James Ferguson.---No. 2.

have a little oatmeal mixed with cold water, to

eat.

"When the term of my servitude was out, I I was engaged a year in that man's serleft my good master, and went to the gentle- vice; at the end of which I left him, and reman's house, where I quickly found myself with turned in a very weak state to my father's. a most humane good family. Mr. Cantley, the "Soon after I had recovered my former butler, soon became my friend, and continued strength, a neighboring farmer, who practiced so till his death. He was the most extraordina- as a physician in that part of the country, came ry man that I ever was acquainted with, or per- to my father's, wanting to have me as a laborhaps ever shall see; for he was a complete mas- ing servant. My father advised me to go to Dr. ter of arithmetic, a good mathematician, a mas-Young, telling me that the Doctor would inter of music on every known instrument, except struct me in that part of his business. This he the harp; understood Latin, French and Greek; promised to do, which was a temptation to me. let blood extremely well, and could even pre- But instead of performing his promise, he kept scribe as a physician upon an urgent occasion. me constantly at any hard labor, and never once He was what is generally called self-taught; showed me one of his books. All his servants but I think he might with much greater proprie- complained that he was the hardest master they ty be called God Almighty's scholar. had ever lived with; and it was my misfortune

"He immediately began to teach me decimal to be engaged with him for half a year. But at arithmetic and algebra; for I had already learn- the end of three months I was so much overed vulgar arithmetic in my leisure hours, from wrought, that I was almost disabled, which books. He then proceeded to teach me the ele- obliged me to leave him and he was so unjust ments of geometry; but to my inexpressible as to give me nothing at all for the time I had grief, just as I was beginning that branch of been with him, because I had not completed my science, he left Mr. Grant, and went to the late half-year's service; though he knew I was not earl of Fife's, at several miles distance.

"The good tamily I was then with could not prevail with me to stay after he was gone; so I left and went to my father's.

able; and had seen me working for the last fortnight, as much as possible, with one hand and arm, when I could not lift the other from my side. And what I thought was peculiarly

"He had made me a present of Gordon's hard, he never once tried to give me the least Geographical Grammar, which at that time relief, farther than once bleeding me, which was to me a great treasure. There is no rather did me hurt than good, as I was very figure of a globe in it, although it contains a weak, and much emaciated. I then went to my tolerable description of the globes and their use. father's, when I was confined two months on From this description I made a globe in three account of my hurt, and despaired of ever reweeks at my father's, having turned the ball covering the use of my left arm. And during thereof out of a piece of wood; which ball I all that time the doctor never once came to see covered with paper, and delineated a map of the me, although the distance was not quite two world upon it, made the meridian ring and hor- miles. But my friend Mr. Cantly, hearing of izon of wood, covered them with paper and my misfortune at twelve miles distance, sent me graduated them; and was happy to find that by proper medicines and applications, by means of my globe, which was the first 1 ever saw, I which I recovered the use of my arm; but found could solve the problems. myself too weak to think of going into service "But this was not likely to afford me bread; again, and had entirely lost my appetite, so and I could not think of staying with my father, that I could take nothing but a draught of milk who, I knew full well, could not maintain me once a day, for many weeks.

in that way, as it could be of no service to him;

66

In order to amuse myself in this low state, and he had, without my assistance, hands suffi- I made a wooden clock, the frame of which was eient for all his work. I then went to a miller, also of wood; and it kept time pretty well. thinking it would be a very easy business to at- The bell, on which the hammer struck the hours, tend the mill; and that I should have a great was the neck of a broken bottle. Having then deal of time to study decimal arithmetic and no idea how any time-keeper could go but by a geometry. But my master, being too fond of weight and a line, I wondered how a watch tippling at an alehouse, left the whole care of could go in all positions; and was sorry that I the mill to me, and almost starved me for want had never thought of asking Mr. Cantly, who of victuals; so that I was glad when I could could very easily have informed me. But hap

pening one day to see a gentleman ride by my quisitive gentleman. He received me in a very father's house, which was close by a public kind manner, was pleased with what I showed road, I asked him what o'clock it was: he look- him, and desired I would clean his clocks. This, ed at his watch and told me. As he did that for the first time, I attempted; and then began with so much good nature, I begged of him to to pick up some money in that way about the show me the inside of his watch; and though country, making Sir James's house my home, at he was an entire stranger, he immediately open- his desire. ed his watch and put it into my hands. I saw "Two large globular stones stood on the top the spring-box with part of the chain round it, of his gate. On one of them I painted with oil and asked him what it was that made the box colors a map of the terrestrial globe, and on the turn round: he told me it was turned by a steel other a map of the celestial, from a planisphere spring within it. Having then never seen any of the stars which I had copied on paper from other spring than that of my father's gun-lock, a celestial globe belonging to a neighboring genI asked how a spring within a box could turn tleman, The poles of the painted globes stood the box so often round as to wind all the chain towards the poles of the heavens; on each the upon it. He answered, that the spring was long twenty-four hours were placed around the equiand thin; that one end of it was fastened to the noctial, so as to show the time of the day when axis of the box, and the other end to the inside the sun shone out, by the boundary where the of the box; that the axis was fixed, and the half of the globe at any time enlightened by the box was loose upon it. I told him I did not sun, was parted from the other half in the shade; yet thoroughly understand the matter. Well, the enlightened parts of the terrestrial globe anmy lad, says he, take a long, thin piece of swering to the like enlightened parts of the whalebone, hold one end of it fast between your earth at all times: so that whenever the sun finger and thumb, and wind it round your fin- shone on the globes, one might see to what ger: it will then endeavor to unwind itself; places it was setting, and all the places where it and if you fix the other end of it to the inside was then day or night, throughout the earth. of a small hoop, and leave it to itself, it will turn the hoop round, and round, and wind up a thread tied to the outside of the hoop.' I thanked the gentleman, and told him I understood the thing very well. I then tried to make a watch with wooden wheels, and made the spring of whalebone; but found I could not make the watch go when the balance was put| on, because the teeth of the wheels were rather| too weak to bear the force of a spring sufficient to move the balance; although the wheels would run fast enough when the balance was taken off. I enclosed the whole in a wooden case very little bigger than a breakfast tea-cup; but a clumsy neighbor one day looking at my watch, happened to let it fall, and turning hastily about to pick it up, set his foot upon it, and crushed it all to pieces; which so provoked my father, that he was almost ready to beat the man; and discouraged me so much that I never attempted to make such another machine again, especially as I was thoroughly convinced that I could never make one that would be of any real use.

"As soon as I was able to go abroad, I carried my globe, clock, and copies of some other maps besides that of the world, to the late Sir James Dunbar, of Durn, about seven miles from where my father lived, as I had heard that Sir James was a very good-natured, friendly, in

[TO BE CONTINUED.]

From Chambers' Edinburgh Journal.
The Child at Play.

A rosy child went forth to play,
In the first flush of hope and pride,
Where sands in silver beauty lay,
Made smooth by the retreating tide;
And, kneeling on the trackless waste,
Whence ebbed the waters many a mile,
He raised in hot and trembling haste,
Arch, well, and tower—a goodly pile.

But, when the shades of evening fell,
Veiling the blue and peaceful deep,
The tolling of the vesper-bell
Called that boy-builder home to sleep,
He passed a long and restless night,
Dreaming of structures tall and fair,
He came with the returning light,
And lo! the faithless sands were bare,

Less wise than that unthinking child,
Are all that breathe of mortal birth,
Who grasp, with strivings warm and wild,
The false and fading toys of Earth.
Gold, learning, glory-what are they
Without the faith that looks on high?
The sand-forts of a child at play,
Which are not when the wave goes by,

Samples of Fine English.

WHY NOT USE PLAIN WORDS ?-CURIOUS SPECI-
MENS OF AFFECTED FINERY.

es no intellectual nutrition whatever to the adolescent mind."

But no more flagrant instance of fine writing can be found than in a book whose popularity is

you would see how the noblest language may be spoilt, you must compare the Prayer-book version with Tate and Brady's psalms; and he might surely have added the Proverbs of Solomon with

"Let us call a spade a spade," savs a writer in attested by the sale of 40,000 copies. I mean Prothe last number of the Cornhill Mgazine. In verbial Philosophy, which I have seen spoken of in other words, throw aside the tawdry finery of a lady's magazine, as "the immortal work of the high-sounding phrases, and give everything its poet Tupper." This book alone will prove the honest title. That is but a sickly and prudish appetite of the middle-class public for finery. I sentimentality which befogs and bemuddles the think it is Archdeacon Hare who has said that if good old English tongue with an excess of or nament, or what passes for ornamentation among those who know no better. Not only newspaper writers and book writers, but speech makers and sermon makers, and people in the ordinary walks those of Tupper. Here are a few lines as examof life, fall into the idle habit of overlaying a ples of a book full of dull goodness, expressed in simple idea with a redundancy of words. Scott fine phrases. The “poet Tupper" says, the book hits off this habit in his character of Sir Piercie that pleases him best has its Shafton in the Monastery: "Reverend sir," said that amiable but weak-headed knight to the SubPrior, "it is not to your ears that men should tell tales of love and gallantry, nor is Sir Piercie Shafton one who, to any ears whatsoever, is wont to boast of his fair acceptance with the choice and prime beauties of the court; insomuch that a lady, none of the least resplendent constellations which revolve in that hemisphere of honor, pleasure and beauty, but whose name I here pretermit, was wont to call me her Tactiturnity."

The diligent student of the Cornhill shows us that the race of Sir Piercie Shafton is not extinct. Hear him:

BEGINNING WITH THE CRITICS AND TUPPER.

To begin with the critics. In the Edinburgh Review for April, 1858, (p. 421,) the writer wishes to tell us that Edgar Allan Poe was an example of the truth of the proverb, In vino veritas. He

says:

"Fair ideas, coyly peeping like young loves out of roses,

The quaint Arabesque conceptions half cherub and half flowers.-P. 34.

He improves upon the language of the Bible: "Godliness with contentment-these be the pillars of felicity."-P. 366.

He likes flowers to have simple names : "Many a fair flower is burdened with preposterous ap

pellatives-P. 431.

The writer is evidently no admirer of Tupper, for in another place he says:

"He uses too many words, and those too big ones," said Johnson of Robertson, and the same may be said of Mr. Tupper.

If I were to go to other writers less known than the "poet Tupper," I might fill page after page with their absurdities. Only yesterday I saw the snow-drop described as follows:

"It never changeth its hue, never beareth a streak or a tinge like other flowers, but wrapt in its own purity

blows amid the snow, and when the amorous sun

"We lean rather to the ancient proverb, that truth makes love to its cold chastity, it withers from his em

is made manifest on convivial occasions."

Boys are generally called by the fine writers "the juvenile portion of the community;" but in the Quarterly Review for October, 1860, they are spoken of as "the male progeny of human kind."

brace."

The following are two samples of

VULGAR "FINE WRITING."

In a little book for popular reading, washing the skin is called "The exercise of cutaneous ablution." In a tract written for village poor, a A critic in the Literary Gazette, October 6, 1860, man with a drunken look is said to have " an says that Mr. Hollingshead spent some forty ebriated aspect." In a dictionary of common pounds among the workmen at the opera, "which things, said to have been written in the plainest reminds us of an ill-natured proverb about the way for the common people, the writer, in his arspeedy separation that arises between certain ticle on gardening in April, says:

classes of men and their available resources." I "This month is favorable to the development of that suppose it is the same genius who, a few pages species of creation which is noxious to vegetation." after, calls a father "a male parent," and an uncle I said that people of rank and good education "an avuncular guardian," and who winds up his are usually most simple in manner of speech and criticism by saying that modern fiction "furnish-writing, but now and then we find them falling

into the fine sentiment and fine writing of vulgar" male parent": "My male parent being taken people. Even Lord Palmerston, in a letter to the from me, I engaged in private tuition.” In the master cutler, calls Sheffield "that active and in- Illustrated News (February, 1860,) smokers are teresting seat of prosperous industry from which called "lovers of the Nicotian weed.” In an acyour letter is dated." But this may not be Lord count of a marriage, in the Cambridge Chronicle, Palmerston's English, but that of some secretary (November 28, 1858,) it is said of Miss Jones who, having nothing to say to the master cutler, Lloyd, thatsays it by making fourteen words do duty for

one.

"The lovely and accomplished bride was costumed in that true taste which makes expense subservient to

Writers for the press may profit by these hints elegance."

about

NEWSPAPER LITERATURE.

And Prince Albert, wearing a black coat, was said to be "attired in mourning habit."

There are certain writers chiefly in newspapers I do not know whether the worst specimens of fine English are to be found in sermons or news- or sermons, who always speak of fire as the "depapers. I rarely read or hear sermons whose structive or devastating element"; of letters as epistolary advices"; of money as language is pure, and, as it ought to be, easy to pecuniary be understood by the unlearned. Yet, with such compensation"; of dancers, as "votaries of Terpbooks before them as the Bible and Prayer-book, sichore"; of ladies and gentlemen met together, it seems strange that our clergy should be among as a "distinguished circle"; of people fishing, the worst writers of English. For in our Bible as “engaged in piscatorial pursuits." If a crime and Prayer-book we have, if we make allowance cannot be found out, it is “enveloped in obscurifor the antique diction, a perfect model of what ty." A man who is the first to do a thing "asour mother tongue ought to be. It was observed sumes the initiative"; instead of being put in by Coleridge that it seemed to be by a kind of prison, he is "incarcerated"; instead of loving providence that the translation of the Bible, and a woman, he is "attached to her"; instead of the works of the greatest English writers-Shake- marrying her, he "leads her to the hymenial alspeare, Bacon and Hooker-should occur about tar"; instead of dying, he "expires"; instead of the same time, so as by a double power to fix the being buried, "his remains are deposited"; and language just when it was in its highest perfec- he is probably finished up by his "disconsolate relict erecting to him a monumental memotion. The pages of a magazine are not the pro"communication," a house per place to speak on this subject, or to criticise rial." A letter is a is a "residence," a church is a "sacred edifice," sermons; so I pass on to newspapers, where, as and a shop is an "" establishment." in sermons, fine writing is rampant. I do not, of course, speak of the Times, whose leading articles are almost always written in excellent English, plete letter writers," which he calls "mines of nor of the other first-class journals, whether of fine English," and passes to London or the country.

Here is a scene from a description of a shipwreck by a country correspondent of the Times, (May 5, 1859):

Our writer then proceeds to dissect the

THE HEROIC KIND.

com

There is also fine writing of the heroic kind, full of murders and gallart knights, and dark ruins, and such like, which we meet with chief"Their habiliments told that they were not of the ly in cheap periodicals. The titles of these tales lower class, and their blanched cheeks and youthful "of thrilling interest and mysterious horror" are looks showed that death's summons reached them at quite terrific, and are generally double, as "Sir ease in their possessions.' Their features were not Brabazon de Balcour, or the Haunted Castle;" much distorted, but the sullen calmness of despair' "Isabel de Richelieu, or the Grave of Despair." was pictured on their brows. The mind, which a few

hours past, flew, fleet as lightning, over the mazy rounds of life,' which fondly hovered over the scenes of childhood, and lingered to take one last fond look of some anxious parent, who, perhaps, at that moment, was sending up his supplications to heaven for the preservation of this favorite child-that mind, I repeat is crushed in the icy grasp of death, but the pallid look it has left in the death-struggle shows a conflicting resolution before its fire was quenched forever."

In the Times' article on Ascot races (1860) rain 18 called "the pluvial visitation." In the Tem

Here are two extracts from a late number of Rey-
nold's Miscellany, (September 15, 1860).

"She swoons!' cried Count Flama.
"She does not swoon-she dies!' cried Salvi.
"No! exhausted nature but seeks one of her re-

sources,' added the Count Flama, 'it is but a swoon.
You may see her breathe. Do you not perceive how
this thin tissue which forms her outward garment
rises and falls with a gentle motion?"

And again

"There was a stately but gloomy magnificence about

perance Visitor (1859) a writer calls his father his the palatial building which, while it spoke of the high

nobility of the ancient race which made it their home, ter to call all tradesmen esquire, "Or," said he, depressed the spirits and cast a cloud over the heart. " we shall have no more orders for beer."

The few domestics who could be induced to inhabit so gloomy an abode, trod softly on the marble stair-cases and crossed the huge halls in silence."

The scalpel next runs through the phrases of

THE SPORTING JOURNALS.

MORE SPECIMENS.

"I want some cheese," I said, in a grocer's shop at L

A horse doctor now calls himself a "veterinary surgeon." An author is a "literary gentleman"; a farmer, an agricultural gentleman"; a bagman, a "commercial gentleman "; a barrister, a Then there is the sporting fine writing, where," gentleman of the long robe "; a thief, a "lightif ever, fine writing seems in its proper place. fingered gentleman "; and a merchant, a "gentleThe sportsman delights in epithets, as 'rosy man engaged in mercantile pursuits." A man morn," "dewy eve," "echoing hills," "mother used to go to law, he now "institutes legal proearth," "sylvan shades." A fox is Reynard, a ceedings "; he used to go to the doctor, he now cock Chanticleer. A shepherd with his dog is "consults his medical adviser." "the guardian of the flock with his canine assistant." Cricket is "the noble game;" racquet, "the manly exercise." The sportsman is fond of "That gentleman will serve you," said the quotations from the Eton Latin Grammar. Rara master, pointing to a well-curled youth in an avis, caveat emptor, poeta nascitur, primus inter omnes, apron. and other such phrases, easy to construe, are On the doors of the rooms set apart for men or great cards with him. The quotations, too, are women on the French railways, you see the words generally only repetitions of what had gone before, Hommes or Femmes. On our doors you see Genas, "We counsel a middle course-Medio tutissi-tlemen or Ladies. The French, in general more mus ibis." "We give something in return-a given to compliment than we, are in this instance quid pro quo." The sportsman's love of fine right, and we are vulgar and foolish. writing, and his classical knowledge combined, Juries are always addressed as “gentlemen of make him call the sun "bright Phœbus," and the the jury"; but I think it would be better to use north wind "rude Boreas," and the sea Nep only the word "jurymen"; for in nine cases out tune's watery domain," and a dog-breaker a of ten, except in the grand and special juries, the "kunopædist." Now and then he is at fault, as, title "gentleman," both by courtesy and by law, where wishing to use the word parallelogram ad- is inapplicable." verbially, he says that he hunts his dogs "parallelogramatically, (The Field, No. 407,) but at least he has used a long word. The sportsman delights, too, in a simile, which he thinks sounds well, however little sense there may be in it, as "the wine-cup of victory was snatched from his lips." WIFE US. LADY, AND ESQUIRE."

There is, too, the fine English of the shopkeeper who styles himself "the proprietor of the establishment." He that used to "sell by auction,” now "submits to public competition"; instead of 'giving notice," he " intimates to the public"; instead of "raising his clerk's wages," he “augments his salary." Somebody going into a shop Akin to our subject is the love of affected in Regent street to buy half-mourning was referrfinery in titles. In almost every newspaper you ed by the shopman to the "mitigated affliction may see this announcement: "The lady of W. department." A tradesman of whom I bought Smith, Esq., of a son." Mr. Smith, of course, some lamp oil, sent it home "with Mr. Clark's cannot use the word "wife." A friend of mine compliments and solicitations." One man sells was asked in the pit of a theatre if there was any "unsophisticated gin," and another lets "gentleroom for a lady? He replied, he had no doubt a manly apartments in close proximity to the lady would find room in the boxes; but if a wo bank." They call floor-cloth, kamptulicon; and man really wanted to sit down he would make boots, antigropelos; and soap, rypophagon; and room for her. The title of "esquire," too, which though last, not least, a sauce-pan, anheidrohepeverybody now gives to everybody, and expects sterion. himself in return, is, I think, another sign of the I have tried to show by these examples how love of the age for affected finery. Horace Smith destructive of our beautiful language, and how defined "esquire," "a title very much in use among foolish it is to use fine words and expressions in vulgar people." A gentleman named Salton had common talk and writing upon common things. a footman named William Long, and one morn-"To clothe," says Fuller, "low creeping matter ing there came to the house a letter directed, with high-flown language is not fine fancy, but "William Long, Esq., at Mr. Saiton's." A flat foolery. It rather loads than raises a wren brewer's clerk in Wiltshire was told by his mas- to fasten the feathers of an ostrich to her wings."