The weekly Placer herald., 1853-08-13
Gods Earth and Mans World.

Gods Earth and Mans World.
The following eloquent passage is from
the January. number Of the Merchants
Magazine;
Composite the window of my house
there was, till recently, linden tree, the
only ornament of the barren street. And,
as | sat one day, ! looked upon that tree
and thought of its history from Spring to
Autumn; the beauty, first, of it's soft
greensh buds gradually swelling on each
of its innumerable twigs, and slowly fill
ing up its clean outline against the blue
sky; its glorious wealth Of shade later in
the season, and its equal wealth of fra
grant blossom, the Summer home Of
thousand murmering wings; the Joy 1t
gave to the sight, sense and sound for
long nonths, and its still undminlshed
beauty, while the autumnal hues were
putting on, and even when Winter cover
ed it with white sofiness AS looked on
this fair creation of the Deity, said half
from God in thee also'-and that restored
blind man, in Scripture, who 'Eeheld
men as trees walking did surely great
injustice 10 The trees. For, compare this
place of majestic beauty with the men
who pass beneath it from day to day; the
so-calIed monarchs of creation-how they
crouch and creep along the earth as they
plod by every few hours, to their food or
their sleep, with their heads bent down,
and all absorbed in coutriving their little
traps to catch dollars and bargains, and
custom, and food and clothing. Compare
this as it came fresh and pure from God,
with these as they detorn and betittle
themselves, and you will see that it is nc:
the earth on which we live that makes US
base, but we who insult that fair earth by
our haseness"
What an infnity of thought is cons
densed in the beautiful simile which forms
the substance of the foregoing extract.
Yes indeed, it is not of the earth we may
complain, but of what is called the porid
Of mans own making.
Were each human being who passes in
view before US in the busy panorama OF
life, compelled to carry his heart exposed
to view, how should we recoil with
amazement at the black reality! In how
many friends should we discover our Bit
terest enemies-in how much apparent
innocence the deepest yillaiDy-in how
much sanctity the incarnation of all world
ly hypocrisy and unc charitahleness Vir-
tue, truth, honor would then be found
disguised in rudest garb-corruptiOn,
fraud, injustice, pollutng shrnes, OUT
ward as pure III The driven snow.
Think of the miserable shifts to which
admiration lowers from the proud con-
querer shedding the blood of millions for
his ggrandsement, to the mean pettifog-
ger who ISLANDERS away the character of
an honest opponent, for some paltry and
temporary political triumph. Think of
the hearts which envy, disappointment,
ayGrice, revenge are gnawing away piece
meal. Famine and war will slay their
thousands from time to time, but what
are they to the perpetual waste of life and
soul, and strength passing Undecided
around us every day? Think of the thou
sand homes where poverty and house
ho'd cares are eating away the lives OF
2oomen- and of those again, whose dreary
and monoionous existence, from year to
year, receives no gIaddening impulse be-,
yond the weary plying of a needle to and
fro. Think of the lives of men who come
and go again, morning and noon and night
with no refreshment Of thought, no aspi-
ration, no sphere of interest larger than
the machinery Of which they form part.
Think of the pangs of unrequited love, OF
hearts bligthed hy treachery and ingrati-
tude, of foiled ambition and blasted hopes
Think of all this-and when we remem-
ber that this huge load of human grief
springs from mans avarice and selfish
ness, pride, lust, oppression and injustice
painful indeed is the contrast between
the innocent and majestic linden tree, and