LADIES' REPOSITORY. 283 and to captivate the sense. With real skill have they united architecture, painting, sculpture, and music, together with several of the less prominent of the fine arts, to make a combined and uniform effect. The ritual, I also perceive, is apparently abridged, so as to suit the characteristic haste of the American public. Every thing, from first to last, is nicely adapted to the prevail their last ceremony, another supply of liquid from the same or similar little glass bottles. The cup is now closely covered, then concealed under a patch of embroidery, and finally set back beneath the blaze of the ten waxen candles. The benediction is the third time pronounced; the bishop and the priests, preceded again by the obedient and trusty little boys, march out through the door at which they entered; and the fourthing prejudices of the people on whom they desire to act closes amidst a perfect volley of learned and laborious thunder from the organ. The spectator, impelled by his fancy, or curious to see the drama concluded, is in his seat again in the afternoon. The great crowd being gone, he has ample room to breathe. None but the aristocracy of the Church is here. The laboring poor, having listened to the morning mass, and offered the customary amount of prayers, are out on the streets, or thronging the highways, or roaming through the country far and near. But the rich and the gay go to Church again to be entertained; and it is really an entertainment they enjoy. The long, and monotonous, and tiresome ceremonies are now done. The remainder of the day is spent in a long chorus, or series of choruses, led by the organ, and listened to attentively by the people. There is no longer that wearying repetition of prostrations, and bowings, and genuflections. The relieved worshiper leans carelessly back in his cushioned seat, the bishop and the priests being the only persons present, who seem to make any religious observance of the inspiring music of the choir. They, now and then, devoutly take off their three-cornered velvet caps, and put them on again with a reverence equally profound. All the amateurs of music enjoy a high festival, and hang upon the lips of the singers, or tremble at every sweep of the mighty instrument, with a passion frequently mistaken for devotion. The old people, with book and spectacles, follow the changes of the rapt song with a sort of hum, or low buzzing sound, which acts as a singular counterpart to the high notes of the organ. The young men and maidens, free from all anxiety about another life, amuse themselves with many a fascinating smile, and make all their worship to consist in a busy contemplation of the "human face divine." All the strangers present, and there are many of them here, sit in mute wonder at the flood of mingled melody and harmony, which comes pouring down upon them from above: "Ah me! what hand can touch the string so fine? Such sweet, such sad, such solemn airs divine, Then let them down again into the soul? Now rising love they fanned; now pleasing dole They breathed, in tender musings, thro' the heart; And now a graver sacred strain they stole, As when seraphic hands a hymn impart, Wild warbling nature all above the reach of art!" When the last sweet note of the organ has died away upon the ear, the bishop, and the priests, and the bevy of little boys rise from their seats, array themselves before the altar, and, making their last and lowest reverence, retire from the stage, leaving the people to their musings on the scenes and ceremonies of the day. act." "Nor is this a new feature of their method of making popular their faith. It is as old as their Church. It is by this means they have acquired more than half the influence they exert. Before the fall of Rome, they borrowed from the Pagan temples many rites, and from Pagan philosophers more than half of the corrupt doctrines, which, in every period of their history, have so obscured the truth. The other half of their corruptions they derived from the early Jews, who, on condition of coming into the Roman Church, were allowed to retain such practices and opinions as they would not relinquish for the sake of Christ. Romanism, therefore, was originally a combination of Judaism and Paganism, bound together by just that amount of pure Christian doctrine, which these prevailing elements could leave undisturbed. But it has since been modified by every people, in every age, among whom it has found a place. It yields to local circumstances with an elastic grace. In Rome, it remains nearly the same as at its birth. In England, it has received a change. In China, while it existed there, it strove to conform to the doctrines of Confucius and to the rites of Fo. In France, it is nearly as liberal as Voltaire himself could wish. In the United States, where it has last appeared, it makes a virtue of bowing to our popular institutions, to our democratic manners, and to our peculiar taste." "What, then," inquired my companion, "will be the end of all these concessions? Does Catholicism ever change?" "You should remember," I replied, "that Romanism has two sides-an inside and an outside. It is external Romanism that yields. The internal part of it, the soul, the life of the system, remains unaltered from age to age." At this moment my young friend and myself were compelled to take different streets. He remarked, on bidding me farewell, that he had obtained a more correct notion of Romanism from that day's observation, and intended to reflect seriously upon the subjects discoursed of till we should meet again. Hoping that my reader may also have been profited, by the reports I have herein furnished him, I give him the parting hand, trusting soon to wait upon him with a very different topic. GOOD BEHAVIOR REWARDED. THE young ladies, who honor these pages with their notice, may derive some classical hints from the following remarks, and especially from the delightful story told to support them: "Where do men usually discover the women who afterward become their wives? is a question we have "I am perfectly satisfied," said my friend, as we were occasionally heard discussed; and the result invariably slowly retiring from the Cathedral, "that your criticism come to, is worth mentioning to our young lady readis just. They do yield every thing to what they supChance has much to do in these affairs; but then pose to be the popular taste. Not only in the structure there are important governing circumstances. It is cerand furnishing of their house, but in all the services,tain that few men make a selection from ball-rooms, or they strive to make a bold impression on the imagination, any other place of public gayety; and nearly as few are ers. 284 LADIES' REPOSITORY. influenced by what may be called showing off in the streets, or by any allurements of dress. Our conviction is, that ninety-nine hundredths of all the finery with which women decorate, or load their persons, go for nothing, as far as husband-catching is concerned. When and how, then, do men find their wives? In the quiet homes of their parents or guardians-at the fireside, where the domestic graces and feelings are alone demonstrated. These are the charms which most surely attract the high and the humble. Against these all the finery and airs in the world are insignificant. We shall illustrate this by an anecdote, which, though not new, will not be the worse for being again told. In the year 1773, Peter Burret, Esq., of Beckenham, in Kent, whose health was rapidly declining, was advised to go to Spa, for the recovery of his health. His daughters feared that those who had only motives entirely mercenary, would not pay him that attention which he might expect from those who, from duty and affection united, would feel the greatest pleasure in ministering to his ease and comfort; they therefore resolved to accompany him. They proved that it was not a spirit of dissipation and gayety that led them to Spa, for they were not to be seen in any of the gay and fashionable circles; they were never out of their father's company, and never went from home except to attend him, either to take the air or drink the waters; in a word, they lived a most recluse life in the midst of a town, then the resort of the most illustrious and fashionable personages of Europe. This exemplary attention to their father procured these three amiable sisters the admiration of all the English at Spa, and was the cause of their elevation to that rank in life to which their merits gave them so just a title. They were all married to noblemen-one to the Earl of Beverly, another to the Duke of Hamilton, afterward to the Marquis of Exeter, and a third to the Duke of Northumberland. And it is but justice to them to say, that they reflected honor on their rank, rather than derived any from it." THE DUKE OF SULLY. was followed by a refusal still less polite. That moment, three of my gentlemen pages, and some footmen, entering the chamber, my brutal companion thought fit to soften his looks and words, pulled off his hat, and offered me every thing in his power. Then suddenly eyeing me with a fixed look, asked me, with a wild air, where I was going? I told him, to meet the king. What, sir!' he replied, has the king sent for you? Pray tell me on what day and hour you received his letters, and also at what hour you set out?' It was not difficult to discover an astrologer by these questions, which he asked me with invincible gravity. I was farther obliged to tell him my age, and to allow him to examine my hands. After all these ceremonies were over, 'Sir,' said he, with an air of surprise and respect, *I will resign my chamber to you very willingly; and, before long, many others will leave their places to you less cheerfully than I do mine.' The more I pretended to be astonished at his great abilities, the more he endeavored to give me proofs of them-promising me riches, honors, and power." A RELIGIOUS KING. NOTHING, in this world, is more hidden than the real character of a king. Raised by his office far above the inspection of the public, and forced to intrust nearly all his business to his ministers and friends, his own part in the affairs of state is always a matter of speculation, and sometimes a mystery impossible to be solved. No monarch has ever been so praised, nor so severely blamed, as Henry the Fourth of France. By some writers, he has been set down as ambitious though weak, as haughty though possessed of no gift of which he could be justly proud. Others, and probably with more of truth, have regarded him as a mild and pious man, sacrificing every thing for the public good, and doing nothing merely to please himself. It is related of him, that, just before the battle of Ivry, which was to decide his fortunes for this world, he stood uncovered in the presence of his army, and, lifting up his eyes to heaven, pronounced a most fervent but submissive prayer in these words: “O, Lord, thou knowest all things. If it be best for this SULLY, the great Duke of France, relates a very singular story of himself, which has furnished the key-people that I should reign over them, favor my cause, note to several French romances, as the reviews inform us, but which I have not read: and give success to my arms. But if this be not thy will, let me now die with those who endanger themselves for my sake!" Opposed as I am to every thing but purely defensive war, and permitting that only in the worst extremes of necessity, I am not prepared to pronounce an opinion on this battle; but the sentiments really expressed, are worthy of David himself, and could be easily paralleled out of several of his psalms. If such, also, were the sincere sentiments of every ruler in the world, there would soon be no room for war. LORD ROSSE'S TELESCOPE. Entering one day," he says, "without any attendants, into a very large chamber, I found a man walking about it very fast, and so absorbed in thought, that he neither saluted me, nor, as I imagine, perceived me. Observing him more attentively, every thing in his per-expressed by the King of France, if they were ever son, his manner, his countenance, and his dress, appeared to me to be very uncommon. His body was long and slender; his face thin and withered; his beard white and forked; he had on a large hat which covered his face; a cloak buttoned close at the collar; boots of an enormous size; a sword trailing on the ground; and in his hand he held a large double bag like those that are tied to saddle-bows. I asked him, in a raised tone of voice, if he lodged in that room, and why he seemed in such a profound contemplation. Affronted at the question, without saluting me, or even deigning to look at me, he answered me rudely, that he was in his own apartment, and that he was thinking of his own affairs, as I might do of mine. Although I was a little surprised at his impertinence, I, nevertheless, requested him very civilly to permit me to dine in the room; a proposal which he received with grumbling, and which THE very learned and laborious Dr. Scoresby has been giving a series of lectures on astronomy, in which he has paid particular attention to the wonderful revelations of Lord Rosse's mammoth telescope. As there is some difference of opinion, in this country, respecting the power of that great instrument, the reader will be pleased to see, no doubt, the precise language of the lecturer on this topic: "With respect to the moon," says the Doctor, “every object on its surface of the height of one hundred feet was now distinctly to be seen; and he had no LADIES' REPOSITORY. doubt, that, under very favorable circumstances, it would be so with objects sixty feet in height. On its surface were craters of extinct volcanoes, rocks, and masses of stones almost innumerable. He had no doubt whatever that if such a building as he was then in were upon the surface of the moon, it would be rendered distinctly visible by these instruments. But there were no signs of habitations such as ours-no vestiges of architectural remains to show that the moon is or ever was inhabited by a race of mortals similar to ourselves. It presented no appearances which could lead to the supposition that it contained any thing like the green fields and lovely verdure of this beautiful world of ours. There was no water visible-not a sea, or a river, or even the measure of a reservoir for supplying town or factory; all seemed desolate. Hence would arise the reflection in the mind of the Christian philosopher, Why had this devastation been? It might be further inquired, Was it a lost world? Had it suffered for its transgressiou? Analogy might suggest the question, Had it met the fate which Scripture told us was reserved for our world? It was obvious that all this was mysterious conjecture." ameter. 285 and thirty-two feet deep. It has three sets of keys, and two octaves of pedals for the feet. It has forty-four stops, and more than two thousand pipes, the combined effect of which is said to be beyond conception. The great pedal pipe is thirty-two feet long, and measures thirty-six inches by thirty. The centre gold pipe in front is twenty-two feet long and eighteen inches in diFifteen thousand dollars, enough to build a church, is the cost of the instrument. It was exhibited soon after it was put up, and six thousand seven hundred and thirty-two tickets were sold the first day, and on the second eleven thousand four hundred and fiftyseven. It must cost something, certainly, to the pewholders of Trinity to worship God. Jesus, sending back his message to the imprisoned John, emphatically remarked, as a token of his Messiahship, that "the poor have the Gospel preached unto them." The reader may think the rest. THE OCEAN. No person, who has not seen the ocean, can conceive what vast thoughts come pouring in upon him, while standing on its shore. I have spent whole days in looking out upon the great expanse of waters, and watching the rolling billows at their play. I have stood on the rocky cliffs in a tempest, and seen the ocean in its rage. No words can describe the awful majesty of the scene. I have passed the night, standing alone on a narrow breezy deck, when the winds were roused, and the ship was tossing on the waves like a feather or a straw. Of all God's works, so varied and so vast in this great world, the ocean is to me the most interesting, and the most sublime. I have read many descriptions of it, but never one at all equal to the theme. The poets have written volumes on it, but the ocean is yet undescribed. One rapt bard, feeling the grandeur of his subject and the weakness of his muse, gives up all description, and imparts a lesson worthy of the laurel on his brow: "Adoring own The Hand almighty, who its channel'd bed THE QUEEN CITY. WHO, of the thousands now thronging the streets of the great emporium of the west, thinks, that, half a century ago, it was a miserable hamlet, as unpromising as the poorest little burg in the sickliest swamp on earth! "In 1795," says Judge Burnet, "Cincinnati was a small village of log cabins, including about fifteen rough, unfinished frame houses, with stone chimneys. Not a brick had then been seen in the place, where now so many elegant edifices present themselves to the eye, and where a population is found, estimated at eighty thousand souls!" But this, reader, is only an index of the growth and prosperity of the whole of the mighty west. With what gratitude should we, who enjoy the fruit of so many years' improvement, look back upon the trials and toil of our ancestors; and how nobly we should strive to equal them in sacrifices, though of another kind, for the welfare of our great country, and the elevation of the arts and sciences, of literature and religion, throughout the vast area where our children are to erect their homes! NOTICES. SKETCHES FOR THE YOUNG, LITERARY AND RELIGIOUS. By Erwin House.-We place this book at the head of the list, because we are acquainted with no volume so replete with every thing useful and entertaining to the young. There is no book within the bounds of our acquaintance, which we can so heartily recommend to parents and teachers as this; and, if all our former notices of similar works should be disregarded, we hope our readers will buy this volume, and let it circulate through the length and breadth of the land. It is a little world of useful information, and is written with a special reference to the literary and moral improvement of the young. As a specimen of the art of printing, it has few equals, and no superiors of its kind, either east or west. In every way it is a jewel, and we predict for it an abundant sale. Having been prepared and published under our own eye, without adopting every single expression, and thus making it our own, we can sincerely say, that we have selected it, from the many similar works on our editorial shelf, for the express use of our little ones at home. While it is adapted especially to young people, it seems to us calculated to be almost equally entertaining and profitable, as a choice family reading book, for riper years. We are really solicitous to see it scattered, with an unsparing hand, all over the country, and trust it will be called for with a sort of rage. It is sold by Swormstedt and Mitchell for the low price of fifty cents, with the usual large discount to wholesale purchasers. BIBLE ESSAY, or Six Reasons why Infidels should be Christians. By D. Trueman. 1847.-The writer of this volume is well known by the readers of the Repository as a contributor to its pages. This work is written in the author's very best style, and is really an improvement on himself, doing honor both to his head and heart. It is full of useful matter, and can hardly fail to be profitable to all who read it. It is worthy, not only of perusal, but of careful study, and will undoubtedly meet much success. We commend it to the judicious attention and good sense of an enlightened public. A CONCORDANCE TO THE HOLY SCRIPTURES OF THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS. By Rev. George Coles. Lane and Tippett: New York. Sold by Swormstedt and Mitchell, Cincinnati. 1847.-This, to say the least that can be said, is, in almost every respect, the very best concordance now extant. It is really an improvement on all of the older works, being both more copious and more correct. What more can we say? We have used it considerably, since it was laid upon our table, and shall continue to use it in preference to any and every other within our reach. AN ESSAY ON CHURCH POLITY, comprehending an Outline of the Controversy on Ecclesiastical Government, and a Vindication of the Ecclesiastical System of the Methodist Episcopal Church. By Rev. Abel Stevens, A. M. Lane and Tippett: New York. 1847.This and the similar work of brother Fillmore, are destined to divide the patronage of the Methodist public on this vital subject; but the volume now before us will, without any doubt, take the lead as a text-book for the Church. The other work will be most read by ministers who have passed through their studies. Mr. Stevens' book abounds with erudition, and statistics bearing directly upon the subjects in debate. The first of the three parts is an able and lucid exposition of Church government in general, and furnishes a fine preparation to the student for the remaining parts. The balance of the volume is devoted, under two grand divisions, to the origin and structure of the government of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in which the author exhibits a great amount of originality and talent. In every way this is a standard book. It is not only well written and correct, but judicious, safe, instructive, and popular in every part. We cannot be mistaken, we think, in predicting for it a high place among the text-books in our course of study, for young ministers, east and west; nor do we deem it probable that a better work, for this purpose, will be prepared in many years, if ever, to take its place. Swormstedt and Mitchell. RICHES OF GRACE. Edited by D. S. King.-The possibility of such an experience, as is now generally denominated Christian holiness, admits of being proved either by quotations from Scripture, by reasons drawn from the capacity of the soul and the analogy of truth, or by living witnesses professing it. This book contains the latter kind of proof, which is really so abundant, that the reader can desire no more. For sale by Swormstedt and Mitchell. HISTORY OF THE CONQUEST OF PERU, with a Preliminary View of the Civilization of the Incas. By William H. Prescott.-Nothing need be said, by any magazine or newspaper, in this country or in Europe, for or against the successive historical works of Mr. Prescott. All that the public desires to know of them is, whether they have been published, and where they can be had. It is idle either to praise or find fault with such a writer. Mr. Prescott, though he has employed his pen almost entirely on foreign subjects, is entitled to the first rank among the historians of this country. His style, not quite as perfect as that of Irving in his Life of Columbus, is remarkably easy, and his matter is always entertaining; and his three great productions, Ferdinand and Isabella, the Conquest of Mexico, and the Conquest of Peru, to say nothing of his essays, will carry his name to the latest generation. The latter work will fully sustain his great fame as a classic historian. The subject of it, being not quite as fruitful as those of his preceding volumes, made higher demands upon his diction, and will, consequently, rather enhance than diminish his reputation as a chaste, easy, beautiful, and graphic writer. JOSEPHUS ILLUSTRATED, by the Harpers, is on our table, and makes us feel singular enough in comparing it with the musty old Greek and Latin edition, in three volumes, which we happen to be at this time perusing. But we shall stick to our text, though we praise the taste and embellishments of the new edition. We find, however, that the blanks of the Greek copy are supplied by some hand, but we know not by whose dictum. THE BOY'S SUMMER BOOK, by the same house, has been criticised by a little fellow, who is decidedly more skillful in such books than ourself; and he has pronounced it "just the thing." WE have received catalogues of Pennington Male Seminary, Oakland Female Seminary, Henry and Emory College, Cincinnati Seminary, Wesleyan Univer. sity, and of the Wesleyan Academy, all of which show these excellent institutions to be in a sound and prosperous state. The cause of education stands high in all of them, and is ever advancing higher. EDITOR'S TABLE. EDITOR'S TABLE. THE Editor has many thanks to present to his able contributors for their excellent furnishings for this number, and hopes they will continue to remember him with undiminished liberality. We will take the liberty of saying to our readers, that the article of Mr. Stevens, though rather lengthy, is too good and too much a unit to admit of division. It will richly repay the reader, who will go through with it. His contributions, we trust, and have renewed reasons to expect, will be more frequent in future numbers. Our cotemporaries seem to think that the August number was the best issued since our editorial course began. We are really glad if they, or our readers, find any reason to be pleased. 66 287 furnishes the only apology those editors themselves can Our readers may remember, that, in our January {number, we noticed a new book, entitled, "PHRENOLOGY; or, the Doctrine of the Mental Phenomena," by Dr. Spurzheim. Little did we think, when writing that mere book notice, that the editor of the Phrenological Journal would deem it worthy of his notice. He does, in fact, very plainly intimate, that the piece is totally unworthy of being replied to, especially by one who has so great a work in hand as he has; but still he re We have received the first number of a new maga zine, got up and edited by the students of the Asbury University. We are happy in seeing this demonstration of enterprise on the part of the young gentlemen of that institution. Their work does them abundant credit. They have some fine writers among them, and, by de-plies to it, not by another book notice, but by a long and voting time enough to it, they can make a very spirited { monthly. Success to the "Platonean and Philologian!" We are sincerely thankful to the venerable editor of the Christian Advocate and Journal, for his laughable critique on one of our July pictures. Our readers have been duly informed, that, as an editor, we claim no praise for any of the prints used in the Repository since our incumbency began. They were all purchased four or five years ago; and our predecessors, having enjoyed the first pickings, had a perfect right to hand over to us the oft-rejected pictures remaining in their possession. But, reader, we are now done with the whole of them, and we know not in what terms to express our gratitude. Many of them have given universal satisfaction; but some we could not praise, not even officially; and among the number was the one now in question. So little that we do is worthy of any commendation, that we are grateful for the favorable regards of any of our cotemporaries or readers; but, as dear as their approbation would be to us, we beg to be excused from all insincere flattery, and prize the good opinion of a reviewer, who has the honesty to make objections when merited. The editors of the Southern Lady's Companion, we are happy to see, hold the Repository in high estimation. This is one of the few periodicals," they observe, "designed for the special use of ladies, that may be read with perfect safety, and without fear of contamination by the contact. Its contributors, generally, are of the substantial and respectable character, and its editor displays a commendable degree of taste, talent, and industry in his department." This, certainly, if deserved, is a very high compliment, the more to be prized as coming from a couple of gentlemen, whose feelings are a little chafed by a brief notice we have given them; but we must decline the honor they offer us, in relation to the article in our July number on "Corrupt Literature," and honestly point out the person who really deserves it. Be it known, then, that, just as that number was going to press, it became necessary for us to leave the city for a week or two, during which time a gentleman of high literary attainments, a fine writer and an author, consented to superintend the press during our absence, and fill up any little corner that might be found lacking. He it was, who wrote the complimented article in question, which, though by no means expresses our personal views in every part of it, labored article, in which he tries hard to upset all our reasonings on the subject. He also informs us, that he had previously enlightened the world by giving, in his Journal, the exact phrenological character of Mr. Wesley, and promises to send it to our office. We have not received it; and it was by mere accident that we happened to meet with the number, containing his reply to us, in the hands, not of one of his "fifty thousand subscribers," but of a neighbor's little baby. Rescuing it from the urchin's rather rough treatment, and turning carelessly over its pictured pages, we were not a little flattered to find ourself so largely talked of where we had least expected any notice; but the arguments raised to rebut our facts require no answer, and we shall give none. Mr. Fowler may have to himself his "great work," of convincing the world, that all religion and revelation must bow to his deductions from human nature. As we now write, (August 3,) the weather is so charming and agreeable as to deserve a passing notice. During the past eight or ten days, the thermometer has not been above 80° nor below 60°. This is certainly remarkable for the season. The mornings and evenings are scarcely inferior, we are strongly inclined to think, to the mornings and evenings of the world's first garden. Occasionally we climb those hills to the north of our city, and are repaid in a manner our pen cannot reveal. The atmosphere, during the period just named, has been unusually clear; and, in consequence, every object, both on earth and in the sky, assumed its loveliest aspect. At the hour of twilight might be seen the evening star, hanging over the verdant hills in the west-hills interspersed with variegated dales and our famed beautiful river; while, from the east, the fullorbed moon was walking in "cloudless majesty," and lighting up the hills of our sister state. And then, each morn, as the sun commenced his going forth, a flood of the purest splendor was thrown over the ever-charming scenery-scenery composed of a thousand varied objects-hills, woodlands, waters, fields, gardens, towers, spires, and human dwellings. To the lover of nature, cities may be dull; but the suburbs of some of them, at least, are replete with glory and enchantment. Why do not the inhabitants seek more enjoyment there? We cannot possibly comply with the invitation of our kind friends at M., as we expect, at that time, to be in the midst of a camp meeting in our adopted hoosier state. |