Читать книгу The Story of a Working Man's Life - Francis Mason - Страница 3

The bar across the window—The Robin—First sin, self-will—Child's prayer—The Crocuses—No innate ideas of God—Mansel's opinion to the contrary—Evidence for the existence of a God—Innate reverence for authority—Exalt the authority of the Bible—Christ blessing little children—Anecdote of Karens—"Child's Gospel"—Zinzendorf's childhood—The Moon—Innate love of Nature—Capability of very young children for knowledge—Wrongs of children—The curse of the bar in the window York in the days of Solomon—Historical dissolving views—The Druids—Altars to Jupiter, Hercules, and Augustus—Temple to Serapis—Residence of the Roman emperors—Jewish Synagogue—Celtic, Latin, Anglo-Saxon, Scandinavian, Norman-French and English, spoken successively in the courts—Multangular tower—St. Leonard's Hospital—Castle—Massacre of Jews—Minster—Edwin, first Christian king—Paulinus—Magnificent architecture—God lost in the ornaments—Laurence Sterne—Grandfather founder of Baptist Church—Father succeeded him as a preacher—Story of the two poor girls who suddenly became rich—Grandfather's estate lost through poverty Truth—Honesty—Bad habits in children result of bad education—Morality not exclusively Christian—Lacks strength in temptation—Christianity with Christ left out—Astrology—Boy and mirror—Fortune-telling by cards—Witchcraft—The witch that outwitted the devil—Faith in ghosts not dead—A haunted house in St. Louis—People not naturally superstitious—Educated into superstition Mental faculties obtuse from the lack of use—The man goes down to the brute, not the brute up to the man—The working man's school sixty years ago—A disagreeable teacher making knowledge hateful—Programme of studies—Just enough to keep the poor from stealing the rabbits of the rich—Occult science of grammar—Man's emotional nature dormant—Needs to be educated into life—Heard 1,500 sermons, 3,000 prayers and 4,500 hymns without profit—Sufferings of little children under long sermons—Vapidness of English Sunday-schools Desire to become a man—Makes so many newsboys and shoeblacks—Shared mother's cares—Father's literary pursuits—Saturday night's shopping—Never knew the careless days of boyhood—Errand boy for a kind master—Novel-reading wife—Objection to apprenticeship—American boy—Became a shoemaker—A printer half a century afterwards—Ought not to be confined to one trade—Yankee shoemaker who made brooms Victims of a strike—"The Wolds"—Beverley—Hull—Humber, the Mississippi of England—Brutality of the lowest stratum of working men—Need temporal as well as spiritual aid—Approachable to men of their own class—Deacon Tilden a lay preacher—More lay preachers needed—Ko Thabyu very ignorant but very effective—Anecdote of a well written letter—Kind of preaching preferred by ignorant congregations Measuring the distances of the heavenly bodies, a myth to the multitude—How I fell in love with "Trigonometry"—Introduction to night-school—Read "Euclid" like a novel—The professor who stumbled over "Legendre"—Worked by day and studied into the small hours of the night—How I solved a hard Diophantine problem—The difference between a learned man and a dunce—Let the rich provide night-schools for hard working youth Parliamentary Reform the grand panacea—Bribery at English elections—A million of dollars at a single election—None but the rich can get into Parliament—Father's fireside a Reform meeting—Always ready—Published a political poem—At Leeds a popular public speaker—"Times" reporter heard him "with wonder and astonishment"—Chairman at Otley Reform Meeting—Specimen of his address Reform needed for working men is society reform—More time for the cultivation of the mind—More leisure for mothers to teach their children—Let mothers preach in the nursery—The school-mistress at home—Vicious classes—Improvident classes—Worthy poor—A favorite author sold for waste paper to supply a breakfast—The heathen in Burmah more comfortable than the poor in England—A new society required—Tenements of working men—Theatres of daily tragedies—Incident of father, mother and dying child—Incident of father, mother and child dying in succession—Servant-girls degraded in England—Should not be ashamed but glory in their work—Should bring out a periodical devoted to economics Dr. Cumming and the United States in prophecy—The working man's country—Quotation from Motley—English lands possessed by the soldiers of William the Conqueror—Comparison of wages in England and America—England owed my father $3,500—Obstructiveness of officials in Hull—Difficulty of the "Pilgrim Fathers" to get from Hull to Holland—Long passage to America—Captain out of his reckonings—Fine scenery of Delaware Bay—William Penn—Anecdote of passenger who kissed the earth—Philadelphia—American towns unpoetical—Banks of the Schuylkill—Franklin's biography Advantages of traveling on foot—The walk across Pennsylvania—No poetry in railway traveling—No river in England so picturesque as the Susquehanna—No mountains like the Alleghanies—Wagons attacked for black-mail—Field of Braddock's defeat where Washington won his first laurels—Pittsburg with seven thousand inhabitants—Descent of the Ohio in an ark—A reliable book on the discoveries in Indian mounds a desideratum—Cincinnati a picturesque city seen from Kentucky—Remains of an Indian fortified town—Dr. Drake's lectures and museum—Efforts to improve the minds of the masses—None to correct social evils—Temperance society would have been patronized—Drank no intoxicating drinks till twenty years of age—Tried experiments on myself—Could do more work without than with them—Drinking the most formidable of our social evils—Conscience of drunkards, whole moral sense of the world against it—An acquired habit, no natural appetite to be overcome—Remove the temptation and the tempters—Reduce the profits of dealers—Burmese a sober people—Finest physical forms in the East—Examples of Christians—Student at Newton—Moderate drinking—Actor in St. Louis—The intemperate major, how he became sober—The insane Quaker who used tobacco—Example of ladies in Indiana—The "Can of Tobacco" Still among foreigners—The ale-house emigrant—Foreigners should naturalize themselves by mixing in American society—Dangers to the United States from foreigners, negroes and Chinamen—Fever and ague—Examples of the foolish and the wise course of emigrants Strike in Cincinnati—Adventure with a skiff—The American farmer—Americans see a little too far—Vevay and vineyards—Louisville—First love—Story of the man that was jilted General Jackson like a Mississippi boatman—His censure of the Kentuckians—Popular in Missouri—His "spoils of office" doctrine—Monroe like an old English gentleman—The Latin address—"The Monroe Doctrine" should be appended to Declaration of Independence—President Harrison like a farmer—Porter Clay became a Baptist minister—Kentucky camp-meeting—Young lady "struck down"—The man that fell from grace—The Karen who was "struck down"—Baptized, ordained, apostatized Vincennes—"Palmyra" in the desert—Prairies—St. Louis with five thousand inhabitants—Inefficient indigenous French—Dancing their forte—The American with a French wife—Election of the first mayor in St. Louis—A contest between the Protestants and Roman Catholics—John M. Peck and his "hard-shell" deacon—His mistake—Could not finish his large meeting-house with his small church, and it was turned into a hotel—Methodists come, build a small meeting-house and a large church—The man that understood Hebrew—Militia training a farce—Anecdote of the Virginian captain who would not obey a Yankee colonel—Duels—The journeyman shoemaker who became a brigadier-general—Attorney-General Bates—Abolition of dueling The largest Indian mound leveled to the ground—"American Bottom" and the speechless monks of La Trappe—First Legislature in Missouri—The Indian a sot—Indian eloquence—An Indian Ossian—Wrongs of the Indians—Must consent to be civilized or move on—Daniel Boone and his family—An upright Indian Agent Power of one idea—Wilberforce—Negro carried off at Cincinnati—Northern slaveholders—The blacksmith—Brutal treatment of slaves—The Frenchman beaten by his slave—Sheriff of St. Louis killed by a slave—Slave hunted and tortured to death—Anecdotes of slaveholders—Care taken of negro children—Letter to Mr. Tappan Punishment follows sin, an immutable law—Killing no murder—Killing for political purposes—Barton—Irish Roman Catholics—Upper Alton—Insignificant awards of courts—Versailles—The "ring-tailed painter"—Carrying arms deprecated—"Poor whites" nearer the negro than the negro's master—Good manners a power in society—Example Herculaneum and St. Genevieve, old French towns—Cairo, a swamp with a classic name—New Madrid and the earthquake—Mouth of the Arkansas and two duelists—Natchez and the story of their wrongs—Baton Rouge first high land above the mouth of the Mississippi—The crevasse—The negro-driver and his gang—New Orleans not an American city—Remarkable for its clean drains—Roman Catholic cathedral—"Congo Ground"—Gambling house—Evil end of gamblers—The battle-field—Incidents in the life of Colonel Rennie—Present state of the battle-field "The Divinity within us"—The theatre an unmixed evil—Puppets and punch—Lafayette—Signers of Declaration of Independence—Said: "Let there be a working man's country"—And there was a working man's country—The rebellion—Support for the widows and orphans—Bunker Hill—The Bay State, the land of my choice—Randolph—Mr. Putnam—Personal conversation—Impersonal preaching Contrarieties in marriage—Education not completed till after marriage—Influence of the wife—Karen proverb—A New England Courtship—Milton—Massing many workmen together a great evil—Men and women working together a moral benefit—Factory near London—"Press Dinner" in New York—The evil of theological discussions—History of the Emperor Akbar's infidelity—Why the daughters of a Baptist Minister became Roman Catholics Butler's Analogy—Prayer to Christ—Conversion—Rich in Christian friends—Conversion necessary to fully develop the man—Love the test of church membership—Made a close-communion Baptist by logic—Greek studies and Mr. Adlam—Hebrew studies—Greek classics and Mr. Huntoon—The Unitarian minister who believed in the necessity of a change of heart Inducements to settle in Canton—Opportunity to become a land-surveyor—Tempting offer to study medicine—Unwillingness to become a minister—The Canton church—Licensed by the church—Newton—Go through the whole Greek Testament with the professors, a rare advantage—Professor Ripley's notes Appointed missionary to Burmah—Ordained, married, sail for Calcutta—Unkind treatment on board ship—The supercargo—Sailors the worst used of all men—Punishment of the sailor who broke a pane of glass—Power of forgiveness an unknown power on shipboard—The captain who left an offending sailor in a French prison—Moral condition of the forecastle—Men brought on board intoxicated—Ignorant of seamanship—Condition of sailors must be ameliorated at whatever cost Mouths of the Ganges and the Mississippi—Sunderbunds formerly with populous cities, now abandoned to the tigers—How the change was produced a mystery—Hoogly, "Bulrush River"—Danger of being thrown overboard by Hindu boatmen—Mr. and Mrs. Pearce—Captain of pilot brig and Bishop Heber—"Garden Reach"—Esplanade—Black Town the reverse side of "City of Palaces;" a city of abominations—Mr. Robinson and Lord Dalhousie—Mr. Hough and his grandson, one of the rulers of British Burmah—Native hack—Serampore—Dr. Marshman's Chinese Grammar—Dr. Carey and his Forty Versions—Monthly Missionary Conference—Dr. Duff and English teaching—Mr. Lang and the vernaculars—Substantial advantages of preaching to custom-house officers Maulmain and the picturesque country—No singing at native worship—Burmese invocation—Singing introduced—Hymn-book compiled Tavoy and its fifty villages—Tracts distributed in every house—Baptism of Burmans—Moung Bwah, revenue officer in Prome—Remarkable conversion of his brother-in-law—Vitality of seeds—Head native judicial officer, his enmity to Christianity—His fall—The rewards of faithfulness—English worship established in Tavoy—Europeans baptized—First missionary society east of the Ganges—Europeans married to Burmese wives—State of morality in British Burmah at different dates—Statement of "Friend of India" Hindu affinities—Burmese affinities—Their pyramidal heads—Allied to Tibetans—Burmese civilization—Women treated better than in other nationalities—Married women hold property—Women do business equal to men—Share the judgment-seat—Wife of the seek-kai in Tavoy—Female school teachers—Form of marriage—Equal division of property among children—Burmese chess compared with the English—Burmese public spirit—Malcom's remarks on the Burmese religion Characteristics of the Talaings—The language—Allied to the Koles—Have Hindu traditions—Alphabet of Hindu origin—Their ancient architecture—Allied to Hindu in part—In part resembles Christians Fifteen Karens baptized before my arrival—Increase of a thousand-fold—Affinities of the Karen language—Probably with the Chinese—Languages of intonation—The Karens have the Chinese organ—Mr. Knowlton on Chinese mountain tribes—"Fire of St. Elmo described—Malcom on "Matah"—Tenasserim River explored—Plagiarisms—Raft traveling—Kabin changed by the Gospel—Mr. Benjamin's testimony—Mr. Cross' report—Church at Pyeekhya, "a well organized Christian body"—Mr. Cross' testimony—Pwos—Karen Grammar—Remarks from Dr. Wade—Karen seminary—Treatise on Trigonometry in Sgau, Burmese and Bghai—First native periodical beyond the Ganges—Karen traditions—Derived from Jews in China—Mr. Knowlton's opinion—Memoir of Ko Thabyu How Burmese girls use cosmetics—Khyen girls disfigure their faces—Origin of the custom—First Khyen baptized in Tavoy A. D. 1837—The tribe appears under five different names The Karens of the sea—Related to the Sandwich Islanders—Degraded state of the women—Boats described—Ruined by alcohol and opium—Labors of Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin to save them—The revenue from alcohol and opium steadily on the increase—Remarks of a Maulmain editor Death of Mrs. H. M. Mason—Memoir—Sickness and departure from Tavoy—Voyage to Calcutta and return to Maulmain—Translation of the Old Testament into Karen—Charge of the Pwo churches—Work on the Natural Productions of Burmah—Review by editor of "Friend of India"—Marriage with Mrs. E. H. Bullard—Return to Tavoy to print the Karen Bible Numerous revisions of Bengalee Bible—Six translations of the Chinese Bible—A translation should be the work of a whole mission—Aids to Karen version—Letter to Dr. Peck—Extract from Report of the Board—Speech of Dr. Binney—Dr. Warren on revision Final departure from Tavoy—Remarks by Mr. Thomas—Letter from Mr. Thomas when leaving Rangoon—Journey to Toungoo—Cordial reception—Commencement of normal school—Distribution of assistants—Departure for the United States Madras—"St. Thomas' Mount—Syrian Christians—Point de Galle—The most ancient port in existence—The Tarshish of Solomon—Ptolemy's "Salae" for Ceylon in Karen tradition—Ceylon and Buddhism Port Louis—Isle of France—Whittington and his cat—Paul and Virginia—Peter Botte Mountain—Demand for laborers—Iniquity in the production of sugar—Cape of Good Hope—Table Mountain—Cape Town needs American enterprize—Remarkable for the beauty of its flowers—Language of "clicks"—Native tribes dying out—Bishop Colenso—Colenso's communion—Increased value of his books—First publishers of "Uncle Tom's Cabin"—St. Helena—Burial of Mrs. Judson—Put in quarantine Lisbon—Columbus in Lisbon—Degradation of Portugal—Plymouth and its defences—Scott at Cerro Gordo—Isle of Wight—Queen Victoria—The most liberal monarch in Europe—A heathen king of the Isle of Wight—How his sons were converted to Christianity—Anecdote of a Roman Catholic—Southampton—Canute's Point—London City Missionary—Reformed from the streets—The way to make permanent reformations—London at first sight—Its millennium churches—Its Pandemonium—Purlieus—London of 1810 and 1854 compared—A prisoner confined half a century for contempt of court—London a little world in itself—Has three thousand miles of streets—Its natural productions in every department—Antiquities—Crystal Palace Studies in German—Biblical education German—Voyage to Holland—Persecutions from Dutch laws—Rotterdam an artificial place—Headquarters of gin—Erasmus—His labors superseded—The honest Dutchman—Dusseldorf—Utilizing painting—Hanover and its intolerant king—Incident of a Baptist funeral—Wiped out of political existence at Sadowa—Herschel—The Marktkirche, and its cabalistic markings—Berlin, and its lions—The police a nuisance—Professor Hengstenburg—Mrs. Hengstenburg—Berlin University—Lecture-room described—Mode of lecturing—American method more advantageous to the student—Pali and the Germans—Dr. Hoffman—Mr. Lehmann and his labors—Intolerance of the church dignitaries—Young Lehmann a conscript—Style of a German countess—Americans popular in Berlin—Hamburg—Miss Oncken—Oncken's labors—His trials and successes—Letter from him Meeting with my mother after an absence of thirty-six years—No innate instinct for mothers to recognize their children—Letter from Leeds—History of Leeds—Kirkstall Abbey—Largest room in the world—Wretched appearance of factory-girls Working men and women a rising power in society—Need self-culture—Injure themselves pecuniarily and socially by "strikes"—Wise to count the cost—The employers are moneyed men—Money is power—No strike has succeeded when the employers were aroused—Greatest strike on record in 1854—The workmen spent on it L100,000, and were beaten, with the additional loss in wages of L250,000—Wages cannot be regulated by force—Government tried it, and acknowledged they were beaten—The workmen are trying it with no better success—If they persist, employers will be driven to combine—Atrocious deeds connected with strikes—Working Mens' Unions radically wrong in their constituent parts—They retain the dregs, but lose the cream—Societies worse than their individual members—Extract from the New York—"Examiner and Chronicle"—Illustration of the moral character of the Unions—Rejected Douglass, who fought for the country, because he is black—If Unions must exist, then let them repudiate strikes, and be select in their membership—Working men are coming to the surface, but they must purge themselves of their evil elements to be a power for good—Let workmen and employers cultivate kind relations with each other—Employers generally kind, considerate men—My employer in York, a specimen—A New York employer who had rather suffer himself than allow his men to suffer—Journeymen often making as great profits as their employers—Success of peace-plans in Cornwall—Working men should have a paper devoted to their own affairs conducted by themselves—Where the trades are overstocked the men must turn farmers Sickness of Europeans in India—Frequent changes favorable to invalids—Departure from Leeds—"Celebrated Druidical monuments"—Ripon—Remarkable mound—Fountains Abbey—Newcastle—The neglected colliers Edinburgh—Its picturesque views—Its handsome monuments—What would be for a city worth boasting of—Glasgow—"Washington Street"—Scotch peasant life—Loch Lomond—"The Petrel"—The compass in iron ships—The iniquity of insurance—Instance in Maulmain—The remarkable rock of Dumbarton Castle—Storm at sea—"The Petrel" a floating wreck—The cholera—Fatal effects of fear in cholera—Ship put back—Cholera departed—Giant's Causeway—A lesson for architects—Glasgow vessels slightly built—Liverpool—Departure for Boston Changes in America in thirty-four years—Bunker Hill Monument—Edifice of the First Baptist Church in Boston—Meeting of the Oriental Society—Numerous American savans there—Preached to a congregation of two thousand in Hartford—Disabled by sickness from addressing the Bible Society at the Annual Meeting in Chicago—Took a last look of the country we chose and the faces we loved, July 2, 1856—Learning thrown away on sailors in the books on navigation—Getting the longitude by the Gulf Stream—Making the mouth of the Hoogly by soundings—Made "Sand-heads"—Ordered out to sea again to meet a cyclone—Blown into a cyclone—Whirled into the centre—A splendid dome—A natural cathedral—Whirled out again to the mouth of the Hoogly—Loss of steamers by cyclones there since—The mate a fine sailor—Anecdote of his presence of mind Return to Toungoo—Comparison of America and the Toungoo mountains—Interesting reception—The new tribes of Toungoo—The Bghai language Red Karens the largest Karen tribe—Visited in 1859—Favorable reception—Translation of Catechism into their language—Slave-trade in Karennee—A specimen of its barbarity—Red Karens of Chinese origin according to Dr. Dean Many small tribes with final consonants in their language—Anecdote of a government officer—The Taru or Lahta—Shave the head and leave two locks of hair—A remarkably moral people—Avoid strong drink—When accused of crime become their own executioners What constitutes riches—Burmese in comfortable circumstances—Wages in Toungoo—Wages in Rangoon—Not overtaxed—Sir Arthur P. Phayre considered the poor—Administration of justice unsatisfactory—History of a suit—Difficult for judges to ascertain facts, from the mendacity of the people—Burmese and Karens compared—Burmese superior tact—Karens overtaxed by Burmans—Karen lands dishonestly measured by Burmans—Karen imprisoned for seizing a Burman thief—Too much confidence reposed in Burmese officials—Story of their dishonesty and ability to deceive their superiors—Law of libel—Rev. Mr. Long imprisoned for endeavoring to help the oppressed natives—Danger of being sent to jail for contempt of court—Freedom of speech and writing in the United States—Penal code restricting missionary preaching—Government for its own stability should encourage missionary efforts—The hearts of the people are the same now as they were in the mutiny—Government keeps them down by brute force—Missionaries labor to change their hearts—Missionaries are laboring now like coral insects, but are coming up to the surface with a foundation on which government can build—Government makes grants for secular education—Would be wiser to distribute their funds among the Missionaries—The army of missionaries working for government in the field—The ruler that despised a Burman Christian—The Christian Burman a hero—Fast friends to religious labors for the people are found among the governing class—Three military men recently left the army to preach to the natives at their own charges—A major in Toungoo published two tracts at his own expense—Lady Canning the first to patronize Mrs. Mason's Institute Resolution on reduction—Extract of letter from Dr. Wayland—Receipts and expenditures of Toungoo Mission for 1860—Rs. 2,589 sent to Rangoon for printing—Resolved to try to do our own printing—Ordered a press from America in 1862—Press popular with Karens—King of Burmah purchased a press—Testimonies to the good printing done by the Karen Press—Chief Commissioner, Sir A. P. Phayre—Deputy Commissioner—Mr. Cross—Mr. Norris—Medical studies—"The Burmese Hand-Book of Medicine"—The Pali Grammar—Notice of the work from "Trubner's Record"—From "Rangoon Times"—From Bishop Bigandet—"Burmah, its People and Natural Productions"—Notice of "Christian Review"—"Watchman and Reflector," Boston—"Christian Chronicle," Philadelphia The man of the age a giant—Extract from Buckle—The eye, its enlarged powers—Increase of stars—Moon seen one hundred and twenty miles distant—Stones appear like piles of shells—The blight on a grape becomes a thick forest—A drop of water a world of living beings—The ear; power of hearing increased—Speech heard across the ocean—The feet—Rapid power of locomotion—Years added to business life—The hand—Wields the lightning—Paints with the sun's rays—Steam, his man of all work—Oliver Evans and the "Steam Carriage"—Completion of the Pacific Railroad—Power of the intellect increased—Mind teaches the use of the objects of nature—Discovery of Neptune—Law of storms—Improvements in chemistry—Moral progress—Abolition of slavery and serfdom—Working men changed to employers—All things working together for good to the working man—Printing most intimately connected with literary improvement—Printing improved beyond all other trades—One man can do the work of a hundred—Hoe's press—Anecdote of Franklin—Statistics of periodicals in the United States—Capitalists help working men—There are many Peabodies—The Millennium is on us—God's blessings imparted through the instrumentality of Christians—A testimony to the power of Christianity—Testimony of Nineveh—Extract from S. F. Smith—Increasing attention to the conversion of young children—Progress of missions—Carey and Vanderkemp commenced work the year I was born, and all modern missions have come into being since—King of Burmah paying for the building of a church near by where stood Judson's lion cage—Sending his sons to a Christian school—The prayer of Christians that China might be opened, is answered by the Chinese pouring into the Christian world—The tide of emigration; from the "Watchman and Reflector"—How God has accomplished the work of progress—Not by deeds of heroism, but by unobtrusive deeds of self-denial—Letter from a representative character—She conducts a mother's meeting—Brings them to chapel—Visits the poor—Teaches ragged-school—Teaches singing school to ragged-school teachers—Visits and prays with the sick—Labors in the temperance society—Takes for her motto, "Always abounding in the work of the Lord"—One thing makes no progress; remains immoveable—The Bible—Its mysteries are ever mysteries—"Life's Mystery," from Harriet Beecher Stowe