The Colored Citizen, 1866-05-19

(See pa. 38, Life of Josephine.) The historian gives an account of the predic prediction - tion prediction of a sable negress, to Josephine re respecting - specting respecting her future course of life. She said to Josephine, - " Yon will soon be married. That union will not be happy, iou will be become - come become a widow and then you will be Queen of France. Some happy years will be yours, and then you will die in a hospital, amid civil commotions." (pa. 250.) On this " prophesy the historian re marks, - " In subsequent years, ' when, toiling through the vicissitudes of her most eventful life, she recalled the sin singular - gular singular coincidence between her destiny and the prediction, and seemed to consider that the negress, with prophetic vision, had laid out her wonderful course." Mr. Abbott, though he treats the ''pre ''prediction - diction ''prediction " as " Sorcery," admits that all was conect except the " dying in a hos hospital - pital hospital amid civil commotions," of which he says, (pa. 26,) " This pirt of the pre prediction - diction prediction proved to be utterly untrue. Josephine, instead bf dying in a hospital, died in the beautiful palace of Malmaison. Instead of dying in poverty, she was one ; of the richest ladies in Europe, receiving an income of six thousand dollars a year. The grounds around her palace were embellished with all the attractions, and her apartments furnished with every lux- i ury which opulence could procure. In Instead - stead Instead of dying it friendlessness and neg neglect, - lect, neglect, the Emperor Alexander of Russia, stood by her bedside ; the most illustrious kings and nobles of Europe, crowded her court, and did her homage. And, though she was separated from her husband, she still retained the tittle of Empress, and I was the ob ject of his most sincere affec-! tion, and esteem." " Thus, this predic-1 tian, upon which so much stress has, been laid, seems to vanish in thin sir." (pa. 227.) Never was a prediction more erroneous- : ly or injuriously interpreted. We give it a very different interpretation, not to prove true all the prophesy, about which we I care nothing, but to counteract the bad influence of Mr. Abbott's view of her j passive and spiritual life. Thd Sorceress had said, in answer to Josephine's request I or an explanation, "I am not permitted to render my revelations more, clear." (pa. 22d). This was the case with all the Bible prophets as well as " sorcerers," and ! hence the various interpretations of scripture prophecies. Josephine figuratively died in a hos hospital. - pital. hospital. What was the beautiful palace of " Malmaison " but a hospital in which she was confined from the only object on earth which enchained her heart's af affections - fections affections ? The walls that imprison the heart, need not imprison the body that contains it ; only that side is sufficient, ! which excludes it from the centre of its affections. It has no desire to scale any other. What more like a hospital than a building providing by another, in which she was overwhelmed by the kind sympa sympathies - thies sympathies of those who. with her, deplored that separation 1 The most exalted hos hospitalities - pitalities hospitalities consist in administering conso consolation - lation consolation to those who are sick at heart. Such was Josephine's malady, and such were her brilliant and numerous com comforters. - forters. comforters. She was " friendless and ncg'ected." What attention from all the rest ot the world, could counterbalance the choice of her own Napoleon, of the posibility of a succession to his throne, to the exclu exclusion - sion exclusion and neglect of her whom he profess professed - ed professed ardently to love, from his life long society and comfort. 1 She was poor '. What was all the wealth ot the world to her who had lost the idol of her heart ? Six hundred thousand ddlars had no more power than so many grains of sand to heal her wounded spirit. What were the beauties of her palace, and the embellishment of its apartments, when he, whose presence gave them their highest interest and value, was a prisoner at Elba ; and what was the title of " Empress " to her who was be bereft - reft bereft of the ''Emperor 1 " Let her answer these questions. "If 1 learn that I am the only one who will fulfill her duty, (that is, that there is no animate wall between you and me, no new wife that will be in rav wav,) nothing shall detain me. I will go to the only place whee, henceforth, there can be happiness for me. Sure I shall be able to console you when you are there isolated and unfortunate. Say but the word and 1 depart I " ( See the whole letter pa 324.) What, Josephine 1 leave all the outside wealth, all the embellish embellishments - ments embellishments and attractions of the beautiful palace of Malmaison, the attentions of nobles, kings and emperors, for the society of a conquered and banished invader of nations, on a lone rocky island of the ocean ? She answers, " I am a true woman, there only is the object of my heart's adoration. Excluded from that, no wealth, grandeur nor magnificence on earth, has charms for me." f?uch was Josephine's heart, designed to be the very paradise of the man who

Eunice, as Mrs. Prouty passed them and went in. " We're such terrible creatures, you know, talking and laughing over our luncheons and going to walk. And it's such a satisfation to her to see it. I don't know what some saints would do if if there was'nt a world round them lying in wickedness." " Hush, she's at the window ! " Mrs Prouty had entered the deaconnesses' sitting-room, and taken a position whence she could converse di directly - rectly directly with that body, and, if occasion offered, send a few words, also, over her shoulder, at the group upon the porch. In a minute or two the side-tire began. " Yes, it was a very feeling discourse, and I hope we shall see some fruits of it. But it seems pretty hard to make any impression on our young folks, somehow. It's in at one ear and out at the other with most of 'em." " Might as well be so, perhaps, as in at the ear and out at th? mouth," commented Joanna in an j undertone. I'm afraid there's some mischievous influence that undoes it all," continued Mrs. Prouty, with a sigh. " I know there is, but it isn't the sort you mean. Come, girls, let's go and have our walk. I shall say something : out loud, presently, if we stay here. I can't bear," continued Joanna, as the little party prepared to move at her sug suggestion, - gestion, suggestion, "to be put into a dark closet, | and have somebody continually coming 'to look in, and ask me if I am sorry yet. I always feel like saying, as I did to my ' mother once, when I was a little girl, 1 * When I sorry I let 'oo know.' " " But then," said one of the group timidly, " I don't think we ought to make fun of such things." " Nor I either, Abbie," an answered - swered answered Joanna quickly, and with a chang changed - ed changed manner ; " I don't make fun of the things ; it's only the way people behave about them. It isn't real; it isn't nat natural. - ural. natural. When folks really do give their hearts, whether it's to God or a fellow fellowcreature, - creature, fellowcreature, it isn't a thing, I think, that they can go round telling about. There's only one concerned to know anything about it." - The Gayworthys. 2-tv AA. v U jJi/ V Xi, iJUY. " Willie," said Mrs. Mills to her little boy, " I wish you to do an errand for me. " Won't you put on your hat and go quickly, for I am in haste '?" '' O mother," whined Willie, "I ' want to finish this boat ; can't Harry go ? i I've brought in some wood, and - and " - " Now mother," responded Harry, I " I don't want to go, I've been to the pasture with the cow this morning, and that's a great deal more than Willie's done." A look of pain passed over the gentle face of Mrs. Mills at these fretful excu excuses - ses excuses of her boys, but they were too ab absorbed - sorbed absorbed in their selfishness to notice it. "I am very sorry," said she, " that my little buys are so unwilling to help their mother." This mild reproof aroused the boys somewhat, for they both had loving hearts and knew very well what was right so Willie listened a little to his con conscience, - science, conscience, and said, " Well, I'll go? " and Harry, rather ashamed of the part he ' had acted, added, " I can go, I suppose, if Willie don't want to." " You may go, Willie," said his mother. So he laid aside his boat, and prepared to obey his mother, it was not done in that glad, willing manner, that boys should always have when waiting upon or doing any anything - thing anything for their mother. And now I what my little friends will say about this a kind of obedi obedience. - ence. obedience. Some of you I fancy, will say that it is a very poor sort. Others will perhaps think, if they don't like to say it aloud - " O, dear, you make a great ado about such a little thing as that - Willie reminded his mother.", But 1 can't make it seem a little thing for any boy or girl to wilfully or carelessly give their mother. one pang of sorrow. Willie did the er errand, - rand, errand, to be sure, but in what kind of, a spirit did he do it ? And lam sorry to say that it had become quite a habit, both with him and Harry, to always have such trivial excuses ready when asked to do, anything, so that it became very unpleas-: ant to ask any favor of them. And even though they performed the request do you think it gave them the same pleasure that it would it they had done it in a cheerful manner ? O, no indeed, it did not, for they so plainly showed that it was not for love they did it. And how many times that mother will do things, herself, rather than see those cloudy looks | she knows would come. 0, boys, love your mothers, and not only love them in your careless wav>' but show your love by being tender and attentive towards her. Watch for chances I to lighten her caies, and when she speaks! to you, stop your talk or play, and listen to what she says. If you only knew in i how great a degree you are responsible for her happiness or sorrow, you would be very careful'how you caused her pain, btft always try to give her joy, and so save

THE OHOLEBA. For Wpeks the papers ffcve riealt iLrc-el y with the yholera, an t no little apprehen apprehension - sion apprehension has been excited by the supposed im imminence - minence imminence of the dreadful calamity. The newspapers at first contributed to this anxiety, and, had the pestilence been really present in our atmosphere, it could hardly have failed to have found ready victims among the morbidly-excited peo people. - ple. people. One of the strongest proofs that the miasmatic condition of the atmosphere, which produces epidemic cholera, has not thus far, reached us is the fact that, with such moral predisposition of the people for its influence, it has not been able to reveal itself. The inference that the disease must come because it has heretofore usually fol followed - lowed followed a given route, which has led it toward us, is a reasonable deduction. We arc not at all disposed to dispute its possi possibility - bility possibility ; it may be prevailing among us before this article reaches our readers ; but we doubt that it will, and we hesi hesitate - tate hesitate not to affirm that it may not at all appear here as an epidemic (though it may as an endemic), and are quite sure that if it should reveal itself generally, it need not be formidable. Though med medical - ical medical science is yet baffled by some of the problems of the disease, yet the conditions of safety, especially of early cure, are so well ascertained, and are so practicable, that no person of ordinary health, tem temperance, - perance, temperance, and moral courage need fear it, any more than he should any of the com common - mon common forms of more or less epidemic dis disease - ease disease which occur every summer among us. The first ship that brought it to our harbor (the England) afforded proof of this last assertion. Not a single cabin passenger suffered. What could more conclusively attest the safety of all per persons - sons persons in ordinary conditions of comfort and prudence ? The second ship (the Virginia) repeats J this proof. Rev. Dr. Hamlin, of Constan- ! tinople, who has stood for years in the j midst of all the epidemic attacks in that city as physician as well as missionary, declares that people of tolerable health and temperate habits, keeping clear of nervous anxiety about it, need fear it no more than they fear being swept from rhe world by a comet's tail. In fine, this pestilence is comparatively harmless to right-living people, unless they consent to be cowards. It has been called " God Almighty's scavenger" tor the cleansing of great cities ; it does its work thoroughly where it needs to be done, and seems disposed to step aside from its appointed task, only to punish unreasoning timidity. Of course inci incidental - dental incidental exceptions can be cited, but they are onlv incidental, and so comparatively few that no reasonable man should ad admit - mit admit them in his logic upon the subject. The cases of these foreign ships should confirm our hopefulness and courage rath rather - er rather than alarm us. In that of the England

MISCELLANEOUS. Ginseng - What is it ? - ln our week weekly - ly weekly market reports, the information regard- I many f, o? s *our amf'lfi^question, " What in the world is Ginseng?" induces us to give the following accounts of its properties, origin, and use. Ginseng was formerly supposed to grow only in Chinese Tartary, affecting mountainous situations, shaded by close woods ; but it has long been known that the plant is al also - so also a native of North America. M. Larra Larrasin - sin Larrasin transmitted specimens of it from this country to Paris in 1704, and it has since discovered in Canada, Pennsylvania and Virginia, by Latitean, Kalm, Bartra o, and others, correspondi g exactly with the Tartarian tpecies. The dried root of Ginseng is scarcely the thickness of the little finger, about three or four inches long, of a horny texture, and int rnally and externally of a yellowish white color. The Chinese ascribe extraordinary virtues to the ''oot, and consider it a sovereign remedy in all diseases to which thay are liable. In Americ» no value is set upon Ginseng as a medicine and it is gathered only for shipment, and large quantities are reported from Virginia, Ohio, Wiscon Wisconsin, - sin, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania. In 1859 the trade in Richland county, Wis Wisconsin, - consin, Wisconsin, is stated to have amounted to $BO,OOO. Mosses. - The poor Laplanders find several of their comforts from mosses. - Golden maiden-hair, one of the largest Rpfefei of the moss tribe, forms excellent beds, by cutting thick layers of it, one of which forms the mattrass, and the other is a coverlet. Linnaeus tells that he himself often made u-e of such a bed when traveling in Lapland. These mossy cushions are so elastic that a bed may be rolled up in a parcel small enough to be carried under a man's arm, and the inhabitants take them about with them on their journeys. The Lapland women also make use of the gray bog moss ; their ba babies - bies babies are thus completely protected from the cold, like young birds, in soft and warm nests. The Greenlanders use their moss as tindir, and for wicks to their lamps. '-Dr. Person," said a gentleman to the great "Grecian," with whom he had been disputing - " Dr. Person, my opinion of you is most contemptible." "Sir," returned the doctor, " I never knew an opinion of yours that was not contempt contemptible." - ible." contemptible." lhe insolent civility of a proud man is, if possible, more shocking than his rudeness could be ; because he shows you, by his manner, that he thinks it mere condescension in him : and that in his goodness alone he bt stows what you have no pretense to claim. Dr. Watts whose passion for the justly celebrated Mrs. Rowe, then Miss Singer, is well known, having called one winter morning upon that lady and perceiving that the fire and the conversation were getting dull, took up the poker, and put putting - ting putting it in the fire, said " Allow me, madam, to raise a flame." i

'ffarlot mill sittsUlt. THE FAILURES AND FALSEHOODS OF HU MAN LIFE. Never existed a being better calculated to enjoy all the blessings that earth and life can bestow, seldom has one had within reach so numerous and great opportunities for the perfect enjoyment of those bless blessings, - ings, blessings, yet we can hardly conceive of one whole natural life was almost con constantly - stantly constantly deprived of it - nay, we may say, made constantly miserable by the misap misapplication - plication misapplication of those boundless means of hap happiness, - piness, happiness, as was that of Josephine, Empress of Fiance. With a heart susceptible of the warmest and most enduring affection, and an opportunity for attachment to another, equally impressible, she was forever separated ftom her loved and loving William. With the keenest con consciousness - sciousness consciousness of unhappiness from a union with a man whose soul was supremely wedded to a wordly ambition which over overbalanced - balanced overbalanced all the sweet ties of a pure and spiritual affection, she was forcibly mar married - ried married to one ( Beauharnais) who could leave her for the mere external fascina fascinations - tions fascinations of a " proud, beautiful and artful woman." Loving more dearly than all things else, the quiet retirement, the beauties of nature and the dear home circle, she was doomed to solitude of heart, and residence in the confines of a city of human construction, the bustle of popular assemblies, and the deceptions and intrigues of artificial life : M ith a heart overflowing with sympathy for suffering humanity, and benevolence to all her race, she was compelled to witness the fiendish slaughter of thousands of her fellow creatures, tor no other teason than that they were the best citizens of France, and to anticipate, for the end, nothing better for herself. What a mine of the elements ot happiness was thus exploded and destroyed 1 What an Eden of bliss was thus foreclosed to her soul's aspira aspirations - tions aspirations 1 what a hell upon earth was thus opened for her incarceration 1 and that for not one fault nor folly ol her own ; but simply because of the unfortunate union of persons physically and morally unsuited to each other, for the sake of external advantages. What a lesson is the life of Josephine to those parents and guardians who break the natural current of affection from the hearts of their daughters or wards, merely for considerations of wealth, family or fame ! Let all such, read the life of Josephine by Abbott. Let all the " W illiams too, be advertised that no wealth, nor blood, nor fame can be substituted for such a heart and head as Josephine's.

we fairly held the danger under lock and key, in the harbor, till it totally disap disapeared. - eared. disapeared. Quarantine prudence and skill enabled this great city (filthy as it was) to stand before it, looking on with impuni impunity - ty impunity and defiar ce, while it died out, strangled on our waters. Thus far we have re repeated - peated repeated the example in the case of the Vir Virginia. - ginia. Virginia. Meanwhile the city has prudently and thoroughly cleaned itself, and, with proper care, may, we hope, go on through the summer without much anxiety. These ships had each more than a thou thousand - sand thousand passengers. Some five hundred of them, in each, were crowded together in the holds, below 'he watermark, with no other ventilation than that which could reach them from above through tubes and passage ways. How could they possibly escape the outbreak of some pestilential disease in such circumstances ? There was no sickness on board when they started ; both were attacked when about a week out, that is to say, when the con confined - fined confined air of their holds had had sufficient time to become intolerable. These facts, togeth ,, r with the exemption of the cabin passengers, and the control we have had over the malady in quarantine, seem in indeed - deed indeed a providential lesson, proclaiming to us, not only the necessary conditions of safety, but also the cheerful assurance which all prudent men may entertain in spite of the menaced evil. With such security to the properly cau cautious, - tious, cautious, the pestilence, even when it does prevail, is nothing like the terrible calami calamity - ty calamity which exaggerated alarm paints it to be. The venerable Dr. Bigelow, of Boston, says that, if it were a continuous disease, instead of an occasional "visitation," there would be little anxiety respecting it, except among the most exposed, that is to say, filthy and intemperate classes. It would not, he says, affect in any way the business, the travel, or the recreation of the community. The ratio of its mor mortality - tality mortality is not greater than that of our steam voyages to Europe, and who fore foregoes - goes foregoes a visit to Europe for business or pleasure, because an ascertained ratio of deaths occurs on the prMage ? He adds that l»e» rtf rrVjßo 'Sf the world easier than thfat by the cholera. Let us then be of good courage, cleanse our premises, correct our bad habits, say our prayers faithfully, go about our hon honest - est honest business as usual, and leave the event to him " who careth for us," and without whose " notice no sparrow falls to the ground." - lhe Methodist.

CHINESE JUGGLING. While walking on the bank of the river this afternoon, near the junction with the Grand Canal, I saw some clever juggling. A boy, about fifteen years of age, per performed - formed performed the needle trick in an exceedingly expert manner. He commenced by stick sticking - ing sticking a dozen of common sewing needles upon the end of a piece of wood, and showed them to the lookers-on. Vexam- JWWU, <ISJX*- ZUncrtZU I U CU MU Wil ordinary sharp-pointed needle. Having done this, he placed them, one after the other, between his lips, and sucked them slowly into his mouth; and, to all ap appearance, - pearance, appearance, swallowed them. He then walked round the circle with his mouth open, and allowed the people to look into it; but nothing was to be seen of the needles. He then took a crystal ball, about the size of a walnut, and, placing it between his teeth, drew it into his mouth, and to all appearance, swallowed it - as he opened his mouth, and it was not visi visible. - ble. visible. He then made an effort as if bring bringing - ing bringing it up from his stomach, and ejected it from his mouth ; repeating this per performance - formance performance several times, lie next took a long piece of thread, passed it up one nos nostril, - tril, nostril, and brought the end out by his mouth, moving it backward and forward by the two ends- - the one hanging out of his nostril, the other out of his mouth. He then pulled the string out altogether, in introduced - troduced introduced it again into his nostril by snuf snuffing - fing snuffing it in, and seemed to swallow the whole piece of string. He again swal swallowed - lowed swallowed the glass ball, ejected it, and, im immediately - mediately immediately afterward, drew the thread out of his mouth with all the needles strung upon it. This is really a very clever trick, showing wonderful powers of stowing things away in the mouth - the more so, as he was talking the whole time. A great amount of skill is exhibited, and no small degree of risk must be run in per performing - forming performing this trick, as Mr. Lockheart men mentions - tions mentions a case that occurred at Shanghai, where the needles that had been intro introduced - duced introduced into the mouth, ready threaded, slipped down and became impacted in the back part of the throat, and caused death the fifth day afterwaid.

should be able lightly to appreciate her. Such was the first Napoleon, the aerial animal who found the diamond on the earth ; but threw it away for the search of baubles that he vainly fancied would decorate his castles in the air. The union of these two, being both physically and affectionately incompatible, reminds us of the lamentation of the Batchelor Watts, in his lyric, " The Indian Philosopher." Our long intercourse with the world, has fully convinced us that the happiest place on earth is the fireside whose in inhabitants - habitants inhabitants are perfectly harmonious ; while the chief source of trouble and sorrow, is the improper education cf youth, which leads them to prefer, in the choice of their companions for life, the pomp and vanity, the wealth and fame of the fashionable world, to that harmony of intellect and feeling, that union of aspiration and af affection, - fection, affection, which alone can make one out of two, of whom the happiness of both shall be multiplied in consequence of that com combination. - bination. combination. Could a bad education be corrected, and its evils prevented, the hap happiest - piest happiest place on earth, would be the family fireside, so happy that few would forego its pleasures for those of any other cir circumstances. - cumstances. circumstances. Instead of lonely men and women, or those " unequally yoked," broken hearts and ruined constitutions, the world would be filled with little else than pairs, prosperous, good, useful, con contented - tented contented and happy. The reflections and conclusions of an eminent historian have so strong an in influence - fluence influence on the mind of the reader, that we could not refrain from entering our protest against, the impression that would be made by the decision of Mr. Abbott, that the circumstances which surrounded Josephine in her last days should make her more happy than could the possession of the treasure that was lost to her in inmost - most inmost affections. Properly interpreted, we regard the last clause of the sorcerer's prophecy as fulfilled more minutely and completely than even the former. - Ed. Journal.