Eastern times. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1846-1857, 1852-06-03
MISCELLANY Y
The Images Of Friends.

How much would we give if we had the
simple pictures of some that have gone to the
grave-if in our hours of calm meditation and
tender reminiscence we could take them from
our escritoire or other place Of deposit and gaze
upon them, till they almost become to US things
of life. But they died-perhaps suddenly,
and all the likeness we have of these faces so
dear is in our mind. This, tn be sure, is the
most precious. 1t would be of little .moment
to have it on material substance if it were
not there first, but then we are material as well
as spiritual, and our most precious affections
and memories need to be treIised up by ma
terial objects, otherwise they are likely TO be
weakened and grow dim with the lapse of
years. Those who seek to seize and hold the
merely spiritual the most and the strongest,
find it difficult to do so without some outward
aids. The souls of our friends most
precious qualities of their hearts-all their
sweet assiduities become associated with their
faces and forms, and we cannot separate them
if we would. When we think of those we
hhi"n VI ehSSS- <Auo PooSiH5 yCdAS MohO oou
havoc of the memories of the dearest, if they
have gone and left no material sign. Even
the lineaments of their cOuntenances become
uncertain to us if we attempt 10 recall them.-
1t may be peculiarly of ours, and yet we
think it is not, but we certainly find ourselves
often, by severest efforts unable to recall the
perfect image of our nearest friends, alter they
have lain for years in the grave. Now aid
then, it may be, in some bright moment they
will stand out before US with every line Of the
coun,enance perfect, bit then again for hours
we cannot recall them by any exercise of the
mere will. Especially is it SO with the young
those whose faces have not become strongly
marked by thought and care-those whose
souls we see less in their visages, and whose
material part is that to which we preeminently
link our thoughts Of them. In all our memo
ries of the countenances Of these, we are par
ticularly dependent upon such aids as the ar
list affords us, and how many mother would
part with much of earthly treasure, if she
could look upon the face Of the precious child,
that many years gone by, she laid away in its
narrow home. She may not have forgotten it
oh no, for mother never forgets child,
but then, like all of US, she needs the aid which
the image upon canvas or the plate could fur
nish. Aud id our solicit e to have some
such memorial, some would even seek to pre-
serve the face on which death has set its seal.
But for ourselves we would prefer much to
garner up in the chambers of our memory wha:
we could Of its Huing face, and carry it to its
grave. We would not like to link our
thoughts Of child to countenance which dis
ease had made wan, or death had fixed. We
should wish TO have what we could recall of it
associated with the play Of the soul speaking
through living countenance. But the very
dead is evidence of our sorrow that we did not
earlier avail ourselves of opportunities to Sc
cure still m ore precious memento. And in
our time, science has brought to perfection an
art which extends the privilege of thus pre-
serving the faces of our friends to all. The
sun has become limner, and paints as never
man could. In almost every village the da-
guerrean artist has opened his rooms, and
with more or less skill practices his art. And
few are 80 poor that they cannot afford to avail
themselves of this wondroos art, and leave me
mentos which shall be precious to friends when
they are dead. Most, doubtless, intend to 60
themselves and carry their children to the
rooms Of the dsguerreotypist, and secure like
nesses Of themselves and their families, bui
time passes on, and the thing is undone till il
il too late. Here, ~ elsewhere, delays an
dapsssous. With our present feelings ant
with Sssr sosro~ shss ne Asvs anl eaa Asvs
no liksnssses Of many that disd too scoa, ii