of
n large western city. During our stay of
twenty four hours, wo were able to see tho
beautiful Pa linen ffarteir-vhich is to Frank
fort what the CunccnatioaxhauH is to Bad-en-Banden.
to visit the old nw.iim rnoi,i...n
the place where the poet was born, mar
ried, and where he composed some of his
earlier works. The house is now entirely
vacated and In the hands of un association.
.mi mm is on cxniuition are letters to Goethe
from eminent literary men of his time.
The old Homer is frequently visited by
those in search of historical haunts. In
th s rusty-looking institution kings and
princes hold their royal festivities for many
years; on tho frail balcony In front, the
newly elected ruler camo out to show him
self to his subjects. From Frankfort our
course is down the right bank of the Rhine.
We stop at Heidleburg to ?i0 the finest
ruins in Germany, at Biden-Baden to see
the famous Convnrnnttnn Imxon t .r......
hours more we cross lho Rhine at Bale and
rejoice to find ourselves in glorious Switz-erl,uul-
0. M. 0. '
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