The Empire County argus., 1855-06-16
For the Empire County Argus.

sat in my cozy cabin by warm and cheerful
fire. 1t was dark and fearfully temrestuous night
without The driving of the drops on the roof
did not produce their usually soothing calming,
pleasurable effect on my mind. I was thinking
alternately of the storm, the comfortable fire. and
the dear ones at home, when suddenly as if by a
behest of the storm god himself the howlng of the
winds ceased, and the falling of the rain. Who
has not noticed these sudden calms? Ere long
heard the sound of single drop on the roof which
was soon succeeded by others-again it rained.
The sound Of this single drop awakened meditative
feelings. I thought of the past, present and future,
and the important part this little drop may have
had, and still have to enact in the great drama of
nature. My mind wandered far back in the dim
and hazy regions of the past in search of data and
facts relative to its history. first beheld it in the
garden of Eden rejecting in the rising sun the
rosy tempting color of the forbidden fruit" The
next saw it was in the pillar of cloud" that was
given as guide to the lsraelites during their pill
grimage through the wilderness; and then in the
limpid and sparkling water that gushed from the
rock when the aged Patriarch smote it with his
rod With what a thrill of delight must the fam
ishing host have beheld its timely appearance. 1t
served important purpose in the construction of
the walls of Solomon's great temple and at later
period of tins it appeared in position that the
Contemplation of inspires me with feelings of SOL
emnity and reverence-coming from the eye of the
incarnate God when he was moved to tears on the
occasion of the death of the beloved Lazarus, and
as the evangelist beautifully has written "Jesus
wept.'
It has often appeared in the "law of promise y
often nestled within the petals of the rose and the
violets cup. 1t was part of the ink with which
Washington signed the death warrant of the noble
Andre. 1t has fully completed the circumnaviga-
ton of the globe, at times gently borne along by
the soft and gentle breeze of summer, and at 9th
ers hurried onward by the impetuous and destruc-
tive gale. Perched on high on its airy wings it
has often looked down upon the bloody battlefield
where man was eagerly striving with his brother
for supremacy; has witnessed the coronation and
dethronement of kings and emperors-the rise and
| fall of nations. 1t has descended into the bowels
of the earth and explored many of its hidden mys-
tsries. Unseen by the eye of man it has filtered
through sands of gold in these subterranean pere-
grinatons and kissed the lusrous face of diamonds
and ''precious stones in their native home.
great deal of the world has this little drop
seen, and oh, if it could only speak, how would
love to listen to detail of all its Journeyinings
But has it not spoken? was it not its voice that
caused this connected train OF thoughts! Indeed,
lnethinks it was 1t has spoken with the tongue Of
nature. Its language is simple but significant
Thus can we hold communion with nature 1t is
sweet to listen to the gentle patter of rain drops in
the evening, snugly ensconced in bed, as half
dreaming we lay, lulled into quiet forgetfulness
of all the cares and vexatons of life 1t is pleas
ant in the evening to listen to the signing Of the
breeze that comes from the north and stops while
to daily with the evergreen twigs of the pine.
This signing is the voice of the breeze 1t is tell
ing from whence it came, all the wondrous things
it has seen, of all the beauties and deformities OF
that part of the earth over which it has passed.
1t is sweet to listen to the distant murmuring OF
the ocean. 1t is telling of what it has seen-ot
the many shipwrecks, of the many beds of coral
that lie hidden many fathoms below-of all the
the magnificent beauty and grandeur of the inner
temple of this world of waters. These are the
ways in which nature speaks to the ear tits plea
sing in a moonlit summers night, alone to stroll
away from the haunts of man and in a secluded
nook sit down on seat cushioned by the hand OF
nature and drink in the silence inexpressible beau
ty and inspiring loveliness of sleeping nature All
what tongue or pen can express or describe the
feelings that come and 60 at such time? This is