Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1851-07-26
1870
nlistrlloncous.
From the Dollar Magazine.
"Yes, Slr.--My Niagara :"
by CORNELIUS MATHEWS.


will be within the sound of the cNtaract."--
Daily Paper
There is something mean and diminish
ing in the ordinary conditions of property
There is the tax-gatherer with his red-lned
book aud inkhorn to bo met at iuconvenent
and mathematically imperiinent Intervals
The tea-drinking Board of Aldermen must
have their hand in it with the opening and
shutting of streets. There are certain paltry
ordinances to bo constantly kept in mind
touching the position of au iron ash-box OH
the walk in winter time, and the decent
Withholding of iag.ends of greens from the
gutter in summer. The seasons themselves
are in league against us. The wind tdis-
severing window -hinges) is our worst enc
iny. Cold water, which we should like
holy water-the very rain from heaven is
disgust on our roof. Then we are under the
necessity of putting ourselves in league with
thinkers and savers of wood, aud men who
deal in putty, and other perSonages who par
take not in the least of the sublime. Even
pig may enter at our open front door, and
nuke his nose familiar with the latest fash-
IONS and discuss his turnip on an ottoman.
Ordinary property, in a word, is so hedged
IN and trimmed and detracted from aud dis
paraged by q swarm of harnssing quulifiers,
that II can in no proper sense be called pro-
perty. To call il real estate or estate in fec
is ridiculous. II is rather an impromptu, an
ice-cream, which we have one minute on
our plate-the next, where is it? TO really
possess piece of property--to be the gen
uine owner of Real Thing-may be said
TO be, in the highest sense, The thing. This
happy fortune seems to have been achieved
by our late worthy friend mentioned in the
morning newspaper. The motto De mortins
~ 4
construction put upon it to help his case out.
OF him we have nothing but good to say
lie owned Niagara Falls lit would appear,l
rock, stock, and water. BY what title lac |
held, who is the attorney on record, VIC have |
not been curious TO inquire. We would sup |
pose something in the nature of n revelation |
"A voice direct from lleaven-somelhing |
resembling one of the stone tables delivered |
TO Moses should constitute his deeds of pos |
session. We take it the deceased gentle
mans title was sound.-Nlany u plump fc-
tien as we have found, one time aud anoth- |
o., in the newspapers, we take il for granted |
no one would venture OH SO bald and bold n |
lie as that. 1t would be too gigantic and |
staggering to stand up for a single day and !
keep the breath of life in it. Our late friend |
then, did lawfully own and posses the hand |
some property known as the Falls of Ninga- !
ra in North America. This is all we know
of him, and we are right glad of il. 1t is n
JOY and satisfaction to us that no scribe of
Boswellian instincts lived thereabout TO mako
us acquainted with any other single crcum-
stance Of the whole past history of tho for |
tunate gentleman. We have luckily no nc
count of his personal appearance; although :
IT is not absolutely sinful for us TO indulge in
our minds little speculation as to what
manner Of man he may have been. We
may picture him to ourselves as small,
shrunken, withered, lowering about the scene
like spectre, and gloating with true miscrly
inward self-gratulation over his rich posses
sior-keeping sleepiess watch on all its
properties of rock, water, mist, spray, and
rainbow-perpetually Oh the prowl against
invaders and neutrality-suspicious. even of
the stray chips and wailages from up stream
and ready for n collared march to the next
justice of peace on petit larceny issue, at
the slightest proyocntion.
His chief care, in this character, may have
been that his fortune should be held aud
transmitted uimpaired. On the other hand,
we sometimes figure him to ourselves, aged,
white-locked, large, veneable-coming forth
at the morning tide, like one whose proper
business aud happiness it is to " muse DER
flood and felP'-to regard its first greeting
from the sun, when welcome passes between
these two great wonders of the natural uni
verse-to mark how (so 20 speak they look
each other in the face in early salutation, and
whether there is not something of dsposi-
tion in PhDbus TO put old Niagara to the
blush, and. perhaps, to peer curiously and
with sort of royal audacity into the very
secret chambers of his spirit.
As the day goes up, the sun-growing
warmer in kind of strife that seems TO have
arisen between the two-slrikes down upon
the Falls with harder, heavier, hotter blows
as II he would scatter the waters and rive
the very rocks in pieces. In vain. lie soft.
ems towards his rival and companion as he
goes down into the west, and with good
night to all the world he smiles benignnnl
adieu to Niagara, acknowledging, ruddil,
beaming on bis rugged front, that thougi
he, the mighty light, departs, there is some
thing left 10 earth while Niagara remains.
IL was only towards the close of life tha
our deceased friend was impeled to choos,
his abiding-place here. In his early day, il
the heydoy and dash of youth, he gave Iii
heart TO wine, TO the pleasures of trade, ant
some of the frivolous pursuits and ambition
ofmen-to the admiration of beauty in wo
man. But as his step grew slow, as hi
locks whitened, as he walked nearer to tha
other world TO come, he heard in Niagari
the voice of the majesty of Life aud DeatI
speaking to him. Tired of the cold and tri
fling companionships OF the world, her,
he found friend, true in counsel, clear o
speech, meeting him day by day, year 10y
year, with an unchanged front of glory anI
truth.
Here, too, would he lie down, when al
eyes grew dark, and all hands cold. Iii,
spirit attended up to tho Throne, with the
lao. IL. al, II