The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1844-09-12
From the Christian Cihaen.
THE NATURAL BRIDGE.


On, ONE Nj liz iht htrhisi
The scene opens with view Of The great Natural
Bridge in Virginia. There are three OF four lads
standing in the channel below, looking up WIN awe
to that vast arch OF unhewn rocks, which The Al
mi ghty bridged over hose everlasting abutmehs
" when the morning stars sang together" he niue
piece Of dry ky spanning those measureess piers, Is
iu Of stars although II Is midday II Is almost h'e
hundred feet from where they stand up those pefpsn-
dcular buwarks Of limestone, 10 the key-roek oil 1ha
arch which appears 10 them only OF the size OF
mans hand The silence OF death Is rendered
more impressive by the little stream that falls from
| rock TO rock down the channel The sun is daTkened
and the boys have unconsClousy uncovered their
heads If standing IN the presence chamber oil he
Majesty of the whole earth Al last this feeling be-
gins to away they begin 10 look around them !
they hnd that Others have been there before them
They the names OF hundreds cut IN the limestone
Iabutments. "A new 4 cling comes over their young
hearts, and their knives in hand IN an instant
4" What has done, man can do" is their watch
| word, while they draw themselves up and carve their
| names q foot above those OF a hundred full grown
| men who have been there before them
They all satisfied with this feat Of physical ex-
ertion, except one whose example illustrates per-
iecuy he forgotten truth, that there is no royal road
10 intellectual eminence. This ambitious youth sees
a name Just above his reach, a name that will be
gre II ia the memory OF the world when those Of
Alexander, Caesar, and Bonaparte shall rot IN obliv-
on. II the name Of Washington Before he
marched with Braddock TO that fatal field, he had
been there, aud left his name foot above all his
| predecessors Ii was glorious thought If the boy
TO write his side by side with that of the or al
father Of his country. lie grasps his knife with
hrmer hand, and cling ng 10 little Jutng crag, he
cuts again into the limestone, about foot above
v here he stands he then reaches up and cuts
other tor his hands. lis DANCE Gus adventure ;
but as he rus his feet and hands into those gains,
and dra himself up carefully TO his full length, he
finds 'mself foot above every name chroncled in
ttat IN ghty wall. While his companions regard
iDg him with concern and admiration, he cuts his
| name IN rude capitals, large aud deep into that
fny album. His knife Is still in his hand and
strength IN his sInews, and Dew-created aspiration
IN HE heart.
A ain he another niche, and again he carves
his name IN large capitals. l his Is not enough
Needless Of the enIeatles OF his companions, he
and climbs again. The graduations OF ascending
scale grow wider apart. lie measures hi, length at
every gain he cuts. The voices of his friends
weaker and weaker, Ill their words finally iost
on hi- lie now, iof The first Time, look
peneatL him. Had that glance lasted moment
| that moment would have been his last lie cIhgs
with cOnvuisive shuddef TO his lile niche in The
An awful abyss awaits his almost certain fall lie Is
faint with severe eXeItion, and trembling from the
sudden view OF the dreadful destruction to which he
is exposed. HIS knife IS worn halfway to the hiatt.
tie hear the voices, bot not the words OF his hor
| ror-strlcken companions below. What a moment !
What a meagre chance II escape destruction! The e
is 10 retfacng his steps. 1t is impossible To put biz
hdDGs mo Tue same meme WIN ms feet, ana retain
| his slender hold moment. ii compa MONS ms ant
ly perceive this and fearful dilemma and avail,
hts fall with emotions that freeze their you ng blood
lie IS Too high, too faint, TO ask for his father and
mother, bis brothers and sisters to and witness
or avert his destruction. But of his compa
anticlpa e. his desire. Swift the wind he bounds
down the channel, and the situation of the faed boy
| is told upon his f,ther's bearth-stone.
Minutes of almost eternal length roll on and there
are hundreds standing in that rocky channel, and
| hundreds on the bridge above all hodng their
| breath, and awaiting the fearful catastrophe. The
poor boy hears the hum OF new and numerous voices
both above and below lie can Just distinguish the
tones Of his father, who is shouting with all the en-
ergy of despair =" William William don't look
down! Your mother and Henry aud Harriet are all
here praying for you! Don't look down! Keep your
eye towards the top!n The boy di MT look down
His eyes fixed like flint towards Heaven, and
his young heart Him who reigns there. He grasps
again his knife lie cuts another niche and another
foot is added TO the hundreds that remove him from
the reach Of human help from below. How care
| fully he uses ms wasting blade How anxously he
sell cts the soitest places IN that vast pier How he
avoids every hinty grain! How he economies his
physical powers, resting moment at each grain he
! Gu 5 How every motion is watched from below
There stand his alher, mother, brother and sister
on the very spot where if he falls, he will not fall
alone.
The sun is now halfway down the west The
lad has made fifty additional inches IN that mighty
/
vast arch Of rocks, earth, and trees He must cut
his way in a new direction TO get from under this
\ oyerhanging mountain. The Inspiration of hope is
dying in hs bosom lis vital heart is fed by the in
creasIng shouts Of hundreds perched upon cliffs and
tres and others who stand with rones in their
hands on The bridge abve or with LADDERS below.
Fifty gains m must be cut before the longest rope
I can reach him. Ills wasting blade strikes again
into the Limestone. The boy IS emerging painfully,
foot by foot, from under that lofty arch Spliccd
DO, 10 A.. ~
ing over the outer edge Of the bridge Two minutes
more, and all will be over. The blade is worn
10 the last half inch The boys head reels; his
eyes are starting from their sockets His las, hone
Is dying on his heart his life must hang upon the
next gain he cuts. That niche is the last AT the
last faint cash he makes, has knife, his faithful
knife, falls from his nerveless hand and ringing
along the precipice, falls at his mothers feet An in
voluntary groan Of despair runs like a death knelI
through the channel below aud all is still as the
gave. Al TIE height OF nearly three hundred feet
the devoted boy lifts his hopeless heart AMI closing
ey 5 TO commend his soul to God lis but a mo-
ment- there, one foot swings oG-he is reeng
trembling top ling over into eternity Hank
shout falls on hi ear from above The man who is
lying with ha his length the bridge has caught
glimpse Of the boy head and shoulders Quick as
thought the noosed rope is within reach Of the sink
ing youth. No one breathes. With faint conyul-
sive effort the swoonlng boy dro his arms into the
moose Darkness cones over him, and with the
NV'us, pou' anu No'hct whispered on hrs lips
just loud enough TO be heard in heay, n the tghn ng
rope hits him out OF his last shallow niche Not a
up moves while he is dangling over that fearful
abyss; but when sturdy Vlrginian reaches down
draws up the lad, and no Dis HIM up in his arms
Def re the fearful brcathless multitude, such sh utng
such aping and we ping for joy, never greeted he
Eesr OF human being 50 recovered from the yawnng
gulf of eternity. T. b.
PLEASANT BEnFELLow.--l was awakened last
night by violent storm Of thunder and lightning
and wind and rain. Hard dreaming as was had
sense enough eft to feel something moving in the
bed aud by the light from . ish OF lightning, to my