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MOUNT VESUVIUS.

MOUNT VESUVIUS.

113

EDITORIAL.

THIS mountain, a representation of which may be seen in the engraving of this number, is located about a mile from the city of Naples on the southern coast of Italy, and is one of the most noted volcanoes on the globe. Its first eruption of which we have any record, occurred in the year of our Lord 63. From that time, frequent earthquakes were felt in the vicinity, till the year 79, when a dense cloud was seen rising from the mountain, through which occasionally gleamed flashes of fire. The ground heaved, and a terrible eruption followed, whelming in utter ruin the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Pliny, a distinguished Roman knight, by venturing too near on this occasion, lost his life.

An eruption of flowing lava occurred in 1036, after which a long cessation ensued, so that the sides of the crater, being overgrown with brush-wood, became the haunt of wild boars, while cattle grazed on the plain at the bottom of it.

In 1631, seven streams of burning lava belched simultaneously from the mountain, consuming these grassy plains and forests within the crater, and destroying several villages located at the base. This eruption visibly heightened the mountain, and gave it the form of a sugar-loaf. At later periods, immense quantities of lava, estimated in all to be more than the present solid contents of the mountain, were disgorged from its deep recesses.

Thirty years ago, the top of Vesuvius was a rough, rocky plain; but the eruption of 1822 removed 800 feet of the summit, reducing its height from 4000 to 3200 feet.

Since that time, the crater has been three miles in circumference, and 2000 feet deep, having the appearance at the top, as seen in the engraving. During the past half-century, scarcely a year has passed without an eruption.

What a sublime scene an active volcano must present! In order to gain a more vivid conception of it, transport yourself

to the beautiful city of Naples. Vesuvius rises majestically before you. The declining sun pours a flood of golden light upon the enchanting scenery around, and the burnished clouds above. A pillar of dark smoke begins to issue from the crater; lurid flames flash up from the abyss below, hurling stones 2000 feet into the air; clouds of ashes darken the heavens, and are borne away hundreds of miles on the wings of the wind; the troubled waters of the Bay recede, leaving the shore dry for a considerable distance; a cataract of lava, a quarter of a mile wide and 12 feet deep, goes smoking, burning, thundering down through trees, vineyards and villages, for the distance of two miles, where it plunges into the water, making the ocean to hiss and boil like a cauldron.

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I WAIGH not Fortune's frowne or smile,
I joy not much in earthly Joyes,
I seeke not state, I reake not stile,
I am not fond of fancie's Toyes;

I rest so pleas'd with what I have,
I wish no more, no more I crave.
I quake not at the 'Thunder's crack,
I tremble not at noise of warre,
I swound not at the newes of wrack,

1 shrink not at a Blazing-Starre;

I fear not losse, I hope not gaine,
I envie none, 1 none disdaine.

I see ambition never pleas'd,
1 see some Tantals starv'd in store,

I see golds dropsie seldome eas'd,
I see even Midas gape for more;

I neither want nor yet abound;
Enough's a Feast, content is crown'd.
I faine not friendship where I hate,
I fawne not on the great, (in show,)
I prize, I praise a meane estate,

Neither too lofty nor too low.

This, this is all my choice, my cheere,
A minde content, a conscience cleere.

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"Time is the warp of life, Oh, tell

The young, the fair, the gay, to weave it well."

"MILLIONS of money for an inch of time," was the exclamation of a dying queen, whose reign had been filled with deeds of glory, and whose name was handed down to posterity as "the good queen Bess." It was a treasure which the wealth of empires could not buy; and so the spirit, disrobed of the empty pageantry of royalty, and unsupported by the presence of its fellow-worms, passed at once to the tribunal of the King of Kings, to receive from Him its trial and its recompense.

But that which was denied to the petition of one whose slightest wish had been the law of kingdoms, is now ours; and how shall we dispose of the precious boon, so that when we too shall be called to give an account of our stewardship, we may receive the approbation of our Judge, and the reward promised to His faithful servants? As the lives of many of us will be short, and as the plans which we have already marked out for ourselves in the future, will many of them remain unfulfilled, how shall we best economize the golden moments as they pass, so that no remembrances of wasted hours will rise to fill our souls with unavailing regrets, and no record of mis-spent days bear witness against us when Time itself shall be no more?

The first method which I have to suggest for the promotion of this great object, is EARLY RISING. Refreshed by "nature's sweet restorer," the powers of the body and the mind spring anew into active being, at the dawn of a new day. Nature itself revives as from slumber, and the freshness of morning seems to re-animate creation. Shall we not hail with the early birds, the clear bright morning, and drink with delight the pure air which inspires and invigorates the system? Let us rise with the sun, and let our first act be an acknowledgment of the goodness of our Creator, in raising us once more from the image of death, and breathing anew into our souls, as at

the primal day, the breath of life. We have the example of ancient sages, of patriarchs and prophets, of holy men in every age, but most powerful and persuasive of all, that of Him who was both our Pattern and Redeemer. "Rising up a great while before day, he went out into a solitary place and there prayed." Let the blessing of God hallow the day, and nerved by His strength and guided by His wisdom, all its hours will be well spent.

Having thus commenced the day aright, another important method by which we may save time, will be A SYSTEMATIC ARRANGEMENT OF OUR DUTIES. These must vary with the situation and circumstances of every individual, and, in some cases, it may be almost impossible to make every hour perform an allotted part. Unexpected occurrences may disarrange the most methodical, yet, to a certain degree, every one may thus save time. One hour of reflection and effort to dispose of each duty in its appropriate season, will save many hours of confusion. The duties of life should be like a company of soldiers, not marching in disorderly groups, and with irregular steps, but obedient to orders, in rank and file, with precise and uniform motion. Thus only can we be prepared for conflict with the world.

Having set our affairs in order, the next duty is PUNCTUALITY. We should be accustomed, not only to keep every appointment with others, but to adhere strictly to those which we may have made for ourselves. In this way, the duty of every hour will not be improperly trespassing on the next; but each will retain its appropriate sphere, and be duly performed in its season. Nearly allied to this is the old maxim, "a place for everything and everything in its place;" the observance of which will be another useful auxiliary to the great object. Much time is lost in the search for mislaid articles, and much anxiety felt, most of which may be avoided by careful attention to this rule.

In the search after happiness, many fail in attaining that degree which may lawfully be enjoyed on earth, by losing sight of a truth little understood and seldom acted upon. One grand secret of happiness is in EMPLOYMENT. Whatever be

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the circumstances or disposition of an individual, time will hang heavily on his hands without some useful avocation. Since man's expulsion from Paradise, where his duties and pleasures were the same, employment usually partakes of hardship and induces weariness; yet who would exchanges the repose which follows on the steps of arduous duties well performed, for the listlessness and inactivity of a life spent in neglecting those duties? But let us see that our employments are such as will bear reflection; such as will satisfy us in the retrospect. Time may be wasted in many ways beside idleness. It may be thrown away in useless or improper reading; in needless decoration of the person; and by those engaged in domestic avocations, in unnecessary preparations of food, where simplicity of diet would be more healthful. We hesitate not to say, that there will be a time, and that not far distant, when temperance will resume its appropriate place among the Christian virtues, and mankind will return to that primeval simplicity which nature teaches, and which characterized the early ages of the world. Every Christian female should lend her influence in the promotion. of this object.

Let us then examine ourselves by the light which ETERNITY sheds upon the employments of TIME. Are they such that we may pursue them as but the commencement of those which shall fill the mind and heart of saints in glory? Are they raising us daily above the world, and bringing us in closer contact with the atmosphere of a purer dwelling-place? Are we daily increasing in knowledge, in virtue, in holiness of heart and life? Is the spirit of the Mosaic law, LOVE TO GOD and LOVE TO MAN, influencing every action? That spirit which was not deemed unworthy to be the theme of angelic songs, ages after Jehovah revealed his will to man, ought to animate the heart of every human being. Let the end of all our actions be, "GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST, PEACE ON EARTH, AND GOOD WILL TO MAN.' So shall we receive the sentence, "Well done, good and faithful servants, enter ye into the joy of your Lord."

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