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The whole scene was such as to move many to tears. So, thought we, do affectionate hearts reward those who have blest them. Such is the bright end of a useful life. Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!

THE BEGINNING OF MORMONISM.

"TWENTY-EIGHT years ago, Joe Smith, the founder of this sect, and Harris, his convert, applied to the senior editor of the Journal, then residing in Rochester, to print his Book of Mormon, then just transcribed from the Golden Bible, which Joe had found in the cleft of a rock to which he had been guided by a vision.

"We attempted to read the first chapter, but it seemed such unintelligible jargon that it was thrown aside. Joe was a tavern idler in the village of Palmyra. Harris, who offered to pay for the printing, was a substantial farmer. Disgusted with what we considered a weak invention' of an imposter, and not caring to strip Harris of his earnings, the proposition was declined.

"The manuscript was taken to another printing office across the street, from whence, in due time, the original Mormon Bible made its advent.

"Tall oaks from little acorns grow.'

"But who would have anticipated from such a bald, shallow, senseless imposition, such world-wide consequences? To remember and contrast Joe Smith, with his loafer look, pretending to read from a miraculous slate-stone placed in his hat, with the Mormonism of the present day, awakens thoughts alike painful and mortifying. There is no limit, even in this most enlightened of all ages of knowledge, to the influence of imposture and credulity. If knaves, or even fools, invent creeds, nothing is too monstrous for belief."

There is a scrap of history, but at the same time also a solemn lesson. Here are two editors applied to by an imposter to print a book. The one refuses to print it; the other, for money, prints it. Suppose they are both now living; which one, with the disgraceful history of that book before him, can regard with most pleasure his course in the case? The one can feel truly that he has no part in bringing to birth the monstrous imposture; while the other must see plainly that his hand is in the matter, and has the blood of the evil upon it.

We are well aware of the common and ready excuse: "If I do not do it some one else will." Suppose he will, the sin is then his, and not yours. The fact that another will do a thing if you do not, does not make that right for you. The very reason why

wrong is done at all, is because some one will do it. Judas might have argued on this point even more plausibly than any one now; he might have said, the Saviour must be betrayed, or how can he die for men: if I do not betray him another will. This is the common refuge of such kind of sinning. But yet, wo to that man by whom the son of man is betrayed; it had been better for him if he had not been born.

Evil will be done-bad books will be printed-liquor will be sold -if one will not do it another will. Let it be so; but let us see that it is not by us. Offences will come, but wo unto him by whom the offence cometh!

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CONTENTMENT.

IT happened once, on a bright summer's day, that I was standing near a well, when a little bird flew down, seeking water. There was, indeed, a large trough near the well, but it was empty, and I grieved for a moment to think that the little creature must go away thirsty; but it settled upon the edge of the trough, bent its little head downwards, then raised it again, spread its wings, and soared away, singing; its thirst was appeased. I walked up to the trough, and there, in the stone work, I saw a little hole about the size of a wren's egg. The water held there had been a source of revival and refreshment; it had found enough for the present, and desired no more. This is contentment.

Again, I stood by a lovely, sweet-smelling flower, and there came a bee, humming and sucking; and it chose the flower for its field of sweets. But the flower had no honey. This I knew, for it had no nectary. What then, thought I, will the bee do? It came buzzing out of the cup to take a further flight, but as it came out it spied the stamens full of golden farina, good for making wax, and it rolled its little legs against them till they looked like yellow hose, as the bee-keepers y; and then, thus heavily laden, flew away home. Then, I said, "Thou camest hither seeking honey, and finding none, hast been satisfied with wax, and hath stored it for thy house that thy labor might not be in vain. Thou likewise shall be to me a lesson of contentment."

THE OLD ORCHARD.

AN intelligent and pious female friend, in a private letter, alludes touchingly to an article in the last number of the Guardian. We cannot refrain from quoting it. How much alike are the sacred associations of our childhood! Surely we are all nearer each other in our hearts than in our minds.

"The Orchard' interested me. The first sixteen years of my life were spent near just such an Orchard. Every tree had its name, and its own attractions. But the old Orchard passed into other hands, and a change came over it. The woodman would not feel as I did;

"In youth it sheltered me:"

and many of the dear old sacred trees were cut down, and only now have place in a very few memories, just like the dear ones who rambled with me there, who are now sleeping in the dust, but who are sacredly treasured in a few faithful hearts."

Our Monthly Retrospect.

THE UNITED STATES. CONGRESS closed its thirty-third session on Sunday the 4th ultimo, about twelve o'clock, M. As we intimated in our Retrospect for last month, all the important business was crowded into the last day of the session (the third of March) which, according to the Congressional almanac, is the longest day in the year, its duration, on that occasion, being at least thirty-six hours. When Col. Benton's name was called on Sunday morning, to vote on some question before the House, he stated that the Congress of which he was a member had ceased to exist at twelve o'clock on Saturday night. He did not believe in Sunday legislation. He appears to have been the only member of both houses who had that much regard for the Sabbath. Amid the confusion of a weary and exciting night session a number of important measures were passed, including good, bad and indifferent. We note the most important bills passed and approved during the session. The annual appropriation bills, with a grand variety of amendments, were passed, of course. The bill for revising our diplomatic and consular system, including a large increase in the compensation of our ministers abroad. Two bills for increasing the efficiency and improving the discipline of the navy, including a retired list for superannuated officers, and rewards and encouragements to the sailors and marines for good conduct. The new bounty land bill, which extends a land bounty to the heirs and descendants of all the soldiers of all the wars of the United States, white and Indian, and which will thus distribute about 200,000,000 acres of the public domain, and will give thousands of deserving poor families a just chance to secure a homestead-if they can manage to keep out of the clutches of the numerous bounty land sharks which the passage of this bill has suddenly called into existence. A very good act requires the pre-payment of postages by stamps, in all cases, after the first of January next; and all letters to be pre-paid, by

stamps or otherwise, after the first of this month. The postage on letters for any distance over 3,000 miles was also increased to ten cents. This bill has also a provision for additional care, in the post offices, of letters containing money. A bill establishing a Court of Claims. The Texas claim bill of seven and a quarter millions to satisfy the demands of Texas creditors against the United States.

Among other things, four new regiments were added to the army; a telegraphic line granted to the Pacific; a searching party ordered for Dr. Kane in the Arctic regions; General Scott created a lieutenant-general; the heirs of General De Kalb were provided for; Gen. Jackson's sword accepted from the heirs of Gen. Armstrong; small notes abolished in the District of Columbia; and a bill passed and approved regulating the transportation of passengers in steamships (suggested by the Arctic and other recent marine disasters.) The House amendment reducing the Tariff to an approximation to the policy of free trade failed in the Senate by a close vote.

One of the most remarkable documents of the nineteenth century made its appearance the past month. The report of the Ostend Conference, by Messrs. Buchanan, Mason, and Soulein which the remarkable proposition is made to purchase the Island of Cuba for $120,000,000. The report holds this significant language: "After we shall have offered Spain a price for Cuba far beyond its present value, and this shall have been refused, it will then be time to consider the question-Does Cuba in the possession of Spain seriously endanger our internal peace, and the existence of our cherished Union? Should this question be answered in the affirmative, then by ever law, human and divine, we shall be justified in wresting it from Spain, if we possess the power." But it appears the National administration does not endorse this policy, and Cuba will no doubt remain in the possession of Her Catholic Majesty for some time to come. At all events, the

action, or non-action, of our government in regard to our difficulties with Spain was not satisfactory to Mr. Soule, who has resigned and come home.

From California we have had most important news. A great commercial disaster had overtaken that new and flourishing State, in the sudden suspension of several of the leading banking houses of San Francisco, among which the house of Bacon, Page & Co. took the lead. As the suspension of bank after bank was announced the excitement in the streets of San Francisco became intense, and is said to have exceeded anything of the kind ever witnessed even among that excitable population. Calmness was at length restored by the assurance that the failure on the part of the banks arose from the difficulty of getting their ingots of gold converted into specie, and not from any real insolvency of the institutions themselves. All they asked was a reasonable length of time to exchange their deposites of gold dust for specie, when they would be able to pay dollar for dollar. The Legislature had adjourned sine die after declaring the impossibility of electing a U. S. Senator.

American mechanics have achieved another great triumph-we may say one of the wonders of the world-in uniting the British Colonies to the American States by a wire suspension bridge over the Niagara gorge, across which the shrieking locomotive drags its ponderous trains of humanity and the products of labor. The length of this bridge, from the centre of each tower is 822 feet; height of tower above the rock on the American side, 88 feet; do. on the Canada side, 78 feet; do. floor of railway, 60 feet; number of wire cables, 4; diameter of each cable, 10 inches; number of No. 9 wires in each cable, 8,659; aggregate strength of cables, 12,400 tons; weight of superstruction, 750 tons; do. superstructure and maximum loads, 1,250 tons; maximum weight of cable and stay will support 8,500 tons; height of track above the water, 234 feet; height of railroad above wagon track, 60 feet. The first locomotive passed on the 8th inst.; it weighed 23 tuns. The depression at the centre was 3 inches, but no vibration was produced. On the 9th the experiments were repeated with two other engines, making trips at the rate of eight miles an hour. One locomotive, weighing 34 tuns, with a car

full of passengers passed over at the same speed; the depression at the centre was 5 inches. The strongest gales of wind have no effect upon it. The trained paused when half-way over the river, at the line where the State and Colony meet, when the flags of the two nations were waved in exultation of this triumph of strength and skill. The bridge is built so that it rises archlike in the centre. There are two main tracks, one 4 feet 8 inches for the New York Central, another 5 feet guage for the Great Western, and by a fifth rail the New York and Erie Railroad can also run their cars across. Far away beneath-so far that the heavy wave scarce shows its swelling-rushes the Niagara, and the shrill shriek of triumph that the locomotive sends forth, as it passes over the chasm, is heard beyond the Cataract itself. This bridge now, with its busy road-way below-its quintuple rails above-the headlight of the locomotive flashing in the darkness of the gorge-the car-the carriage the throng of all-has placed itself in the very first rank of the wonders of the world.

A case was recently decided before the Court of Common Pleas at Cincinnati, which we hope will have a good effect towards finally breaking up a pernicious system of lottery gambling, which is becoming very general in this and other States. An indictment was found against H. H. Shippey "for publishing a scheme of chance," the offensive publication being the prospectus and advertisement of the Cosmopolitan Art and Literary Association, of which any person could become a member by paying $3, receiving in return a copy of a $3 magazine, and a chance in the

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drawing" of receiving any one of the numerous works of painting and statuary. This stupendous lottery scheme, we are sorry to say, was extensively advertised by many respectable newspapers and magazines, one of the principal head-quarters of the concern being at the office of the Knickerbocker Magazine. The defence set up was that the association did not constitute a lottery or "scheme of chance," within the meaning of the statute; but the Court held, and so charged the jury, that notwithstanding every member or purchaser of a ticket thereby received certainly a periodical of equivalent current value with the price paid, yet if other and further inducements were held out

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