What floods of tears would not
the Chinese method have spared to the high-minded Corinna, to the
interesting and poetical Clementina! From what bitter pangs would it not
have relieved the irresolute Oswald, perhaps even the virtuous Grandison
himself! The Chinese are entitled to the honour of having invented the
domestic and historical novel several centuries before they were
introduced in Europe. Fables, tales of supernatural events, and epic
poems, belong to the infancy of nations; but the real novel is the
product of a later period in the progress of society, when men are led to
reflect upon the incidents of domestic life, the movement of the
passions, the analysis of sentiment, and the conflicts of adverse
interests and opinions.--_Preface to a French Translation of a Chinese
Novel._
* * * * *
HERO OF A CHINESE NOVEL.
There came out a youth of about fifteen or sixteen years of age, dressed
in a violet robe with a light cap on his head. His vermilion lips,
brilliant white teeth, and arched eye-brows gave him the air of a
charming girl. So graceful and airy are his movements, that one might
well ask, whether he be mortal or a heavenly spirit. He looks like a
sylph formed of the essence of flowers, or a soul descended from the
moon. Is it indeed a youth who has come out to divert himself, or is it a
sweet perfume from the inner apartment?--_Ibid._
* * * * *
BEES.
It has been the custom, from the earliest ages, to rub the inside of the
hive with a handful of salt and clover, or some other grass or
sweet-scented herb, previously to the swarm's being put in the hive.
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