The Rhode-Island Republican. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1809-1841, 1823-09-25
GDisreiIanp.
a STRANGERS FUNERAL.

sohs?uues vi tHc country TRANSIENT scCIu-
| sion From Us ordinary csres TO eiude The
| pressur- cf sec eusuiaied embsvrsssmepts, end
tn steal swsy into ,hc silence end obscu,i,y Of
come distant landscape, where The busy toot
of cssD - yet . strange, snd tho march Of
| fslso Improvement has not fsvished nature Of
her Wild and sylvan beauties. Iris in such .
iceling that love 10 wander 10 the dark and
decp tecs sses OF the forest, when IL is waving
wi,hs se last breeze OF summer, end be foe
the hand oi autumn has destroyed It's bstivo
bot unysred coiors. The heart 10 then alive
to gratitude ohd devotion il can look around
and lind Ia every thing the same benefleient
proiession which Is visible in the field, and
while !, is yet warm with the impulses oi
love end pleasure, IL cen thank the sivcsfor
his nobls gift.
wss lately wandering in one of the east
ern counues oi Pennsylvania, au,oog that wild
sDd ragged sceDary which meets the eye of
tho traveller ,owa'd ,be head ws,ers OF the
psiswsse, aud musing 90 the grandeur OF the
psospect around me, tDy ear was ssloicd by
The d'c,snt toliIng OF q bell looked on cv.
cry side, bur could only see. q, q distance O.
mobg d tutt OF chesnut trees, the simple spire
OF o yIlase church. The most profound al
iencs Feigned over oil the landscape, except
when II YVES interrupted by the deep and &c.
pea,ed tolliDg OF the bell, that seemed 10 call
some poo< being to his long sod lonely home.
The melancholy eouod ss u rc.ecbotd along
the hishisods~ of tho Iiver gradually died a.
way; and again aud sga'n repeated, IL wen,
home 10 my heart. As l tuned 10 see If
could t,scover no one who might lead me to
the scene of mou ning, l perceived a, dis
an he su ai ali N t,..
eral proce sson moving with q allow and sol.
emn x~p. The Circumstance had an ait Of
melancholy romance sbout I,, which my mus.
iag n,ood rendered doub,y iuleres,ing. The
sun wss shaking behind Inc lofty ,ree.iops and
tic els Was oncheouered by cloud. Eve,y
thing around seen ed To pat axe OF tho s..
iena.iy OF the scene. The bi'd d, mad suDg
thcit syenine an,ben, end re,irsd 10 Their
nssn 1.-The cattle wrtc slowly winding home.
wsas, sAIh ~ nioa.,h,nsne haa, tago TO quiz
his fatioy as reached The road and ioITow
ed IN tbs rear of the procession. was
s,ruek VITA ,he deep Grief which vos seated
on every counleDance. There was no extsr.
nal show OF pomp sous nou'nlng, no stately
nestse, whose sable trepping, spoke ,he gran.
deG, Of dignhod woe, simple bier aod sim
pie coffin soppor,ed by iour haic and noble
looking ,usics, were followed by usin Of
villagers, in deep mourning. The whole ap-
peerance Of the procession wss that oi so,.
row: and though there were mono whose su
pe'ior shi'ction might have induced me to
suppose that they were relatives, yet the Inu,e
and inward gr ct which seemed to mark the
countensnee Of every individual told mo 100
well how much they valued the departed.
Alter having proceeded with Q still aud sol.
emn step fos half a mile we TUNED on aogIe
OF the road and were ut once 10 view Of ,he
church.
Ii was situated in q thick vsl!ey, open TO
the cas-, and patty ~ the west, and su'' ound.
ed by . cluster OF istge and houtishiDg chos.
nut wees, whose summit threatened in o lew
years, ovet.shsdow even the siee pie aud tho
spue - The scenery was wild and romantic 1:
aud the sctoes Of the bell, ss they suuck up
90 the enr reminded the wandering heaer Of
his melancholy erand. IL seemed as II na.
tu,c had exhausted ell her powers on tho
sceoe 10 render il perfect; he'e and there so
arbof formed by the wild grape in its curious
iD,eftwiniogs, end wuh JUS, enough of green,
Of shadow and oi sunsbiue 10 make the place
a pleasing solitude. Such o solitude as the
spi,u would seek VIXEN Oroken by misfortune ;
saeb a seciusion as The lover would desire TO
whi.psr the first accent, OF his love.
As we eo,eted the gate OF the yard, The bell
ceased to toll The Last nole seemed ,o1ioger
among the cavern, Of the rocks, ond It's dis.
tan, echoes struck moutniuiiy upon The esr,
uli they gtsdOsily died away aud then sunk
into siiouee and eternity. ], was like the calm
and g,nilc parting Of iLe spirit iorn ~ e'r'h'
Iy tsnemen,, to seek upon ire shores OF e'er-
niiy he echoes OF iis own celestial thoughts
We followed narrow pathway through the
grave ys d 70 the gave. The bearers here
rested he 5icr upon the grass sod alter hav'
ing placed The colfi1 on Two narrow boards q.
cross the grave, they retired in 20 the sur.
rounding crowd. A long and solemn pause
ensued. Who, thought !, could this person
be. II mus: be one who, having been loved
and sdmired, must be long regretted. II
might perhaps bo o stranger; but Why sc
much comm,ssera,ion Il might perhaps b
some homes peasant, sho ripe with m'oj
year. was gathered home OF IL might be some
young sod arden, con just opening into 'h'
bloom Of manhood but Why such deep enc