Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1854-12-06
DRG&MBRR s.
HEARTHsIDE MUSINGS,

is a vision OF wild, youthful happiness-the
springtime of u~ncaring childhood, its 10
Of singing birds and murmuring a
its fowery wreath woven in gorge A
Gus richness, its green woodland and bloom P
ing meadow, and its bright sky too with gol- u
den clouds like some creation Of a fairy dream u
that drift gently across the smooth surface of :
the deep blue above. 1t Is a vision that pass :
es before as thousands oftimes, and we would
gladly seize it and realize it. There IS an old
school house and it is one of oarth's most hall
lowed shriues that memory has treasured
We cling TO II with the love an old man feels
for those who gave him life. Every feature
Of those who sat there with us comes before
us now as then. The paths worn smooth by
brave feet, the playhouse under 1.-THE big
dog wood with its arrangement oil big acorn
Guns and broken ware, the smithshop where
ploughs were made Of shingles, the well dug
with long spikes, the crops pitched and plant
Oh ali with single tools, and the harvests we
never gathered, the mill we built on the
branch with its deep dam where the hsn gam
oroa wondrous large-all are as plain now
a, thorgh long gears had not passed aWey.
Even the old oaks that cast such a cool shade
across the play ground, each on a home"
in " e%aptive's base" are all rehgiously gar
nered in the store house where there IS so
ruch 10 cherish. We shall never see such
trees again. Ard the warm yellow sun
sh;ne that came in every morning at the door
and crept like n cheerful smile across the
vrnrped boards. More than one OF us have
warmed our bare feet Of cool mornings IN
that same great feok of sunshine that came
IN Mt the door. And We shall never see such
.upshiue again Strange that we can see
lust as they were, years ago, the row OF iittie
hare feet drawed up under the benches.-
Tho unconscious shutting to and fro OF a do
. such feet on the floor while the lesson Is
got" and the low hum of the hies basklng
:, Tho sunshine on the windows, OF where 1T
orept in Mt the cracks, interrupts the almost
dreary stiffness. Then the fireplace 1t haa
cool look in the summer time, filled with
horgbs from the willow swamp. And the
master" He was q stern man. out We
oorla lint like him. With a book IN one
hand and n ferule in the other, he IS hearing
GLASS " recite Grammar" or giving out the
smelling lesson" There is an emblem Of
authority sticking in a crack over his head
and the end is split, showing 1t has been II
ssrvice. hut for all that there are two httl'
fellows whispering behind their Websters ant
....o,Hn, ~ study all the time and Their
ia little Rob, always full Of mischief, chewing
paper bullets and shooting them at the giri
On the other bench. A rap from the master
switch brings Rob to his feet with a jerk an
he sits quietly down to his lesson with aourn
eat where our urn oTIdf ifrTHeSSds' the trees, sroo
dreamily in the dull haze Of an Autumn ev'
ming. Tho gathered wealth of the summe
was at our feet, and we felt something Of tn
one experiences when the dead is undt
our eye. There was n song in the leaves
a subdued melody of sadness as they rustic
across the pathway. Each withered one hO
its little history and its history was som
thing like the history of men. Full ofpurit
each had burst from the bud in the sprin
time. Beautiful and bright MS the gladson
youth they had bloomed in the summer tim
In the early autumn they had grown pale al
yet more lovely under the sure hectic of d
cav. Yes each leaf of the forest had budde
bloomed and died-so bud, and bloom, al
die all Of earth. In our rambles we came
a brooklet, clear, bright and pure. The cry
tai wavelets sang a dreamy song as II for
daytime scrcnade to the mellow and gold
sunlight on the hills. The sunbeams we
rich like gold as they shot through the star
ing boughs and made the brooklet and
little eddying pool bright with yellow rubit
We watched the spray going up from the !
tic Niagarus and it became like golden snC
in the kiss Of the sunbeam. On the waves
the brooklet were little ships of foam, a
withored leaves in tow, all Fastening away
be seen and heard no more. Farewell to t
leaves that shaded and famed us when {
fiery sun beat upon us, farewell to them, /
the rolling Of years will bring again the so
Of the whipporwill, and bursting bud, a
opening flower were it not so, how ma
hopes now buried in dependency would n,
err rise from their living tomb?
+ The millionaire is forced to content hi
self with the same rainbow and the same 81
set "a the poor newspaper writer. The
bob cannot order a private meteoric SHOW
Tor his Individual amusement, or add one s
gle star to the spangled armament on Mi
The same sweet air swells the lungs of
President and the beggar. The merchi
cannot buy up the thoughts of his poor p
ter-each man possesses his own soul, tn
and senses. Genius, love and beauty are
merchandise. A lady may buy a rich bra
let, but not a we'll turned arm on which
wear it-a necklace costing thousands
not q beautiful neck on which it shall
with natural loveliness. The richest man
earth might vaiily offer his fortune to he y
to write poetry like Byron and songs |
Burns. There is not so much difference Al
all the rich and poor 60 to dust after de
and then from that dust no PHILOSOPHERS
determine which was the rich man and WI
the poor-which the gold dust and which
plebean bran.
As the Autumn gun fades out onJ =,