Washington telegraph., 1844-11-06
THE NATURAL BRIDGE
BY THE LEARNED BLACKSMITH.


The following graphic and thrilling
sketch of an incident which occurred some
years since at the Natural Bridge in Virgin
"A, comprises passage in a lecture on
Genius, delivered by the celebrated Eihu
Burritt, the learned Blacksmith.
The scene opens with view of' the great
Natural Bridge in Virginia. There are
three or four lads staining in the channel
below, looking up with awe 70 that vast arch
OF unhewn rocks, which the Almighty
b-idsed over these everlasting abuirneais
''when the morning stars sang together"
The little piece of sky spanning those meas
uress piers, is full OF stars. although il il
midday. Ii is almost five hundred feet from
where they stand, up those perpendicular
bulwarks, ol limestone. 20 the KEY rock Of
that vast arch, which appears 70 them only
of the size OF mans hand. The silence
oldeaih is rendered more impressive by the
little stream that falls from rock to rock down
the channcl. The sun j. darkened. and the
boys have unconsciously uncovered their
he ads a if standing in the presence cham.
Der OF the Majesty of' the whole earth. Al
last, this feeling begins to wear away; they
begin 10 look around them. They see the
names OF hundreds cut in the limestone a.
buimenis. A new feeling comes over their
young hearts, and fls-.r+xniyes are in hands
in an instant. What man has done, man
can do" is their watchword, while they
draw themselves up and carve their names
a foot above those of hundred iinll grown
men who had been there before them.
They are all satisfied with this feat Of
physical exertion except one, whose exam
pie illustrates perfectly the forgotten truth.
that there is no royal road to intellectual
emincnce. This ambitious youth sees
name lust above his reach, a name that will
be green in the memory of the world, when
those of Alexander, Caesar, and Bonaparie,
shall rot in oblivion. II was the name Of
Washington. Before he marched with
Braddock to that fatal field, he had been
there, and left his name a foot above all his
predecessors. 1t was q glorious thought Of
the boy, to write his name side by side with
that of the great father Of his country. He
grasps his knife with iirmer hand; and,
clinging 10 little juiting crag, he cuts a.
gain into the limestone, about foot above
where he stands; he then reaches up and
cuts another for his hands. Ii is danger
Gus adventure; but as he puts his feet and
hands into those gains, and draws himself
up carefully to his full lengtb, he finds HIM
selfa foot above every name chronic.cd in
that mighty wa |. While his companions
are regarding him with concern and admit
ration, he cuts his name in rude capitals,
large and deep, into that fiinty album. His
knife is still in his hand, and strength in his
sinews, and a new created aspiration in his
heart.
Again he cuts agother niche, and again
he caryes his name in large capitols. This
is not enough. HccdIcss the enireaties
of his companions. he cuts and climbs again.
The graduaiions of his ascending scale grow
wider apart. he measures his length at
every gain he cuts. The voices ofhs friends
wax wcaker and weaker, till their words are
finally lost on his ear. He now for the first
time casts look beneath him. Had that