The Grand Haven news. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1858-18??, 1859-12-28

mental Congress" summoned the affrighted
DeLaplacc to surrender the fort of Ticon-
tloroga; and then, the letter Of the " Faith
er of his Country" like the brave old Ro-
man Cincinnatus, having retired to the
repose of private life, after the conquest of
his enemies; and, lastly, that love-letter
furnished by Judge Lyon; that manly,
chivalrous, courtly love-letter of one hun
dred and forty-fyo years ago, with its
quaint orthography but beautiful penman-
ship, filled us with rare pleasure. These
are but few of the things presented,
which, if mind and speech were given,
"could tale unfold" We almost wish
that We had turn for romance writing,
that we were gifted as the bard of Ab-
botsford, for here were subjects Of power,
of touching incident by flood and field"
capable of stirring the soul from its very
depths; but, as the sparrow said to the
hawk, imploringly, alas! we are only
poor sparrow"
Among the pieces Of music which pleas
ed us most were majestic old Denmark,
Miriam's triumphant song, which filled us
with something of the inspiration of the
prophecies herself, rs, standing on tho
banks of the Red Sea, we mentally min
glcd with the struggle and the victory of
the people of God. Tho soul-stirring
strains of the Marscilllaise hymn of free
dom, aroused our combativcness to n
high pitch, which was only allayed by the
remembrance of the "cooling, cooling"
strains of Old Montgomery. Several
other pieces were finely performed. In
our opinion, Grand Rapids may well be
proud of her children of song, whose mel
ody gave inspiration to many heart up
on that pleasant occasion.
And then, came up that fine represent
alton of an old kitchen scene, every part
of which was so well performed, from the
cradle hymn to that old mother, whom
we can scarce belive, even now, to be less
than an Octogenarian; all was so true TO
life, that tho very Sharpening of tho knife
on the chimney stones had talismanic in
fluence, that inscnsibly we were carried
back to our childhood's home, and the
veritablc scenes of the parental freside.
And, lastly, came the closing scene of
early Puritan life. The disappointed
Miles Standish, the successful John AL.
den, and the precise Priscilla, with her
genial woman's nature, after all, flowing
out in tho expressions, "Why do you not
speak for YOURSELF John;" and that we'd
ding scene; the parson of the olden time,
dressed so true to the then clerical life 7;
the lining of the hymn, the pronunciation ;
that when tho "pelican in tho wilderness"
was uttered, our countcnance could scarce
ly appear grave. The whole scene Of that
evening impressed us so, threw us back
upon the past, and mixed us up with the
long ago of this world, that when we
came to ourselves we were almost sorry TO
find that our lives had shot ahead into
the age of railroads and tclegraphs, in
stead of lingering beneath the shade Of
an earlier, but more simple and unsophis-
ticatcd' civilization.
Such scenes as this do us good; they
lead us to think, and feel, and live better
they soften our aspcrities and give love
of homo; and are, therefore, in their ma
turc favorable 10 virtue; and hence, they
who originated, and through whose in
strumentality tho whole was planned and
achieved so successfully, are public bene-
factors, and deserve, and we have no
doubt receive the thanks of the commu-
nifty. We, ourselves, left the Hall with
the feeling, letus hare more such scenes.
Grand Haven. JosEpHUs.