Vandalia Whig and Illinois intelligencer. [volume] (Vandalia, Ill.) 1832-183?, 1832-11-14
fsof the Tandaha Wing,
THE LANGUAGE OF NATURE


THE, LANGUAGE OF NATURE
The hills, the iales, the silverv streams, FL
That glitter in the moons soft beams, ie|
The modest flower, the giant tree I'll
In silent language, speak to me. III
Unpublished MS. =
A few evenings since | presented LITTLE "a
who has Just learnt to read, with an elegant 4
py Of Esp's Fables. She read several pa& "A
with the most lively qualification, and liste
with an rteres, equally intense, to hear rema Il
and inquiries; for / love to watch Che hun
mind in its early unfoldings, before the stains
the sorrows of life, have yet fallen upon its OPT q
Ing blossoms. At length, she maze the inqu Il
which had anticipated, "why ds not birds, 2 4
trees, &c, talk now, as they did frmerly2" Z
will easily imagine the EXPANSIONS that folio !
ed-ihat informed her that al she read vast n
the invention of the Grecan slave who penn !,
lit.
But, is il true, that any portion Of nature, al
mate or inanimate, i, without the power ofspeec
No. All nature has a voice. Not tree th
lifts itself to the sorm; not n stream that roI
Its ceaseiess volume to the ocean; not plant
flower waves in ne summer breeze, that IS siler
The wild deer hat bounds in the pride and jol
OF nature over tie verdant prairie ;even the figl
of snowy SWAPS now sailing high in air 10 pa A
their annual risit to the lakes, all speak to t. 4
heart #
la this excluded dalo, where the noise an
hustle Of trade has moi yet drowned the yoieu
nature, have learnt the language OF the object
around me, aid often s'hod converse with birds
brooks, and tres" Few understand any othe
language thar that Of man; and still fewer havr
leisure to listen to the voice of nature. Perhaps
then, 1t mghtnot be unacceptable to your resd
1ers, were occasionally, to act interpreter, ant
report for the"Whig," the conversation of a bird
flower, or atree. will promise brevity, for NJ
lcommunicaii,n not connected with The great Ba
rel OF busy and bustling life, will be read, unles:
Extremely href.
am half tempted, BY way Of trial, to give
bis week, the following
FABLE:
THE SYCAMORE
A few days since, while was standi,g on the
bank of the Mississippi, short distance atove
the principal town in the northern part Of it,
course. two gentlemen approached, one man Of
lordly wealth and citizen; the oiher stranger,
to ~Eom he was showing the country.
Near the spot was gigantic Sycamore Tho
immense size Of Ifs straight and smooth trunk ex-
cited the admiration Of the stranger, no evident.
Iy supposed it the most valuable, IS well as the
most beautiful. of all the productions of The forest.
| His friend quickly undeceived him. THAT
tIee,' said he, sis a Sycamore, and is perfectly
useless. How valuable wculd it be, could it be
employed, even for the more ordinary purposes to
which timter IS applied. Bu, II will net split,
aud when the size Of the free admits of its being
saved. its plank is Of little yalie If the farmer
leaves 1t standing, it destroys CT Injuries all around
it, BY its shade, and by drawing he nourishmen.
Of lie earth to support and Increase its oyergro.yn
bulk. l " only when decaycd or in ashes, ,lla:
this tree, which you SO much admire, is not even
Il nuisdiC1.
I Scarce had the gentlemen passed on, when tho
Indignant Sycamore, who had heari every word
tina. had been uttered, broke silence with The fol-
flowing soiloqpv:
! "in3eed, am regarded with so much contempt;
l, aho ilourished ceniaries before the man who
ISLANDERS existed, and shall continue 10 flourish
centuries, perhaps, after he is forg ,,,en2 Blu
hold, why should HE rail, who is Ias as isseles.
IS am In wealth he tno is OF dimensions as
gigantic among men, as l am among trees He
IS quite as useless, 100, as am, for be applies
himself 10 no pursuit that can possibly benefit 0
Tiers. He does not create by his industry any
share 81 his enormous wealth, but, like me, has
tanned his huge bulk BY drawing away the nour
i-hment that would else have supported hundred
of others more valuable.
Like me, his appearance is grand and magnia
cent, but IN reality he is FAR less valuable to thu
world than The humblest day laborer When h
dies, he will deserve as few tears as shall, 70,
then, only, he ceases to accumulate the wealtl
which others have created. In what respect IS .
rich man who adds nothing 10 the wealth or hap
p,ness Of Manufacturing solely for himself, acc
amassipg ill bis immense treasures only by 40
formulating The proceeds Of the industry Of o,hers4
in what respect is such man more useful thar
an overgr 'wn Sycamore?-W Why should we regret
his death, as far as the welfare Of mankind is in
terested"
Twill leave the reader to apply the moral, and
only say, man deserves applause amt honor Ct.
actly in the proportion that he is USEFUL.
MORAN.
From the Pioneer
ILLINOIS STATE LYCEUM.