Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1839-11-14

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AZ upy wantox, ysa & have seesa EleraJ]y
ahone- Asd 81 my spedna1iuns fN Ghx tusr.
whlch noH IisnsiW 40 papea- with poahiag
uev1f course, are woah q sorner ga youy s;,-
Fsk. y'cr aEesl liberty 30 gave fRelo aha, Na acc
hare Been gazing al the hearens-con-
rc1nPiaslng shs revolving pSdeg ~ she plame-
raIy sysieDs-Ihe yaa5ons seasons as hey are
presented to~s in regsiar succession. Sy ap-
caAngtag aaws-ibe present faded apprayaycs
On @ettae os aasure'S 5ean,jes--ahe approach,
OF rbSemg SlnteT. yea mol wjihos,s its 8yestde
and nshe' pleasures / have had before me
the mountain snenery-she hill and 6aie-lhe
NOBLE nyeS-'he smaller stream. down 80 the
Beautifully aaeandeyang rsrpIea, as ii passes
MS rhtysisl PARTICLES over The snowy pebb)es.
through The luxoJaan, and lowery meadow
the nndniaiing and level fertile 6elds-onr
Vanoos crops-and my mind was then drawn
70 rehec, upon the admirable adaptation in all
these things 10 the wants and happiness of
man.
In such contempiaiions, can never lose
sight OF the tntb, that infinite wisdom plan
ned this universe, and infinite love now con-
trolls II, for man. When We look ii the works
OF creation, we are overwhelmed with aston
ishmeni, At the majesty and excellence Of the
character ofDeity. And then when we look at
ourselves, view with candor onr actions, and
scnitinlze with impartiaiity our motives to-
wards Godand our fellow men, and bring them
To the test OF that just, pure and holy law, by
which all men are TO be Judged, how fearful is
the thought of Judgment, and how little is man
made to appear In his own eyes. And yet,
when we leave this self-eXamination, and re-
member that mercy is one of the attributes of
God, there is hope. And when we view the
beauties which surround, the comforts we en-
Joy, the pleasures which animate us-the
mercles OF God, in the redemption of the
world through his Son; and remember that
tins vast plan of salvation was devised for
man, and that he is the lord of this lower
world, he is flled with the dignity oflis nature,
and appreciates the worth ofhis own character
There Is something in the character of man
that is noble, dignified and excellent His
knowledge is power, his power gigantic
His mind strides through universal nature
earth and space are filled with his Intellect
lie travels from planet to pianet-measures
their distances and counts their revolutions.
lie plays with the fiery thunderbolts of Heav-
en-, traverses the trackless ocean, dashes along
the noble rivers, and rolls over the mountains
and plains, almost with the velocity of light
ming. He knows no limit to his grasping.
restless and aspiring intellect. And when
his noble mind is rightly directed, no bound
should be prescribed to his genius. Man was
made for himself and his race. His powers
are common property. All have a right to
Their exercise, he has no right to withhold
them. And we have reason to be proud of in
tellect, when We look back but few wears,
and then around US, and see what it has ac-
compllshed. But little while ago, and our
noble rivers knew of nothing but dull, slow
ana heavy craft; now they are filled with am
inated and anlmatlng prospects of useful
ness, pleasure and splendor. Our smaller ri
no value, are now the feeders of the grand ca
nal which floats our produce to the mart
The magnificent mountains which Were once
the travellers terror,now as he passes swiftly
through their bosom in the locomotive car are
his delight IN enhancing the loneliness of the
scenery. And where the team was wont TO
drag and tug its light, but to it, its heavy bur
den, 1T now moves with nimble and sprightly
step, Its driver Indifferent to the world, sing-
ing his song of happiness and content. Our
hills have been levelled, our mountains
brought low, and that which was once Jour
ney OF fatigue and sef-denial, is now a trip
of pleasure. We now move through the
world In person, as we were wont to do in
fancy. Distant nations are brought NIGH, and
all men are neighbors. We have been made
to know those who Were afar off, and we
wish to know them better. We wish to
Know the character of men every where by
personal Observation-Disclosures on all SUBJ
lects-their habits, occupation and interests.
we wish to know our relative and our clash
ing interests. We wish to know one anoth-
cr's trials, troubles, fears and difficulties and
we should desire to sympathize with the
troubled, allay their fears, and remove their
difficulties. We wish to see mind more full
ly brought to bear on mind, and improvement
on Improvement. These things we are wit
Messing daily, but we are not content We
boast OF what we have seen, and we are proud
to see man restless and moving onward
with his liant strides. We wish to see
religion flourish and intellect enliphten-
ed. we wish to see our steam ships i'm
proved, all our rivers made navigabIe, more ca
nails cXcavated and railroads constructed-the
mountains and hills every where made low,
and our country and the world, brought nigh
by one common interest. Is this vain hope,
sif Are these things impossible? Look
into holy writ, and take a Retrospective view
OF what man has done, before you answer.
From these contempations, my mind ARR
we'd at our own delightful Valley of Virginia.
reflected upon herpure and healthful atmos-
phere; her magnificent mountain scenery.
her fertile fields, her many sources of wealth.
and her moral, intellectual and physical
strength L then compared her situation with
our sister states, who are leaving us so far be-
hind LII mprovements--who are luxuriatinp
on our privileges; and with pain and nortifi,
cation exclaimed, "this ought not so to be-"
Sir, acknowledge | feel much restlessness
on this subject. | am not content to view
these things as they exist. And with your
permission, will, through your paper, at
some other time, endeavor to produce discon-