Ladies' Magazine and Literary Gazette (Volume 5) - Softcover

This historic book may have numerous typos, missing text or index. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. 1832. Not illustrated. Excerpt: ... SKETCHES OF AMERICAN CHARACTER. THE LOTTERY TICKET. "Dost thou spurn the humble vale 1 Life's proud summit would'st thou scale 1 Check thy climbing step elate, * Evils lurk in felon wait, While cheerful peace, with linnet song, Chants the lowly dells among." Burns. Dick Woodcock was the only child of a respectable farmer, living in one of the interior counties in the state of New York. The father was a practical agriculturalist, in the true definition of the term; that is, he practiced himself the theories he recommended to others ; and in guiding a plough, or wielding a scythe or sickle, few in the neighborhood equaled, none excelled him. He was also famed (and why need fame be appropriated to the hero or poet only ?) for keeping his estate in thorough repair. Not a furlong of fence was wanting, not a board hung endwise from any of his numerous buildings, nor was an old hat ever seen protruding its unmannerly crown through a casement in his snugly planned and comfortably finished habitation. The consequences of such industrious thrift may easily be divined. He was prosperous, respected and happy. Dick was his only child--a fine-looking, noble spirited boy he was --the pride of his parents, and a pattern for all the little boys in the village where he dwelt. He was up with the robin in the morning, and you might hear his whistle as gay as her song, while he followed and emulated his father's industrious movements through a long summer day. Many there were who advised Mr. Woodcock to send his boy to college ; and to confess the truth, his paternal pride would have been gratified with the eclat of a liberal education for his son. But he finally abandoned the scheme, partly because he had the good sense to discover (and this he did without; knowing a word nf nhrpnr...