Immorality [pp. 130]

Immortality.
father (an old man) die in his absence;
and solicited the President's permission to
pay his respects to him, in person, at
Washington, and to urge his request that
a ship might be permitted to take him
home. The President promptly replied,
that he would be pleased to see him in
Washington, on or before the day of
August, on which day he proposed to
set out for Monticello. The President
delayed his departure for a week, expecting the promised visit, and left Washington for Monticello. A few days after the
President's departure, the Mandarin arrived in state at Washington, from whence
he sent a special messenger to Monticello,
lamenting the President's departure before his arrival; and urging his request
for orders to the Collector at New York,
to permit a ship to clear for Canton with
him on board.
Mr. Joel Barlow had been appointed
Minister to France, and was at Mionticello, outr prendre conge. After the
ladies had retired from the dinner-table,
Mr. Jefferson told Mr.. Barlow of the arrival of the express, and of its object.
Mr. Barlow asked the President if he had
acceded to the proposition of the Man
" A trick to get a ship to China," was
the Colonel's reply.
Mr. Jefferson went immediately to his
library and returned with a large French
Encyclopedia; and after examining it,
closed the book in silence. Mr. Barlow
requested Col. Randolph to turn to the
article Mandarin; he did, and read,
" Mandarins are of two kinds, civil and
military; the civil Mandarin answers to
our country magistrate; the military, to
a militia officer. There were but two
i nstance s of a Mandarin's ever ha ving
left his country."
Col. Randolph asked the President if
he understood Arabic; he did not, but
the interpreter told him that it was written in good Arabic.
"The interpreter," said the Colonel,
"was probably the writer of the letter."
The President, guileless himself, had
no suspicion of fraud.
R. R.
IMMORTALITY.
Man's spirit is a restless thing,
And fain would be away;
Like some caged bird with constant wing
It beats its wall of clay!
'T is not at home, it can not be
It ends with this dull clod;
No, while it struggles to be free
It points away to God!
When Death this breathing dust shall change
And leave the spirit free,
Infinity shall be its range,
Its years eternity!
130
[AUGUST
darin; his reply was affirmative. Mr.
Barlow turned to Col. Randolph (Mr.
Jefferson's son-in-law) and said:
,'What do you think of it?"
J,ul,y, 1857.
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