"A WORD fitly spoken, how good is it!" It may for the moment be covered up by the rubbish of worldly care, even as the acorn is by the 'dark, damp mould;" but by and-by there will be a disturbing of the leaves, and a slender, green sprig will spring up "to the sunshine and the dew." So with kindness; it is never lost. Even the untutored mind of the savage never forgets the cup of cold water given him when in distress. Be kind! My young friend, give these words deep tracing on your heart's tablet, and let them be ever present with you. Harsh words fall grating on the ear, are poisonous to the heart, and rankle long after the utterer has forgotten them. Even as old letters, when least thought of, arise and add fearfully to the scale in which the actions of the past are to be weighed, so unkind words will instigate and urge onward to revenge. When you are most in need of sympathy from those you have injured, it will be withheld: the fire of your anguish will be to the mirror of memory what heat is to the sheet on which thoughts have been traced in that peculiar ink which needs fire to bring it out to the sight; your character will be revealed in its true light, your standing on its true basis. 121 bosom of every mortal, urges a compliance; likewise the thought that in after-years the now joyous youth may be subjected to the same treatment by those who have no regard for gray hairs, adds its weight in furtherance of the command. "Honor thy father and thy mother" is applicable to all classes; the amplitude to this commandment, it appears to us, has no latitude shorter than the ends of the earth. "Brightest links in life are broken By a single angry word;" and a vapor, deadly as the air of the eastern valley, will enshroud in its folds a circle once bound by the sweetest and tenderest ties, but now, by discordant words and harsh expressions, made rancorous and thirsty for revenge. In heaven there is no discord. How, then, can you expect an entrance into that holy place, when your very presence would defile it? The air of Pandemonium rings with wailing and bitter reproaches. This, and this only, is the fitting and will be the eternal abode of those who scruple not on earth to destroy unity and sever the tender, vibrating chord of love by harshness and unkind tones. "Follow me," said the Holy One when on earth; and as he was "holy, harmless, and undefiled," so we should follow him in this as in other respects. He went about "doing good," and though "reviled, he reviled not again." Such is the example we have to follow. Shall we fail! Oh no! Let our actions ever be kindly ones, and even 66 'as holy oil" our conversation: "so and the principle of respect inherent in the shall we not fail of our reward." God The young should be kind to the aged! commands it, conscience reiterates the demand, STILE Editorial Miscellany. LADY JANE GREY, whose marriage is the subject of our steel engraving, celebrated for her virtues and her misfortunes, was the daughter of Henry Grey, Marquis of Dorset, by Frances Brandon, daughter of Mary, Dowager of France, and sister to Henry VIII. She was born in 1537, and from her very infancy showed great quickness and comprehension of mind. Under Harding and Aylmer, her father's chaplains, she improved herself in the various branches of learning, and became such a proficient in languages that she spoke and wrote with astonish. ing facility the French, Italian, Latin, and, it is said, the Greek; and was also well skilled in Hebrew, Arabic, and Chaldee. To these high acquirements in literature were united great beauty, the mildest manners, and the most cap. tivating virtues of humility, benevolence, and modesty The alliances of her family, and their ambition, were too powerful to suffer her to live in her beloved seclusion. No sooner was the declining health of the sixth Edward perceived by his courtiers, than Dudley, Duke of Northumberland, prevailed upon the unsuspecting monarch to settle the crown on his relation, Lady Jane, whose attachment to the principles of the Reformation was indubitable, and to pass over his sisters Mary and Elizabeth. When this was ef 122 EDITORIAL MISCELLANY. priesthood, who did not hesitate to ascribe the calamities of 1812 to this act of impiety. The finest and most sacred edifice in the empire is the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. It was built in the reign of either Ivan III. or Ivan IV., on the site of the original edifice, and exhibits a splendid specimen of the Greco-Italian architecture of the fifteenth century. It is loaded with ornaments to an extravagant degree. Like the Greek worship, it is profuse in exterior adornments. On the walls are painted 249 full images, and 2,066 half-lengths and heads, many larger than nature. The quantity of gold-leaf employed in embellishing it is said to have amounted to 210,000 leaves. Images gaudily adorned, splendidly gilt and ornamented holy books, massy gold crosses of beautiful workmanship, rich episcopal vestments-in short, every article that can impress the observer with a striking idea of the material magnificence of the Greek service, are here to be seen in the greatest profusion. In the middle of the church is suspended a crown of massive sil. fected, the artful favorite married his son, Guilford Dudley, to the future queen, and thus paved the way to the elevation of his own family to the throne. But while others rejoiced in these plans of approaching greatness, Jane alone seemed unconcerned; and when, at last, on Edward's death, she was hailed as queen by her ambitious father-in-law, Northumberland, she refused the proffered dignity, till the authority of her father, the Duke of Suffolk, and the entreaties of her husband, whom she tenderly loved, prevailed upon her reluctantly to consent. She was, as usual, conveyed to the Tower, preparatory to her coronation, and she was proclaimed queen in the city, and honored with all the marks of royalty. This sunshine of prosperity was, however, but transitory; her rival, Mary, proved more powerful, and the kingdom seemed to espouse her cause with such loyalty, that Northumberland and Suffolk yielded to the popular voice, and Lady Jane, after being treated as queen for a few days, descended again, and with exultation, to her retired life. But misfortunes accompanied her fall. She saw her father-in-ver, accompanied with forty eight chandeliers, law and his family, her own father and his numerous adherents, brought to the Tower, and at last expire under the hand of the executioner, and she herself, together with her husband, were to complete the bloody tragedy. She and Lord Guilford and Cranmer were carried to Guildhall from the Tower, and attainted of high treason, and condemned. Three months after her condemnation she was ordered to prepare for death; and as her husband was dissuaded from increasing their mutual bitterness by taking leave of each other, she gave him her last farewell through the window as he passed to the place of execution, and soon after, she saw his headless body wrapped ir a linen cloth borne to the chapel. From the horrid sight she was soon summoned herself to the scaffold, where she suffered with the most Christian resignation, Feb. 12, 1554, exclaiming || with fervency, "Lord, into thy hands I commend my spirit." CHURCH OF THE ASSUMPTION, Moscow.-(See first cut.)-Russia is richly endowed with churches and monasteries. At one period they actually were so numerous that in Moscow, previous to the invasion of Napoleon, there was one church for nearly every hundred of the inhabitants, including both women and children. This overabundance the Emperor Alexander deemed a nuisance; and had those that stood in need of repairs pulled down, to the great scandal of the all of a single piece, and weighing nearly 3,000 lbs. There are also numerous candlesticks, “almost as high as a man," some of silver, others of copper silvered, holding candles "thick as a man's leg." The Cathedral of St. Michael ranks next to this in splendor and dignity. It is venerated by the Russians as the place where their sovereigns were formerly interred; while the Cathedral of the Assumption is honored by being the place where they are crowned. The next church of importance is that of St. Philip, which is distinguished as containing the patriarchal treasury, the riches of which consist of manuscripts and books, mitres and sacerdotal dresses and ornaments, vessels for the preparation of the holy oil, and the reception of relics of saints. The most valuable manuscripts are those of the Sclavonic New Testament, which dates as far back as the eleventh and twelfth centuries. Dr. Lyell was shown a small parchment volume, a good deal sullied, said to be the Gospel of St. Luke in his own handwriting." In what language and character he does not state; perhaps the Sclavonic also! There is a copy of the Evangeliste, in Sclavonian, written by Tatiana Michailovna, daughter of the Czar Michail Phedorovitch. The sacred vessels are very numerous. Those for the preparation of the holy oil consist of two large silver kettles or boilers, gilt inside, two feet and a half in diameter, EDITORIAL MISCELLANY. which, together with silver stirrers and ladles, were presented to the holy Synod by the Empress Catharine II. Between these boilers stands a large silver receiver, on the cover of which is a representation of "Samuel anointing Saul." They weigh altogether upwards of 700 lbs. From the receiver the oil is emptied into sixteen elegant silver vases, presented to the Synod by the Emperor Paul. The "holy oil" is only made once a year, with great ceremonies. All these churches are within the Kremlin. Our illustration is the Cathedral of the Assumption, popularly called the Church of Ivan the Cruel. This must have been an invention of the priests, for both the great Ivans were very distinguished men. RAILROAD BRIDGE.-Our second wood-cut represents the great railroad bridge at Portage, which we have visited and admired as one of the grandest specimens of art in this country. It is a view of one of the most remarkable localities in our land, and the bridge is one of the most singular structures in the history of railroads. It is thrown across the deep and narrow gorge about half a mile below the village of Portage, and just above the Falls. The gorge at this place is about 500 feet wide, although the eastern bank is somewhat sloping, which makes the top of the bridge about 800 feet long. It is 234 feet high. A little below is a fall in the river of 75 feet, and half a mile farther down is another of 110 feet, and a mile and a half farther, another of 90 feet, not counting the rapids between. So that the bridge rises more than 500 feet above the bed of the river two miles below. This bridge was projected by Col. Seymour, the chief engineer, and is altogether peculiar in its architecture. The bed of the river at this place is slate rock, the strata being perfectly level. On this bed are constructed several stone piers of solid masonry, 81 feet long, 30 feet high, 12 feet thick, and about 40 feet apart. On these piers stand massive pyramids of timber 190 feet high, braced and locked together in every possible manner, the base corresponding to the size of the pier, the top converging to about 25 feet, and furnishing ample room on the bridge for a double track of the broad gauge of the Erie Railroad. On the top of these tressels or pyramids is built the great frame-work supporting the rails, 25 feet wide, 14 feet high, and 800 feet long, the timbers being interlocked and woven together, and bolted in the most substantial manner. The whole structure required about 1,500,000 feet of tim 128 ber, and 50 tons of iron bolts, and cost $120,000. It is well worth a journey from New York city to see this wonderful piece of workmanship, to look at those lofty cones lifting their proud heads higher than the top of Bunker Hill Monument, and, more than all, to see the locomotive with its train of cars darting across the fearful chasm. On the right-hand side will be noticed the Genesee Valley Canal, which was cut out at an immense cost in the solid rock of which the hill is formed. The native beauty of the scenery at this point, together with the remarkable structures there also presented, unite to render the spot one of great attraction. It is becoming a resort for thousands of visitors from all parts of the country. Reader, when you take a trip west, be sure and go over the Erie Railroad, and stop and see it. TURKISH TITLES.-"The Sublime Porte" is the official title of the Government of the Ottoman Empire, and not the title of any officer of the Government, as many suppose it to be. The Ottoman Emperor is called Sultan, or Grand Sultan, or Grand Seignior, according to the fancy of the person speaking or writing. They all mean the same thing. Pacha is the governor of a province, and according to the importance of his province, he is distinguished by one, or two, or three tails. Every Pach has his own army in his own province, distinct from the grand army of the Empire. A Pacha with three tails has the power to punish with death any agent whom he employs, or any individual who seems to threaten the general safety. Bey is a sub-governor under the Pacha. The Divan is the Council of State, and consists of the principal ministers. The Reis Effendi is high chancellor of the Empire, and stands at the head of all the body of attorneys-which body is thought to contain the best-informed men of the nation. Cadi is a sort of judge or justice of the peace. To order the bastinado on common people, to impose a fine on a rich Greek or European, to condemn a thief to be hanged, is about all the duty of an ordinary Cadi. THE TOILET. In answer to the inquiries of some of our friends respecting toilet articles, we would recommend them to call at the extensive wholesale store of Mr. W. J. Davis, No. 106 Chambers street. Here they will find those articles in great variety, and of the choicest kind. We use them ourselves, and find them to 124 EDITORIAL MISCELLANY. be articles of genuine excellence, comprising the celebrated toilet vinegar, lavender water, shaving cream, honey soap, alabaster tablets, (for softening the skin and preventing hands from chap ping,) and perfumery in great variety. Dr. Bowditch's saponaceous tooth-powder, prepared from pure white soap, is quite a new discovery. Try it once, and you will never use any other. WE here present our readers with a cut representing a view of the great Shway Dagon Pagoda at Rangoon, as seen in the distance. It is one of the illustrations of an admirable work just published by Edward H. Fletcher, 141 Nassau street, on the life, character and achievements of that veteran missionary, Dr. Judson. It was among pagodas and idol temples, such as this picture presents, that he began his labors in Burmah. All who revere the memory of that eminent servant of God will love to look upon a scene like this, which reminds us of his toils, and tears, and sacrifices. It was he built his zayat, which might well be called the first Christian church in that heathen empire. A pagoda is a heathen temple; and this vast edifice at Rangoon, with its beautiful and various appendages, and surrounded with a great variety of tropical trees, is resorted to once a year by the inhabitants of the neighboring towns and villages for religious celebrations. For further descriptions of Burmah and its great missionary, we must refer the reader to the book itself, which ought to be in the possession of every friend of missions. |