The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1858-12-25
The old Stone Upturned.

DIR. Holmes, in his article 1.-The Autocra
Of the Breakfast Table," in the Aslanti
Mmthty for March, has the following:
Did you never in walking the fields, com,
across large faestonc, which had lain,
nobody knows how long. just where you
found it, with the grass forming little. n.
it were, all rounp it, close to its edgss-and
have you not, in obedience to q kind af feel
ing that told you that it had been lying
there long enough, insinuated your stick, OF
your foot, or your fingers under its edge and
tnrned it over, as the housewife turns a
cake, when she says to herself. ITS done
brown enough by this time ?" What an
odd revelation, and what an unforeseen and
| unpleasant surprise to small community.
The very existence of which you had sus
Pected, until the sudden dismay and scatter
Ing among its members, produced by your
turning the old stone over! Blades Of grass
fsttened down, eolorless, matted together,
as if they had been bleached and ironsd !;
hideous crawling creatures, some Of tn em
co!eopterous or horny shellcd-turtle- bugs
one wants to call them some of them soft.
er, but cunnngly spread out and compress
ed like Lepine watches (nature never loses
crack or a crevicr, mind you, or Joint in
Of her fiat pattern, live time. keepers to slide
into 1t , black, glossy crickets, with their
long flaments sticking out like the whips Of
four horse stage coaches motionless, slug
like creatures, larvae, perhaps, more horrible
in their pulpg stiffness than even in the hid
eous wriggie of maturity But no sooner is
the stone turned and the wholesome light Of
day let upon this compressed and blinded
community Of creeping things, than all Of
them that enjoy the luxury of legs-and
some ofthem have a good many-rushig
round wildly, buttns each other and every
thing in the way, and end in general STAN
pcdc for Underground retreats from the re-
gion poisoned by sunsh MS. Nert year you
will find the grass growing tail and green
where the stone lay ; the ground bird builds
her nest where Il e bscte had hts hole the
dandeon and the buttercup are growing
there, and the broad fans Of insect angels
open and shut over their golden discs as
the rhythmic waves Of blisSful consciousness
pulsate through their glorified being.
The young fellow whom they called John
saw fit to say, in his very familiar way-at
which | do not choose to take offence, bu,
which sometimes think it necessary to re-
press-that | was coming it rather str. ng
on the butterflies.
No, replied. there is meaning in each OF
these images the butterfly as well "a the
others. The stone is ancient error. The
grass is human nature borne down and
bleached of all its coors by it. The shapes
that arc found beneath, are the crafty bangs
that thrive in darkness, and the weaker or
ganisms kept helpless by il. lie who turns
the s,ene over is wKosoever puts the staff of
truth to the old lying iucubus, nc matter
whether no Dc 1t with q seri US face or
laughing one. The next year stands for the
coming time. Then shall the nature which
had Ian blanched and broken, rise in it,
full stature ami native hu-s in the sunshine
Then shall Gods mins.rels build their nests
in the heart OF a new born humanity Then
hall brau'. .-Disini.y .-L'..- -",ii~.s ,nG
color-light upon the souls Of men and the
butterfly images of the beautiful spirit ris ng
from the dust, scars from shell that held
the poor grub, which would never have
found wings, had not the stsne been lifted
You never need think you can turn over
any old falsehood without terrible squirm-
in: and scattering Of the horrij little popu
lation that dwe!s under IT.