The southern enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1854-1870, 1857-09-03

| riety of fruits here are to be seen founts
and strea,nlets, which the imaginative mind
Of the Greek would have peopled with
Ny,nphs, Svlphs and every other species Of
Fairies. Narrative Prose and Heroic Verse,
have here exhaustless fund from whence TO
draw their supplies.
Although our Legendary Lore cannot boast
the silverv frost Of age, vet il has the Iig It of
Truth, which is a much higher recolnmen
dation. IT'S true, we are not able to point
out to the traveller the grim old castle, char.
ac!eristic Of ambition and cruelty but, with
\ feeling of pride, we poin: him to the mon.
umental marble, commemorative of noble
achievements, which put to shame the heroic
days OF chivalry to our battle fields, where
right finally trumphed over might, where a
second Leonidas sacrificed himself upon the
altar OF ofLibertv-where another Regulus won
for himself imperishable renown by his acts
Of patriotism and selfdevotion. In word,
our Revolutionary period furnishes many
thrilling incidents to the pen Of Historical
Romance.
Nothing, perhaps has more largely con.
triLuted to the diffusion of useful knowI.
edge, than the Period cal Literature of our
country. Under this head we include the
magazines. reviews, weekly and daily news.
papers. The time was. when the number
OF these were few, and but scanty patron
age bestowed upon them. Our people
found in the journals Of other lands that
intellectual knowledge which they desired.
and which the gifted writer's of their own
country could have furnished, had they on.
~ received that encouragement and support
which they deserved without which i,
were folly for any man to expect to succeed
as an author.
At this time, however. the picture pre-.
sents different aspect-periodical literature
has been steadily increasing from that time
to this. and now, in point of quantity, and
the varied learning and lighter polish, our
periodical literature, perhaps, cannot be SUR.
passed bv that of any other nation. From
its light form and uEassuming appearance.
Ii possesses many facilities for general diffu
sion Like the little violet, it gently winds
itself down the mountain steep, as well as
through the green meadows covered with
roses. 1t refreshes the laborer at his cot
tage home after the tolls and trials of the
day-it brings TO light sparkling peal Is
from the great ocean of thought-it restores
to their original elasticity and buoyaIcy the
depressed spirits of you,h-in fine. it furn
isles food for pleasure and improvement to
every class of persons.
But 1t is to the future that we are TO look
for the brightest prospects Of American Liter.
ature. When time shall have polished the
ruder parts Of our natures--when education
shall have become general-when the mind,
the intellect not aoeaiih, shall be the true
index of the man, then will the storehouses
Of the mind be opened. and the rich abun-
dance therein contained be poured on our
land-then will timid and retiring genuises
plainly see the path they are TO illumine
with their gifts, placed upon the sacred al.
tar of Literature. This future Literature
must, Of necessity, be MS varied as there is
diversity of climate and habits. From the
broad Atlantic. which laves our shores on
the east, to the Rocky Mountains. which
raise their rugged peaks high toward Heav.
en-from the gulf.washed shores Of the
LAND of flowers" to the ganite hills of the
Old North State-throughou the length
and breadth Of this Union. literary men will
spring up. whose writings will abound in all
those peculiariiies incident 10 their respec-
tive sections. The prose and poetry of the
Sunny South will yet breathe sweeter fra.
GRANGE. The sweet scented orange groves,
and the beautiful scenery of flowers, will be
embematic still of the feryid imagination of
the chivalrous Sou,herner. Whilst in the
cold North. the discoveries in Philosophy
and the Sciences will increase. In every
section, knowledge. love, feeling will travel
with the unseen speed of "angel's visits. /"
Oh. what n glorious day is yet in store for
US Americans.
In contemplating the future Literature Of
our country, let us not forget to bear in
mind the glorious effects il will have on 9TH
er nations. This should stimulate each and
every one to make wise use of those
means with which the Creator In, endowed
him. that he may add his mite, in raising
the Literature of his country to the highest
state OF improvement--tha he may be able
to place a gift in the great treasury of Truth,
whose benign beams, t'isorg;ng fso,n ons
common center, shall irradiate the whole
world. That freedom, which can fan into a
bright flame. vii that is noble in mind, aud
all that is lovely in virtue. must and will be
appreciated and this combination Of Virtue
and Independence, il rightly understood, and
rightly practiced, will cause our Literature TO
be the Standard Literature of every nation,
and our eonntry the standard az fntora 50