New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1851-01-28
SCENES AND THOUGHTS IN EUROPE.
rr Az AMERIcAy-lG b. Calvertl-RART n

Ely An AMERICAN-(G. h. Calvertl-PAEI IL
Could man be said 70 have travelled from
Dan to Beersheba, who had comprised the space
between the two by steam Travelling implies
effort, labor a certain concurrent locomotive &C
tivity and q sefguid ance the part Of the tray.
eler. Once in a railroad car, he is passive, sub
ordinate, without authority or will, with but even
latter of personality left TO him In the shape OF
bis ticket He does mt travel, he is transported,
and is hurriedly thrust out on the platform OF
station, just as though, instead OF being bag OF
electrified capillaries ne were but bag OF oats
In this way we came in few hours from Wies
baden to Heidelberg.
The beautiful structures of mans making rise
from the Earth ike favored growth out OF it
They are adopted by Nature The San rejoices
10 shine on them. The Castle of Heidelberg we
reached in time TO behold it by sunset OF Amer
lean gorgeousness The rosy atmosphere deep
ened the expression Of the beautiful inward fas-
cade which stood again before us ever young and
fresh. Perennial youth is not FABLE or futile
longing it is the gift Of Genius to its handiwork,
and is the touchstone of Art. But work Of gem
uine Art is not only young itself, it makes you
Young. To revisit il, annihilates time. The In
terveniDg years are bridged over by raj nboW
Through time-rents and vacant easements, the
rich horizontal beams fell with glow as OF celes-
tial gladDsss. From the terrace, the town be-
meath with the valley and plain that stretched Tar
| away toward the burning West, lay In bsstul
tranquility Alas only to the outward eye,
fascinated by the purple opulence oil light. In
| this seeming Paradise the ubiquitous serpent is
at work and here is neither bliss nor peace, but
| in their stead unrest, misery TINS magnihcent
leave.t taking between Son and Earth; THIS IL
Illuminated ferewell; this broad parting look Of
! love- which lights up the cOuntenance of the re-
sponsive Earth with an intense Aush OF beauty
| how many zee it or share it Of the tens of thou
! sands there below on whom it falls In torpid
! imbecitv in exaggerated conflict, they lie and
| writhe there with senses closed TO the heavenly
| message. This beauty, which is for them, they
| cannot claim; this munlcence OF Nature they are
| too Door to accept. The few who, by fortune or
spiritual effort possess freedom enough to enjoy,
| revel on such spectacles, and in them escape
! from the omnivorous evil around, their magma
tons purged by this TRANSPORTING light. Only for
| a moment they escape for the CHASTITY realities
| can be but momentarily laid Not as the
| evanescent demons of dream do these come, but
as the abiding terrors that leap upon the awaken
ing criminal So begirt are we by implacable
hostilities selfdoomed to have every Joy shsd-
owed BY a sorrow, every love logged by hate,
every possession haunted by fear.
squads of Prussian soldiery. Whenever l meet
these mechanical men, these soulinformed ma
chimes, these man-shaped Responsibilities, feel
saddeped, humiliated insulted. Palmer than
words they say to me-Speak not, think not act
not In their presence | am utterly quenched-
/ feel myself supplanted, and in my place mus
ket In their speechless tramp there is some
thing terrific. This steeled silence controls my
speech-this noiseless movement paralzes my
will.
The European Armies hang on the Nations
monstrous Idleness universal polluting scab.-
In them are condensed into vast blight the
seven plaques of Egypt. Like the frogs, they
come upon the people, into their houses, their
bed-chsmbers, their ovens, their kneadlng-
troughs' How this picture fits them in all its
traits. Look at those knots OF lounging, dirty sol
diers; they swarm and buzz over the whole land,
like the lice and flies, only more betouling than
these Are they not sores and blans' on the
people-a moral aud physical corruption and
drain upon their strength "The fire that ran
along on the ground" what could realize it more
wildly than the march of armies, shifting like the
"hail" as they pass, both man and beast, and
herb and tree and eating, like the d" locusts" the
fruits of the earth and every green thing. Ia the
crowning plague Of Darkness" the likeness is
the most palpable. Standing armies are the very
fomentors of darkness. Their office is to propa-
gate Night and make men sleep on. They are
coarse brutalizing Force, in contrast and conflict
with the subtle humauizing liberating power OF
the intellect and heart of Man. They are a mil
lion mouthed extinguisher, piled ceaselessly by
the hand of Despotism TO crush out the light so
fast as il Jets up. They exist to enforce Mans
law against Gods law-to be the jailors OF
Thought, the executoners of Freedom