Loudon free press. (Loudon, Tenn.) 1852-1855, 1854-07-05
The Land of Dreams. /.


deeds, strange thoughts from the portal to that
land. Vague fantasies jostle with solemn re-
alities at that gate. Huge, unwiedly giants
travel in and out, ard fays trip lightly through
the open door of sleep. ALLEGES on smoothly
too in sleep; the most incongruous materials
fall into their places without exciting the least
SURPRISE to the dreamer. We see the stern
matterof fact men of the out door would go by
hand in hand with elm guides, and friends
great shadowy friends known in life in that
misty land. We wander past towers and cas-
ties of olden time standing in close proximity
to dwellings, of modern cities. Knights all
armed in mail, with plume and vizor pass us as
they stride over pavements and through gas
lighted streets. The past is mingled with the
present, and the future comes close at hand
IT'S queer land. this dream land Now we
see the ships of Tarshish lying at the dock dis
charging their freight of precious woods for
building Solomon's temple in l,roadway-there
the cunning arti6cers go past Wall and Pearl
street-there on that patent spring cart 90 two
of the brazen lions that are TO be supports of
the sea of brass-and there comes the wise
mao himself in pomp of Eastern splendor.-.
A news boy asks him "Have Herald, Slr?"-
Solomon merely shakes his head.
Now far away we hear the noise of the work.
men on the Ark-and Noah's son whom We
meet on the Bowery cars asks the latest news
from Mexico in the same breath that he tells us
that Caser has crossed the Rubicon. The mat
rons of Rome pass us in the early morning on
the way to market to buy vegetables, and it
seems not strange when over the market house
we read the name of Washington or Jefferson.
In the evening we. attend Turkish Mosque in
Union place to see Samson as the great Ameri-
can giant sing grand opera Of Donizetti, in
which Queen Victoria appears rescuing Moses
from the Hudson. Then the thoughts of cleo
ton day come in. We see Golah about to
vote the Wing ticket, and Methusaleh get quite
irate when a young lawyer about town chellen-
ges his vote in ward election. And there
we hear Demosthenes haranguing about Sailors
Rights and Free Trade in Mechanics Hail.
We listen with great pleasure till the meeting
is out, then get into a stage that runs on two
wheels, Just like Roman war chariot, and the
sythes fastened on the wheels NOW the grass in
the streets as they draw along, while close he
hind comes a real down East farmer raking it
up to make funeral pvre for his wife who died
on her passage from India. Now the scene
changes almost impreceptibly 10 the battle
ground of Lexington-a troop of British Sol
diers rush by with confusion and dust. the deep
bay of the dog of war, mingles with the rattle
of stones from the Roman Catapult-and there
a red-coat falls transfixed by moorish iaveIln.
This event throws our thoughts into different
channel. We take a bye path and immediate,
ly find ourselves wandering in the sunny gar
dens OF Granada, our senses are delighted as
we breathe the rich air laden with perfumes
from the orange grove-or listen TO the tink.
ling full of water from the marble fountains in
the Halls of the Alhambra. We tread the
mosSy walks and thread the roseemhowered
copies, when we seem to meet some old ac-
uuaintance, some school mate-and suddenly
we seem walking in the old school ground we
go up to the old room, dark and chill where we
PLAYED our pranks--there is the same high-up
window looking on the roof and sky-there are
the cots on which we slept; all these changes of
scene glide smoothly in the course of our
dreaming thoughts. Now other forms come in
friends and strangers--it flashes upon us that
it is the great examination day. Again We
feel the fu;ter of our youthful hearts--we pre-
pare with arlor--mount the stage, and 10 the
multitude of eager faces seem assembled TO wit
ness our execution. There rises the lofty glib.
bet; the hangrnan's breath chlls our check as be
whispers to bid us prepare to die-then comes
the struggle of thought, the agony of mind,
the pleading of innocence, the calm resignation
of hope in the throes of despair. Then the feel
of the harsh halter about the neck-the one
last look at the day--the earth and glorious
sky ere the horrible cap is drawn on-the sound
of the moving keys of the platform raises ter
ror't the highest pi.ch--the shock awakes us
to actual life with palpitating heart and cold
clammy sweet oozing from every pore.