Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1846-10-08
HIST RHO AL.
From the .New York Observer
The Sacred MOuntainSmMt. Tabor
BY THE REV. ]. T. HEADLEY.


What strange contrasts this earth of ours pre-
sents 1t seems to be the middle spot between hea-
ven and he'll, and to partake ofthe character of
both Beings from both are found moving over
its surface, and scenes from both are constantly
occurring upon it. The glory from one and the
midnight shades from the other meet along its
BOSOM and the song of angels and the shrek Of
fiends 90 up from the same spot, MONDAY and
midnight are not more opposite than the scenes
that are constantly passing before our eyes,
The temple of God stands beside a brothel and
the place of prayer is separated only Ly single
dwelling from the "hell" of the gambler. Truth
and faIsehood walk side by side through our
Streets and vice and virtue meet and pass every
hour of the day. The hut of the starving stands
in the shadow of the palace Of the wealthy, and
the carriage of Dives every day throws the dust
of its glittering wheels over the tatteled gar
ments of Lazarus Health and sickness lie
down in the same apartment, JOY and agony
look out Of the same window and hope and
despair dwell under the same roof The cry
of the newborn infant and the groan Of the dy-
ing rise together from the same dwellings the
funeral procession treads close on the heels of
the bridal party and the tones Of the lutte and
vicl have scarcely died away before the requiem
for the dead comes swelling after. Oh! the beau
tiful and deformed, the pure and corrupt, joy &
sorrow, ecstacies and agonies life and death, are
strangely blent on this restless planet Of ours.
But the past and future present as strange con-
rasts as the present. What different events
have transpired on the same spot Where the
smoke of the Indians wigwam arose, and the
steathy tread Of the wolf and panther was heard
over the autumn leaves at twilight, the popula-
ton of New York now surges along Where
once Tyre, the queen of the sea, stood, fisher
men are spreading their nets upon the desoIate
rocks, and the bright waves are rolling over its
marble columns. In the empty apartments Of
Edom the fox makes his den, and the dust of the
desert is sitting over the forsaken ruins Of Pal
myra The owl boots in the ancient halls of
kings, and the wind of the summer night makes
sad music through the rents of once gorgeous
palaces. The Arab spurs his stecd aloug The
streets of ancient Jerusalem, or scornluIIy stands
on Mount Zion and curIs his lip at the pilgrim
pressing YEARLY to the sepulchre of the Savior.
The Muezzin's voice rings over the bones OF the
prophets, and the desert wind heaps the dust a.
bove the foundations of the seven churches of
Asia OH how good and evil, light and dark
ness chase each other over the world.
But it may be asked what this fit of musiug
has to do with Mount Tabor 1t came upon me
unawares, and was suggested by two different
scenes my Imagination drew upon that Noun
tain,
Forty-seven years ago this month, a form was
seen standing on Mount Tabor with which the
world has since become familiar. 1t was a
bright spring morning, and as he sat on his seed
in the clear sunlight, his eye rested on scene
in the vale below, which was sublime and APP
pang enough to quicken the pusations of the
camest heart That form was Napoleon Bona
part. and the scene before him the fierce and ter
rbe BATTLE OF Mourn TABOR" From Naz-
areth, where the Savior once uod, Kleber had
marched with three thousand French soldiers
forth into the plain, when 10, at the foot Of Mount
Tabor he saw the whole Turkish army drawn up
in order of battle. Fifteen Thousand infantry
and twelve thousand SPLENDID cavalry moved
down in majesty on this band Of three thou
sand French, Kleber had scarcely time to throw
his handful Of men into squares with the can
non at the angles, before those twelve thousand
horse making the earth smoke and thunder as
they came, burst in headlong gaIlop upon them
But round those steady squares rolled fierce
deyouring fire. empuing the saddles of those
wild horsemen with irightlul rapldity, aud strew-
ing the earth with the bodies of riders ond seeds
together Agad and again id those SPLENDID
sQuadrons Wheel reform and charge with deaf
ening shouts, while their upilted and flashing
scmetars cleaned like forest of steel through
the smoke of battle but that same wasting fire
received them. Those squares seemed bound
by grde of fame, so rapid and constant were
the disc Aarges Before their certain and deadly
aim, as they stood fighting for existence the
charging squadrons fell so fast that a rampant
was soon formed around them. Behind this en-
bankment of dead men and horses this band Of
warriors stood and fought for six dreadful hours
and was still steadily thinning the ranks of the
enemy, Wnen NdpOleul ueDouCucu Win Il olnSIe
division on Mount Tabor, and turned his eye
below What a scene met his gaze. The whole
plain was filled with marching columns anc
charging squadroons of wildly galloping steeds
while the thunder of cannon and fierce rattle o
musketry, amid which now and then was hearc
the blast Of thousands of trumpets and strains
f of martial music filled the air The smoke o
battle was rolling iuriously over the hosts, anC
all was confusion and chaos iii his sight. Amlt
the twenty-seyen thousand Turks that crowded
: the plain and enveoped the enemy like cloud
| and amid the incessant discharge of artiller,
r and musketry, Napoleon could tell where hi
own brave troops were struggling, only by thu
e steady Simultaneous vollies which showed wher
e discipline was couendlng with the wild valor o
: empowering numbers. The constant hashe
d from behind that rampant of dead bodies wer'
like spots of flame on the tumultuons and chaot
10 Gold Nanoleon descended from Mount Ia