The Grand Haven news. [volume] (Grand Haven, Mich.) 1858-18??, 1859-12-28
For the Grand Haven News.
THE ANTIQUARIANS.

THE ANTIQUARIANS.
These minds of ours are remarkable
things; they give shape, form, color, and
attractions or repulsions, as the case may
be, which attach to objects; hence, what
may fascinate one man will repel another,
what delights the taste Of one will pro-
duce disgust and nausea in another. In
fact, man makes his own outside world,
for what is without is only photograph
of what is within. The mind casts its
own sunlight or shade upon the outward
landscape, and that again mirrors back
its own tints, coloring the features. Thus,
however we may smile at the Berkcleyan
philosophy, which asserts that there is
nothing real outside the mind itself, that
all else are but our own mental creations,
yet, after all, it must be admitted that
amid the seeming absurdity there lies a
good deal of truth.
There are some things, however, which
Notwithstanding the diversity Of our
tastes, we all love. We love to look back
upon the past. We cnshrine in our mem.
orics the scenes of n by-gone ago. They
arc loved, and dwelt upon and cherished; {;
and, at certain periods, we bring them
forth from their sacred repositories, and
spread them out upon the parlor table of
the soul, just as our dear old grandmoth-
er used to bring forth the family china,
which descended TO her from an ancestry
not entirely coeval with Noah's flood, but
which she priced just as much as though
she could trace its lineage up to the ell
der branch of the family of Shcm.
There are some things very pleasing in
our memories Of the past. They diffuse
the mind with mellow radiance, like the
fading light of an autumnal evening"
With some such charmed feelings we
mingled in the scenes of the late anti
quarian concert at Grand Rapids. 1t
brought us back to the scenes of our
childhood, the sweet sunny memories of
lifelong ago. In the midst of thatlargeas-
sembly, delighted as we were with the
costumes, and the music, and the tout en-
Sem5le of all around, yet would the mind
msensibly wander back to early scenes,
TO my old aunt, with her tall, qucenly
person, her close-necked black silk dress,
frilled silk collar and ruff, and bonnet, the
very pattern of somo exhibited there.
What history could these relics inn
part, if possessed of thought and speech.
That vest, so richly embroidered, worn by
happy bridegroom one hundred and sew
enty years ago, and the embroidered slip
pers worn by bride some seventy years
later, and the silver tankard filed with
spiced wine-what n story Of wit, Joy and
festivity could it relate. The venerable
Bible, too, and the works OF Augustine,
Bishop of Hippo, in their antique bind
ings-how they threw back the mind up
on the period when men were valiant for
truth, and covered not at the approach Of
death. The violoncello, also, of the old
tory, Sir William Johnson-how little did
he dream of its ever making "concord o.
sweet sounds" in our Valley Cityl but
we cannot tell what a day, much less
what a century may bring forth. If the
shoe buckles worn at the first Continent
al Congress could speak, what stirring
history of hopes and fears, of manly pur-
poses and firm resolves, of undauntod
hearts, brave and wise counsels, and NOR
al heroisms which formed the true gorms,
as well as being the forerunners Of our
national greatness!
What story, darkly stained with blood,
would have been that Of the sword Of the
rough, bat brave Vernonter, who in the