• • • THE BUBBLE. NO.4. Single Copies, 5 Cts. LANSING, AUGUST S, lS6S. Hezekiah Z. Soiemnstyie, Editor. THE B unDLE 18 pubHsbcd by the S'l'OICAL P.EN YANKEn..~' SOCIETY, at the AORRICU~' 'runAL CoLLEG E . .. · - Jssucd on Saturday. June 20th; nga.iD on Bo.tludny. July 18th, (md .at intervals of three weeks tbctC'.nftor, untLI, in nil, seven numbers hnvo been published. SubsolJp -uw price (or the five Inst numbers, 25 cents .. Correspondence solicited. All Communications must be o.ddresscd to the SECUETARY Oil' TIJE S . P. Y. 8 . , ltho:u. STATE AOR'L COI,LEGR. EDITORIAL. Whenever, in"the course of events, a human being is seen to put forth stupendous exertions solely for the ndvnneement of the r~lco, persevering in his good work in spite of obstacles which appeal' to ordinary minds uu surmountable, daring the frowns of the world, defying tho might of col lected opposition, hoping for no reo ward but that 8111'e one of an approv· ing conscience, to win perhaps n. du bious fame, with eyes fixed steadily upon the object to be gained, pursu ing his unuevinting way-wherever, we say, such a spectacle g laddens Otl\' earth, notwithstanding th e utter per. versity of human nature, there is in· spired in the swelling breasts ot men emotions of wonder lml1. reverence. Such n. figur~, we imagine, ns this we have described, do "We, in the course we are traveling, present to our as tonished and admiring cotemporaries. Yon have seen how, in the darkness that overshadowed human affairs, our torcb, lighted by the spark of pbilantlll'opy, did flrst irradiate the gAneral gloom. You know by what Incredible effort the illuminatlon has been sustained, and made to grow broader and brighter with each roll ing month, until, a:ter fogs of preju dice and black clouds of ignorance bave been dispelled, it now ligbts up our whole field of labor with one brilliant blaze of glory 1 All this through us. Furthermore, we have renewed our promise that our effotts sbail not be intermitted. until a vast deal more of wholesome correction has been administered to needy man I Assuming as a fact that whatever we do henceforth to advance our cu terprise will bo weil taken, believing, also, that the serious tone of OUl' pa per will not be objectionable to our dear Public, after th e chasteniIfg she has received, and hopin g tbat in eve rything sbe will endeavor to follow our advice, and to be like UB, serious, solemn, th e fourth number of our pa· per is graciously submitted by the EDITOR. SALTANDL • Ego went to sce a ball In the Chapel- College hnll; Night was warm nnd room wt\.~ hot, Drenth of st.lrrlng nil' Wf\8 not. Ji)n granUe music mnI[E. Dut now a thought crossed tbe m uslciau's , brollt, No s~one l' crossed thnt. followod by a iraIn ; . ltl,uslclall's wholo demcanor changed ; h e broko Fort.h much excited, muoh excited spok o; DoLIghtful musio! and delightful Cat! Who would havo thought tbat thou cOlildst. sing like thai ! Suoh harmony must. charm the very "gords;" Oh, Cat! t.hy wil ole in testines must be chords! Thrlco fortunnte woul(l lbat musician be Could m nke an illstl'lt mellt. like unto theo! Impossible! and yet. perhnps e'en I Am thus apPOinted by tho "Bords" to try; Dy list'ni ng oft. thcy can but lmow roy skill, Mycar Is good , and- yes I YOW I wJll, I'll bu l1<1 a box, I ' ll car ve it very fino, Fit out 'twill be in music so- divine ! And Puss, thnt molody III thee contaln~d Can I transfer to this my end is gained ! And t.hou, who art aU harmony wUhln, Oh, Cat. I with theo, .wlth lhoo wUlI begin! He .said, and Boon wit.h /ilea-It.by ,atep he passed OutsIde the door, om' hero's taU he grasped; He cnught pOOl' J1eUa, ca rriod out his plan, EntaUed tho CURSE OF l'IDDLES upon man! DEGENERAOY OF 'l'HE .'l'IMES, BY O. XERXES. Pape!' 1Vo. 1. In the vast range of thought, there is not, perchance, a the me lDore wor thy of the ciassic pen of an abler schoi ar, one more applicable to the present depraved condition of SOCiety, than is embodied in tbat nntiquatedapoth. em-human degeneracy. The world is looking towards the advent of a mod· ern P ersias tqat is to shllke the an gry scourges of his st~rn satire over a degenerate race- .to unveil in his sportive sarcasm the frightful depth "of crime and wlckedes". Indeed like the P eloponnesian age, honesty and civil virtue has come to be less os .. teemed than wit and astideness. Soph i s ts, fictitious wis dom and tricks of .disputation are certainiy not want ing,.yet tile art of putting lies in place of truth and converting t"uth into error has been greatly facilitated by the inven ~i o n of a modern p eriod (the Steam .Pl'ess) , the question theh that would naturally suggest itself _ to our mind, and the one m ost (lim cult. of solution is how, and through what rational eXl)ediencies, cnn a higher state of virtue IIncl morality be attained? W e are aware that th e s un of r ea son has long b een obscured the smoky ·cloudi of WOI' • . bel\lnd : That hatred and ~vil~r .passions h;ve' triumphed in a-measure over the no , bier aspirations 0'[ the soul. Crimes -and d'eeds of""hame that would once congeal the blood with ,horror, ,are ( now gazed upon with the .mildest complaconcy. A·SOCIAL. DY P . connETT, >r. B. I pave of late been consulting vari . QUS dictionari~s to find if possible, a definition of the word "social" which . ShO\lld correspond with iny ut;l,der standing '.)f it, afkol' some experi~nce at,what nre popularly called Socials, or Social gatheringB. M.y search has proved futile. Worcester, Webster and Walker, although they give the word an attempt to define it, all 'curiously but signally fail, if my ex perience is worth anything, for the definition which they in common give, (we make a noun of their ad noun ) and that which I sbould give are just diametrically opposed to each otber. For the benefit of t,hose of your readers who chance not to be rich In all sorts of experienco, I will at this time gi ve a descriptio,n ofa Social wllich was held in the good city of L . - - , nnd which I in company with n young friend attended. It wns a pleasant evening in the latter part of September, 1867, (I like to be particular in dates) tbat, having received intelligence of til,e entertam· ment to be given, we set out to walk to the place of gathering. ·1, who am naturally of a sanguine disposition, was in high spirits, and indulged in antiCipations of a "splendid time." My companion was more experien ced than I, and occasionally hEt would shake his head, and say significantly: ' ''Wait.'' I know not whether he had any premonitions 01 what was gOln'g I to be the state of affairs, bnt I do , know t,hat his manner had great effect upon my feelings, and before our I ·walk was completed I had relapsed I into anxious silence. We walked sev- t er miles, and upon arriving at our I -destination we foun,d the company assembled. One circumstance I Innst not omit; as we opened the hall door toentert,.R draft of air, coming from the inner room, rushed against us. It was as cold as if it llad traversed the Arctic regions, aud it struck a chill to '-the very center of my body. I hesi- , tated to enter the place, but my com- . panion was already in, and I was . forced to follow or remain alone on : the outside. While on the way I had been pic turing , to myself the scene which -'VQui\! greet us at our entrance: :Y liad ' fa'bri9Uted a company all anima tion, )vit)' flashing eyes, etc., but how , far w'ls my im'.ge from 'tM reallty. No animation-uot a flash! , Ali was still, and cold, and death 'like! Possibly they may have been seventy-Ave persons present when we : ~ptered , and they were, all nrrang~d systematically around thero~m, some ' sltthig SO!ll~ standing like statures of marble or ice-aU calm and motion ' less. Silk an<:l satins and broadcloths wer~ in a~un4all~9t but they semped I to bring no .iota of warmpth. I My friend t,ook up his pOSition in l\ ' corner, and I deposited myself in n chair peaide him, and resolved to walt till the spirit m.oved this inert mass. I gazed aroun.d the room. aU.d noted the various face9 and the dif ferent expressions upon the same. Some countenances wore a look of l'esignation, as if th eir owners were determined to endure the infi.iction patiently. Other faces wefe contrac ted into frowns which had chrystaliz eel there in the general frigidityofthe place. Oth ers, again, bore a sickly meaningless smile, the frozen frag ments, happy, ora healthy one which had been "nippetl in the bud" and congealed by the frosty atmosphere of this "Sociai." ~till others exhibited no feeling whatever. A few, lastly I bore expression of impatience and anxiety which amounted nlmO::lt to intolerable agony. The only person in the I'oom beside myself who appeared (0 take the Slightest interest in what was going forward, was an old gentleman at the farther sIde, who was apparently as green in this sort of business as was I, and who was at present engaged in a frantic attempt to take in the whole thing at once, but whether through his eyes or Ilis mouth I was unable I thougl~t I saU1some to determine. hing li\l:.e a sigh escaping [rorp .!lie lips of a very nice young lady ,near m8'" b,ut, It froze before it reached my ears a,~d I cannot state positively with regard to it. A gentleman a short distance off assayed a yawn but happening to thing that it would not appeal' well in that place ho suppress ed it. bory emotion wh en I first ~ntered the room and beheld t he forlorn spec tacle had been of deep commisera tion for the poor beings here entrap ed; lat.terly I hael taken a sort of grim pleasure in seeing the abject creatures suffer, kn'owing as I did that it was ' all voluntarily; .finally I began to ad- mire the heroism displayed by the CUriOUR animals. , ~'h e spirit moved at length, but feebly and with Iminful effort. A ' gen'tleman, wttll the air of bITe 'WllI :'Ing to make ~acrillce ,in the cause of Rull'ering humanity, rose from his , seat and sta lked precisely three' times around the room, and Rat again. ' Ar· tel' a time two ladles arose; cl'o~s~ . the room, and sat again. There "vas no farther demonstrations for an hour or two exc~pting perhaps an occa slonal whisper or yawn, and then af ter n fashionable piece of music, "IffP'k jrom ' the tom'bs t/wtdolejul sound," 01' ~omething similar, tlie meeting broke ' up; and considcri'ng that the themom~ter atood at 70 -de grees, it was the most frigid' evening I ever enjoyed. I verny believ~ 's few such Socials would have squelch ed the Jate July weat.her. What is the ,ise of all this?' Is it at all nec essary that' wh en p ~vple come to~ gether for pleasure, they should be have themselve so rigidly and frigid .1y? Why can',t they be liveiy ,and e,ijoy themselve.,:"'laugh and talk and l'omp- yes, romp-and have a good time with one another? That's what I understand by being sociable. How is it with you 1\1:1'. Editor? BED BUGS. How vulgar t I hear some of my learned friend s exclaim. ~'hey would ' give you some long name that would dislocate thejaws of half the persons 'trying to pronounce it, and after hav ing 'done this, th,ey, with the broken ' jaw, would know no more what is the 'subject th;\O before. Now everyone kllows what a bed bug is, or if they d~ not, it Is .ri indication that their eudcation has been sadly neglected. I will however attempt to give sonie of the more prominent characteristics of ' this interesting little 'creaure. ' Their form Is that of an oval, being "like th e dutchman, nearly ' as bi'g one ,yay as another." 'fheir general ' outline is what would be termed the curve of beauty, ' mid would 'answer very well as " 'class illustration 'of that line. The shape of t.he head, rightly IndiClltes a very high ' degree ofintelllgence, and t~at this is so, is, shdwn in th e manuer in which they attack tl)eir prey. They are ' of 'n bea\ltiful rich wine cdlbr. giving to the admiring bnt ignorant beholder the idea that the delicious beverage is its natural, food. III their babits they are nocturnal, seld o:m venturing -forth in th e day time, unless disturb ed by wicked and cruel boys. I sup ·pose that the Bun hurts their eyes, -They conceal themselves during the day in some secluded and retired spot, whore they remain until darkness envelopes the earth, wheu th ey ven~ ture forth seeking whOln they may devour. When very hungry they : • • prey alike on all; but their natural food, as far as my experi~llce goes, is editors and perBOllS of literary turn of mind. They generally attack their victim while It is n Bleep; eating not lbe flesh, as some suppose, but drink ing the blood, leaving it If not dead, weak and prostrate. Some have attempted the exterm ination ot the beautiful creature, but happily, they multiply with such exceeding great rapidity that it has been found quite impossible. If any of teaders ·would liken few specimens for pets we shall be most happy to supply them. They are easily kept, as tbey thrive well on kerosine. , Lest some should tbink tbat these animals nre very numerous where I live. I will say, that I never slept with more than fifty in bed at one time. TIMOTHY PETRICK. From our 'rra-veling Correspondent .. Mr. Edit01':-A few days since, my curiosity drew me to the hermitage of Cub and Friday, the locality of which is well J{nown to It great portion of your readers. '1'he excE"ntricities of these two individuals, the latter of which is a student at the Agr. Col - lege, th e iormer a kindred spirit pick· ed up somewhere in this vicinity, Bomestimes assumes forms of the most grotesque and ludicl'oUS character. Their appearance is unique, their con versation, couched in terms of a pe culiar naivete, is fraught with an un .. looked for originality; while their mode of life is marked with primitive simplicity. In a word they are perfect anomolies. On arriving at their hut my knocks were ansWel'ed by a gruff tone, which although it granted ad-. mission, rather advised retreat. En tering the apartments, n scene of strange r ... lity met my gaze. An as pect of culture and barbarity was cu riously intermixed. The numerous books in one corner spoke a taste for information, while · the promiscuous distribution of the many articles nec essary in the economy of their mode of life revealed a· deve l.may-care-for the-books disposition. Wben first I entered their abode, (it being in ,the morning) Friday was just rising from the night's repose while Cub was til ted back against tho wall appar ently absorbed in contemplaHng a butcher-knife of no mean dimcntions, lying on a shelf opposite. Both were party endUilwhi!le but being an old ac quaintance I was welcomed immedi· ately upon being recognized. Soon my attention was attracted by n moving about in the loft above, which, Cub explained, was a beast of prey which they kept up there. Soon however the beast made its appear ance on the ladder in the form of " brusque individual, who made his exit from the building afterl ndulging a few minutes in a sii,'nt contemple tion of the surr oundings. These per sons seem to rogard their mode ofliv ing as the acme of domestic happi ness, thinking with beairs and pan thers, that they are as happy under thEir present roof as tho' under that of the most palatial mansion in the land. Such personages are they, moving about clad in their rustic habiliments within their not less rustive walls. One thinks theyare gnomes come to the surface for a look at the superfldal world. CI-. I'rHIGNS WHICH IZ KNO'r WIZE. Felin desirus uv bennyfitin my fel- ' loes, I hoali' the folin indicashuns of things which Is knot wize will be ap prcashyatted. It is knot wize tew stand long in a thunder shour, when it ralles much out dores, \lnles you want tew gIt w'et. It iz knot wize tew eta two menny kewcumbres when tha air slmrse. It iz knot wize tew think that SU!l1 kinds uv "mowsick hez charms tew" dew eVl'ythlng, at aul times uv day (Brassy Band pleez N. Bee). It is knot wize_ to slea.p two long dewrin reBsytashulls or leckchers, as yeu mite bee knuled 011, sum way. I may right a S-A on SUIll utbel' 8ubjick if this seams toprodeuceenny good rezults. AJ"LICK ZANDER, N. T. G. ' ''fhe past aml the future aTe noL11ing In fnco of the sterner to·da.y.1I And, why, when the present is, as line dividing the it were, but ' 0. mighty past from tbe dim but end le'3S future, shall we say that they are noth.ing in comparison with it? Because 'only to-day can we'~eize upon the lessons of the past, its suc cesses and its failures, its varied reve lations of truth, and so apply them as wisely to meet our present duties, and prepare ourselves for the events and responsibilities of the future. We can act only in the present, but it should ever be witb wise reference to tbat future from whicb our to-days T. · are beiIlg made. THE J UNIOR EXHIBITION comes off upon the 26th of tlie present month. The class of Juniors is larg er than ever before at this institut.ion, and it is expected everybody will be present to heal' t.hem on the Gll.EAT DAY. SQIEN'rIFIC AND O'rHER I'rEMS. NOTICE TO P. G.-The insect you Bend us is the ElongaipblllatWJ jtl.to di'gtl.tu _, according to R. H. Jr. WILMOUTH, the famous naturalist, in his new classification divides all " Bugs" into "Insects" and "Out· sectll," or those that live indoors and those that live outdoors. 'The old expression "Cuff him up to a peak and cuff the peak off," is now rendered: "Belabor him into the form of a pyramid and truncate tbe same." Wby is anyono vituperating the. successive numbers of our paper fiS they come out, engaged ill a childish pastime? Because he is simply "blowing up" bubbles. THE following has lieen handed us for publication: Ou, OKEMOS! we're with you onee again I \Ve usc for you the pen we once did uso, To ghow it still is true; mcthlnks we hcnl' A spirit in yOUl" forests ans'rIng us · To bid the tl"l1fIDts wel('ome to tho town. Andoh. GREATCENTY.ltl gay jndecdyoulook! How high you Uftyonr spires Into tho s k y 1 How proud yOll arcl how eleUllly, and how pure I Yon bolngs havo that move,-thut Wlll, whose smile :Makes glad, whoso frown Is wIthcrlng, whose forms Do all the Impres8 bear of nymphs sereno I Again, I recoived an invitation from the young ladies of Okemo. to pay them a visit, this time for tbe purpose of aSSisting in organizing a "Young People's Social Society," the proceeds of which are to be applied to the purchase of church furniture. I went, with others, and we were well repaid for our pains. It was on the,cve of Friday, July 24th. A nice party met at the residenee of Mr. Walker, where they were cordially welcolnpd and entertained. The following officers were elected by the Society: Pres., l\fiss L. Tiu ner; Vice Pres., Miss 'Vhite j Soo'y, Miss M. Lambden: Treas., Miss F. Potter. It was decided to hold tbe Socials once in two weeks, on Friday eve., ten cents being the initiation fee fo~ those deSiring to become mem berB, and five cents the regular fort nightly dues. The evening passed off very pleasantly, and we believe nil went home well satisfied. Au REVOIR. The memberB of the Social Society of Okemos, beld their first regula. meeting on Friday evening, Aug. 7th, nnd perfected their organization. 'rhey named themselves the PHILO 'IELA SOCIETY. We wish the Asso ciation all success in its prniseworthy efforts. ,