a door by which hundreds of our most || versity has overtaken him, and "markrespectable youth entered, and received that instruction, which has fitted them for those important places of trust and profit, which they now enjoy. Charitable to the poor, and more especially to those who were, or had been engaged in the same business with himself, his door was ever open, and the unfortunate or aged teacher enjoyed a hearty welcome. Nor did his bounty stop here; often has he been known, not only to "feed the hungry and clothe the naked," but generously to supply their pecuniary wants, and snatch from indigence the family of those, on whom adversity had unkindly frowned. And now, what remains of all the worldly possessions and reputation, which the industry and perseverance of this modern Solon had so dearly purchased. Where are now, those pretended admirers, those base sycophants, who once surrounded his person, and whom his generosity and kindness have raised from the dust? When prosperity gladdened his footsteps, his company, his instructions, his experience, and even his assistance, were eagerly sought, by those on whom fortune had hitherto neglected to smile; if his fellow Teacher was destitute of the means of providing for his family, and of commencing his labours in the vineyard of instruction, he met with a sure resource in the breast of this friend to the friendless-and the fact is notorious, that some of the most popular school establishments, now in this city, owe their present prosperity to the pecuniary assistance and influence afforded to them in their commencement, by Mr. But now his days of prosperity have fled, and with them, have fled those numerous and pretended friends, who through his generosity, have obtained their present popularity. They no longer need his friendship; he has placed them above the wants which they once felt, and they have now deserted him; the unseen hand of ad ed him for her own"-His property, seized by the merciless rapacity of those, "whom his bounty fed," has been sacrificed by the unfeeling hand which ought to have been raised to protect his gray hairs. His reputation, hitherto unsullied, is now traduced by the very persons, whom he had raised from obscurity, and who should have been the last to have injured it! and now, driven an exile from his fireside, from that very home which he had so humanely consecrated to acts of beneficence, he is left to wander, far from those few friends which yet remain, and to seek new acquaintance in a strange land. Disgusted with the thoughts of the ingratitude of man towards his fellow, I inadvertently exclaimed in the language of Burns-'tis "Man's inhumanity to man, Having sat up longer than usual in my weak state, and being much fatigued for want of rest, I retired from this scene of gloomy and unpleasant reflections, and sought repose on my pillow, where I soon fell quietly into the arms of Morpheus. JUSTITIA. RELIGIOUS NEWS. Extract of a letter from a respectable gentleman formerly of New-York, now residing in Lenox, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, to the editor of the Masonic Register, dated July 24, 1821. "There is a great, and very remarkable attention to religious concerns in Lenox, Pittsfield, and Stockbridge, that began about the time that I arrived here, which for its suddenness, extent, and efficacy, is almost without a parallel. This is an additional, and very cogent motive for me to tarry here still for a time. It is a truth, my friend, that I enjoy more satisfaction than I can express in be ing in the midst of such a scene; in attending to religious meetings, conferences, and private interviews. Indeed, were I solely to consult my own feelings, I should never perplex myself any more with the trifles of this world, but should devote the poor remains of life wholly to eternal realities. They are of infinite moment, and concern every individual of mankind. But I consider that I have other duties to perform, and must intermix with the To THE EDITOR OF THE MASONIC REGISaffairs of the world, as long as I continue in it." FOR THE MASONIC REGISTER. THE MISGUIDED STEED. A good while ago, perhaps about thirty years, a benighted traveller was passing along a solitary footpath, the only road then leading through the Warwick mountains. It was on a dark and dreary night; and the horseman, to brace himself more firmly for his journey, had at the last inn plied himself profusely with stimulating draughts. By some inattention, the animal wandered from the proper path, and turned up a gentle acclivity, whose summit, on the one side, was bounded by an abrupt ledge-he moved along for a considerable distance, parallel with the border of the precipice, when "for something or for nothing," whether to show the horse that he still had guidance of him, or whether from confusion, he pulled with uneven handed rein on the pliant jaws of the beast, we know not-yet it is certain that in a fatal moment, he guided the head of his steed towards the dangerous declivity-the keen-sighted animal,aware of the destruction before him, resisted the incessant goadings of his inebriated master-but unconscious of the precipice that yawned at his feet, the miserable man still pressed his armed heels "Against the panting sides of his poor jade.” The beast continued immoveablebut at last, overcome by the determin SIR, TER. Feeling an interest in all that may tend to promote the welfare of my country, and conduce to its rising prosperity in the arts, I cannot omit calling the attention of my fellow-citizens to a worthy and industrious inhabitant of this city, by the name of Henry Reill, who has at present brought the manufacturing of tobacco, in all its various forms, to a perfection, I believe, hitherto unknown in this country. The process, by which this perfection has been attained, I am entirely ignorant of, but having occasion, some few days since, to call at his manufactory, No. 85 Front-street, I was astonished to find an herb, which I have been in the habit of using for many years, managed with such superior skill. First, as to his chewing tobacco, the cut is as fine, if not finer, than any heretofore manufactured in this, or any other country and what manifestly renders it more valuable, than the common chewing tobacco, is, its being entirely free from any coppery or offensive taste, which in the generality of chewing tobacco, excoriates and renders the mouth sore.His smoking tobacco also partakes of this quality. As to Mr. Reill's snuff establishment, I do not think any thing I can say upon the subject, will possiHe has bly be adequate to its merits. that article of his own make, in the greatest state of improvement, from the common and low-priced, to the most choice and valuable, particularly his sweet-scented Rappee and Maccoboy. It is not my intention to depreciate the merits of any of our manufacturers in this line of business; yet as I conceive the superiority of Mr. Reill so much above the major part of his competitors, I am induced to request your insertion of this my approbation, and by doing which, you will oblige a friend to DOMESTIC MANUFACTURE. Kipp's Bay, August, 1821. FOR THE MASONIC REGISTER. He that shall rail against his absent friends, And only to be thought a witty man; That man's a knave be sure, beware of That to gain a command over the tongue is an object worthy the labour of every man, nobody will deny, when we look abroad into the world, and consider the unhappiness and discords || which slander produces. The learned, and illiterate, the sage, and the clown, are sometimes alike liable to run into slight aberrations from the rules of morality, but the too great prevalence of detraction is to be pitied, lamented, and censured. For most of the vices which we are prone to, charity will furnish some extenuation or excuse; the weakness of man will frequently predominate, when his interest, or pleasure, is concerned : but what can be offered to palliate the crime of the man who deliberately endeavours to blast the reputation of his friend? The character of many an individual has been seriously injured by a sentence uttered in the hour of jocularity, and the happiness of families destroyed by a word, which, when spoken, was meant to have no particular import. We should keep constant watch over our conversation, as well as our actions; formuch anxiety is frequently occasioned by an unguarded expression. The mind of that man must be very barren of ideas, if not void of goodness, which can furnish no other theme to discourse upon, or no other subject to excite merriment, but the misconduct or misfortunes of his neighbour, which he is oftentimes tempted to aggravate by a desire of displaying his wit, or suffers himself to run into falsehood by an inattention to the tendency of his discourse. How unfortunate it is that we see whole companies sit in silence until the fault of an absent individual is mentioned, when at once all tongues are unloosed, and join in the cry of defamation, which is occasionally interrupted by an indifferent exclamation of pity. If we truly commiserate the person whose character is assailed, why not lay aside false modesty, and by opposing the defamer, endeavour to excuse the fault; when at the same time we will be showing an example of virtue worthy of emulation, and frequently check studied malevolence.It would be better to say nothing than speak evil, for the best of men are liable to error; at least we should have a care, whether the rules by which we are judging others would not condemn ourselves; or, whether we are not daily guilty of similar crimes for which we are censuring them; for who is without fault? As the tower on the hill, or the mountain oak, is most exposed to the rage of the tempest, so is he who has raised himself by his superior capacity, or industry alone-the common level most liable to be attacked by ignorance and slander; and the conduct of him is frequently assailed, who, instead of censure, ought to receive the benedictions of the people. But let no man's ambition for doing good be depressed by ingratitude or neglect; for the enjoyment of a mind conscious of having done its duty, will be more consoling than the wavering applause of the clamorous multitude. If poets sing the praises of heroes before whose prowess armies have fled Mmm why should they not pay the tribute of a verse to the man who never spoke evil? An act of heroism may be performed for the sake of gaining applause, but he who refrains from slander is actuated by a more laudable motive. As our courage is kindled by a visit to the tomb of a warrior; the sensibility of that man is not to be envied, in whose breast feelings of respect and admiration would not be excited, over the grave of the man who could bridle his tongue. OMAR. FROM A LATE LONDON PAPER. THE HOLY LAND IN 1820. The reverend Mr. Conner has furnished us with the following curious particulars, relative to the present state of the Holy Land at the feast of the pass-over of this year: PILGRIMS. sion, we left the city by the gates of Bethlehem, and passing along the north side, fell in with the train of pilgrims at the gate of St. Stephen. The scene was very lively. The path through which we passed, down to Mount Moriah, across the valley of Jehoshaphat, and up the side of Olivet, was lined with people who came to witness the procession. A Turkish band of music, leaving the gate of St. Stephen, and accompanied with banners, proceeded with us as far as a tree on Olivet, under which the governor of Jerusalem, with his court, was seated. Guns were fired at intervals. JERICHO. After having crossed a number of hills, we descended into the plain of Jericho. In the midst of this plain appears a large verdant tract, like an oast in the desert; and here embossed in the trees, stands the wretched mudbuilt village of the ancient Jericho, formerly celebrated for the number of palm trees growing near it, and on that account called the "City of Palms." This city was the first in Canaan which fell under the power of the Israelites after their entrance into the Land of Promise; and the walls fell down before the ark of the Covenant, on the first sound of the trumpets in the year of the world 2584, and before Jesus Christ 1,400. RIVER JORDAN. The average number of Greek pilgrims is about 2,000; this year there were only 1,600. Of these pilgrims the majority are native Greeks, who speak and read Romaic; the next in number are the Greeks from Asia Minor, who speak and read the Turkish, but in the Romaic character; the third class consists of Russians; and the fourth and fifth of Wallachians and Bulgarians; few, however, of these pilgrims can read. The Armenian pilgrims amount this year to about 1,300. The majority of them are from Anato-ing, we all set out by torch light for lia, and speak nothing but Turkish. Very few of them can read. The average number of Copt pilgrims, is about 200. This year only 150 arrived. Their appearance is very wretched. The pilgrims that have visited Jerusalem this year may be thus summed up; Greeks, 1,600; Armenians, 1,800; Copts, 150; Catholics, 50, chiefly from Damascus; Abbyssinians, 1; Syrians 39.-Total, 3,140. JERUSALEM. The streets of Jerusalem were all life and bustle. To avoid the confu About half past three the next morn the Jordan. The appearance of the pilgrims, moving in numerous detached parties with their flambeaux across the plain, was singular and striking. The Jordan, at the spot where the pilgrims bathed, is beautifully picturesque; its breadth twenty yards, and it is shaded on both sides by the thick foliage of closely planted trees. The deep. On retiring from the water, water appeared turbid, and was not the pilgrims employed themselves in cutting the branches from the trees, to carry home with them, as memorials of the Jordan. They then moynted their beasts, and returned to their former station on the plain. DEAD SEA. Our party set off from the Jordan with Prince Avaloff (a Georgian) and suite, to the Dead Sea, where we arrived in about two hours and a half. We rambled about for some time on the borders of this lake, which covers the ashes of Sodom and Gomorrah. I tasted the water and found it excessively nauseous. Some of the party bathed. SOLOMON'S TEMPLE. Jerusalem is a considerable place. The most beautiful building within its walls is the mosque of Omar, which stands on the site of Solomon's Temple. The Turks have a singular reverence for this mosque, and will not permit a Christian to set his foot in the large grassy area which surrounds it. VALLEY OF JEHOSHAPHAT. own misery found its only relief in her society, now become indispensable to my happiness, I was by her side from morning till night, yet still guiltless as ever. Alas! a neighbour, who was often with us, and who manifested real compassion for our sufferings, had the imprudence one day to say before us, that were he in my place, he would not scruple to pursue another course-that the object of the court was merely to extort money from us, and that in his opinion, a living proof of our love would procure a permission for our marriage, sooner than all the advocates in Germany. "Of what use would it now be to me, worthy sir, to boast of forbearance which can no longer gain me any advantage, or avert my fate; but my own heart tells me, that even this alluring sophistry would have failed to work its effect, had it not made a deepThe walks which I most frequent er effect on her mind than on mine. are those that lead down to the valley Her persuasions, arguments, and enof Jehoshaphat, by the fountain of treaties, once more conquered my resoSiloah, or those that run along the side lution; and fondly cherishing the pleasof Olivet. From the side of Oliveting anticipation of future happiness, you have a very commanding view of which her ardent imagination suggestJerusalem. The mosque of Omar ap-ed, in a fatal moment we followed his pears particularly fine from the situa- rash counsel. tion. The greater part of the surrounding country is most desolate and dreary. Hills of white parched rock, dotted here and there with patches of cultivated land, every where meet and offend the eye. INTERESTING CONFESSION. (CONCLUDED.) The decree of the church ordered us to remove to separate habitations, but neither forbade my seeing nor conversing with my stepmother, as she was now denominated, as often as I pleased. All hope had not yet vanished, of once more changing our destiny by a new representation; and as my persuasions and arguments alone withheld the wretched girl from adopting the most desperate measures, and my "Whilst inwardly convinced of the innocence and rectitude of our intentions, we indulged ourselves in a dream too blissful to be durable; she felt that she was soon likely to become a mother. With a tender embrace, her eyes raised in gratitude towards Heaven, she communicated this intelligence to me; attempted not to conceal ner situation from her friends; on the contrary, pro claimed every where that I was the father; that she would never acknowledge any other for her husband but me, and that already, in the sight of God, she considered me as such, trusting that the event would facilitate the dearest wishes of her heart-our so long contracted union. In short, by the intentional publicity we gave to the affair, it quickly came to the knowledge of the magistracy, who once more |