The Week

Ending Saturday, October 2, 1847.

THE PHILOSOPHY OF A TEAR.

Beautiful Tear! whether lingering upon the brink of the eyelid, or darting down the furrows of the care-worn cheek-thou art beautiful in thy simplicity-great because of thy modesty -strong from thy very weakness. Offspring of sorrow! who will not own thy claim to sympathy? who can resist thy eloquence? who can deny mercy when thou pleadest? Beautiful Tear!

Let us trace a tear to its source. The eye is the most attractive organ of animal bodies. It is placed in a bony socket, by which it is protected, and wherein it finds room to perform the motions requisite to its uses. The rays of light which transmit the images of external objects enter the pupil through the chrystalline lens, and fall upon the retina, upon which, within the space represented by a sixpence, is formed, in all beauty and perfection, an exact image of many miles of landscape, every object displaying its proper colour and true proportions-trees and lakes, hills and valleys, insects and flowers, all in true keeping, are there shown at once, and the impression produced thereby upon the filaments of the optic nerve causes a sensation which communicates to the mind the apparent qualities of the varied objects we behold.

That this wonderful faculty of vision may be uninterrupted, it is necessary that the transparent membrane which forms the external covering of the eye shall be kept moist and free from the contact of opaque substances. To supply the fluid which shall moisten and clease the eye, there is placed at the outer and upper part of the ball a small gland, which secretes the lachrymal fluid, and pours it out at the corner of the eye, whence, by the motion of the lids, it is equally spread over the surface, and thus moisture and clearness are at once secured.

When we incline to sleep, the eyes become comparatively bloodless and dull. The eyelids drop to shut out everything which might tend to arouse the slumbering senses. The secretion by the lachrymal glands is probably all but suspended, and the organs of sight participate in the general rest. When, after a long night's sleep, the eyelids first open, there is, therefore, a dulness of vision, arising probably from the dryness of the cornea: then occur the rapid motions of the eyelids, familiarly termed "winking"-sometimes instinctively aided by rubbing with the hands-and after a few moments the "windows" of the body have been properly cleansed and set in order, the eye adjusted to the quantity of light it must receive, and we are "awake" for the day, and may go forth to renew our acquaintance with the beauties of nature.

It is from the glands which supply this moisture that tears flow. Among physiologists it is well known that emotionsimpressions upon the nervous system-exercise a powerful and immediate influence upon the secretions. As, for instance, the mere thought of some savoury dish, or delicious fruit, or something acid-as the juice of the lemon-will excite an instant flow of the salivary fluid into the mouth. An emotion of the mind influences the lachrymal glands, which copiously secrete and pour forth the chrystal drops, and these, as they appear upon the surface of the eye, we denominate tears.

A similar action, called forth by another kind of excitement, occurs when dust or other irritating substance comes in contact with the eye: the glands instantly secrete abundantly, and pouring the chrystal fluid out upon the surface, the eye is protected from injury, and the offending substance is washed away. The feelings which excite excessive laughter or joy also stimulate this secretion-the eyes are said to "water.' It is only when the chrystal drop comes forth under the impulse of sorrow -thus speaking the anguish of the mind-that it can properly be called a tear. Hence its sacred character, and the sympathy which it seldom fails to create.

Every tear represents some indwelling sorrow preying upon the mind and eating out its peace. The tear comes forth to declare the inward struggle, and to plead a truce against further strife. How meet that the eye should be the seat of tearswhere they cannot occur unobserved, but blending with the speaking beauty of the eye itself must command attention and sympathy.

Whenever we behold a tear, let our kindliest sympathies awake-let it have a sacred claim upon all that we can do to succour and comfort under affliction. What rivers of tears have flown, excited by the cruel and perverse ways of man! War has spread its carnage and desolation, and the eyes of widows and orphans have been suffused with tears! Intemperance has blighted the homes of millions, and weeping and wailing have been incessant! A thousand other evils which we may conquer have given birth to tears enough to constitute a flood-a great tide of grief. Suppose we prize this little philosophy, and each one determine never to excite a tear in another-how pleasantly will fare mankind! Watching the eye as the telegraph of the mind within, let us observe it with anxious regard; and whether we are moved to complaint by the existence of supposed or real wrongs, let the indication of the coming tear be held as a sacred truce to unkindly feeling, and all our efforts be devoted to the substitution of smiles for tears!

R. KEMP PHILP.

MODEL LODGING HOUSE, ST. GILES'S.

We have been requested by a correspondent to publish the rules of this establishment, and gladly comply:

The Lodgers are to be admitted by the week, on payment of two shillings and fourpence per week, in advance, and subject to the following rules which are intended for the general comfort of the inmates, and the good order of the establishment:

1. The House to be open at all hours from five in the morning till twelve o'clock at night.

2. The gas in the bed rooms to be lighted at nine o'clock, and extinguished at twelve o'clock, P.M.; and no lodger to remain in the bed rooms after nine o'clock in the morning, or to return to them before nine o'clock in the evening, without the permission of the superintendent.

3. As the occupancy is by the week, each lodger must, before the end of the week, give one day's notice, at the least of his intention of remaining, otherwise the superintendent may let his bed.

4. The property of the establishment to be treated with due care, and in particular no cutting or writing on the tables, forms, chairs, or other articles, and no defacing of the walls to be permitted.

5. No spirituous liquors to be brought into the house, or drunk there. No person to be admitted or allowed to remain in

a state of intoxication.

6. No card playing, gambling, quarrelling, fighting, or profane or abusive language to be permited.

7. Habits of cleanliness are expected in the lodgers, and any person guilty of filthy or dirty practices will not be permitted to remain in the house.

8. No smoking to be allowed in the common room, or in the bed rooms.

9.

Each lodger will be provided with a box and locker for the security of his property, the keys of which will be delivered to him on depositing the sum of one shilling, to be returned to him on the re-delivery of the keys. All property belonging to lodgers must be considered as under their own care, and at their own risk.

10. All earthenware, knives, forks, spoons, and other articles used by the lodgers, to be returned by them to the superintendent immediately after they have done with them. Each lodger shall be liable to make good any damage occasioned by him.

11. A wilful breach of any of the above rules will subject the party to immediate exclusion from the house-but any money paid by him in advance will be returned to him after deducting the rent then due, and the amount of any damage done to the property.

12. For the benefit of those who may wish to avail themselves of the opportunity, a portion of Scripture will be read every night in the common room at 9 o'clock.

norance.

THOUGHTS UPON PROGRESS.

We have much yet to do, to give our moral nature its full productiveness. The time has come when men will dare to question the wisdom of our ancestral institutions-when, as Galileo proved that the earth moves around the sun, so have other minds proved that our moral nature must continue to move on, and on, until at last it falls into its eternal orbitheaven-still to move onward, and yet onward, through all eternity. Men have trembled to interfere with old institutions -as if man sprung at once into the sunshine of wisdom, and had been receding, from the time of the creation, back into igOld forms, old creeds, old traditions, old ideas have been held sacred, and every innovation of the germinating mind of man has appeared to the timid and the faithless to threaten revolution. A political change has been predicted as the era of destruction-a theological relaxation has been pronounced a machination of the wicked one, a high road to infidelity. Yet here we are, with our acts of uniformity abolished; with our Emancipation and Reform Bills in force; with the Corn Laws repealed and tariffs relaxed; and yet God holds his sway over our hearts, and men are peaceful and obedient to the law, at least as fully so in this age as they have been in any that has flown; and we have gained some taste of freedom, some liberation from the strife of feudalism-may worship God after our own hearts, and no fear of the rack or the stake! And liking this liberty so well, we are looking around us, and praying, and hoping, and struggling for more. And greater freedom will come; for the mind of man is growing, and in his moral arm is gathering up that strength which shall scatter all obstacles to our progress, and free our race from many of those fetters which still chain them to ignorance and vice.-M. H.

AN UNEXPECTED GOOD.

Report says that the Secretary of State has ordered 20%. to be given to each division of the Metropolitan Police, to be applied to the purchase of useful books, for the various libraries attached to the stations for the use of the policemen. It is not generally known that the station libraries possess a considerable number of volumes, and that the men pay a halfpenny per week for their use. It is intended to form reading rooms at all the stationhouses in the metropolis. In Bristol some time ago, there was a policeman who was distinguished for his literary attainments; and in the exercise of his official duties he was known to be humane and faithful. His companions in the force called him the Literary Policemen, and he was much respected.

28

SELF-SUPPORTING VILLAGES.

The following paper explains some of the main points wherein the proposed Self-supporting Villages differ from, and are superior to, the prevailing institutions of society. It was drawn up by Mr. Minter Morgan, who had been requested to furnish such particulars to the Government of Rome. It was laid before the Pope, and also before the Agricultural Commission presided over by Cardinal Massimo. It is now published, in the hope that various religious denominations may be induced to establish, for such families of their respective congregations as may require them, institutions similar to the "Church of England Self-Supporting Village," in which it is intended that all secular affairs shall be subordinated to, and in harmony with, those important duties of individuals and of societies enjoined by religion, and so eminently conducive to general improvement and happiness :

"That which peculiarly distinguishes the proposed Christian colony from the constitution of society in general is the power which it affords of maintaining the supremacy of religion, not only in theory and in precept, and in framing the laws and regulations, but in spirit and in truth, by suppressing or prohibiting all institutions, practices, and influences, calculated to impair the Love of God and man, as the ruling principle of action; thereby strengthening the motives to good conduct, and discouraging every temptation to evil, and more especially by rigidly excluding competition and a spirit of rivalry. It is this pernicious principle of Competition that has been the great impediment, both in Catholic and Protestant countries to the existence and diffusion of vital Christianity. It has per

petuated war, and left Christian Europe little to rejoice in from any diminution of its barbarous conflicts since the ambitious conquests of Pagan Rome. It has perverted the blessings of peace, and inflicted misery upon the people, no less fatal to their general improvement and happiness than the scourges of war.

If Europe has the power, as no one can doubt, of producing food in superabundance, and of laying up a store of three or four years' supply for all its population, to guard against the consequences of bad harvests, why has it not been done? Because competition limits production to the market demand, and the market demand is limited, not by the actual wants of the people, but by their inability to purchase. If the wants of a neighbourhood require 1,000 quarters of corn, and 1,200 quarters are brought to market, there is a competition among the sellers in order that they may not be the holders of the 200 quarters unsold, and the prices fall: if, on the contrary, 800 quarters only are brought to the market, there is a competition among the buyers, that they may not be amongst those who are left destitute, and the prices rise. It is this uncertainty, under a system of competition, of obtaining a remunerating price, that limits the growth of corn and the quantity of all useful productions. When the destitute people are organised in communities, or Christian colonies upon the principle of the celebrated Reductions in Paraguay, but with such modifications as an European population might require for the further advance of mankind in religion and virtue, and for the greater and more beneficial progress of science, the uncertainty of markets will cease, as the communities in different localities will adopt a system of exchange, and their mutual wants will be for several years anticipated."

PAY OFF THE NATIONAL DEBT.

Shakspeare's House is now the people's-it has been purchased in their name, and will be secured to them and their posterity for ever. At the time of the sale the subscription fell short of the necessary amount several hundred pounds: but there were those having faith in the integrity of the people, who guaranteed the deficiency. The nation is therefore indebted to the Committee by whom the relic of the great bard has been secured from spoliation, and the money must be raised forthwith. Let everybody who reads this at once send a small subscription to C. H. Bracebridge, Esq., Shakspeare's Committee Room, Stratford-upon-Avon, and the debt will soon be paid,

"And all the clouds that lower about our house
Deep in the bosom of the ocean buried!"

This is a practical hint, which we hope will be acted upon.

THE SANITARY MOVEMENT.

Dr. Guy commenced a series of lectures on the sanitary reform, at the City of London Institution, on Wednesday, Sept. 22 -resuming the subject on Sept. 29 and Oct. 6. He spoke of the barbarity of that state in which the public health is destroyed by preventible causes-and proved that this question comes home to the dearest interests of every class of people. Pure air, light, and water, were (he said) the right of the people, and that government was ineffective which did not secure these essentials of life to all.

Mr. Thomas Beggs leaves the secretaryship of the Temperance Society to carry out a series of movements on behalf of Sanitary Reform. During the winter great efforts will be made to make the public feel the immense importance of sanitary improve

ments.

MECHANICS' CRICKET CLUBS.

The compositors of the Leeds Times have lately contested several games of cricket, with the compositors of the Leeds Mercury-and the employers of the men appear to give full

sanction to their proceedings, as is evidenced by the publication of the results of the games. The Times of Sept. 18 states that for the third time its men have been victorious-and seems not a little proud of the result, if we may judge from the elaborate details given of the state of the game. There is something cheering in these manifestations of good feeling between employers and employed; and it would be difficult to suggest a more effective means for promoting the health of the men, and guarding them against the evils of confinement in close offices, pursuing, an employment requiring the most vigorous attention. May the example be followed.

A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.

The Edinburgh Working Man's Temperance League has instituted a series of literary, scientific, and musical soirees, to be held on Saturday evenings, in the commodious Waterloo Rooms, thus supplying "a want long felt by the mechanics and artisans of Edinburgh-a place of resort for social and rational entertainment, in opposition to the debasing manner in which great numbers spend their Saturday evenings." The first meeting was appointed to be held on Saturday Sept. 18, when T. I. White would lecture on "Excitement, a part of the economy of human nature, illustrated by poetry and song." An instrumental band and a glee party, are engaged for these entertainments. The price of admission is fixed at threepence. Similar steps should be taken in all large towns. The experiment has been truly successful in Manchester, Liverpool, &c. The workman's Saturday night should everywhere offer him some intellectual recreation, witholding him from temptation to vice, and preparing him for the suitable enjoyment of the Sabbath.

FREE LECTURES.

The Society for the Improvement of Men Employed in Manufactories, has announced a long course of varied lectures, to be delivered in several districts of London during the winter months. Among the subjects announced, we see "the objects, pleasures, and advantages of chemistry, by T. A. Smith, with experiments;" on "Vocal Music, with illustrations by a full choir, by T. G. Minot;" on "Astronomy, illustrated by illuminated moving diagrams, by Dr. J. R. Barber; ", on "Egypt, illustrated by transparent views, by the Rev. R. Redpath;" on "Substances used for food, by R. Bentham, Esq., M.D.;" on "Animal Mechanics, illustrated by skeletons and diagrams, by Dr. Newton." The course comprises upwards of forty-one lectures. Dr. Bachhoffner and Elihu Burritt have each promised to lecture. Think of it, working men, that by applying to the Secretary, Mr. A. Austen, 34, Walnut Tree-walk, Lambeth, you may have a ticket, whereon is printed all the particulars of lectures, time, and places, and that this ticket will admit you free to the whole course! GOOD DOINGS NEAR THE LAND'S END.

In the beautiful little village of Perran, in which is situated the Perran Foundry, R. B. Fox, Esq., one of the principals of the firm, lately laid the foundation of a building to serve as a Mechanic's Institute, and a Teetotal Sunday School. The Messrs. Fox have long distinguished themselves by their care for the moral welfare of the people in their service-often employing lecturers at their own expense, and clearing out a large room in their foundry, to assemble their workmen and their wives together, and afford them intellectual enjoyment. The village is one of the most romantic in the west of England, and it is also among the most peaceful.

At Falmouth a Mechanic's Institution has just been formed under very favourable auspices. The want of such an institution has long been felt. The Polytechnic Society, founded and chiefly supported by members of the Society of Friends, has done much for the cultivation of art and science in the county of Cornwall. Its annual prize meeting is fast approaching.

Now ready, the first Three Vols., Gilt Edges, 15a., of the People's Journal, edited by JOHN SAUNDERS, Above Two Thousand Pounds have been expended in the Literature and Illustrations alone of these three volumes; which comprise about twelve hundred and fifty royal octavo pages, double columns, and nearly One Hundred Engravings.

To SUBSCRIBERS.-The Index Sheets to Vols. I. to III., price One Penny each, are now ready. Also, CASES FOR BINDING THE THREE VOLUMES, bound in the Richest Crim. son Cloth, embossed, price One Shilling each.

TO CORRESPONDENTS.-Declined Manuscripts are destroyed at once, unless Envelopes with sufficient Postage Stamps, and properly Addressed, be enclosed, for their return by post. They can be returned in no other way. Correspondence on such MSS. must not be looked for. Many considerations, independent of the question of merit, determine an editor's judgment; and which it is impossible he can find time to explain. Anonymous communications are never used.

London: Printed and published for the Proprietors by JoHN BENNETT, at THE PEOPLE'S JOURNAL OFFICE, 69, Fleetstreet; where all Communications for the Editor, Books, &c., for Review, and Advertisements for the Monthly Part, must be addressed.