SUNDAY MORNING. BY J. K. MITCHELL. "There remaineth, therefore, a rest (Sabbatismos) for the people of God." THE Sabbath morn is calm and clear, Beneath the spreading oak's dark shade, The weekly toil is over now, The lesson for his artless child. While little Will stands silent by, He loves his Sabbath-teacher's rule, And longs to carry to the school See saucy Sally, stick in hand, For, well the sneaking fellow knew, On trusty donkey's back they place At least, this once, however frail, To dedicate herself to God, And tread the path her fathers trod, His grandchild solaced his decay, For through her sunny eye, He loved to look on nature's face, The youngling, too, by all carest Must not be left behind the rest: An undivided band, Imbued with love, and heavenly grace, Oh, who would forfeit such a joy And smooths his grandsire's brow, THE SOUTH OF FRANCE. BY DR. TOGNO. THE approach to Bourdeaux is very imposing: its fine Pharos, its spacious squares, planted with trees and well built all around, its stupendous bridge, which Napoleon first projected, and for the building of which he gave five millions of francs from his own purse, are all objects that command admiration. This bridge is one of the boasts of Napoleon, although it has since been finished by a private company. Every thing that this extraordinary man has ever touched is impressed with that stamp of grandeur which no other sovereign will ever equal; and, if we remark any thing on the continent of Europe, that has that stamp, be sure that it has been planned or executed by this gigantic innovator, with the rapidity of thought; for physical obstacles were nothing to Napoleon. I am gratified to have an opportunity to mention this bridge, because a double purpose is involved in its construction; and the science displayed here may be useful to us in the construction of railroads. Passengers are admitted on the bridge, as on every other structure of the kind; but there are two galleries in the very body of it, one on each side, from which you look up and down the river, and which may be readily converted into passages for locomotive engines, without interfering with the horse carriages above. Such a bridge, I conceive, might be constructed to great advantage over the Schuylkill, above the falls. What is still more remarkable in this city, and as worthy of our attention, is its almshouse, or hospital. Its construction is admirable; it is spacious, well ventilated, cleanly, quiet; and, in its internal economy, comfort and even grandeur, if grandeur can inhabit such a place, it surpasses every other establishment of the kind. The justly celebrated naval hospital of Plymouth, and that of Rochefort, are in many respects inferior to it; and when we compare it to our old almshouse, we perceive that, in that of Bourdeaux, genius and foresight pervade the most minute details, while in the latter, ignorance of the object of such an institution, is visible every where. Had a medical board been consulted respecting the best mode of constructing such an establishment, and their advice followed, instead of simply that of an architect, and a few carpenters and bricklayers, we should not have now an immense pile of stone, brick and mortar, more hurtful in its results, than beneficial to its inmates. But, the opinion of the wise, (and I call the medical profession, at least in their own affairs, the truly enlightened class of mankind,) Cassandralike, is never listened to. But in the case of the new almshouse, on the other side of the Schuylkill, the Board of Physicians has been wisely consulted as to its structure, and, therefore, in this instance, we have reasons to congratulate ourselves. I regret, however, that for the sake of humanity the plan of this hospital was, perhaps, unknown to the architect and medical gentlemen consulted, and who designed and superintended the building of it. I had the good fortune to become acquainted with J. Berguer, the admirable and talented architect of this stupendous work. I complimented him about it, and he was so kind as to give me a set of all the plans of it, which I hope may prove useful to our country in some future undertaking of the kind. |