Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1856-07-23
For the Standard.
How long wilt thou sleep, o, sluggard >
When wilt thou awake out Of thy Sleepsp

When wilt thou awake out of thy Sleep"
To the passing traveller, the first sight of our City
of Oaks, provided it is in the day time, is like
pleasing dream, an oasis in barren wilderness but
should the first view ikcine him to further &C.
quaintance with its beauties, the charm is broken
and the green smiling oasis is forgotten, it dsap
pears before Raleigh she is, has been, and, we
fear greatly, ever shall be"-the dry, dark, rough
metropolis of "old fogyism." We claim not to be
defender Of the fast principles of the younger por
ton of the American family nor. on the other hand
do we at all approve of that stagnant state of AFFAIRS
which the slow-prudent, some call it-grovelling,
never.moving policy adopted by the old fogies, is
calculated to produce. No. produce is not the word,
for production necessarily implies exertion of some
kind but as far as We understand the principles,
they are entirely negative; expressing the total alb
of the positive qualities of action and energy
but our knowledge of the Anglo Saxon tongue is so
meagre that we are forced to beg the assistance of
some friend to help us out in ch7istian-like man.
ner. and substitute the proper verb in the place of
produce; but we are aggressive. Though we are
by means in favor of either of the modes of pro-
ceeding we would have neither the lightning speed
of the one, the snail pace of the other; for
submit that extremities are always "odorous. ~
Yet, it appears that there must be some honest me-
dunn, some middle road that rejoices in the good
qualities of either extreme, and dscaims the of
both. Such medium We would have our citizens
pursue. We would have light thrown upon our
streets as well as upon our minds. The desire of
every one of us should be to have the rough thor
oughfarcs of the public made smooth, and the pro-
jecting stumbling bricks laid low.
Enterprising spirits should not be brow-beaten
and frowned down with the inevitable response
sir, we wish none of your improvements; the noise
Of business would disturb slumbers. Alas! poor
Rip Van Wrinkle, have you not slept sufficiently to
render all your senses dumb? When wilt thou
awake TO a knowledge of thine own powers? When
wilt thou turn thine eyes to the enlightenng vistues
of thy stately pines? How long e'er the waterless
city will become of the existence Of that all
powerful invention, the Water Ram, and cause the
cooling stream to flow in: every quarter. in every
house hay, in every room, from the heights of
Crab Tree? When shall the eye of every Carolinian
brighten up at the sight Of our CAPITOL (Which now
looms up against the clouds like stately tree in a
desert,) surrounded by beautiful walks with the air
filed with the perfume If myrads OF flowers, and
cooled by jets of fountains? When shall our city
be graced with capacous Hall for exhibitions,
where the leisure moments of the citizens may be
spent, with both advantage to themselves morally
and physically, and to their amusement?
Strange, indeed it must see., but still tits true,
that are the most backward of all the States in
Improvement. Twas once reported that Rip Van
Wrinkle had aroused from his stupor, but fear he
bad only been awakened by the busy hum of i'm.
provement from the other States, and turned him.
self over to sleep another century. Shall we say
amen to that? G..