ANECDOTE OF A CAT.-Sometime ago | doubt but puss chose the darkness and silence of the night as the most eligible season for the performance of her singular journey. a respectable lady from Glasgow, having been on a visit at the house of a friend in Edinburgh, fancied a beautiful cat of the Muscovy species, which graced the fireside of the hostess. The latter, being pressingly solicited, at length consented to present her visiter with the animal, and puss was accordingly enclosed in a basket, and transported along with her new proprietrix in the inside of a carriage to the city of Glasgow. For seven or eight weeks after the animal's arrival at her new residence, she was watched, lest, not being reconciled to the change, she should make her escape. EXAMINATION OF A SCHOOL BOY.-The following anecdote illustrates the danger of trusting to memory alone, in the acquisition of knowledge. 'Now, my boy," said the master, "pray inform me who was the first man in the world?" "Adam," replied the youth, with quickness. So far so good; the next attempt was not equally fortunate. “And pray, who was the wisest man in the world?" "Eve," replied the boy, with a triumphant air; at which all the boys burst into a loud fit of laughter, which the authority of the master calling silence, could not suppress for some minutes. "You mistook the question, my boy," said the master; "you imagined, no doubt, that I asked who was the wisest woman in the world; and to that question your answer is very accurate; for, as Eve was the first woman in the world, she must at that time have also been the wisest." At the termination of that time, she littered two kittens; and this circumstance was considered a sufficient guarantee for her remaining, for some weeks at least, in her new house. Some days afterwards, however, puss with both her kittens disappeared, and no traces could be obtained of the place to which she had been removed, until about eight days from the time of her disappearance from her Glasgow residence, when her wellknown mew was recognized by her former mistress at the door of her drawing room. The door was opened; and there was seen poor puss with her brace of kittens-they in excellent conditionbut she worn to a skeleton. The distance betwixt Edinburgh and Glasgow is upwards of forty miles; and as the sagacious animal could only carry one of her kittens such a distance at a time, she must, after having placed the one, in "Look there; question fourth, Who some place of concealment in Edinburgh, was the first woman in the world?' anhave returned to Glasgow for the other-swer, 'Eve;' but instead of that, when thus travelling altogether upwards of one I expected question fourth, you asked hundred and twenty miles. There is no question fifth, that you did!" But the mortified pupil was too much disturbed by the laughter of his schoolfellows to avail himself of this ingenious hint. He appealed to the ready-made answers of his catechism, to prove that his master alone was the cause of his distress. 182 A SLY COUPLE-PHILOSOPHER PUZZLED. A SLY COUPLE.—A gentleman in the | very certain fact, that life cannot be supcounty of Stirling kept a greyhound and ported without air and respiration. The a pointer, and being fond of coursing, lecturer had already made several strokes the pointer was accustomed to find the with the piston, in order to exhaust the hares, and the greyhound to catch them. receiver of its air, when the animal, that When the season was over it was found had begun to feel herself very uncomthat the dogs were in the habit of going fortable in the rarefied atmosphere, was out together and killing hares for their fortunate enough to discover the source own amusement. To prevent this a large from whence her uneasiness proceeded. iron ring was fastened to the pointer's She placed her paw upon the hole through neck by a leather collar and hung down which the air escaped, and thus preventso as to prevent the dog from running, or ed any more from passing out of the rejumping over dykes, &c. ceiver. The animals, however, continued to stroll out to the fields together, and one day the gentleman suspecting that all was not right, resolved to watch them, and to his surprise found that the moment they thought they were unobserved, the greyhound took up the iron ring in his mouth, and carrying it they set off to the hills and began to search for hares as usual. They were followed and it was observed, that whenever the pointer scented the hare, the ring was dropped and the greyhound stood ready to pounce upon poor puss the moment the other drove her from her form, but that he uniformly returned to assist his companion after he had caught the prey. THE PHILOSOPHER PUZZLED.-De la Croix relates the following instance of sagacity in a cat, which, even under the receiver of an air pump, discovered the means of escaping a death that appeared to all present inevitable. "I once saw," says he, "a lecturer upon experimental philosophy place a cat under the glass receiver of an air pump, for the purpose of demonstrating that All the exertions of the officer were now unavailing; in vain he drew the piston; the cat's paw effectually prevented its operation. Hoping to effect his purpose, he let air again into the receiver, which as soon as the cat perceived, she withdrew her paw from the aperture; but when he attempted to exhaust the receiver, she applied her paw as before. All the spectators clapped their hands in admiration of the wonderful sagacity of the animal, and the lecturer found himself under the necessity of liberating her, and substituting another in her place, that possessed less penetration, and enabled him to exhibit the cruel experiment."-Naturalist. RISING GENIUS.-A boy who displayed a long dangling watch-chain, was asked, "What's the time of day, Josiah ?" The lad drew out his watch very ceremoniously, and after examining it for a while referred to another boy and said, "Is this the figure nine, or the figure seven?" He was told that it was the figure seven, "Well then," said the genius, "it lacks just about half an inch of eight." THE FRENCH OFFICER AND HIS MASTIFF.- -A French officer, more remarkable for his courage and spirit than his wealth, had served the Venetian republic for some years with great valor and fidelity, but had not met with that preferment which he merited. One day he waited on a nobleman whom he had often solicited in vain, but on whose friendship he had still some reliance. The reception he met with was cool and mortifying; the nobleman turned his back upon the necessitous veteran, and left him to find his way through a suit of apartments magnificently furnished. He passed them lost in thought; till casting his eyes on a sumptuous sideboard, where a valuable collection of Venetian glass, polished and formed in the highest degree of perfection, stood on a damask cloth, as a preparation for a splendid entertainment, he took hold of a corner of the linen, and turning to a faithful English mastiff which always accompanied him, said to the animal, in a kind of absence of mind, Here, my poor old friend, you see how these haughty tyrants indulge themselves, and yet how we are treated." LACONIC.-Perhaps our readers are not all aware that the style of speaking called laconic was taken from a practice at Sparta, anciently Laconia. Lycurgus, the lawgiver, exercised the young people in conversation while at their meals. Questions were asked them at the table, to which short and ready answers were required. This was both the amusement and business of old men, and great attention was paid by those who watched over education, both to the expression and manner of these replies. The boys, accustomed to have their answers listened to, corrected and applauded by men for whom they had the greatest esteem, acquired a quickness and propriety in an swering, with a manner of speaking, at once graceful, respectful, and determined; while that strict obedience which was required of the young, that watchful eye that was kept over them by the aged, in whose hands all the authority of the laws was placed, produced that modesty in youth, and that reverence for age, for which Sparta became so famous. A WISE PARROT.-There is an Eastern story told of a person who taught his parrot to repeat only the words, "What doubt is there of that?" He carried it to market for sale, fixing the price at one hundred rupees. A Mogul, seeing the parrot, asked him "Are you worth one hundred rupees?" The parrot answered, The dog looked his master in the face and gave tokens that he understood him. The master walked on, but the mastiff slackened his pace, and laying hold of the damask cloth with his teeth, at one hearty pull brought all the glass on the sideboard in shivers to the ground, thus depriving the insolent noble of his favor-"What doubt is there of that? ite exhibition of splendor. A RUSTY shield prayed to the sun and said, "Oh sun, illumine me with thy ray!" To which the sun replied, "Oh shield, make thyself clean!" The Mogul was delighted and bought the bird. He soon found out that it was all he could say. Ashamed now of his bargain, he one day exclaimed, "I was a fool to buy this bird." The parrot replied, "What doubt is there of that?" T Mount Vernon. HIS name does not mean a town or village, but an estate, which was for many years the residence of Washington. We give above, a view of the house, which still remains, though it is a good deal dilapidated since it was inhabited by the great and good man to whom it owes its celebrity. Mount Vernon is a large farm, near the Potomac, and lies about eight or ten miles below Alexandria, in the District of Columbia. The house is an oldfashioned one, of ample size, with a deep piazza in front. It commands a view of the river and surrounding country, and is a very pleasant spot. But its chief interest lies in the fact that here was the house of Washington, and that good, hospitable companion of his fortunes, lady Washington. Many people, from all parts of the world, visit this place every year, and as they walk over the grounds, and tread the halls of the mansion, the image of the father of his country arises before the fancy, and the stranger seems to realize the scenes that have long since passed away. What a power there is in great ness and goodness, to impart an interest to everything that has been associated with those who, in life, displayed these noble qualities; and in death, have left behind a name and fame, which it is the delight of mankind to cherish! NINE TAILORS MAKE A MAN."-This sentence, which had its origin in the grateful mind of one who had received a start in life from the charity of tailors, has now, from an ignorance of the circumstance, entirely lost its meaning. The term had its origin in the following manner. In 1742, an orphan beggar boy applied for alms at a fashionable tailor's shop in London, in which nine journeymen were employed. His interesting and forlorn appearance touched the hearts of the benevolent tailors, who immediately contributed nine shillings for the relief of the little stranger. With this capital, our young hero purchased fruit, which he retailed at profit. From this beginning, by industry and perseverance, he finally rose to wealth and distinction, and when he set up his carriage, he caused to be painted on the pannel, "Nine tailors made me a man." SOCRATES. It is said of Socrates, the great Grecian philosopher, that he never allowed his temper to overcome him, but displayed the utmost tranquillity on all occasions. Feeling at one time displeased with one of his servants, he said, "I would beat thee, if I were not angry." THE word "gentleman," is evidently no mark of wealth or station. "You are no gentleman," said a waiter in a tavern to a person who had given him three-pence. Three-pence more would have constituted the gentleman in the eyes of the waiter, while in truth the three-pence might have been withheld through poverty. "What sort of a person," said an individual to his landlady, "is that who oc"He is a cupies your back parlor ?" tailor by trade," said she, "but the gentleman." This meant that he paid his five shillings a week regularly! very much |