LESSON XLII. THE OAK TREE. The friends of peace will admire the turn given to this simple and beautiful account of the origin of the oak, its magnitude and use. MARY HOWITT, of the society of Friends, is the author. Sing for the oak tree, The monarch of the wood, Sing for the oak tree, That groweth green and good; That groweth broad and branching, Within the forest shade; That groweth now, and still shall grow, The oak tree was an acorn once, Two leaves it had at first, The winds came, and the rain fell; Four centuries grows the oak tree, Its heart is like the iron wood, Its bark like plaited mail. Now cut us down the oak tree, The oak tree of the forest, For she shall not be a man of war, But a noble, Christian, merchant ship, LESSON XLIII. THE PARTED SPIRIT. The following lines were written by JOHN MALCOLM, an English poet, and are a beautiful illustration of the great mystery implied in the question, "Man giveth up the ghost (or spirit) and where is he?" Mysterious in its birth, And viewless as the blast; I ask the grave below It keeps the secret well; I call upon the heavens to show, Of earth's remotest strand, Are tales and tidings known; Winds waft the breath of flowers, Proud science scales the skies, But reacheth not the shore where lies Impervious shadows hide This mystery of Heaven; LESSON XLIV. ENGLISH TAXES. The following, though a somewhat ludicrous account of English taxation, is a too faithful picture of an evil, resulting from the incessant wars and unrestrained ambition of England, which is grinding the mass of her people in the dust. The picture is drawn by an Englishman. Permit me to inform you, my friends, what are the inevitable consequences of being too fond of glory;Taxes-upon every article which enters into the mouth, or covers the back, or is placed under the foot ;-taxes upon every thing which it is pleasant to see, hear, feel, smell, or taste;-taxes upon warmth, light, and locomotion;-taxes on every thing on earth, and in the waters under the earth;-on every thing that comes from abroad, or is grown at home;-taxes on the raw material-taxes on every fresh value that is added to it by the industry of man ;-taxes on the sauce that pampers his appetite, and the drug that restores him to health;—on the ermine which decorates the judge, and on the rope which hangs the criminal;-on the poor man's salt, and the rich man's spice;-on the brass nails of the coffin, and the ribbands of the bride;— for bed or board, abed or up, we must pay. The schoolboy whips his taxed top ;--the beardless youth manages his taxed horse, with a taxed bridle, on a taxed road;—and the dying Englishman, pouring his medicine, which has paid seven per cent., into a spoon that has paid fifteen per cent, flings himself back upon his chintz bed, which has paid twenty-two per cent., makes his will on an eight pound stamp, and expires in the arms of an apothecary, who has paid a license of a hundred pounds for the privilege of putting him to death. His whole property is then immediately taxed from two to ten per cent. Besides the probate, large fees are demanded for burying him in the chancel; his virtues are handed down to posterity on taxed marble; and he is gathered to his fathers,-to be taxed no more! LESSON XLV. THE REFORMERS OF ENGLAND. The account of taxation given in the preceding piece, will account for the fearful struggle now going on in England between the oppressors and the oppressed; and it will also explain the burning lines of the following expression of sympathy by J. G. WHITTIER, of Massachu setts. God bless ye, brothers !—in the fight Than kingcraft's triple mail. Than tyrant's law or bigot's ban, More mighty is your simplest word; The free heart of an honest man, The great hearts of your olden time The truths ye urge are borne abroad The weapons, which your hands have found, Are those which heaven itself has wrought, Light, Truth, and Love,-your battle ground, The free, broad field of thought. No partial, selfish purpose breaks The languid pulse of England starts Is with you at this hour! Press on the triumph shall be won Blessing the cotter and the crown, |