Essays Familiar and Humorous Author:Robert Chambers Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CONTENTS. Page The Poetry of Human Habitations 1 Natural Antiquities 12 Humours of Mr Sydenham 20 Lament for an Extinct Article of Female Dress 30 ... more » The New Planet 38 Groans of the Internal Genii 48 The Ladies' Initiative 55 Spirit of Old Inscriptions 65 Booby 75 The Dignity of Usefulness 82 NatPhin . 90 The Unconfined 99 Life in a Scottish Countiy Mansion 107 Two Days on the Moors of Perthshire 122 Supplementaries 140 The Leading Man of the Village 150 Connection of Distant Ages by the Lives of Individuals 161 Comicalities of Nature 172 The Professional Medium 182 Remains of Childishness in Manhood M 190 Bob Shillinglaw 198 Salerooms: In Two Parts 206 No More 230 ESSAYS FAMILIAR AND HUMOROUS. THE POETEY OF HUMAN HABITATIONS. THE involuntary poetry which fills our minds on beholding the ruins of ancient castles, or the mouldering fanes of a bygone religion, is amply recognised in literature. But our poets in and out of verse have in general strangely overlooked the fact, that structures of many other kinds, whether deserted of human tenantry, or still occupied, are capable of exciting feelings scarcely less tender. It is very common, in excursions amongst the pastoral districts of Scotland, to come to a spot in some degree sheltered by the hills, where a fragment of wall, and a patch of verdure brightly contrasting with the surrounding heath, shew that it has formerly been the site of a cottage. Around such a spot, perhaps, no habitation of any kind is now to be seen. A few sheep straggle on the distant heights ; the burn murmurs softly below; the wild-bee hums suddenly past, a leaf of nature's music driven by the summer wind; but even these sights and sounds tell only of solitude. You are left to re...« less