Virginia advocate. [volume] (Charlottesville, Va.) 1827-1860, 1830-02-26

eU 50 uItiy hihu "uu i"'''S 'S"''o' "A"
looked just as ii did on the summer mo,u-
ing when left it and went wandering
over this weary world. To me the very
trees possessed All individuality the
branches of the old oak (there was but
one) seemed to nod Familiarity towards me,
the music Of the ripping water fell plea
sanity On my car, and the passing breeze
murmured of" home, sweet home" The |
balmy air was laden with the hum of un-
seen insects. and filled with the fragrance
of a thousand common herbs and flowers
I'D to my eyes the place looked prettier
and pleasanter than any they have since |
rested on. As gazed, the" wonanish |
moisture" made dim my sight, and felt
that yearning of the hear; which every
,,an who has soul feels-let him 90
Where he will, OF reason how he will ON
4 once more beholding the spot where the
only pure unsull,ed part of his existence
passed away.-Suddenly the scene chang
ed The quiet, smiling village vanished,
aud busy, crowded City occupied its
6. The wood was gone, the brook
I dried up,1 and the common cut to pieces
and covered with kind OF iron gangways.
| [ lookcdyupon the surrounding country, if
country it could be called, where veyeta-
bic nature had ceased to exist. The neat.
trim gardens, the verdant lawns and swell
ling uplands, she sweet-scented meadows
and waving corn.6eIds were all swept a.
way, and fruit and flowers, and heritage.
appeared to be things uncared for and un
known, Houses and factories, turnpikes
aud railroads, were scattered all around
and along the latter, as if propelled by
some unseen, Internal power, mysterious
machines flew with inconceivable swift
ness. People were crowding and iostling
each other on all sides. mingled with
them, but they were not like those had
| formerly known-lhey walked. talked
and transacted business of all kinds with
astonishing celebrity. Every thing was
done in hurry they eat, drank, and
slept in hurry they danced, sung, and
made love in hurry they married, died,
and were buried in hurry, and resur-
rection-men had them out of their graves
before they we'll knew they were in them.
Whatever was done, was done upon the
high-pressure principle. No person stop-
ped to speak TO another in the street but
as they moved rapidly on their way, the
men talked faster thar women do now.
and the women talked twice as fas, as
ever. Many were bald, and on asking
the reason, was given to understand
they had been great travellers, and that
the rapdIty of modern convey ances liter
ally scalpt those who Journeyed much in
them, sweeping whlskers, eyebrows, eye
Iashes, in fact, every thing in any way
movable, from their faces. Animal life
appeared to be extinct carts and car
lriages came rating down the highways
horseless and driverless, and wheelbarrows
trunGled along without any visible agen-
cy. Nature was out of fashion, and the
world seemed to get along tolcrably we'll
without her.
AT the foot of the street my attention
was attracted by house they were build
ing OF prodigous dimensions, being not
less than seventeen stories high On the
| top OF 1t several men were at work, when
dreadful to relate, the foot of one of them
slipped, and he was precipitated to the
earth with a fearful crash. Judge of NV
horror and indignation on Observing the
crowd pass upheeding by, scarcely deign-
ing To cast look on their fellow creature
who doubtless lay weltering in his blood
and the rest OF the workmen went on with
their several avocations without a mo-
nents pause in consequence of the acct
dent. On approaching the spot, | heard
several IN passing murmur the most in
comprehensive observations. "Ooly a
steam-man," said one. "Won't cost
much" said another. His boiler over
charged, L suppose cried a third, "the
way IN which all these accidents happen !"
and true enough, there lay man of tin
ana sheet-iron. welteriDgin hot water.
lhe superintendent Of the concern. who
was not steam-man, but'made of the pre-
sent materials, gave il as his opinion that
the springs were damaged, and the steam
vessels little ruptured, but not much
harm done, and straightway sent the
corpse to the blacksmilhs (who was
llesll-and-blood NAM to be repaired.
Here was then at once new version of
the Old Greek fable, ard modern Prone
theuses were actually as {" plentiful as
Ff''ackb@hss." GIN fact, + found upon in
curry that society was now divided into
two great classes, living and locomotive"
men, The latter being much the better and
tonester people of the two; and fashion
able political economist of the name of
Nautilus, a liBeal descendant Of an ancient
and II appears rather AN inconsistent sys,
temmohger had just published an elaborate
pamphlet, showing the manifold advanta-
ges OF ,propagating those no-provender-
consuming individuals in preference to
any other. So that it appeared, that any
industrious mechanic might in three
months have full-grown family about
him, with the full and comfortable assur-
ance that, as the man says in Chronon-
botonthologos, " they were all his own and
none OF his neighbours"
These things astonished, but they also
Perplexed and woaried me. Nv spirit