Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1853-03-02
American Literature.

to American literature:
From scenes like these--showing
intellect, chained or banished, or Oh
the rack, or the scahold--it is please
ure yet not altogether unmingled) to
turn our eyes to AmCrica--cvcry day
growing more and more worthy Of
the pride which England feels in her
prosperity and power. There, atleast
there is a home for free thought
and the free pen. The world has one
government besides our own that
does not trcmble at the moving OF
feather, or shrink before a dash of
ink. Though its whole army does
not number | | 900 men, and 5000 of
these are stationed in Texas and Cal
ilornia, to protect the frontiers from
Indian ravagcs-literature is uncon-
trolled. There are 20 600, 900 of mus
llets scattered throughout the home
stcads of the Republic; yet no one
dracms there Of gagging the village
teachers, or preventing jurists from
discussing philosophic al questions, as
in some parts of Europe.
The glory Of America might rest
on this broad basis, had it no other
But it's fearlessncss is not the only
feature of its literature. More than
once oflate we have had to speak of
the evident growth of new and finer
elements in the literature OF that great
country the elements of nationality
and Imagination. The old objection
to American books, that their themes
were borrowed, and their treatment
was dry and literal, has every day
less force. American authors have
learned to lean on their own genius,
to trust for interest to he scenery of
their own country and the emotions
Of their own hearts. The morals of
the great Transatlantic Continent be-
gin to look with the eyes of the Amer
lean Muse; the native and peculiar
music Of its bouEdless spaces to
speak by her tongue. Thus, by the
side of a national activity never sur
passed, the land has not waited to
grow old for expressions of its own
picturesque.
The steamer the railway the teIc-
graph conduct to realms of fancy as
as well as to the realms ofiact. The
wood nymphs have found their way
into the glades of the primeval forests
the syiphS nave made new home
on the mountain tops, The muses.
81 Sois ana revere are daring to build
lheir TEN pies close by the shrine OF
'he Almighty Dollar. They are
ooi'S it:-they are llitIng up their
voices OF remuneration and OF proph-
ecy against the great social sore and
moran CRIME OF the land. The cry OF
.helr Indignation has come over the
Tue great "aters-and stirred the En-
s .,'. heaftIaha It's echoes are re-
"l"'nS " 'Heii from lhe latherand,
soi'..'ou al" sauoehed by the memo
~ VI our own ScarcHly eNPiated SIN
! hoio 's t nn 'i!e NJ uSe Sha,' hnaily
p'atoa;n, ot le lIllnS'rel ch1Fa ana the
l'i'',N' -, ,I''''i O't'' so"IC''y eA''I TO-
'io'' nv ii''ii9''e! preahS the
.t l.''I'' u 'No '""'n o''uS Tue MN
''' U.s. "
VEGETABLE Milk, Rum, SOAP AND
PHYslc.-According to Nr T.. A.
Hopkins, some time United States
Consul in Paraguay, that region, 50
tar as its natural features. and pro-
ductions are concerned, is emphatic
ally great country Imprimis, it
boasts OF a vegetable cow-the j5ai0
de hchc, or a:tIk tree which yields Il
iluid so nearly akin to milk, that it is
difficult to distinguish the lirneou,
Juice from the bovine secretion. Sec
ondly, it rcjoiccs in a tree called the
paLo de bo,ucho, or drunken trec-a
vegetable dlstiIlcry or sylvan gron
shop, from which nature pours Der.
petual stream of huuor without
charge. The milk tree and the rum
tree grow in close proximity to each
other, and on the alIuvial banks ofthe
rivers is found in full perfection the
luscious sugar cane. Under these
circumstances, it is the easiest thing
in the world to concoct milkpunch.
Nature furnishes not only the materi-
ais of the beverage, but cups from
which to imbibe, for cocoa trees are
abundant, and the half shells Of the
nuts make excellent chalices. lfvou
wish to take your toddy through a