STRENGTH OF THE WILL.

about it, he can perform to the fullest extent, provided his chosen task lies within the compass of his mind.

MARSHAL NEY'S DEATH SCENE.

It has been the belief of a large class of The vengeance of the allied powers decorrect thinkers, that the ability of a man to manded some victims; and the intrepid Ney perform any given action within the scope who had well-nigh put the crown again on of reason, is only limited by the extent of Bonaparte's head at Waterloo, was one of his natural capacity. In other words-that them. Condemned to be shot, he was led which he WILLS to do, if he sets resolutely to the Garden Luxemberg on the morning of the 7th of December, and placed in front of a file of soldiers, drawn up to kill him. One of the officers stepped up to bandage his eyes, but he repulsed him, saying, “are you ignorant that for twenty-five years, I have been accustomed to face both ball and bullet?" He then lifted his hat above his head, and with the same calm voice that had steadied his columns so frequently in the roar and tumult of battle, said, "I declare before God and man, that I never betrayed my country; may my death render her happy. Vive la France!" He then turned to the soldiers, and striking his hand on his heart, said, "Soldiers, fire!" A simultaneous discharge followed, and the “bravest of the brave" sank to rise no more. "He who had fought five hundred battles for France, and not one against her, was shot as a traitor!" As I looked on the spot where he fell, says Headley, I could not but sigh over his fate. True, he broke his oath of allegiance-so did others, carried away by their attachment to Napoleon, and the enthusiasm that hailed his approach to Paris. Still he was no traitor.

To a mental organization at once vigorous and well balanced, if its powers be rationally employed, failure in any given pursuit is almost next to impossible. A steady perseverance in the one path, and in quest of the one object, being all that is required. It is by vacillation of purpose, by trying first one thing and then another, by shifting backward and forward, by changing the object of attainment, and by becoming discouraged, when to press vigorously forward is the one thing needful to success, that the positions of so many persons in life are so vastly inferior to what might have been expected from their natural abilities. It is the infirmity of the will counteracting the strength of the understanding. They have frittered away their talents in trying to accomplish many things, and have, naturally enough, succeeded fully in none.

The first thing which a young man requires on setting out in life, is a PURPOSE.The second is a resolute determination not to be turned aside by any lures which may spread themselves across his path. Let him fix his eyes steadily on any object, and if he will work toward it with unflagging and undeviating energy, he will be as certain of reaching it eventually, if life and health are spared, as the pedestrian is of coming to the end of his journey, or the boy of growing to

manhood.

Above all, let it be remembered that perfection is only to be obtained by a devotion of the mental or physical powers to one sole object, and that every deviation from the direct path of pursuit, seriously abridges the chances of success.-Home Gazette.

PICTURES ON THE WALL.

Pictures, if well chosen, add much to the good appearance of a room, and impart to it an air of completeness, and a home look, which many people know how to appreci ate. To produce this effect, the subject of the pictures must be such as we can truly sympathize with, something to waken our admiration, reverence, or love. All the feelings of our nature may be illustrated by pictures. There are some which we seem to make bosom companions of, others have a moral effect, and at times prevent our

going astray by their silent monitions. It is therefore worth while to take pains and choose good subjects, whether in engravings or paintings, and to frame and hang them suitably when chosen. Gilt frames are most suitable for rather dark paintings and on a deep colored wall; while prints look well in a frame of composition, oak, rose-wood or bird's eye maple, finished with a gilt moulding. Care should be taken to hang them in a proper light, so as best to bring out all the effects of the pictures, and to place them so that the light shall fall from the same side represented by the painter.

Yet so it is; the thing is a reality, the city is here, and the people are here, fiddling, dancing, singing and making merry, and the prosperity is here. They are shop-keepers, hotel-keepers, mechanics, professional men, manufacturers in a small way, &c., &c. The only branch of manufactures which a mounts to anything, is that of glove-making and that is but comparatively small. There is also a tapestry manufactory, the opera tions of which constitute one of the sights of Paris, which I design to visit.

What then is it that makes Paris what it is? I know not unless it be, that it was In picture galleries and great housos, brass built and furnished to show to the world, rods are fixed all around the room close to and that all the world flocks to it to spend the ceiling, from which the pictures are hung its money. Well, that is a curious explanabut in small rooms it is often best not to tion indeed, but it is the only one which show the lines or wires by which the pic-seems to furnish any sort of clue to the mystares hang. This is done by nailing a strong cord across the back, about two inches below the top, and to suspend it from two rails standing out but a little way from the wall When there are several pictures in a room, the ordinary rule is, to have either the upper or lower edge of the frames in a line, on whichever side they may be hung.

NOTES FROM FRANCE.

WARREN ISHAM.

tery.

The beauty of Paris is directly upon the Seine. There is the palace of the Tuilleries, with its magnificent gardens-the one con tinuous building being at least, I should judge, three miles in length, surrounding

three sides of a square, and in the style of a French king's palace. There is the Louvre, surrounding a square of twelve acres, and filled with the choicest specimens of painting and statuary the world has produced, the building itself being on a scale of great magnificence, and the interior open court presenting an unrivalled scene of rural beau

of

Taking the train at Rouen, we came out of it underground, as we had entered it, and y. away we went up the beautiful valley of the Seine. One hundred and eight miles passed and we were set down in Paris, the second city in Europe, and the first in the world in taste and splendor.

over,

There is the Place Concordia, a square many acres, with several fountains in full play, lamps on a scale of princely magnificence, and statuary staring upon you from every quarter, and looking down upon it from the opposite side of the Seine, is the Chamber of Deputies, whose appearance is rather imposing. There, too, is the Champ

And what is there to make Paris what it is-a city of a million and a quarter of in-Elysee, the most charming spot about Paris habitants, of unrivalled splendor, and bear- The Place Concordia, mentioned above, is a ing all the marks of advancing prosperity? continuation of the gardens of the Tuilleries It has neither commerce nor manufactures, down the river, or rather is contiguous to to any extent, to support it, and to see a city them, and the Champ Elysee is a continuawith such a population, of such magnificence tion of the Place Concordia, or a consideraand thrift, with no shipping in its ports, and ble portion of it, lying still further down the no manufactures to serve as the basis of its river, and extending for miles, I should prosperity is to me, an anomalous sight.-think. On each side of the street are most Vol. 6, No. 4--11.

over each end is an arch, under one of which is an organ and several statues, and under the other the altar, back of which is a group of sculptured angels, and the Virgin looking down from their midst. Corresponding with the three arches upon each side are three circular concaves in the roof, gilded and finished in the most costly style, and through these the light is admitted.

attractions.

beautiful groves, through which you get and at each end there are two rows of them. glimpses of the most tasteful private residen- In its interior I counted no less than sixty ces that can be imagined, as you pass along, fluted columns, with Corinthian capitals, which residences are located back at a con- all covered with gilt. Three arches are siderable distance. It is here that Bona- thrown over upon either side, supported by parte resides. As you enter the Champ E-columns, under each of which is a recess, lysee from the Place Concordia, you see di- where stand statucs of the Virgin, &c., and rectly before you the triumphal arch erected in honor of the victories of Napoleon, and you think that two or three minutes walk will bring you to it, but you have deceived yourself, and after having traveled the two or three minutes, it seems about as far off as when you started. You keep travelling on, and after half-a-dozen similar deceptions, and having travelled a mile and a half and upwards, you find yourself at the By no means the least beautiful part of the base. You was deceived by its great height city are the Boulevards, which are very -I should think it covered a space ten rods wide streets, lined with trees on each side, long, by five wide, an arch passing through and having wide side-walks. They extend it both ways. I should judge that the all around the city, and add greatly to its highest arch, the one passing transversely, was two hundred feet from the ground. Its exterior is sculptured heroes and battle scenes, and strange to tell they have got the angels of heaven mixed in with them. Upon its interior are lettered the names of Napoleon's Generals, and I should think all his officers, for it is all covered over with them. Seven or eight miles further down is the palace of St. Cloud, and about as much further on is Versailles, with its palaces and gardens, and its world-renowned waterworks, neither of which I have as yet seen. Many of the churches are on a scale of most wanton magnificence. The Notre Dame, the old cathedral, built probably about seven centuries ago, is an immense pile, and presents a front of as costly a construction, one would think, as it was possible to make it. In fact, the simplicity of an unvitiated taste is so outraged by it, that cannot be contemplated by a modern eye on to the garret of the seventh story, which with any sort of complacency, but it is in- is occupied by the poor. The houses are teresting as a memorial of the past. Of the all furnished with blinds, but they are the modern churches the Madalein, (the Magda-color of the buildings, cream color.-Michilen) presents probably the most imposing gan Farmer. appearance. Exteriorly, it is entirely surrounded by massive fluted stone columns,

it

And then the streets generally are of a good width, and clean, the buildings good and many of them elegant. What is called the Palais National, is a square of some fifteen acres, I should think, right in the midst of the business part of the city, forming an open court of considerable rural beauty, surrounded by shops, with a most splendid portico extending around all the four sides of the square, the shops being occupied by brokers, jewelers, &c. This beautiful place is only entered by a narrow paved way from one of the streets.

The houses are all high-six or seven stories. You see no low, poor houses in the suburbs, or elsewhere, as in English and American cities. The lower story is occupied for shops, and the stories above as residences the wealthiest and most fashionable

taking the first story above the shops, a class a little below them, the next story, and so

LIFE is worthless if not earnest.

I MEAN TO BE A MAN; OR, EARLY had given the lads a few words of suitable

INFLUENCES.

BY CHARLES WIGHT

MANY years ago, a gentleman, traveling in the western part of Massachusetts, passed the night with the family of a village blacksmith, which consisted of the man, wife and four boys between the ages of four and

twelve years.

advice; urging them to aim, above all other earthly things, to be MEN.

The incident made a strong impression on his mind, a d he inwardly resolved to watch them as they advanced in life.

Years rolled on, and William, by industry and perseverance, had become the worthy owner of a large and valuable farm. His gentle and prudent wife made his home the

The parents were of that class who are the abode of happiness; and his own good manpride and boast of New England. Intelli-agement and cheerful labor had received its merited reward. gent, virtuous and industrious, they were enabled to enjoy all the comforts of life and give their children the advantrges of a common school education. As a matter of course, the children of such parents were well-bred, and their good deportment made a marked impression upon the mind of their guest.

Conversing with them, he asked the very common question, what business they would devote themselves to in life, or, as he expressed himself, "What they were to be when they grew up?”

Each spring his honest hand restored the seed upon the fruitful field, and each recur ring harvest filled his barns. His intelligence, integrity, and uprightness won the love and respect of his neighbors.

John, the youthful trader, at the age of sixteen, entered the counting-room of a wealthy merchant, in a distant city. In this situation the principles instilled into his mind by the home fireside, were an honor both to himself and to his parents.

His industry, application to business and

William, the eldest, promptly declared that perfect trustworthiness, made him a favorite he would be a farmer.

John thought he should be a merchantwas fond of trading, and wished very much

to be rich.

with his employer, and during the years of his clerkship he saved a considerable sum of money. This was not done by the practice of mean and miserly habits, for he dressed "And what do you say, Charles?" inquir- well, not extravagantly, but with a proper ed the gentleman of a little black-eyed fel-respect to a gentlemanly appearance. low, about ten years of age, who had kept in the back-ground during the conversation. "I mean to be a man, sir,” replied Charles drawing himself up proudly, while his black eyes kindled with enthusiasm; "I mean to be a man, sir, if I live."

"That's right, my son," said the proud father; and a tear stood in his mother's eye as she drew him to her and imprinted a warm kiss upon his brow. The other boys were silent, evidently thinking that their brother had spoken better than themselves.

I mean to be a man! What a world of meaning was embodied in that one short sentence. How much of true nobility did those words imply.

Not a small amount was expended for books, which were selected with a wise reference to his intended course in life. Thus improving his leisure hours, and attending faithfully to his daily labors, he obtained a thorough knowledge of his business.

At the age of twenty-five he was received into partnership with his employer. Prudent and punctual in business, they were successful for many years. The old gentleman finally withdrew from the firm, leaving John with a large capital and prosperous business.

Fortune smiled upon him and he amassed great wealth. But while he thus prospered his heart was not hardened, he was not inThe traveler departed, but not until he sensible to the wants of the unfortunate.

The widow and the orphan found in him an able and warm-hearted friend. Conscious that he was but the steward of a wise and merciful God, he employed the vast wealth thus entrusted to him in alleviating the wants of the poor, and in the promotion of every good cause, thus sccuting the approval of conscience and the favor of his fellow

men.

high honors, he commenced the study of the law, and in two years was admitted to the bar.

Possessing a thorough knowledge of his profession, and gifted with a large share of shrewdn. ss and penetration, he was well cal

culated to succeed. He removed to a distant state, and commenced practice.

Three years passed. The successful and popular lawyer revisited his native place, where he was soon after joined in the bonds of matrimony with a lady of estimable character, with whom he had been intimate in early childhood. After a short stay he again left his early home, and returned to his

But where was Charles, and how well had he kept his resolution to be a man?Charles was called by the honest villagers, a singular boy. Debarred from the usual sports of childhood by sickness, and a naturally feeble constitution, the village library became to him a never-failing source of en-adopted state. joyment. He delighted in the biographie His public spirit, good talents, and known of eminent men, and fortunately possessed integrity won the confidence of his fellowin the person of his mother an able and faith-townsmen, and for several years he represented them in their state government. ful instructor. She did not fail to point out the defects to be avoided, as well as beauties to be imitated, in the character of those heroes with the history of whose lives he was

familiar.

Under such instruction, it is not wonderful that he should have grown up with fixed habits of reflection, nice perceptions of right and wrong, with high and noble ideas of manly character.

He soon mastered the branches of com

mon-school instruction, and made such progress, that at the age of seventeen he was prepared to enter college. But, further than this, he must depend mainly upon his own exertions.

Many years have now passed since he left his native state, and his bead is whitened by the frosts of many winters. But time has dealt gently with him. His eye has lost none of its brilliancy, and his mind still preserves its early vigor. A life of useful industry has secured to him a competency for the support of his old age. Children have grown up around him, useful and happy members of society.

George, the youngest of the family inherits his father's trade, and still lives, an industrious and worthy man.

The brothers met, a few years since, at the old homestead, which still remains in possession of the family. It was a most interesting event: four old and grey-headed men met after a separation of many long years, upon the spot where their lives commenced. What a lively interest did they take in vis

His father, though not rich, had saved somewhat of this world's goods, and would gladly have parted with it all to educate his favorite son, but after some consideration, had concluded that he would be better pre-iting every spot connected with the memopared for the active duties of life, by learning ries of youth.

while yet young, the important lesson of What numberless events were recounted. self-dependence. Nor, in this, had he calcu- What hallowed recollections interchanged. lated too highly upon Charles' energy and Nothing marred the harmony and peaceful perseverance. His cultivated mind and kind pleasure of that meeting. They each looked manners fitted him, in a peculiar manner, for back upon a well-spent and happy life; and the office of a teacher, and in this manner, il alluded to the impressions of a life of useduring vacations, he earned enough, with fulness, which were produced upon their assistance from his father, to pay the expen-minds by that one little incident of their ses of a collegiate course. Graduating with childhood.