The River Falls journal. (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1857-1861, 1857-09-09


gether to destroy all opposition; to root
out, if they could, the very thoughts Of
mankind. Inquisition was made for
blood. The ears of the grovelling lay in
wait for every murmur. On sudden,
during this great hour of danger. there
arose in hundred parts of the world, a
cry, to which the cry of the Blatant Beast
was whisper. 1t proceeded from the
wonderful multiplication of an extraordi-
nary creature, which had already turned
the cheeks of the tyrants pallid. 1t groan-
ed and grew loud: it spoke with hundred
tongues; it grew fervitlly on the ear, like
the noise of millions of wheels. And the
sound of millions of wheels was in it, to-
gether with other marvellous and awful
noises. There was tho sharpening of
swords, the braying of trumpets, the
neighing of warehouses, the laughter of
solemn voices, the rushing by Of lights,
the movement of impatient feet, a tread
as if the world was coming. And ever
and anon there were pauses "a still small
voice." which made a trembling in the
night time. But still the glowing sound
of the wheels renewed itself; gathering
early towards the morning. And when
you came to one of these creatures, you
saw, with fear and reverence, its mighty
conformation, being like wheels indeed,
and a great vapor. And ever and anon
the vapor boiled, and the wheels went
rolling, and the creature threw out of its
mouth visible words. that fell into the air
by millions, and spoke to the uttermost
parts of the earth. And the nations flor
it was loving though fearful creature,
fed upon its words like the air they
breathed: and the monarchs paused, for
they knew their masters.
This is Printing by Steam.-It will be
said that it is an allegory, and that all al
legories are but tictions, and flat ones. |
am far from producing it as a specimen of
the poetical power now in existence. AL
legory itself is out of fashion, though it
was a favoritc exercise of our old poets,
when the public were familiar with shows
and spectacles. But allegory is the readi-
est shape into which imagination can turn
a thing mechanical; and in the one be-
fore us is contained the mechanical truth
and the spiritual truth of that very mat
ter of fact thing call Printing Press
each Of them as true as tho other, or nei-
ther could take place. A business of
screws and iron wheels is, or appears to
be, very commonplace matter; but not
so the will of the hand that sets them in
motion; not so the operations of the mind
that directs them to utter. We are salts
fled respecting the one of science; but
what is it that renders us sensible of the
wonders of the other, and their connection
with the great mysteries of nature 3
Thought Funcy Imagination. What
signifies to her the talk about electricity,
and suction, and gravitation, and alem-
bics. and fifty other mechanical operations
of the marvellous? This is but the bone
and muscle of wonder. Soul, and not
body, is her pursuit; the first cause, not
the second; the whole effect, not a part OF
it; the will, the invention, the marvel it
self. AS long as this lies hidden, she still
fancies what agents for it she pleases.-
The science of atmosphcrical phenomena
hinders not her angels from "playing in
the plighted clouds" The analysis of a
bottle of salt water docs not prevent her
from taking the wings of the morning,
and remaining in the uttermost parts OF
the sea-" You must prove to her first,
that you understand the simple elements,
when decomposed: the reason that brings
them together; the power that puts them
in action; the relations which they have
to thousand things besides ourselves and
DIV wants. tlhe necessity of all this per-
Offers for sale, Dwellings, Stores. one Hotel,
Farms, and Farming lands levee and other
business lots, Also so Lots in Nortons late
Addition to Prescott.
REFERENcEs.-Hon Abner Pratt presiding
Judge Supreme Court, Michigan; Calhoun Co.
(Mich.) Bar; and all business acquaintance i'll
Michigan or the world.
Prescott, June 90, 1857. JAMES w. HILL.