The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1844-01-26
ron THE OTTAWA FREE TRADER.
NATURE,


Nature, ever varying but never changlng-Na-
ture beautiful in all her forms, lovely in all her
aspects-Naturc, the goddess, before whom we
bow in unfeigned admiration, whose praises have
SO often been sung by the lips Of beauty, and il
the never dying and impcrishab'o strains Of poe
uy-what lesson dost thou teach the heart of
mani To whom dost thou tell him to ascIlbc
glory, dominion, and power! TO whom bow the
knee and offer the incense Of prayer and praise
lis to Him whose power is nlniie--to Jehovah,
the mighty Lord of Heaven and earth-to Him,
with whom zone day is as thousand years, and
thousand years as one day Where is thy ha-
bitaton, where thy dwelling place Is ii in the
thunder Of the cataract, in the roar Of the rushing
stream, in the ripping of the riyulc, or in the de-
cav of summer buds and flowers In all! IN
ALI. Thy voice is heard in the rustng of leaves,
thy form seen in the falling leaf. What is thy
mission here! Is it not to turn the hearts OF men
10 their great Creator, to show them their utter
insigniiicance when compared with the other Gre
alton Of His power around theml Is it not to re-
fine the taste and exalt the sensibiIitics Of the
soul, to- fit 1t for the pleasures OF happier
sphetel Yes, to one whose taste is purc--to one
whose sensibiies have been blunted, thou SPEAK
est in voice sweeler in its tones than seraph mu-
etc. Thou tcllest him the undeinable secrets OF
creation thou whsperest words Of peace and
comfor, to his heart when bending under its load
of sorrow. and tcics him of a region Of never end
L;,b - boe rnp,rrI f,r
those who love him. The votary who bows be-
fore thy shrine has sources of pleasure which
others know not Of. TO him thou art beautiful
in all thy forms, at even at midday, md in the
morning alike, We, no, alike; changing, yet ne
yer changing. He gazes upon thy silver lakes
which slumber in glorious beauty beneath the
light of numbcrless gems cleaning through the
azure veil in which night hides her Flushing face
he secs tho mirrored streams co wandering by
kissing the smiling flowers which stoop to ,hei
embrace, and mind and heart are for a moment
raised above terrestrial things. Nature! Nature
thou urt lovely in thy infancy, beautiful in thy
youth, glorious in thy decay, aud majestic in Thy
death. Spring, in the infancy OF thy years
weavcs the waving curls of thy golden hair witt
buds and blossoms, and clothes thee in her man
,le Of green. Then comes summer, young ant
smiling maron, TO guide and instruct thy youth
She leads thee forth amid the flowers she speak
of the goodness Of thy Creator; she strengthen
the bonds which unite thee and thy twin siste
Beauty and, when the buds Of spring have reach
ed their full maturity, she departs, and Autumn,
sterner but not less useful instructor, takes he
place. His task is TO teach thee that there is
reality in life; that sorrows blightning wan,
passes not over the young and lovely, bu, that al
must taste the cup which she has prepared. Ora
dually and almos, impcrceptiby does Autumn
blend his lessons with these of Summer. TIL
bright visious--,he waking fantasies which ono
Aoated before thee without a cloud to dim tn
brightness Of their sky, are now mingled wit
strange and wild iorebodings, and darkness in
fore reigned supreme. Au,umns tasks is done
The fully matured buds of summer lie sca,tero
upon the ground, and "thcir breath has gone GU
upon the southern gale" He departs. Winter
with frowning brow and silver hair, slowly nr
proaches. Thou shrinkest rs he draws near. A
ready thy saddencd hear, begins to dread tho or
prooch Of the fell destroyer; and well thou know
est the task Of Winter. He has to show thee no,
to die. And we'll does he perform his mission
Slowly but. surely dost thou pass away, as tn
last sunbeam fades from the evening sky. No.
It's sad to gaze upon thy beauty, as in the marb
stiffness Of death, thou licst amid the funeral pom
and sp!endor which surround thee. But we wi
not mourn for thee. Tha, form, now so still an