The organ of the temperance reform. (Cincinnati, O. [Ohio]) 1852-1853, 1852-10-08
Tm9y laPigl q Wst littIe stones raEed from

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: Iwhy they lost their beauty SO instantly when
: they came above water--types too significant
, Of things whose brightness Is only the result
Of the medium they are seen through, Of which
there are great plenty in this world.
But while we have been writing, this Sum
day river has beea long past, and our road
winds deeper and deeper among the blue
mountains. There, now, we are fairly shut
in; that great dark fellow in front of us, with
his wall OF black pines and forest trees, tow
ering quite up to the sky-he is right across
our path-nO, here is a turn-and on we go,
The old mountain seeming to glide politely TO
one side. Here VIC come to little sunny in
terval again; soft, rich, meadow land enclos-
ed all round with solemn walls OF mountain
tier above tier of tree and rock; where in
good time our road will bring up against an
impenetrable wall Here is little settlement
of farm houses. Here, by the side Of a clear
stream, and in most charming grove Of ma
pies, birches and other forest trees, rises the
schOol-hous of the settlement. One won
ders, going by, whether these bright-eyed
children are impressed and educated in love
of the beautiful and grand, by the scenery in
which they are brought up. Do they ever look
with wonder and aweup the dark inaccessible
walls that hang round the little sunny nook
where they are born. Do they ever lie
thoughtfully under these trees, and hear the
gurgles of the mountain stream, and watch
the bright fleeces of the heavy clouds that rest
on the blue, smoky mountains, and have
strange wonderings and yearnings for any
thing that lies beyOud? One would think that
the grand solemnities Of nature would stamp
their seal on the young heart, and mould It
into something Characteristic and peculiar.
Certain it is, that these hooks and hollows
among the mountains produce a race of great
intellectual activity.
You go into plain farm house, where the
furniture and all the appurtenances retain the
most primitive simplcity-but be not surpris-
} ed ii you see Latin, Greek and German books
lying on the table. You look inquiringly and
c are told, perhaps, Of a certain Mary Ann or
4 Maria, who is keeping school up at Umbagog,
= or some other impossible out of e-way place
c whose books these are. She has long done
j. using them-she got them when she first be.
d gun; now she has left them for Cynthia ol
: Louisa or some other fair successor in the fam.
: lily line, who is equally hardy and energetic
C in her attacks upon the tree of knowledge
Ten to one, you get glimpse of said Cynthia
who proves a slender, blue-eyed girl, trinity
dressed, with pair of very pretty earrings
in her ears, and an air OF quiet composure,
and say0ir Iaire which shows you that she is a
princess of the blood in her own regions.
You talk with her, and find she has mind
as sharp and bright and keen as one of the
, quarts crystals among her own mountains
, She has been to the academy in the neighbor-
,, ing town. She has fancy for drawing and
may be shows you a crayOn head or land
scape, which you did not expect to see Just
then-she wishes she could get somewhere
where she could learn more about it-she had
, a cousin who paints in oils--she thinks per-
haps, after she has taugh quarter or two
she will save enough to get to Portland, and
take lessons Of q master. ..
One is struck with the intellectual activity
of the Maine women, wherever he travels
among them. A friend of mine told me the
other day that in one of the towns where he
was visiting in the clergyman family, he was
surprised to find the walls decorated with oil
paintings which he thought it quite beyond
the means of his friend to have purchased.
''Where did you get these painting?'' he
asked
ooh, these! my wife painted them'' was
the reply.
The same gentleman relates that at another
time, when Hospitality entertained in an OBJ
scure settlement far out in the woods of Maine
being struck with the domestic talents and
agreeable manners of his hostess, he entered
into some conversation with her. Knowing
that he was connected with the collegiate in
stitution in Brunswick, she inquired with
great interest after young gentleman there,
adding, as an apology for her inquisitiveness,
81 feel interested in that young man, for fit
ted him for college.
My friend, Of course, thought she alluded
to some such fitting as knitting his stockings,
making his shirts-and made remark to that
effect.
"Oh no." said the lady, compOsedly, "I
| mean that taught him Greek and Latin, and
so on, and of course should wish to hear that
/ he was doing we'll" 1t seemed to be quite an
of course affairto her, nothing to what she
could do. can assure you, by the bye, that
| these women are yeoman housekeepers, and
that you will never taste the Latin and Greek
J in sour bread or bad butter, or see the drawing
J and painting looking out of holes in dresses.
| The fact is, that steril soil and harsh
climate, though not good for growing anything
else, are first rate for raising men and scome9
aud men and tg0mes, in the full, emphatic sense
OF the word, are the staple produce Of Maine.
The long cherries winters here are powerful
educators, both physically and morally- -physi-
, eally in the amount Of oxygen and vitality
5 which they force into the system, Intellectual
ly in the leisure which they force on one for
intellectual pursuits Apropose Of the win.
tersD will relate an anecdote which | heard
; in my village under the mountains, which
~ X NG bOHlO VI OAl AlAUuuS 9
! new idea Of what winter here is like.
Said one Of our friends, whose house lies
directly under the mountains, Last winter
the snow was banked up quite to the ridge
; pole Of the house.
"Is it possibleY'' exclaimed. "Why, what
4 did you all do3" s.a b, ar.g--s
"Tunnelled through i'll" said my friend,
compOsedly; eve had tunnel some fifteen
: feet long TO the road.
"And, pray, how long did 1t lastf'' said l
"Wsll, about six MONTHS said he. m
9 ''It made the house very warm, indeed,
{ added his wife. "almost impressive r l.4
4 That was one view Of sRow-bank that hal
k never suggested itself to me. But must ad
g to what ! said about the Maine women an
0 lgirls, one drawback--one is impressed with
6 even in the most mountainous districts-th
d want Of an appearance Of robust health. Th
It young girls are fair, sparkling, intellectui
u looking, but they are wanting in the physiqui
y They look like forest flowers very fair, by
lsl as IL breath might wither them. The min
IS seems altogether to have got the start of Il