Mountain Democrat., 1857-07-25
Daniel wel,-ser .,,.1 N. 11T,,,,,iIv.

We give place to the beautiful thoughts
of Daniel Webster, on behOlding sunrise
at the beautiful capitoline city the "Old
Dominion" seated at Sh0ckhoe and
Church Hills, which look down on the
romantic valley@Of the James river:
RICHMOND, October TO-, 1s5O,l
o'clock, A. N.
Ny DEAR SR:-Whcther it be favor
Or All annoyance, you owe this letter to
my early rising. From the hour marked
at the top of the page, you will naturally
concIltde that my companions are not now
engaging my attention, as We have not
calculated on being carly travellers, to-
day.
This city has pheasant seat" 1t is
high; the James river runs below it, and
VIII w-nt out an hour ago, nothing
Va h irI but the roaring Of the falls.
l ar is very tranquil and the tempcra-
IL { mild. 1t is morning and q morning
81 ctt and refreshing and delightful.
Every body knows why the morning
in its metaphOrical sense is applied to
many occasions. The health, strength
and beauty Of my carly years lead us to
call that period the morning of lifc"; Of
Il beautiful young woman we say, "she is
bright as the morning."
But the morning ITSELF few people, in
habitants of cities, know anything about.
Among our good people not one Of thou
sand sees the sun rise once year. They
know nothing of the morning, their idea
OF 1T is that part of the day which comes
after cup of coffee or piece of toast
With them the morning is not new
issuing oflight, a new bursting forth Of
the sun, a new waking up of all that has
life from sort of temporary death to be-
hold the works of God, tho heaven of the
earth.
1t is only part of the domestic day
belonging to reading the newspapers,
answering notes, sending the children to
school, andgiving orders for dinner. The
first streak of light, the earliest purpling
of the cast which the lark springs up to
greet, and the deeper and deeper coloring
into orange and red, till at length the
glorious sun is seen, ''rcgent of the day."
this they never enjoy for they never see
it:
Beautiful descriptions of tho morning
abound in the languages; but they are
strongest perhaps in the cast where the
sun is frequently the object of worship.
King David speaks of taking to himself
the wings of morning. This is highly
poctical and beautiful. The wings Of
morning are the beams Of the rising sun.
1t is said that the "Sun Of Righteousness
shall rise with healing in his Wings
morning that shall scattcrlife, and health,
and joy throughout the universe. Milton
has fine descriptions of the morning, but
not so many as Shakespeare, from whose
writings pages of the most delightful I'M
agcry, all founded an the glory of the
morning, might be filed
never thought Adam had much the
advantage Of US for having seen the world
when it was new. The manifestations of
the power Of God, like his mcrcies, arc
'hew every morning and fresh every mo-
ment." We see as fine risings of the sun
as Adam ever saw, and its risings are as
much of a miracle now as they were in
his day, and l think great deal more so;
because it is thousands Of years he has
come to his appointed time without the
variation of the millionth part of u second.
Adam could not tell how this was.
know the morning, am acquainted
with it and | love it. love it fresh and
sweet as it is,a daily new creation break.
ing forth and calling all that have life and
breath and being to new alteration, new
enjoyment, and new gratitude.
AS ever, your friend,
DANIEL WEBSTER.