A Catechism of Familiar Things Part 44

Where was Troy?

Troy, anciently called Ilium, was the capital of Troas, in Asia. It became famous for the ten years' siege it sustained against the Greeks; the history of this event is commemorated in the poems of Homer and Virgil.

Is not the harp an instrument of high antiquity in Great Britain?

Yes: it was a favorite instrument with the ancient Saxons in Great Britain. The celebrated Alfred entered the Danish camp disguised as a harper, because the harpers pa.s.sed through the midst of the enemy unmolested on account of their calling. The same deception was likewise practised by several Danish chiefs, in the camp of Athelstan, the Saxon. The bards, or harpers of old, were the historians of the time; they handed down from generation to generation the history of remarkable events, and of the deeds and lineage of their celebrated chiefs and princes. The harpers of Britain were formerly admitted to the banquets of kings and n.o.bles: their employment was to sing or recite the achievements of their patrons, accompanying themselves on the harp. No nations have been more famous for their harps and harpers than the Welsh and Irish.

_Recite_, to repeat or chant in a particular tone or manner.

_Achievement_, a great or heroic deed.

_Patron_, benefactor, one who bestows favors.

What instrument was famous among the ancient Greeks?

The Lyre: the invention, or rather discovery, of this instrument is ascribed by them to their most celebrated deities. It is supposed to have originated from the discovery of a dead tortoise, the flesh of which had dried and wasted, so that nothing was left within the sh.e.l.l but sinews and cartilages: these, tightened and contracted, on account of their dryness, were rendered sonorous. Some one, Mercury or Apollo, they affirm, in walking along, happening to strike his foot against the tortoise, was greatly pleased with the sound it produced: thus was suggested to him the first idea of a lyre, which he afterwards constructed in the form of a tortoise, and strung with the dried sinews of dead animals. The stringed instruments already described were made to give out musical sounds, by causing a vibratory motion in their strings by means of the fingers.

_Sinew_, a tendon; that which unites a muscle to a bone.

_Cartilage_, a gristly, smooth, solid substance, softer than bone.

_Vibratory_, shaking.

Who was Mercury?

The heathen G.o.d of eloquence, letters, &c., and the messenger of the other G.o.ds.

Who was Apollo?

The G.o.d of music, poetry, medicine, and the fine arts.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PICKING COTTON.]

[Ill.u.s.tration: GATHERING TEA.]

What is a Tortoise?

A well-known animal, with a thick sh.e.l.ly covering, belonging to the order of reptiles; there are two species, the sea and the land tortoise; the first named is called a turtle, and affords delicious food; land tortoises live to a very great age. It is only one sort which furnishes the beautiful sh.e.l.l so much prized. Tortoises are found in many parts of the world. The turtles on the Brazilian sh.o.r.e are said to be so large as to be enough to dine fourscore men: and in the Indian sea, the sh.e.l.ls serve the natives for boats.

Of what are the strings of the Lyre, &c., composed?

Sometimes of either bra.s.s or silver wire, &c., but most commonly of catgut.

What is Catgut?

The intestines of sheep or lambs, dried or twisted, either singly or several together. Catgut is also used by watch-makers, cutlers, and other artificers, in their different trades. Great quant.i.ties are imported from France and Italy.

Are there no other kind of Instruments besides those already described?

Yes, music and musical instruments have progressively improved; and it would be a needless task to enumerate the numbers of instruments of each kind now in use; many, as for instance the organ, the piano, musical boxes, &c., are exceedingly complex and ingenious in their construction, as well as remarkable for the sweetness of their various sounds; some, as the two first-named, are played with the fingers, and produce any melody or combination of sound at the will of the performer; others, as the musical-box, barrel-organ, &c., produce a particular melody, or a certain number of melodies, by means of machinery. In the use of the last-named the performer is not at all indebted to his own musical skill, as he has only to turn the handle which sets the machinery in motion, and the musical box, or barrel-organ, will continue playing till it has finished the tunes to which it is set.

Upon what principle do these last-mentioned instruments perform?

The barrel-organ and musical box both play on nearly the same principle, though the former is turned by a handle, and the latter only requires a certain spring to be touched, in order to set it off or to stop it. Their machinery consists of a barrel p.r.i.c.ked with bra.s.s pins; when the barrel revolves, these ping lift a series of steel springs of different lengths and thicknesses, and the vibration of these springs when released, produces the different notes.

What is Painting?

The art of representing objects in nature, or scenes in human life, with fidelity and expression, either in oil or water colors, &c.

_Fidelity_, truth, faithfulness.

_Oil Colors_, those colors which are mixed up with oil, as the others are with water.

Is not this art of great antiquity?

There is not the slightest doubt of it; but to name the country where it was first practised, or the circ.u.mstances attending its origin, is beyond the power of the historian. About a century after the call of Abraham, Greek and Egyptian tradition tells us of a colony planted at Sicyon, by an Egyptian, who brought with him the knowledge of painting and sculpture, and founded the earliest and purest school of Greek art. The walls of Babylon were adorned with paintings of different kinds of animals, hunting expeditions, combats, &c. Allusions to this custom of the Babylonians, of decorating their walls with paintings, are found in the Bible.

_Tradition_, a history or account delivered from mouth to mouth without written memorials; communication from age to age.

_Allusion_, reference.

_Decorating_, ornamenting.

_Sicyon_, a kingdom of Peloponnesus, in ancient Greece.

Were the Egyptians acquainted with this art?

It is now little doubted that, although painting and sculpture existed in Egypt, and were probably at their highest condition, eighteen centuries before the Christian era, yet, at a still earlier period, these arts were known in the kingdom of Ethiopia; and it is considered likely, that the course of civilization descended from Ethiopia to Egypt. There is, however, no record of any Egyptian painter in the annals of the art; and it does not appear that it ever flourished in that country, or that other nations were much indebted to Egypt for their knowledge of it.

_Era_, age, period.

_Ethiopia_, the ancient name of the kingdoms of Nubia and Abyssinia, in Africa.

_Annal_, record, history.