MARTHA WASHINGTON.

BY GRACE GRAFTON.

statesman, that I wish to present Martha Washington to the attention of my young countrywomen. It was the crowning excellence of her character as a woman, that she possessed, in rare perfection, those domestic virtues which render home an earthly paradise. She was formed to be the ornament of society--but at an early age, she retired from the noise and glitter, into the calm privacy of domestic life, and there, as the idolized mistress, the tender mother, and the fond and faithful wife, her days were filled up with duty and usefulness. In all

In the bright galaxy of female worthies, there is one name to which every Americau woman turns with even more of fond affection than of respectful admiration. It is the name of Martha Washington-the beloved and honored wife of the father of his country; or him who was "first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen." The distinction was an enviable one which made her the chosen of his heart the details of household economy she was and the sharer of his fame; but it was well- an adept; and if she was, beyond dismerited by personal excellencies on her pute, a lady in the parlor, she was equally part, which have seldom been equalled. so in that terra incognita to most fashionEminently beautiful in form and features able ladies-the kitchen. Her skillful man-descended from one of the noblest fami- agement and efficient control were felt lies in the Old Dominion-and allied by throughout every part of the extensive esboth her marriages to others not less distin- tablishment; and during the long absence guished this illustrious woman might seem from home which her husband's public stato have found a shining mark for the shafts tion rendered necessary, she sustained the of envy and detraction; but she bore her additional load of care thus thrown upon honors so meekly-her native firmness and her, with an ease and cheerfulness that knew dignity were so tempered with winning no variation and no abatement. The accomsoftness and feminine delicacy, and her re- plishments of Martha Washington were not, finement of manners with unaffected bencv- like those of too many at the present day, olence-that envy stood abashed in her pre- "kept for show," and worn only in the sence, and detraction turned away from the presence of company. They were made to sight of excellencies it could not depreciate. contribute to the happiness of all around Her character was one of deep sensibility her, and, like the rich setting of a diamond, guided by judgment, and passion controlled only gave additional beauty to a character by reason and religion. In her, the sorrow- whose sterling value they could not mateful, the timid, and the erring, found a sym- rially enhance. pathizing friend and a judicious counsellor There are comparatively few who possess for she felt that her "mission on earth was the proud but dangerous gift of geniusto pity and to heal, and believed that the and to the multitudes who have no such disstrongest and purest have within them the tinction, I would say, Martha Washington germs of those frailties which conquer the was not "a genius;" but she possessed what weak." The heart of her husband safely is in reality more valuable--good common trusted in her-and, amid all the cares and sense, and intellect sufficient to direct it in. trials of public life, never, during his whole the very best manner to all the practical pureventful career, was he disappointed in his poses of life; reasoning powers, strengthenreliance on her wisdom, her prudence,or her ed by a thorough course of mental discipline; affection. and, above all, that genuine piety which led But it is not as the high-born and courtly her to forget herself, in seeking the glory of belle of the drawing-room-not as the ad-God and the happiness of her fellow-beings. mired and envied wife of the hero and the Her own character was one of transparent

simplicity, and truth and candor were im-
pressed on every line of her speaking coun-
tenance. Hers, in an eminent degree, was
that charity which "thinketh no evil," for
though she usually read character accurate-
ly, it was strictly true in her case, that-

"Oft though Wisdom wake, Suspicion sleeps
At Wisdom's gate, and to Simplicity
Resigns her charge; while Goodness thinks no ill,
Where no ill seems."

A MODEL TRAVELER.

One of the most readable of living travelers is certainly our own Bayard Taylor, who is now somewhere in the interior of the African continent, and whose letters in the Tribune are every where perused with the greatest satisfaction. Worthy to be named along with him is the German, Frederick Gerstacker, whose adventures form one of the most interesting features in that cyclopediac journal, the Augsburg Allgemeine It is now some two years since

Is the character I have faintly and imperfectly sketched, winning and attractive to my youthful readers? It is indeed one of Zeitung. rare symmetry; but there are about it no Gerstacker set out upon his present explopoints of unattainable excellence to discour-rations. The backwoods of the United

age attempts at imitation. The guileless States furnished a broad field for his love of simplicity, the warm and generous sympa- a wild and changeful life, and gave full play thies, the untiring energy, the lofty purpose, to his passion for the study of human charand the consistent piety of Martha Wash-acter in all its out-of-the-way phases. His ington, are virtues that may be cultivated accounts of these regions were touched with by the humblest daughter of the land which the most vivid colors; not Cooper nor Irgave her birth. Let woman be but true to ving has more truly reproduced the grand herself to her nature and her destinies; let and savage features of American scenery, or her dare to break away from the slavery of the reckless, generous daring of the rude fashion and the allurements of pleasure, and backwoodsman, than Gerstacker, writing seek her happiness in the path of duty alone from some chance hut, his nocturnal landing -then would every household be blessed place on the shore of some mighty river in with a presiding spirit such as Martha Nebraska or Arkansas. Washington, and the purifying influences of home flow out in streams of life and blessing through the land.

"After the death of her illustrious companion, which occurred in December, 1799, she remained at Mount Vernon, where she spent seventeen months mourning her loss, receiving the visits of the great from all parts of our landand from various parts of the earth; attending,as heretofore, to her domestic concerns, perfecting in the Christian graces, and ripening for the joys of a holier state of being. On the 22d of May, 1801, she who, while on earth, could be placed in no station which she did not dignify and honor, was welcomed to the glories of another world." "She healed the hearts of the sorrowful, while living, and broke them when died!"-Ladies Keepsake.

Next we hear of him in South America; and then in California, passing a winter among the miners of the remotest districts, digging gold, hunting, trafficking, fighting in case of need like the rest, and everywhere sending home the most lively daguerreotypes of the country, the people, and his own adventures among them. Finally, having seen all that was in California, he takes passage for the Sandwich Islands, where he remains long enough to exhaust all the romance remaining, and to gather every sort of useful information.

From there he sets out upon an indefinite voyage on board of a whaler going to the Southern Seas in search of oil. Chance, however, brings him up at Australia; and shehe at once sets about travelling through the

settled portions of the continent, taking the luck of the day everywhere with exhaustless WE should believe God fully, not in part good humor, and never getting low spirited,

countered.

end.

In his last letter, he gives an account of a voyage in a canoe from Albury, on the upper waters of Hume River, down to Melbourne, at its mouth. He had got out of funds, and was thus obliged to set out on this route contrary to the advice of the settlers at Albury, who represented to him that the danger of being killed and eaten by the natives along shore, who had never come in contact with whites, was inevitable,and that

no matter how untoward the mishaps en-er, their journey by the river came to a sud-
Less elegant and poetic than den end by the oversetting of their canoe,
Taylor, he dashes ahead with a more perfect and the loss of almost all their equipments.
indifference to consequences, and a more ut- Gerstacker saved his rifle, and the ammuni-
ter reliance on coming out all right at the tion that was upon his person; but the re-
maining powder was spoiled, and the provi-
sions and part of the blankets and clothing
were carried away by the current. The ca-
noe sunk, but by holding upon the rope as
they jumped out upon the overhanging
trunks of trees, the voyagers succeeded in
dragging it up again, and freeing it from
water. Then one of them dived to the bot-
tom, and managed to bring up the frying
pan
and tea canister. They also recovered
part of their blankets, and then, with the
frying pan for their sole paddle, renewed
their voyage till they found a good camping
place, where they built a roaring fire to dry
themselves, and finally discovered that in
the operations of the day, each had utterly
ruined his shoes, so that they were after-
In this way

they would be sure to destroy him before he
reached his destination. This was, howev-
er, only an additional inducement to the
trip. While making preparations for it, he
fell in with a young fellow-countryman in
the settlement, who desired to make the
same journey, and who was willing to en-wards forced to go barefoot.
counter the risks of the river rather than pay
the heavy expenses of the trip by land.-
They accordingly proceeded to dig a canoe
out of a caoutchouc tree, furnished them-
selves with paddles, a frying pan, blankets,
some crackers, sugar, salt, tea, and powder,
and embarked. The river was shallow, and
full of windings and sand-banks; sunken
caoutchouc trees had planted the stream
with frequent snags, and often heavy masses
of fallen timber, still adhering to the earth
at its roots, and thus preserving its vitality,
and flourishing with all the luxuriance of a
primitive tropical forest, covered the only
part of the channel where the water was
deep enough to admit of the passage of their
canoe. Thus they toiled on day by day, of-
ten getting out into the water to help their
vessel over shallows, or to pick up the ducks
that Gerstacker shot, which furnished the
only meat for their daily meals. Cloudy or
fair, cold or warm, rain or sunshine, found
Gerstacker still in the same flow of spirits,
and the notes of his daily experiences show
him bearing ill-luck almost as gaily as good.
After they had gone some 400 miles, howev-

they continued for some days, paddling with their frying pan, and going ashore to get a duck occasionally shot by Gerstacker. This was often exceedingly painful, from the stubble of the grass along the banks, burnt over by fires accidentally set by the natives.— Luckily, through the whole they did not come in contact with the natives at all. At last they reached a settlement, where they swapped their canoe for a couple pair of shoes, and started on foot for the rest of the way. Gerstacker had for some time desired to get rid of his companion, who was wilful, and by no means a helper in their difficulties. They now came to Woolshed, a place 180 miles distant from Melbourne, whence there were two roads to their destination; the one was perfectly free from the savages, the other was dangerous. Here Gerstacker separated from his companion, giving him the safe road, and with his rifle on his arm and his knapsack slung upon his shoulders, struck off alone into the forest-path, lighthearted as a boy, and sure, whatever might happen, of enjoying a fresher and healthier

excitement in that journey through the woods of Australia, than the dwellers in crowded cities enjoy in all their lives.

A WORD FITLY SPOKEN, HOW GOOD
IT IS!

par

ARION

WAS one of the best singers and players of his time. His instrument was the lyre. Herodotus tells the following story of him. He was the companion and teacher of the king of Corinth, whom he left to go to Italy and Sicily. Having acquired sufficient riches, he wished to return to Corinth, and took LITTLE things make up the sum of human existence. In the natural world, ani- passage in a vessel for that purpose. The mate and inanimate, are composed of crew of the vessel conspired to murder him, He ticles. Innumerable shining sands forms and take his money for their own use. the boundary against which old Ocean loves freely gave them all his riches, but begged to fret. Crystal drops compose the vast exthem to spare his life. They, however, would tent of water which covers nearly three- listen to no entreaties, and only allowed him quarters of our globe. The "blessed light," to choose between killing himself in the which cheers us day by day, may be s. par- ship, or throwing himself into the sca. ated into an infinite number of rays, each dressed himself in his richest apparel, and blending with its neighbor while faithfully taking his lyre, stood upon the side of the performing its work. And the rich odors so vessel, whence, after singing an ode, he grateful to the senses, which float in our at- threw himself into the sea, while the vessel He was not born mosphere, are actually tiny atoms, escaping continued on her course. from the dewy petals of the rose or lily, to be drowned, however, but got ashore on which blossoms at our feet. Meet emblems the back of a dolphin-(perhaps a sea serare those odors-floating around us all un-pent, or perhaps a seal; see Professor Owen,) seen-of the influence of "fitly spoken" and upon confronting the men, they confessed their guilt. words.

Words are among the "little things" which determine our influence for good or ill.

Speak they of sympathy, or encouragement, or reproof? If so be they are spoken kindly, they are like “apples of gold in pictures of silver."

He

THE MISSISSIPPI UNLIKE OTHER

RIVERS.

A river that runs east and west crosses no parallels of latitude, consequently, as it flows Would you have an influence with those toward the sea, it does not change its climate. who look to you for guidance and instruc-The crops that are cultivated at its mouth tion? Bear with you the law of kindness. Would you command their respect? Let your words, though they inflict pain for the time, drop kindly from your lips.

The youthful heart, however hopeful, will sometimes be depressed, discouraged. Then a single word, if it be "fitly spoken," will, like a magician's wand, work wonders.The child has his troubles, as well as the man, and they are as hard for him to bear, therefore he needs words of sympathy:for it is the wonderful virtue of sympathy to lessen grief-and the troubled spirit soothed, will rouse again its energies, and toil on as before.--Ladies' Keepsake.

are grown also at its sources, and from one end of it to the other there is no variety of productions; it is all wheat and corn, or wine, or oil, or some other staple. Assorted cargoes, therefore, cannot be made up from the products which such a river brings to market.

On the other hand, a river that runs north and south crosses parallels of latitude, changing its climate at every turn, and as the traveler descends it, he sees every day new agricultural staples abounding.

Such a river bears down to the sea a variety of productions, some one of which the different nations of the earth are sure to

want, and for which each one will send to the market at its mouth, or the port whence they are distributed over the world. The assortments of merchandise afforded by such a river are the life of commerce. They give it energy, activity and scope. Such a river is the Mississippi, and the Mississippi is the only such river in the world.-Selected.

ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING.

MISS MITFORD, in her pleasant Reminiscences of a Literary Life, gives the following sketch of this charming poetess:

my

"My first acquaintance with Elizabeth Barrett, commenced about fifteen years ago, She was certainly one of the most interesting persons that I had ever seen. Every body who then saw her said the same; so that it is not merely the impression of partiality or my enthusiasm. Of a slight, delicate figure, with a shower of dark curls falling on either side of a most expressive face, large, tender eyes, richly fringed by dark eyelashes, a smile like a sunbeam, and such a look of youthfulness that I had some difficulty in persuading a friend, in whose carriage we went together to Chiswick, that the translatress of the 'Prometheus' of As chylus,the authoress of 'Essay on Mind,' was old enough to be introduced into company, in technical language, 'was out.' Through the kindness of another invaluable friend, to whom I owe many obligations, but none so great as this, I saw much of her during my stay in town. We met so constantly and so familiarly, in spite of the difference of age, intimacy ripened into friendship, and after my return into the country, we corresponded freely and frequently, her letters being just what letters ought to be her own talk put upon paper.

English malady in her constitution, and she escaped. Still, however, the vessel did not heal, and after attending her for a twelvemonth at her father's house in Wimpole street, Dr. Chambers, on the approach of winter, ordered her to a milder climate.-Her eldest brother, a brother in heart and talent worthy of such a sister, together with other devoted relatives, accompanied her to Torquay, and there occurred the fatal event, which saddened her bloom of youth, and gave a deeper hue of thought and feeling, especially of devotional feeling, to her poetry. I have so often been asked what could be the shadow that had passed over that young heart, that, now that time has softened the first agony, it seems to me right that the world should hear the story of an accident in which there was much sorrow, but no

blame.

"Nearly a twelvemonth had passed, and the invalid, still attended by her affectionate companions, had derived much benefit from the mild sea-breezes of Devonshire.One fine summer morning, her favorite brother, together with other fine young men, his friends, embarked on board a small sailing vessel for a trip of a few hours. Excellent sailors all, and familiar with the coast, they sent back the boatmen, and undertook themselves the management of the little craft. Danger was not dreamt of by any one; after the catastrophe, no one could divine the cause, but, in a few minutes after their embarkation, and in sight of their very windows, just as they were crossing the bar, the boat went down, and all who were in her perished. Even the bodies were never found. I was told by a party who were traveling that year in Devonshire and Cornwall, that it was most affecting to see on the corner houses of every village street, on every church door, and almost on every cliff for miles and miles along the coast, handbills, “The next year was a painful one to her- offering large rewards for linen cast ashore self and to all who loved her. She broke a and marked with the initials of the beloved blood-vessel upon the lungs, which did not dead; for it so chanced that all the three heal. If there had been consumption in were of the dearest and the best; one, I bethe family, that disease would have inter-lieve, an only son, the other the son of a vened. There were no seeds of the fatal widow.