Lewisburg chronicle. [volume] (Lewisburg, Pa.) 1850-1859, 1855-08-31
THE COUNTRY.

Il L ~ i ! l.
"Go1 male the country, and man mad. the town.
What wonder, then, that health and virtue, cifls
That eau alone make sweet the bitter draurlt
That life holds out 10 all, should most abound,
And least bc threatened, ia ihc Is and grUSu.l"
From all We know, Cain was the first mar
that "buildcd city" If We consider wha
manner Of man this Cain was, and ther
also apply to him and his work the maxim
that, as the tree is SO is the fruit, it will
not much raise our estimation of the piety
and goodness of this thing that Cain did
We would almost be forced to conclude
that the same spirit which suggested tc
him to slay his brother, also moved him
to build city. If the reader draws this
conclusion, we can not help it; VIC are
uot arguing the case, but only giving his
tory. 1t is fact that murderer built
the first city-makc of the fact what you
can.
A certain wise man has also said, "Cit-
les are the dcyil's universities" If this
is too severely said, fight it out with him,
and do not blame US for stating the histo-
ry of opinions. Moreover, G cd in. ancient
times, dealt very severely with cities, as
we have read in the Bible. Our Savior,
too, said "Wo" to cities-charged them
with having "killed the prophets" and
declared that tho exalted to heaven they
should be "thrust down to hell" All this
would seem to show that cities have, in all
ages, been characterized in great degree
by the spirit of the one who built the first.
If our own opinion on this point should
be desired, we would not be slow to say
that we have no great faith in the holiness
of cities. Tho some have the sanity prefix
"St" attached to their names, yet We doubt
their right to canonization. We arc Of
opinion that self-interest, and spirit Of
worldliness, has built every city on the
globe; and that these are the master spir-
its that reign and rule in them. They
have their good; but so from the dung
hill-may fowls scratch wholesome grains.
They have their outward polish but SO
have whited sepulchrcs, which nevertheless
are, within, full Of dead mems bones and
all uncleanncss. If the veil which covers
the denominations of our largest towns and
cities could be removed, it would abund-
antly appear, that good mans language
was not whit too earnest when he said,
d" These are the blotches and boils of tie
body polite ..''-strong language, but not
too strong. Truly, as the poet says, "Man
made the town" Man, sinful man, makes
it the sink Of iniquity which it in truth
too often proves to be.
Our introduction is perhaps too long,
and rather spicy. Our subject is not cit
les, but the country. 1t is not our object
to blame towns, but to praise the country.
We offered these structures upon cities by
way Of background to our picture. We
proceeded upon the principle generally
adopted by two who are disputiug with
each other:
"whcn dorm goes my opornent,
Then up 20 l."
The country-we praise the country
What "yolumc in word' has the poet
uttered, when he exclailms, "Gop MADE
TIE COUNTRY" What God makes, is
of Him. 1t will be continued
revelation of Himself; and lie will ever
be found in its midst, the source Of rest,
and peace, and joy.
Good made the country" One, must
be in the midst of rural scenes, to feel
fully the beauty and force of this declara-
ton. by this, We do not mean that one
must fly through it in a railroad car. 1t
lcspiscs such an attempt to view its glor-
les, and hence seems to run away before
Dur eyes not tree will stand still long
enough to enable US to get it full in our
view. Battling, rumbliug, rolling, roaring
We go-through bridges, through deep
cuts, and through bills We 60, as though
We were doomed vagabonds. Do not call
his, seeing the country. A fool, walking
through a library and gazing at the backs
If books, views the fields of literature as
much as traveller in railroad Car views
he country.
Away from thoroughfarcs, away from
owns, where only the faintest din of the
,oisy world is heard, and where only the
allcst spirc Of the distant town is seen
,cre is the country. Here We sit under
he shade of an ancient tree and look out
It leisure upon the quiet fields, the distant
.rccn woods, the blue sky above, with here
nd there white, floating cloud, Knocked
" its own shadow that moves, like a
rcam-imagc, over the serene landscape |
,cfore us. 1t is harvest time, and yondcr !
re golden fields that but barely wave with |
ghiter sheen in the gentle breeze. Others
y their side are already streakcd with ho!-
ow swaths and rows of shocks. There are
he hay. fields, so green again since the
mowers have passed over them. There are
room fields of oats even now growing