Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1859-03-28
E.AlbI.Ion al we.l AIesanasr.
IFrom our 40 ReporterI
WEsr ALEXANDER, Pa. March 90, 80

resolved that Your correspondent should DC on
I hand "takin' notes" to give some account OF
what was said and done by the Academic lite
I rati OF Scrabble" Accordingly, IN company
with a friend, hc boarded that excellent inSlitu-
{ ton, the Hemplied Railroad mot exactly the
railroad either but the cars and was soon en-
r0nte for the city that sits ON hill. Going
along friend proposed to take stogy." De-
clinsd from the fact there was none 10 tnke.-
Friend said We would 20 out into Baggage car.
Went. Friend requested the boy that sells APP
+ pies II for ten cents" to "shell out" Didn't
exactly know what "shel Ou" meant till boy
went 10 barrel of saw dust and drew out
bottle containing rather suspicious looking
liquid. Friend said we would ''smile." Did
So Smiled frequently, till cars seemed to be
going Mt the rate of 40 knots minute, and the
cows and calves and cabins along the road seem
I ed to be turning summersettS backwards. Two
conductors looking just alike came around and
said they wanted to see ticket. Gave them an
old love letter. Conductors laughed both at
once, and said that would not do. Friend told
/ them it was all right and they left uswith some
remark about passengers seeing double. Asked
! friend " hat they meant. Friend said he supposed
/ it was all the result of smiling.
7 The ninety place we stopped at was
! West Alexander. After an arduous scrabble
we scaled the heights and found ourselves in
4 the renowned Gretna Grecn-where all Western
! Virginia and Eastern Ohio runaway lovers go,
and have always gone, TO seal the bonds Of
inatrimony. Found the place full of literary
looking young men and boys with long ribbons
/ tied in their coat button holes. Alter supper
/ friend proposed 10 walk around and look nj the
town. The town lies along the top Of ridge,
somewhat in the shape of new moon twisted
out Of countemancc, and has but one street. the
| National Road, which IS so extremely crooked
/ that the first time it was run through the place
/ it lost its way, and was obliged TO put W all
| night at the Half Way House. The arTnnge-
ment of the houses would induce one to believe
that at some time the town was visited with
/ tornado of land slides which secuted the houses
around pretty much as it pleased and left them
all standing in "niOst admirable disorder" This
very circumstance however renders the place
4 picturesque, and free from that sameneSs that
characterizes towns where the streets are straight
and laid off at right angles, and the houses built
I in rows and squares. The view of the surround
/ ing country is beautiful; the atmosphere pure
and bracing; the lodging at the Half Way House
cxcellent-and, in fine, the whole place adnira-
! bly, calculated to make summers residence
pass pleasantly for one who had leisure, books
and taste for quiet enjoyment.
/ Through the courtesy of Mr.. Hervy, the Prn-
cinal Of the Academy, the reporters are PROV
dcd with seats aud tables on the stage, whence
n good view may be had Of the dense audience
I that is rantncd and jammed into every nook
and corner of the large room. Certainly not
/ less than 800 people are present The upturned
! faces that meet the eye are nearly all young
lassies and lovers, youths and maidens, boys
and children, with asprinkling of men from 20
/ to 40-all constituting intelligent looking
and interesting audience. The students, mem
bers of the CaphOnan Society, are seated on
the stage and present rather an intellectual APP
pearancc. The music (brass band) is on the
left, very good at proper distance, bot entirely
J too near. The exercises are opened with an
excellent and impressive prayer, and the even
Z iDg's entertainment begins, consisting oil selec-
4 tons, essays and oratiOns. The selections are
well delivered, some Of thcui indeed with
+ great clearneSs of enunciatiOn, and apPro-
! priatenesS of gesture. The boys seem TO do
best, especially Master d. l.. Hubbard, Of this
city, acquits himself in manner credtable to
himself aud his teacher. All do well, some of
course better than Others The subjects of the
orItiOns, though very appropriate here, hre not
of sufficient general interest to justify the
SSctching of any of them for your readers
While the performances are going, on Friend
nudgeS me somewhat nervOnSly, and points out
his lady love in the audience. Tell him |
think she is very beautiful, at which he seems
much gratided, and goes on with his notes.
Aud so the exercises proceed with altcrs atoms
Of speaking and music and music and speaking.
until they are interrupted by a rather verdant
and scedy individual, who rushes on the stage,
and is very DESTROYS of taking part lie
wants a debate, and selects for his question,
"Whether man eXeTts q greater INFLUENCE than
womau" He takes the negative. Woman eX-
erclScS greater influence because she possesses
more beauty than man. One woman is prettier
than G men. Beauty is attraction, attraction is
power, power is influence, and hence woman ex-
erts the greater influence. Woman's influence
is in proportion TO her beauty. Another argu- !
ment. Woman can talk so much faster than
man. Words are language language is the me
diuin for the communication of thought, thought |
controls mind, and hence woman being able TO 4
out talk men, cxerts the greater influence
Woman talks about II times As fast as man, aud I
With times less sense. After putting forth |
these and other sinilar logical PROPOSITIONS, our
comical chap is run off of the stage, as he de- |
serves to he for that last remark about woman. !
After theregular exercises ofthe evening were |
concluded, a very excellent address was deliver 4
ed by DIR. ". W. White, of Wellsburg, Of which, 4
you viii doubtless publish it entire / refrain I
from giving you any abstract
How your Reporter got back to the Half Way (
House that pitchy dark night, through that |
dreadfuliy crooked street, uniighted by gas or
any thing else, except such stars as were occa.
sionally made visible by runniug against posts
and Irees-how his friend fell in company with 1
somebody and remained Invisible till the next
morning, aud himself fcl in mud hole aud 4
with great difficulty extricated-how he 4
ran over three stumps and one store box, to the !
imminent peril Of his shins, and fell down ten