Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1859-09-14


She looks a sea Cybele, fresh from Ocean,
RiStog with her tiara of proud towers"
Along the coast of North eastern italy.
where the waves of the Adriatic gaily meet
the waters of the Brenta, the Adige, and
the Po, long sand-bank tells of their un-
ion, forming bulwark against the fierce
storms which often sweep over this turbu-
lent sea. 1t is called the Lido. and ia
pierced by six canals, through which yes-.
sells enter the port of Venice. These pass
ways are strongly fortified, and obstructions
placed within them can readily hinder the
entrance of an enemy's ships.
Fifteen hundred years ago, between the
Lido and the mainland, there were eighty
small islands, formed by the debris brought
down from the Alps by those three rivers.
Here, the terror-stricken Venitii, driven.
from their homes by the inroad of the
Huns, lead on by the fearful AttiIa, sought
aure. Eefagsl Like The sesbizs4,TV-,TT0vr mn,
surface of the water.
1t was the boast of old Rome, that it's
people imbibed strength and vigor from,
the VOLTS milk, which nourished its first,
founders. Hence, we may truly say, the
Venitians derived their energy and indom--
liable industry from the unccasng necessia-
tv of action, of toll and struggle A kind
Providence seemed to have given them
genius and adaptiveness to their condition,
unprecedented in the annals of the world
Resolved to build great city, they drove
piles into the deep marsh, for it could not
be called ground. Within these circles,
they threw stones and great rocks, brought
from the mainland by infinite labor, and
upon these they built houses after firm
foundation was obtained. The space be-
tween these islands they cleared away, suf-
fering the waves Of the Adriatic to flow
freely through them, forming streets like
canals. Thus, the gondola becomes as ne
cessary to Venice as sunlight to flowers,
and quite as much part and portion of
her glory as her splendid palaces, glittering
domes, and lofty towers.
In few centuries the Venitians had
triumphed over all the surroundings Of
hard fortune, and bad become the great
commercial power of the world. All the
sunny isles of the Archipelago were hers
the trade Of India was hers. The ships of
Venice were upon all the seas, and its mer-
chants were styled princes" To be a
Venitian was to be free, independent and
rich; it was their boast all the world over,
as it is the boast Of our free people that we
are Americans.
From the period Of the city's first crea.
ton by the fugitives from the desolatinp
power of Attila, the Hun, until its down
fall before the victorious army of Napoleon
| Bonaparte, there were nearly fifteen hun.
dred years. First, there was poverty, ter.
ror, and constant combat with stern diff.
culties: next prosperity, triumph, and ges
| geous splendor; then, corruptioH, OpPres
sion, and treachery; and at last the sur
render of all power into the hands of stran
gers and tyrants. In lS4S, for brief pc
rod the old love of liberty blazed up, ane
the fire of true patriotism gave earnest o
the brightest dayz of the past, but alas tn,
"IsIand Of Sacrifice" although each grair
of its sand was stepped in the hearts warn
| blood of loyal men, moved not the pity o
European NATIONS, and again Radetzky
with his fierce and crnel Austrians, becam,
its master.
From Attila to Bonaparte, there is
long array of glorious names, which still
light mp the pages of history, and can new
er grow dim, while the love for Shake
speare, for Byron, for Schiller, fer Dante
and for Tasso, have home and hold upoI
the human heart; they have perpetnsteS
the noble deeds, and craven upon the sou
the impassioned romance ofits people:
I "ours is trophy which will not decay
| With the Rialto Shylock and lii Moor,
And Pierre cannot be swept or worn away
The keystone Of the arch though all were o'er
4 For ms re -peorled were shs solitary shore
i Bladen Springs, August 10.