The Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, Ohio) 1853-1861, 1856-10-23
From the Wav,rlcy Magazine.
THE STUDY OF ANTIQUITIES

There il straug: ant mysirF!alls interest
hwhkenrd IN us Whenever we investigate thu his.
tory OF hy-g"ne ages. We eagerly catclret tl,p
mot insignificant monuments Or r, mains Of
propIe who have passed from the lace OF the
r"rth III the huprs of b-ing thus enabled ia
i'rrrce the darkness that ubscur their annals.
At the inl,T,al ui TIM that separates cur own
h5r from theirs increases, - also does tn. nrlnr
vi oar inquiry increase; aud our minds ar,
NhldIy Carried back Ia times and SCenrs rich iu
the associations OF phiiusuph RS, poets auI ug-
uint|, who for CENTURIES s'rved as models for Al
vito prIsiie thr same path 10 honor. The Iu-
man mind delights To trace the varied chang 5
NJ government, customs aud characteristics OF
man al diil' rent stages u. his history and tu
fuIiow his progress Tram times far l,sS rnliah
l-i:'d M literature aud sc.cnct, and inferior IN
san IA liIr mechanic arts. tn our own (luv H.
li".Taicd as IL Is by the most rapid adj duCe in
"vrTy department uf kuOw.rd,r
Ilns l-nd''nCy To cling 10 the past belongs 20
all Ptopc and although almost every hing re
Io'lhS louuT own country is comp Irllively new
nnd we cannot therefore have many uutilul-.
:I"s, with how much interest du WE view our
ln'lIan mounds, aud the rrmains ui those citirs
which have brem 81 clInrnimgy Brought To light
hy he labuTs al Prescott AMI steyems-
Perhaps, too, the Intelligent American is more
so-inmy impressed with lhr fcifioins of distant
"grs, which he sees in his travels abroad; than
Win any ot the more modern era IONS, Tn.
obbirs sud cathrdrsIs OF Great Britain esnecinI.
iy; the palaces and courts of Justice carry him
back to a time when his ancestors. equally with
Ihos. Of the present nhabitants were possessors
of the soil. No American can erer forget his
first impressions ON visiting the noble edificee
ol Gothic times the long stately aisle OF the
cathedral, the religious cloisrrr, rich eneravcn
brass and monumental marble, the baronial cas-
tie that still seems ready 10 echo To the clurons
Of the tournament, and from who's gates We
almost expect 10 see the chrivalrc train issue to
the lists, sheathed in panoply of steel. There is
something halowcd in the rejection which their
slght inspires, and envy not the stoicism which
may enable the traveller to inspect those su-
cred relics and repositories of the mighty dad,
such as those that West minister Abby affords,
without emotion.
Moreover the studv of an,ioui,iss il mos, n.
structive. II tells ms of ihe manners and nnJ.
of conduct Of our anccsto,s II nxh;hi,s W,
lis what. in our nride of tbonob, NJ ,he ,.os,
provements of our own ney;n1s we can sc.r"a.
iy credit, now much power hanniness and com.
fort were experienced under restricted onnoT,m-
mites and il elevates our estimation of those
who could effect SO much wi,hout th, nd,.an-
tages possessed by us of modern neriods Evsn
now, with all our knoyledpe of nhvsicai
science, we are astounded at thos, p;gantir
structures which ELo ,ho ,,,.a,,iIo SsaT,. Ssa,'-
monuments of Egypt. must have reonired an
amount of physical force almost irrop, nrebon'
sible to us with even our improted tterbanical