Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1855-09-29

vehicles Of travel along our flvorite river
Spring and autumn, winter and summer, ndif-
ferent 10 sunshine and careless Of storms, the
locomotive sounds his whistle along the Hudson,
dar,ing through the tunnels and shooting over
the bridges cmulating the flight Of the bird,
almost annihilating time and space, and making
many lovers happy Even while write, a
train is flashing along bearing the merry and
sad, the reluctant and willing, to their respcc-
tive destinations. Il is impossible to conceive
greater revolution than has thus been affected
in the convenience and speed Of travel BY com
bined science and skill and when the cumpar-
alive cheapness is taken into consideration, il
will be admitted that few greater boons could
have been conferred upon our restless and mi
gratory people. The railroad car is the true
republican carriage, accessible TO all on equal
terms and with equal privileges The master
, and servant, the employer and clerk, the nil
lionaire and laborer, the highest officer of tho
government and the humblest voter in the land
are here placed on an equal footing and here,
perhaps, in the whole length and breadth Of
this great republic, is the only place where So
cial equality is perfectly understood
| II approaches to earcatnre when my eye
dwells upon the strange contrast that is now
presented to view have before me a railroad
train whose speed almost realizes The story Of
the magic carpet in tho Arabian nights : a
steamboat making rapid progress against the
wind and tide an eastern schooner slowly
beating up the river an Albany sloop that in
sheer disgust, is quietly dropping her anchor,
and ran imperceptibly moving with the cur
rent. This latter is a most apt representative
Of od-fogyism while the former may symbol
lac Young America in one Of his fastest moods.
And here comes a steamer with some dozens OF
vessels in tow putting and blowing, but still 60
| ing ahead, like our own good mother republic,
in spite Of all the political empires and specu-
lative tinkers who hang upon her skirts.
Such is the Hudson at the present, and such
was the Hudson in the days that have gone for
ever Improvement has succeeded improvement,
invention has given birth to invention, and VIC
seem now to have reached that point beyondwhici
human ingenuity cannot GO. Dot who will aver
that we have accomplished the highest attainment
when he remembers the past you might as
well try to light London with piece cut fron
the moon as with gas, said Sir Humphrey
Davy. When Fulton's boat first started from
tho wharf, There goes that mad man = ex
claimed the learned Thebans Of the day. 'Wha
nonsense to try TO make wafer run up hill :
was the observation Of sapicni legislaioy from
the city of New York, when Clinton was press
ing the construction Of the Erie Canal. And
Morse may know something of painting, bp
he is a fool when he talks Of sending messages
by electricity was observed by many unbeliey-
ers at recent period. Bot, 10 spite Of this al
most universal pyrrhonism that attends the an
nounccment Of all new discoveries, invention
and improvement have not discontinued thei
research nor exhausted their ingenuity. Al
the sloop has given way to the steamboat an'
the steamboat to the locomotive, 40 at some fu
ture day the latter may yield the palm TO som'
more wonderful inyeniion. But whether W,
arc borne along in the commodious steamer, o
drawn by the painting locomotive, or carrie'
through the fields of air by some future crea
lion, We arc happy 10 know that all conduce II
the good Of our race and the advancement o
our country. With the printing-press as th'
dispenser Of intelligence and guardian Of liber
iy, the telegraph girdling the earth for her al
iment, and the iron-horse distributing her les
sons, there is nothing to furnish hope TO th
enemy Of popular liberty. II will be as per
petual as the flow of our own bright river an,
as his waters contribute to sweeien the wave
Of the ocean, republican sympaihes will grad
ually but surely interminge with the pulsalion
+ of the European heart.