CHAPTER XII.
MAN PROPOSES, BUT GOD DISPOSES--THE CHOICE OF APROFESSION--CONQUEROR--ORATOR--ASTRONOMER--COMPOSER--PAINTER--POET--VILLAGECURATE--THE KAFIRS--OCCUPATIONS OF WOMEN--THE ALPHA AND OMEGA OF THESEA.
To the storm succeeded one of those diluvian showers that have alreadybeen described. Rain being merely a result of evaporation, it wasevident that sea and land in those climates must perspire at anenormous rate to effect such cataclysms. In consequence of thisdeluge, the proposed excursion was indefinitely postponed. Theprovisions, the marvellous kits, the waggon, were all ready; butNature, as often happens under such circumstances, had assumed amenacing attitude, and for the present forbade the execution of theproject.
A sort of vague sadness, that generally accompanies a gloomyatmosphere, weighed upon the spirits of the colonists. Recollectionsof the _Nelson_ and her sudden disappearance thrust themselves morevividly than ever upon their memory; and Willis was observed to throwhis sou'-wester unconsciously on the ground--a proof that remembrancesof the past occupied his thoughts.
One of the ladies was occupied in the needful domestic operations ofthe household, whilst the other sat with a stocking on her left arm,busily occupied in repairing the ravages of tear and wear upon thatuseful though humble garment. The two young ladies spun, as used to dothe great ladies of the court of King Alfred, and as Hercules himselfis said to have done when he changed his club and lion's skin for aspindle and distaff with the Queen of Lybia; Jack was apparentlysketching, Fritz had a collection of hunting apparatus before him, andthe other two young men, each with a book, were deeply immersed instudy.
This state of things was by no means cheerful, and Wolston determinedto break up the monotony by introducing a subject of conversationlikely to interest them all, the old as well as the young.
"By the way, gentlemen," said he, "it occurs to me that you have notyet thought of selecting a profession; your future career seems atpresent somewhat obscure."
"What would you have?" inquired Jack; "there is no use for lawyers andjudges in our colony, except to try plundering monkeys or protectjackal orphans."
"True; but suppose you were to find yourselves, by some chance, againin the great world, there it is necessary to possess a qualificationof some kind; a blacksmith or a carpenter, expert in his handicraft,has a better chance of acquiring wealth and position than a manwithout a profession, however great his talents may be; an idler is amere clog in the social machine, and is often thrust aside to browsein a corner with monks and donkeys."
"But to acquire a profession, is not instruction and practicenecessary?"
"Certainly; it is impossible to become a proficient in any art orscience by mere study alone; but before sowing a field, what is done?"
"It is ploughed and manured."
"And should there be only a few seeds?"
"We can sow what we have, and reserve the harvest till next season. Byeconomising each crop in this way, we shall soon have seeds enough tocover any extent of land."
"May I request you, Master Ernest, to draw a conclusion from that asregards sowing the seeds of a future career?"
"I would infer, from your suggestion, that we might adapt ourselvesfor such and such a profession by preparing our minds to receiveinstruction in it, and we might also avail ourselves in the meantimeof such sources of information regarding it as are at present open tous. The physician in prospective, for example, might make himselffamiliar with the medical properties of such plants as are within hisreach; he might likewise examine the bones of an ape, and thus, byanalogy, become acquainted with the framework of the human body. Thewould-be lawyer might, in the same way, avail himself of the libraryto obtain an insight into those social mysteries that bind men incommunities and necessitate human laws for the preservation of peaceand order. Thus, by directing our thoughts into one line of study, wemay form a basis upon which the superstructure may be easily erected,and the necessary academical degrees or sanction of the universityobtained."
"And, when you see this, why not adopt so commendable a course?"
"Because we may probably be destined to remain here, where, accordingto Jack, the learned professions, at least, are not likely to be muchin demand."
"The study of a particular science or art has charms in itself, whichamply compensate the student for his labor. But, even admitting you donot return to the Old World, you forget that it is your intention tocolonise this territory."
"It seems, however, that God has willed it otherwise."
"What God does not will in one way, he may bring about in another.What reason have you for supposing that the _Nelson_ may not returnwith colonists?"
"It will be from the other world then," said Willis.
"Yes, from the other world," replied Jack, "but not in the sense youimply."
"Besides, should the _Nelson_ not reappear, that is no reason whyanother accident may not drive another ship upon the coast that willbe more fortunate; what has happened to-day may surely happen againto-morrow. And in the event of colonists arriving, will there not besick to cure, boundaries to determine, differences of opinion todecide, and opposing claims to adjudge."
"Certainly, Mr. Wolston."
"Well, admitting these necessities, what profession will each of youselect? Let us begin with you, Master Fritz."
"The career," replied Fritz, "that would be most congenial to mytaste is that of a conqueror."
"A conqueror!"
"Yes; Alexander, Scipio, Timour the Tartar, and Gengis Khan are thesort of men I should like to resemble. They have made a tolerablefigure in the world, and I should have no objection to follow in theirfootsteps."
"But you forget that their footsteps are marked with tears, disasters,terror, and bloodshed."
"These are indispensable."
"Why?"
"Once, when a great commander was asked the same question, he replied,that you cannot make omelets without breaking eggs."
"Yes," remarked Becker, "but if you had read the anecdote entire, youwould have seen that he was asked in return, 'What use there was forso many omelets.'"
"Added to which," continued Wolston, "that is not a normal career;there is no diploma required for it; it is an accident arising out ofadventitious circumstances, sometimes fostered by ambition, but nocourse of study can produce a conqueror."
"What, then, is the use of military schools?"
"They are, to the best of my knowledge, instituted for rearingdefenders for one's country, and not with a view to the subjugation ofanother's."
"My poor Fritz," said Mrs. Becker laughing, "I hope when you conquerhalf the world, you will find an occupation for your mother more inconsonance with your dignity than mending your stockings."
"Then, again," continued Wolston, "war cannot be waged by a singleindividual."
"There must be an enemy somewhere," suggested Willis.
"The difficulty does not, however, lie there," observed Jack; "for, ifwe have no enemies, it is easy enough to make them."
"There must, at all events, be armies, magazines, and a treasury--oreggs, as the great commander in question hinted."
"True," replied Fritz; "but there is the same difficulty as regardsall professions; there can be no barristers without briefs, nophysicians without patients."
"You will admit, however, that clients and patients are not so rare ashundreds of thousands of armed men and millions of money."
"Brother," said Jack, "your cavalry are routed and your infantryoutflanked."
"If you are determined to be a conqueror, let it be by the pen ratherthan by the sword--or, what do you say to oratory? It is not easier,perhaps, but, at all events, eloquence is not denied to ordinarymortals. You will not then, to be sure, rank with the Hannibals, theTamerlanes, or the Caesars; but you may attain a place withDemosthenes, who was more dreaded by Philip of Macedon than an army ofsoldiers."
"Or Cicero," remarked Becker, "who preserved his country from therapacity of Cataline."
"Or Peter the Hermi
t," remarked Frank, "who by his eloquence rousedEurope against the Saracens."
"Or Bossuet," added Wolston, "and then you may venture to assert inthe face of kings that _God alone is Great_, should they, like LouisXIV., assume the sun as an emblem, and adopt such a silly scroll as'_Nec pluribus impar_.'"
"Bossuet, Peter the Hermit, Cicero, and Demosthenes, are not so bad,after all, as a last resource," remarked Mrs. Wolston, "and I wouldrecommend you to enrol yourself in that list of conquerors, MasterFritz."
"The more especially," observed Jack, "as you have no impediment inyour voice, and would not have to undergo a course of pebbles likeDemosthenes."
"So far as that goes, Jack," replied Fritz, "you would possess a likeadvantage for the profession as myself; but I will take time toreflect." Then, turning towards his mother, he said, "Conqueror orJack Pudding, mother, you shall always find me a dutiful son."
His mother was more gratified by this expression of attachment thanshe would have been had he laid at her feet the four thousand goldenspurs found, in 1302, on the field of Courtray.
"And now, Ernest, what profession do you intend to adopt? what isyour dream of the future?"
"I, Mr. Wolston! Well, having no taste for artillery, brilliantcharges, blood-stained ruins, and the other _agremens_ of war, Icannot be a hero. Do you know when I feel most happy?"
"No, let us hear."
"It is towards evening, when I am reposing tranquilly on the banks ofthe Jackal."
"Ah, I thought so," cried Jack; "no position so congenial to the truephilosopher as the horizontal."
"When the sun," continued Ernest, gravely, "is retiring behind theforest of cedars that bounds the horizon; when the palms, the mangoes,and gum trees, mass their verdure in distinct and isolated groups;when nature is making herself heard in a thousand melodious voices;when the hum of the insect is ringing in my ears, and the breeze isgently murmuring through the foliage; when thousands of birds arefluttering from grove to grove, sometimes breaking with their wingsthe smooth surface of the river; when the fish, leaping out of theirown element, reflect for an instant from their silvery scales thedeparting rays of the sun; when the sea, stretching away like a vastplain of boundless space, loses itself in the distance, then my eyesand thoughts are sometimes turned upwards towards the azure of thefirmament, and sometimes towards the objects around me, and I feel asif my mind were in search of something which has hitherto eluded itsgrasp, but which it is sure of eventually finding. Under thesecircumstances, I assure you, I would not exchange the moss on which Isat for the greatest throne in Christendom."
"But surely you do not call such a poetical exordium a profession?"remarked Becker.
"It must be admitted," said Wolston, "that the sun and trees havetheir uses, especially when the one protects us from the other; thesun, for example, dries up the moisture that falls from the trees, andthe trees shelter us from the burning rays of the sun. Still, I am ata loss myself to connect these things with a profession in a socialpoint of view."
"What would you have thought," inquired Ernest, "if you had seenNewton and Kepler gazing at the sky, before the one had determined themovements of the celestial bodies, and the other the laws ofgravitation? What would you have thought of Parmentier passing hoursand days in manipulating a rough-looking bulb, that possessed no kindof value in the eyes of the vulgar, but which afterwards, as thepotato, became the chief food of two-thirds of the population ofEurope? What would you think of Jenner, with his finger on his brow,searching for a means of preserving humanity from the scourge of thesmall-pox?"
"But these men had an object in view."
"Jenner, yes; but not the other two. They thought, studied,contemplated, and reflected, satisfied that one day their thoughts,calculations, and reflections would aid in disclosing some mystery ofNature; but it would have perplexed them sorely to have namedbeforehand the nature and scope of their discoveries."
"According to you, then," said Jack, "there could not be a moredignified profession than that of the scarecrow. The greatestdunderhead in Christendom might simply, by going a star-gazing, passhimself off as an adept in the occult sciences, and claim the right ofbeing a benefactor of mankind in embryo."
"At all events," replied Ernest, "you will admit that, so long as I amready to bear my share of the common burdens, and take my part inproviding for the common wants, and in warding of the common dangers,it is immaterial whether I occupy my leisure hours in reflection or inrifle practice."
"Well," said Jack, "when you have made some discovery that will enrolyour name with Descartes, Huygens, Cassini, and such gentlemen, youwill do us the honor of letting us know."
"With the greatest pleasure."
"It is a pity that Herschell has invented the telescope: he might haveleft you a chance for the glory of that invention."
"If I have not discovered a new star, brother, I discovered long agothat you would never be one."
"Well, I hope not; their temperature is too unequal for me--they areeither freezing or boiling: at least, so said Fritz the other day,whilst we were--all, what were we doing, Willis?"
"We were supposed to be hunting."
"Ah, so we were."
"Now, Master Jack, it is your turn to enlighten us as to your futurecareer."
"It is quite clear, Mr. Wolston, that, since my brothers are to be soillustrious, I cannot be an ordinary mortal; the honor of the familyis concerned, and must be consulted. I am, therefore, resolved tobecome either a great composer, like Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven; arenowned painter, like Titian, Carrache, or Veronese; or a great poet,like Homer, Virgil, Shakspeare, Dante, Milton, Goethe, and Racine."
"That is to say," remarked Mrs. Wolston, "that you are resolved to bea great something or other."
"Decidedly, madam; on reflection, however, as I value my eyesight, Imust except Homer and Milton."
"But have you not determined to which of the muses you will throw thehandkerchief?"
"I thought of music at first. It must be a grand thing, said I tomyself, that can charm, delight, and draw tears from the eyes of themultitude--that can inspire faith, courage, patriotism, devotion andenergy, and that, too, by means of little black dots with tails,interspersed with quavers, crotchets, sharps and flats."
"Have you composed a sonata yet?"
"No, madam; I was going to do so, but it occurred to me that I shouldrequire an orchestra to play it."
"And not having that, you abandoned the idea?"
"Exactly, madam. I then turned to poetry. That is an art fit for thegods; it puts you on a level with kings, and makes you in history evenmore illustrious than them. You ascend the capitol, and there you arecrowned with laurel, like the hero of a hundred fights."
"What is the subject of your principal work in this line?"
"Well, madam, I once finished a verse, and was going on with a second,but, somehow or other, I could not get the words to rhyme."
"Then it occurred to you that you had neither a printer nor readers,and you broke your lyre?"
"I was about to reproach you, Master Jack," said Wolston, "forundertaking too many things at once; but I see the ranks are beginningto thin."
"Beautiful as poetry may be," continued Jack, one gets tired ofreading and re-reading one's own effusions."
"It is even often intensely insipid the very first time," remarkedMrs. Wolston.
"There still remains painting," continued Jack. "Painting is vastlysuperior to either music or poetry. In the first place, it requires nointerpreter between itself and the public;--what, for example, remainsof a melody after a concert? nothing but the recollection. Poesy mayexcite admiration in the retirement of one's chamber; your nostrilsare, as it were, reposing on the bouquet, though often you have stilla difficulty in smelling anything. But if once you give life tocanvas, it is eternal."
"Eternal is scarcely the proper word," remarked Wolston: "thecelebrated fresco of Leonardo da Vinci, in the refectory of theDominicans at Milan, is nothing but a confused mass of colors
andfigures."
"I answer that by saying that the painting in question is only afresco. Besides, I use the word eternal in a modified or relativesense. A painting is preserved from generation to generation, whilstits successive races of admirers are mingled with the dust. Thensuppose a painter in his studio; he cannot look around him withoutawakening some memory of the past. He can associate with those heloves when they are absent, nay, even when they are dead, and theyalways remain young and beautiful as when he first delineated them."
"Take care," cried Ernest, pushing back his seat, "if you go on atthat rate you will take fire."
"No fear of that, brother, unless you have a star or a comet in yourpocket, in which case you are not far enough away yet."
These occasional bickerings between Ernest and Jack were always givenand taken in good part, and had only the effect of raising agood-humored laugh.
"Let the painter," he continued, "fall in with a spot that pleaseshim, he can take it with him and have it always before his eyes. Thehand of God or of man may alter the original, the forest may lose itstrees, the old castle may be destroyed by fire or time, the greenmeadow may be converted into a dismal swamp, but to him the landscapealways retains its pristine freshness, the same butterfly stillflutters about the same bush, the same bee still sucks at the sameflower."
"Really," said Mrs. Wolston, "it is a pity, after all, that you didnot achieve your second verse."
"And yet," continued Jack, "that is only a copy. How much more sublimewhen we regard the painter as a creator! If there is in the past orpresent a heroic deed--if there is in the infinity of his life onemoment more blessed than another, like Pygmalion he breathes into itthe breath of life, and it becomes imperishable. Who would think acentury or two hence of the victories of Fritz, unless the skill ofthe painter be called in to immortalize them!"
"I agree with you in thinking that the arts you name are the source ofbeautiful and legitimate emotions. But generally it is better to viewthem as a recreation or pastime, rather than a profession. They havedoubtless made a few men live in posterity, but, on the other hand,they have embittered and shortened the lives of thousands."
"You will never guess what led me to adopt this art in preference tothe two others. It was the discovery, that we made some years ago, ofa gum tree, the name of which I do not recollect."
"The myrica cerifera," said Ernest.
"From the gum of this tree the varnish may be made. Now, like mybrother, who, when he sees the sun overhead, considers he ought toprofit by the circumstance and become a discoverer, so I said tomyself: You have varnish, all you want, therefore, to produce amagnificent painting is canvas, colors, and talent; consequently, youmust not allow such an opportunity to pass--it would be unpardonable.Accordingly, I set to work with an energy never before equalled; and,"added he, showing the design he had just finished, "here are two eyesand a nose, that I do not think want expression."
"Capital!" said Mrs. Wolston; "your painting will be in admirablekeeping with the hangings my daughters have promised to work for yourmamma."
"Nobody can deny," continued Jack, laughing, "that the colony isadvancing in civilization; it already possesses a conqueror, a memberof the Royal Society minus the diploma, and an Apelles in embryo."
"It is now your turn, Frank."
"I," replied Frank, in his mild but penetrating voice, "if I may beallowed to liken the flowers of the garden to the occupations of humanlife, I should prefer the part of the violet."
"It hides itself," said Mrs. Wolston, "but its presence is not theless felt."
"When I have allowed myself to indulge in dreams of the future, I havepictured myself dwelling in a modest cottage, partially shrouded inivy, not very far from the village church. My coat is a littlethreadbare."
"Why threadbare?" inquired Sophia.
"Because there are a number of very poor people all round me, and Icannot make up my mind to lay out money on myself when it is wanted bythem."
"Such a coat would be sacred in our eyes," said Mrs. Wolston.
"In the morning I take a walk in my little garden; I inspect theflowers one after the other; chide my dog, who is not much of aflorist; then, perhaps, I retire to my study, where I am always readyto receive those who may require my aid, my advice, or my personalservices."
Here Mrs. Wolston shook Frank very warmly by the hand.
"Sometimes I go amongst the laborers in the fields, talk to them ofthe rain, of the fine weather, and of HIM who gives both. I enter thehome of the artizan, cheer him in his labors, and interest myself inthe affairs of his family; I call the children by their names, caressthem, and make them my friends. I talk to them of our Redeemer, andthus, in familiarly conversing with the young, I find means ofinstructing the old. They, perhaps, tell me of a sick neighbor; Idirect my steps there, and endeavor to mitigate the pangs of diseaseby words of consolation and hope; I strive to pour balm on the woundedspirit, and, if the mind has been led away by the temptations of theworld, I urge repentance as a means of grace. If death should step in,then I kneel with those around, and join them in soliciting a placeamongst the blessed for the departed soul."
"We shall all gladly aid you in such labors of love," said Mrs.Wolston.
"When death has deprived a family of its chief support, then I appealto those whom God has blessed with the things of this world for themeans of assisting the widow and the fatherless. To one I say, 'Youregret having no children, or bemoan those you have lost; here aresome that God has sent you.' I say to another, 'You have only onechild, whilst you have the means of supporting ten; you can at leastcharge yourself with two.' Thus I excite the charity of some and thepity of others, till the bereaved family is provided for. I obtainwork for those that are desirous of earning an honest living, I bringback to the fold the sheep that are straying, and rescue those thatare tottering on the brink of infidelity."
Here the girls came forward and volunteered to assist Frank in suchworks of mercy.
"I accept your proffered aid, my dear girls, but, as yet, I am onlypicturing a future career for myself. After a day devoted to suchlabors as these, I return to my home, perhaps to be welcomed by alittle circle of my own, for I hope to be received as a minister ofthe Protestant Church, and, as such, may look forward to a partner inmy joys and troubles. Should Providence, however, shape my destinyotherwise, I shall have the poor and afflicted--always a numerousfamily--to bestow my affections upon. But, whilst much of my time isthus passed amongst the sorrowing and the sick, still there are hoursof gaiety amongst the gloom--there are weddings, christenings, andmerrymakings--there are happy faces to greet me as well as sadones--and I am no ascetic. I take part in all the innocent amusementsthat are not inconsistent with my years or the gravity of myprofession--but you seem sad, Mrs. Wolston."
"Yes, Frank; you have recalled my absent son, Richard, so vividly tomy memory, that I cannot help shedding a tear."
"Is your son in orders then, madam?"
"He is precisely what you have pictured yourself to be, a minister ofthe gospel, and a most exemplary young man."
"If," remarked Becker, "we have hitherto refrained from inquiringafter your son, madam, it was because we had no wish to recall to yourmind the distance that separated you from him, and we should be gladto know his history."
"There is little to relate; he is very young yet, and as soon as hehad obtained his ordination, he was offered a mission to Oregon, whichhe accepted; but the ship having been detained at the Cape of GoodHope, he regarded the accident as a divine message, to convert theheathen of Kafraria, where he now is."
"It is no sinecure to live amongst these copper-colored rascals," saidWillis; "they are constantly stealing the cattle of the Dutch settlersin their neighborhood. About twelve years ago, our ship was stationedat the Cape, and I was sent with a party of blue jackets into theinterior, as far as Fort Wiltshire, on the Krieskamma, the most remotepoint of the British possessions in South Africa. There we dispersed acloud of them that had been for weeks l
iving upon other people'sproperty. They are tall, wiry fellows, as hardy as a pine tree, and asdaring as buccaneers. The chief of the _kraals_, or huts, wear leopardor panther skins, and profess to have the power of causing rain tofall, besides an endless number of other miraculous attributes.Amongst them, a wife of the ordinary class costs eight head of cattle,but the price of a young lady of the higher ranks runs as high astwenty cows. When a Kafir is suspected of a crime, his tongue istouched seven times with hot iron, and if it is not burnt he isdeclared innocent."
"I am afraid," said Jack, "if they were all subjected to that test,they would be found to be a very bad lot. But now, since we have alldecided upon a profession, let us hear what the young ladies intenddoing with themselves; let them consult their imagination for abeautiful future gilded with sunshine, and embroidered with gold."
"There is only one occupation for women," said Mrs. Becker, "and thatis too well defined to admit of speculation, and too important toadmit of fanciful embellishments."
"Well, then, mother, let us hear what it is."
"It is to nurse you, and rear you, when you are unable to helpyourselves; to guide your first steps, and teach you to lisp yourfirst syllables. For this purpose, God has given her qualities thatattract sympathy and engender love. She is so constituted as to imparta charm to your lives, to share in your labors, to soothe you when youare ruffled, to smooth your pillow when you are in pain, and tocherish you in old age; bestowing upon you, to your last hour, caresthat no other love could yield. These, gentlemen, are the duties andoccupations of women; and you must admit, that if it is not ourprovince to command armies, or to add new planets to the galaxy of thefirmament; that if we have not produced an Iliad or an AEnead, aJerusalem Delivered, or a Paradise Lost, an Oratorio of the Creation,a Transfiguration, or a Laocoon, we have not the less our modestutility."
"I should think so, mother," replied Jack; "it would take no end ofphilosophers to do the work of one of you."
"It surprises me," said Willis, "that not one of you has selected thefinest profession in the world--that of a sailor."
"The finest profession of the sea, you mean, Willis. There is no doubtof its being the finest that can be exercised on the ocean, since itis the only one. If it is the best, Willis, it is also the worst."
"It has also produced great men," continued Willis; "there areColumbus, Vasco de Gama, and Captain Cook, to whom you are indebtedfor a new world."
"No thanks to them for that," said Jack; "if they had not discovered anew world we should have been in an old one."
"That does not follow," remarked Ernest; "the new world would haveexisted even if it had not been discovered, and you might have foundyour way there all the same."
"Not very likely," replied Jack, "unless one of the stars you intendto discover had shown us the way; otherwise it would only have existedin conjecture; and as nobody under such circumstances would havedreamt of settling in it, they would not have been shipwrecked duringthe voyage."
"Very true," remarked Fritz; "if we had not been here we should, veryprobably, have been somewhere else, and perhaps in a much worseplight. Let me ask if there is any one here who regrets his presentposition?"
Willis was about to reply to this question, but Sophia observing thatthere was something wrong with the handkerchief that he wore round hisneck, hastened towards him to put it to rights, and he was silent.
The hour had now arrived when the families separated for the night.Mary was preparing as usual to recite the evening prayer, but beforedoing so she whispered a few words in her mother's ear.
"Yes, my child;" and, turning to Frank, she added, "Since you aredetermined to adopt the ministry as a profession, it is but right thatwe should for the future entrust ourselves to your prayers."
The two families were now located in their respective eyries; andJack, whilst escorting the Wolstons to the foot of their tree, said toSophia,
"I thought the chimpanzee had been playing some prank."
"So he has. Has nobody told you of it?"
"No, not a soul."
"Then I will be as discreet as my neighbors; good night, Master Jack."