On The Water.

ON THE WATER .

BY CHARON . DO not let any of my readers exjiect a very interesting or sensational article under the above heading , neither let them be afraid of the old and classic name of the " venerable Boatman . " Despite the more florid and animated attractions of this youthful but somewhat ignorant generation , some of us " old boys "

can yet " tell a tale " of the past both interesting and ectifying . Better , I trow , and trust than making young ladies run away with groom boys , and filling a volume with no end of crime and the most astounding criminals , —so astounding , as even to startle the mind of the most experienced detective at Scotland Yard . No : my poor paper is very humble ancl very prosaic indeed ; and if it succeeds in evoking a smile and raising a little tender sigh , Othello ' s occupation will not be " goone , " as Mr . Booth says so emphatically , but it will be both rewarded and accomplished , thanks to Bro . Kenning .

I am a "man and a Mason , " a "friend and a brother , " and I have been having a holiday . Near to the spot where I pitched my tent lies a placid lake . I do not wish to take my readers too much into confidence for various reasons pressing and personal " to wit , " but I may say , though there are , as we all know who have travelled , whether we belong to the Alpine Club or not , "lakes and lakes , " yet there is a "lake of lakes "—a lake "par excellence . " Nothing too laudatory can be said as regards its charms and its romantioitythe

, hills which surround it , the green glades which run clown to the silvery edge , the large expanse of still or stormy water , all combining to make up a scene of grace and beauty , which is , indeed , for all who love nature and nature ' s gentle ways , " a joy for ever . " Now one of the amusements much indulged in by our youth of both sexes , nay , by those of all agesis boating on the " expanse" of its " peaceful bosom . "

, No visions are here of dreadful crossings to Calais , Boulogne , or Ostend ; no terrific reminiscences of that dreadful , dreadful day , when we lay , and pitched and rolled " all the clay in the Bay of Biscay , 0 " ! No ; the most timid sailor is here courageous , —the most irritable " mucous membrane " is here serene .

We have seen learned lawyers and reverend divines , several rural deans , an archdeacon and a bishop , all comfortable ancl smiling in a family "gondola " propelled by fair " gondoliers . " Oh , what enjoyment for youth , what tender hopes even for old age ; what promises of unquenched devotion can a little row on the lake produce ? what prospects of unlimited ancl unequalled happiness for some sentimental bipeds ? I know of no pleasanter or healthier exercise for a fine afternoon than to

find yourself one of a " merry crew , " and pulling , or pulled by fair hands , "floating " across the tranquil waters of the loveliest of lakes . The heart expands , the spirits revive , cares are forgotten , worries are no more ; nature and art alike in unison ( don't suspect me of any rash allusions to ladies' dresses or decorations ) , you feel calm and contented , happy and hopeful ; and nature itself all gracious and beauteous as she is , seems in your eyes

still more gracious and beauteous . For , say what theorists and writers will , in the abstract , after all " juxtaposition" has a good deal to do with our present comfort and future convenience . And I for one feel sure of this , that nine tenths of our happiness here below is bound up with the society we live in , the friends we form , the company we keep . Man is not meant to live alone , neither is it good for him to do so ; ancl therefore I say to all such as I see congregating in cheery laughing parties " on the water " before my eyes , " go on and prosper ; "