FREE
PRESS
FOn THE
VOL. T.)
WEEK ENDING SATURDAY, MAY 6, 1848.
(NO. 5.
OREGON FREE PRESS.
PuiiLiHEt) Kvitnv Satohdav.
Geo. L. Cunitr, Editor and Proprietor.
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MERCY TO MAN.
Death was made by law the guardian of all things.
Prime assent, real conservator of social security erim
keeper of the world's moveables. Death, a shepherd,
avenged the wrongs of slc.len mutton; Deatli stood be
hind eveiy counter, prob clor of chapman's slock ; Death
was the day and night guard of the highw ay traveller
against the highway thief; Death watched ox and ass;
ttie goose on the common, the hen on the roost. Even
at the alter, Death took his cautious stand, thai Hymen
Incident op the Mexican Vah. II happened soon
after Maj. Twiggs, of the Marines, was killed, in the
attack, upon the City, that Lieut. Morris, of the Rifles,
was ordered to make a charge, in order to attain a cer
tain point. Deeming bis own men too few for the un
dertaking, and seeing the Marines without an officer,
be ordered them to help bim. They replied that be was
no officer of theirs, and refused be remonstrated, and
they still refused.
Finding authority and remonstrance of no avail, be
shouted to them "Marines, F am the son of Com. Mor
ris if you have any veneration for bis memory, follow
me." This appeal was irrcsistable; their sailor hearts
were touched, and with a cry, as of joy, they bounded
forward, and shared bis dangers and bis perils, until
success was obtained.
It is pleasant it is refreshing indeed to mc, (o read
of such incidents as the above. They tell of a heart
a humane heart and prove that there is one.
might not ne scoiiea, oeirauueu ny wicked bigamist.
ue minimis curanai aiors. J urn where he would, the
roeues' nath was dun willi crraves. Nevertheless, ihn
-world grew no belter; made no visible return to that
happy state, ere hemp was made a sovereign remedy
for wrong. And so by degrees, Death lost somewhat
of his reputation with the members of the world, and
hy degrees many tilings were taken out of bis charge.
It was found that sheep were stolen tradesmen's
goods lifted pockets picked lien roosts forced and
maids wickedly married to men already bound it was
seen that these abominations continued and increased,
aye, in the very face of the great ghastly bugbear,Deatb,
and so his watch and ward were made a lighter task.
He was gradually relieved of many of his social du
ties the world, to the astonishment of some folks, still
spinning on its axis, though the life of immortal man
was not, as in the good old limes, offered to stolen colt,
to the king's gracious face unlawfully stamped in
counterfeit metal, to flic hundred other sins all made
mortal hy the wisdom of untaught humanity. Truly,
justice, turning back the leaves of the jail calendar,
might sil awhile in sackcloth and ashes, penitent for
past transgressions past wrongs committed in her
moral blindness 1 The sword of justice! an awful
weapon truly: a weapon, working out the will of
highest Providence : a solemn instrument which man
solemnly acknowledges. This has been, and may be.
Yet, thinking of the world's mistakes, of the cruel
blunders worked by law on man, the sword of jus-r
tice of so-called christian justice robed and crmined
may sometimes seem to the eye of grieved humanity as
terrible as the blood-dripping tomahawk of the wild
revengeful savage. The sword of justice! May not
the time come it will come surely as the sun of far-oil'
years when justice shall lay down her sword? when,
with belter wisdom, she shall vindicate her awful
mission to mankind, yet shed no drop of blood?
St. Giles and St. James.
Education. It is stated that in the United Stales one
child in every four goes to school in France, one in
twonty in Poland, one in seventy-eight in Russia,
one in three hundred and sixty-seven,-that one being a
noble. In Prussia, it ought to have added, every child
is sent to a place of education.
Statistics of immigration. By St. Louis papers wc
perceive that Gen. Kearney, in returning from Califor
nia to the Slales,mct nine hundred and forty wagons of
immigrants all, or nearly all, bound for this country.
The last, who had left the settlements on the 26th of
June last, were met on the S8th of last July between
the North Fork of Piatt and Sweetwater. They were
believed to be, and considered themselves, too Lite to
reach Oregon that season, and contemplated passing
the winter at Fori Bridger.
Wc have not been able to ascertain as to the proba
bility of any of the Immigrants to this country having
wintered at Bridger's.
The Mormon force that made a settlement at the
" Great Salt Lake" we sec enumerated at 685 wasons.
According to this, therefore, over 1G0O wagons came
through the " South Pass" last year.
The New Route to China. The distance to China,
from England, by the old route, is computed to be
18,000 miles, and it takes from four to six months to
accomplish it. By a railroad across the United States
the distance would he as follows:
From England to New York, 3,000 miles.
From N. Y. to the mouth of the Columbia, 3,000 "
From the Columbia to China, direct, . . 5,000 "
Making the total distance, .... 11,000 "
By the nevw route across the United Stales on Whit
ney's railroad to this Territory, and hence by steam lb
Chang-hea, in China, the distance could be performed
in thirty-one days! The distance between New York
and China, by the route sailed, is about the same as
that from London eighteen thousand miles. By Whit
ney's railroad it would he reduced to eight thousand
miles.
Giieat and Small Minds. A man's talent is not al
ways to be estimated by the amount of noise and bus
tle he makes in the world. Great and deep rivers al-"
ways flow with silent majesty; while shallow brooks
make much noise, gurgling along and sending up con
siderable spray.
Lovo is tho shadow of the morning, which decreas
es as the day advances. Friendship is the shadow of
the evening, which strengthens with the setting sun of
life. What shadows we arc, and what shadows we
pursue J