A GOOD CUSTOM.

NE Dr. Rink has written a book on the manners
and customs of the Eskimo, or Esquimaux, as we
used to see the word spelled, — those dwellers in north
North America and on the Greenland coast. He
tells us among other things that this simple people
have the habit of living, several families in one
house, peacefully and happily, and the reason for
this he seems to explain a little later. Quarrelling
and hard words are unknown among the tribe; he
does not say that one man never offends another,
for that would be impossible as long as they are in-
habitants of this imperfect world ; but when vexed
or injured the Eskimo is silent, refraining not only
from good words but bad ones. They have no word
in their language that answers to our “ scold,” none
to express a street-row or fight. Surely they are
much ahead of more civilized nations in this simple
way of meeting disagreeables !

One result of this silence is, that there is no going
to law in Eskimo land; no lawyers, no judges.

The only way they have of punishing or shaming
an offender is to sing the story of his misdeeds at
their public entertainments; he may reply then, also
in verse, and the assembly of hearers soon mark by
their cheers or hisses what they think on the subject.
So quiet and sober a people are not often at fault in
their judgment; and though in our country we cannot
hope to keep the peace by such simple means, we can
at any rate try their rule of silence when vexed. It
has higher warrant that the Eskimo can give. ‘“ Slow
to speak, slow to wrath,” says one who wrote by
Divine authority. H. A. F.

et

 

 

MARSHAL NEY.

Sa] ICHAEL NEY was born in Lorraine,
in 1769. As a boy of thirteen
he was put in a notary’s office,
but he was too full of high spirit
and courage, and too fond of ad-
venture, to brook so dull a life;
and in 1787 he enlisted in.a reg-
iment of hussars, and in seven
\ years he rose to a captaincy.
He did many famous exploits
in the various wars in which
France was engaged in those
stirring times. While serving with the army of the
Rhine he took two thousand prisoners and the town
of Wiirburg, though he had only a handful of cavalry
under his command. For this achievement he was
made a general of brigade.

The victory of Hohenlinden was due in great mea-
sure to his unyielding bravery, and. when Ney re-
turned to Paris after the peace of Luneville Napo-
leon warmly received him, and to attach him to his
cause he brought about a marriage between Ney and
Mademoiselle Augnié, a friend of Hortense Beau-

  

harnais. He continued to distinguish himself in the
Prussian, Russian, and Spanish campaigns. When
the grand army of France set out for Russia in 1812,
Ney was placed in command of the third corps. In
that disastrous expedition he urged Napoleon to
winter at Smolensko, but though his counsel was un-
heeded by the Emperor he did not bear his part less
bravely, and he won for himself from Napoleon the
title of ‘The bravest of the brave.’ During the ter-
rible retreat Ney did marvels of valour: General
Dumas tells that one morning a man, in dark cloak,
long beard, and weather-beaten face, entered his tent.
‘I am here at last, General,’ said the stranger.
‘Don’t you know me?’ General Dumas answered that
he did not, and the other went on to say, ‘I am the
rear-guard of the Grand Army. I have fired the last
musket-snot on the bridge of Kowno. Ihave thrown
the last of our armies into the Niemen, and have
come here through the woods. I am Marshal Ney.’
During the two following years the brave general
fought for his country, and did much to win victories
for the French standard. In 1814 he retired to his
country-seat, till he was summoned to Paris to take
a fresh command ; but when he found that he was to
oppose his old chief, who had returned from Elba, he
went over to Napoleon instead of capturing him, and

-his example was followed almost by his whole army.

At Waterloo Marshal Ney acted with wonderful
bravery. On foot he headed the column of the
Guard, and urged them to the charge, when they
were being pressed by overwhelming numbers. All
was vain, however, and he was among the last to
quit the field. i

In a letter to the Duc d’Otrante after the battle
the Marshal describes the cause of the defeat, and
adds,—

‘General Friant had been struck by a ball by my side,
and I myself had my horse killed, and fell underit. The
brave men who will return from this terrible battle will,
I hope, do me the justice to say that they saw me on foot,
with sword in hand during the whole evening, and that I
only quitted the scene of carnage among the last—at the
moment when retreat eould no longer be prevented. At
the same time the Prussians continued their onward
movement, and our right retired before them. The
English, too, advanced, and there remained to us four
squares of the old Guard to protect the retreat. The
brave grenadiers, the choice of the army, were forced to
yield ground foot by foot, till, overwhelmed by numbers,
they were almost entircly destroyed. As for myself, con-
stantly in the rear-guard, which I followed on foot, having
had all my horses killed, worn out with fatigue, and having
no longer strength to march, I owe my life to a corporal
who supported me on the road, and did not abandon me
during the retreat.’

After the fall of the Emperor Napoleon, Marshal
Ney returned to Paris, where he was accused of

treason, and was brought to trial and condemned.

to death. The garden of the Luxembourg was
chosen for the place of execution, and there the
brave soldier calmly met his doom ; there, in 1815, at
the age of forty-six, he who had fought five hundred
battles for France, not one against her, was shot asa

traitor.

 

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