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tion. The family portraits and a few other things were saved.

As a soldier, a magistrate, a legislator, a representative of his Government abroad, and, above all, as an American citizen, William Henry Harrison always held the highest place in the esteem of those who knew him. He was not brilliant, but was strong and reliable. Better still, he was pure and incorruptible in public and in private life; and no wellinformed American, of whatever creed, can stand by his grave, or catch glimpses of it from the railway or the steamboat, without being sensibly impressed with the thought that therein reposes the mortal remains of the highest type of divinity on earth

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AN HONEST

HARRISON'S TOMB.

MAN.

TH

AN AMERICAN FAMILY IN GERMANY.

[Second Paper.]

HERE is something almost childlike in the | belt, from which hung three great bags filled love of the Germans for innocent amuse- with nuts, apples, and cakes. I assure you it ments. Naturally a plodding and matter-of-fact was enough to startle a man of the strongest people, it is remarkable with what facility they nerves. Without a word of explanation this cast aside the heavy burdens of life and enter into gigantic monster marched into the middle of all the frivolities of childhood. I think they are the room, bowing and scraping in the most abfor this very reason a healthier and more cheer- surd manner, to the profound astonishment and ful race than we; they live longer, and enjoy a terror of the young ones. "SHOW ME ALL THE larger share of happiness. BAD CHILDREN!" said he, in a deep, sepulchral Now I am a plain map-a serious man-a man voice. This he said in German (which appearof rather a heavy turn of mind. Yet I am not ed to be his native tongue), munching nuts and insensible to the advantages of occasional relax-flourishing his bunch of switches as he waited ation. The other evening, as I was sitting cozily for a reply. "Mein Herr!" I answered, in the by the fire after dinner, listening to the young best Frankfort dialect; "Ich glaube dieses Kinones, who were reading a ridiculous old book der sind alles gut!"-" Das is schön! das is of the sixteenth century called the "Frosch-recht!" muttered the monster; "kommen sie mausler," by one Rollenhager-all about a war hier, Kinder!" All were silent; and some of between the frogs and the mice, and a snake the little ones tried hard to get under the sofa. that suffered great trouble in consequence of a When the monster saw what a serious panic he quarrel between his head and his tail-a knock had created he assumed a friendly and congenial interrupted the story. I arose and opened the aspect, and by dint of coaxing succeeded in door. To say that I was astonished at the ap- drawing them out again, and forming them in parition that stood before me would but faint- a circle around him. Then he catechised them ly express my sensations. One could scarcely about their conduct and studies at school, and believe such a thing could have happened in having satisfied his mind on this point, began to the nineteenth century. It was a live goblin cast out whole handfuls of nuts and apples and of the most ferocious aspect, full six feet high, cakes over the floor. They could not resist this with a tremendous long nose, and a chin to cor- display of munificence, as may well be supposed, respond, both fearfully red, and almost meeting but straightway, with merry shouts, fell to scramat the points. His great goggle eyes absolutely bling after the good things. The monster roared glared; and when he snapped his nose and chin laughing at the fun, which set all the youngsters together it was terrible to behold him. His dress to laughing, partly in fear, and partly because was of the most outlandish description: a great they couldn't help it; whereupon, affecting to fur coat, hanging in folds to his feet, and fan- be highly enraged at being laughed at, the montastically decorated. Around his waist was a ster began to switch them up and down the

room, hopping, skipping, jumping, rearing, and tearing like a madman let loose. Then such shouting, and screaming, and roaring with laughter you never heard: it baffles description, the mingled delight and confusion of the children, and the tomfoolery of this merry old vagabond. I wellnigh burst my sides at his antics; and as for Mrs. Brown, she has been troubled with stitches ever since. Where he came from, or who sent him, or what his usual occupation is, I haven't the least idea. I only know he cost me two gulden; and all this happened on St. Nicholas's day. The Germans call him Nicholas. I have no doubt at all he is some relation to the old gentle

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If this were all, an imaginative man might stand it; but 1 am a staid and sober-minded person; a practical sort of man, somewhat hardened by the rough realities

NICHOLAS

my umbrella to keep the rain off, lest it should enter into some infernal compact of revenge with the pump, to give me a dousing for this great act of injustice; and I never see a dog look at me with an inquiring expression that I don't expect him to ask me if I chance to know a brother of his in America by the name of Carl or Hans.

and gravities of American life, and don't know | hat complain of being carried out in the cold. what the youngsters are coming to. Why, It is with considerable apprehension that I open they talk about nothing from morning till night but fairies and hobgoblins, wizards and witches, and the like. Their principal studies out of school appear to me to be about wonderful frogs that pour water into the barrels of guns when hunters go to sleep; ambitious cats that learn how to sing from nightingales; ravens that draw chariots through the air filled with beautiful canary-birds; rabbits that lay eggs and defend their nests with pitchforks; voracious rats that chase bad men into old castles, and devour the bad men, bones and all; little fairies that live in blue-bells and butter-cups, and dance under the trees of nights; in short, such strange things do they read and talk about that I begin to think there must be something queer in the atmosphere. It wouldn't surprise me a bit to see the chairs get up any time of night and dance a cotillion with the tables, or the knives and forks begin to fight over a piece of roast beef. I look for my boots to remonstrate with me every day for saturating their soles with mud, and wouldn't be astonished at any time to hear my

With all this, the children seem to be picking up a vast deal of useful knowledge. Their devotion to the charming stories of Hans Christian Anderssen (translated into German), and to the admirable fairy-tales of Musäus, Franz Hoffman, and the brothers Grimm, encourages in them a taste for reading; and their free and social intercourse with the families of our neighbors, perfects them in the language of the country. They learn something worth knowing in their lightest and most trivial amusements. Our oldest boy has for some time past taken a leading part in a quartette society. That he will eclipse Ole Bull and Vieuxtemps on the violin before very long is the conscientious belief of his mother,

leaving his father out of the question. This has | floors with dirty water, and to commit the baby led him to study the science of music, and to be- exclusively to my charge, while she herself occome somewhat acquainted with its history in cupied her time in patching old clothes, I would Germany. The young lady of the family (aged be compelled in self-defense to make a voyage fifteen) has recently become affected with the to Kamtchatka, her face brightened up, and she seal-mania. All her young friends at school had exclaimed with the utmost simplicity: "Oh, it, and the contagion was irresistible. She is John, if you go to Kamtchatka don't forget to therefore now thoroughly versed in the heraldry send us some postage-stamps! I am certain the of Europe, and is well acquainted with the lead- children haven't a single stamp from Kamting sovereigns, princes, dukes, states, and gov- chatka!" Ever since that unfortunate threat, ernments, through her collection of seals and I have been persistently urged by the whole famcoats of arms. The next in our list, a boy of ily to make a voyage to Kamtchatka, in order thirteen, is sorely taken with the bug-mania. He that I may procure some postage-stamps, which never goes out without a net for catching insects perchance might be a little different from those and a pocketful of vials, boxes, and chemical which I transmitted to them last summer from preparations for embalming their bodies. His Moscow. room is decorated with bugs from the ceiling to But this is not the worst. Christmas is com. the floor, and the parlor is not always free from ing. The whole household is gone clean cracked. the products of his entomological researches. The Never have I, in the course of a varied existname and habits of every bug in Germany are ence, witnessed such Christmas times before. now perfectly familiar to him. Sometimes his Every little Brown is brimful of it. Such a embalmed bodies come to life again, and mani- capering and hiding; stitching, knitting, clipfest their vitality by creeping about in our beds, ping, cutting, and pasting; red paper and blue down our backs, and into our pockets. Mrs. paper; spangles of gold and silver; purses, cuffs, Brown is occasionally shocked, when combing lamp-rugs, slippers, and neck-ties; gewgaws, the baby's head, to find that it abounds in rear- and filigree, and gimcracks; green trees, hung horses and black beetles, which she avows are all over with colored balls, little angels, and enough to devour the poor little creature. Our candy horsemen; wax tapers and bits of lookingyoung lady was greatly mortified one day, in the glass; such surprises hid in fancy boxes and bags, presence of some select company, to discover that on the tops of the wardrobes, behind the bureaus, a large variety of her brother's ants and ear-wigs and under the sofas, for Tom, Dick, and Harhad taken refuge in the net-work that encircles ry; mysterious whisperings, secret conferences, her hair. Then there is the postage-stamp- knowing looks, nods, and winks, and sudden hidmania, which has hopelessly seized the entire ings away of articles in progress of manufacture family without distinction of age or sex. This but not yet to be seen, would be utterly beyond the most serious of all. Stamp-books of ev- my powers to describe. ery size and variety have become absolutely see young people so childish. Often I chuckle to essential to their happiness at whatever cost. myself, as I sit puffing my meerschaum, pretendMrs. Brown considers it a system of geography, ing to be buried in some abstruse researches, which must gradually result in a complete knowl- and wonder if ever there was a time when old edge of the physical formation of the world, and John Brown was such a simpleton. The most of the various prevailing systems of government. absurd part of it is that these presents are The researches of the entire family in distant to cost nothing-they never do in Germany. parts of the globe for the purpose of ferreting out People make with their own hands pretty much and securing new and rare postage-stamps, she all the Christmas gifts which they design as says, have already greatly enlarged their minds. tokens of regard for their friends and domestics. In the pursuit of this object they have ranged This is the German fashion! say the little over the maps and topographical peculiarities of Browns; it is so cheap! only six kreutzers for every country possessing a postal system, from a scrap of cloth; three gulden for silk, worsted, Iceland to the Cape of Good Hope, and from beads, etc.; ten gulden for dolls, and forty-eight Great Britain to the East Indies. They know kreutzers for dresses for the dolls to wear when at a glance to what government a people are they go into company; and twenty-six gulden subjected by kooking at a stamp not over an inch for pianos and guitars for them to play upon; square. Business habits are encouraged by the and a small allowance of sixteen kreutzers per trade in stamps perpetually going on between week to keep them in shoes, and so on. these juvenile speculators and their schoolmates. cheap, indeed-very economical in detail, but Rare specimens, that originally cost only a few painfully heavy in the aggregate! Why, in cents, are often worth enormous sums of money. this country, you don't get off short of forty or In truth, there never was any thing like it since fifty presents to miscellaneous people-to your the famous tulip-mania of Holland. I am often cook, your nurse, the music-teacher, the govurgently solicited to visit unknown and barbar-erness, the school-teacher, the baker, the butcher, ous countries that I may send home letters bearing unique and valuable stamps. The other day happening to say to Mrs. Brown, in rather a pettish way, that if it was her deliberate intention to keep the nurse at work scrubbing the

It really amuses me to

Very

the milkman, the old apple-woman, the pearwoman, the sweep, the postman, the beggarwoman, the fellow that plays the hurdy-gurdy, the boy that fetches the groceries-they all expect something as a token of your good-will, and

when any thing is expected in Christmas times it won't do to be hard or selfish. But I protest against the idea that Christmas is a cheap affair in Germany. My very purse, with shrunken sides and sepulchral voice, cries aloud against it. I almost despair of being able to give you an adequate idea of a German Christmas. Before attempting it I must appeal to you to give me all the sympathetic aid in your power. Think of Fadladeen and the poet Feramorz, banish from your brow those severe wrinkles of criticism, dear Mr. Editor; let the pale cast of thought give place to the sunny smiles of youth; descend, I pray you, from that mighty tripod upon which the destinies of the world are centred, and be once more an unsophisticated juvenile. For never otherwise can I do justice to a Christmas in Germany.

The premonitory symptoms of it have been apparent for the last six weeks. Day after day the dry-goods stores and toy-shops of Frankfort have been crowded. The streets have presented a most singular spectacle of trees with legs under them walking about from house to house, and whole curiosity-shops running hither, and thither on the tops of men's backs. St. Nicholas has gone the rounds, and the school-boys have scourged their masters in satisfaction of all debts. Elderly gentlemen have skipped around the Glacis in stronger force than ever, with their little poodle-dogs and blue ribbons; and elderly ladies have been uncommonly gorgeous in fine dresses and stupendous head-works. Herr Winter with his mantle of snow came along about two weeks since, and spread his skirts over the earth for boys and girls to slide upon with their jingling

sledges; and rosy-cheeked house-maids are continually trying to sweep him off the pavements, but he comes again every night and seems as lively as ever when morning dawns. Butcherboys have been in great demand with choice assortments of sausages for Christmas puddings. The ladies, young and old, have been quite overwhelmed and buried in masses of yarn-stockings, hoods, mittens, pin-cushions, night-caps, comforts, and other specimens of female handicraft for general distribution among the widows and orphans. The servant girls have been more than ordinarily attentive-opening the frontdoors as if by instinct, and anticipating the most trivial caprices of their employers; the postman has bowed more politely than ever during the past two weeks; the old milk-woman has never paid her morning visit without showering blessings upon the little ones, and wishing health and happiness and many pleasant days to the big ones; the old apple-woman never misses an occasion of presenting a few extra apples to the rising generation; the poor washer-woman, not a week ago, sent a thrill of joy through the whole household by unexpectedly presenting a delicious plateful of domestic sausages, warranted to be manufactured out of the Christmas pig; in short, the genial spirit of Kris Kringle has animated the hearts of the rich and the poor alike, and spread a mantle of charity over the frailties of human nature.

As the sun set on Christmas eve the great bells of the town set up a deafening peal of rejoicing. Crowds of citizens hurried to and fro, making their last purchases; lights glimmered in the windows of every house, and every parlor

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was decorated with evergreens and Christmastrees, spangled all over with toys and candles. The jingling of sleigh-bells, the merry voices of children, the moving multitudes of carriages, the lights, the music, the glitter of tinsel, the perfect abandonment of all to the enjoyment of the occasion were wonderfully characteristic, and to me, at least, highly pleasing.

But all this was nothing to the surprises and displays of the inner world on Christmas-day. Accompanied by Mrs. Brown, and all the little Browns, I went by invitation to visit several German families-among them that of our respected grandfather on the Professor's side. The greeting was most cordial. We were at first ushered into a reception room. As soon as all were gathered together, the "Gros-Fader"-as the children call him-gave the word of command, and a door was thrown open leading into the great exhibition room. Here was a magnificent Christmas-tree hung all over with colored wax-tapers; here were tables covered with white cloths, and glittering from head to foot with the most bewitching doll-babies, work-boxes, cardcases, silk-dresses, rattles, penny-whistles, shawls,

sashes, drawing-implements, and I don't know what all for big and little; with a name written upon each, and ever so many funny inscriptions to make it all the more merry.

The little Browns absolutely shouted with delight, as each made, from time to time, some astounding discovery of a gift; the big brothers, and sisters and cousins, nieces and nephews, clapped their hands in an ecstasy of enthusiasm ; and then the "Gros-Fader" roared laughing, and demanded a kiss, and every body that got a present was bound by the laws and regulations to hug him and kiss him, without distinction of age or sex; and such a kissing and hugging never were seen (out of Germany). The ladies were quite overcome and affected to tears at the splendor of their new dresses, and cast themselves sobbing upon the shoulders of the old man; and the servant girls, when they opened their bundles and saw divers nice sashes, slippers, and head- dresses, cried out, "Ach, wie schön! Ach, lieber Gott! wie schön !" and retired to weep over them in silence, but presently came back laughing through their tears, and thanking every body, and never once holding

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