Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-08-08
THE GAZETTE.
MONDAY MORNING. AUGUST 3. 1859.

rightly. Is the newspaper /" NE. t"r ex
ample. sitting on the critical trnn, bench Vi
the pit, in my study here 10 Salem, the adj
vent OF my weekly journals that ola s'lolling
theatre, or rather IF a puppet show, on whose
stage, narrow as it is, the tragedy, comedy
and farce Of life are played In little. Behold
the whole huge earth sent 10 me hebdomahal-
ly i'll brown paper wrapper.
Hither 70 nv obsure corner, by wind. Or
steam, Oh horseback. on dromedary back in
the pouch of the Indian runner. or clicking
over the magnetic wires, troop all the famous
performers from the four quarters Of the
globe. Looked al from Il point Of criticism
tiny puppets they seem ALL as the editor sets
his booth upon nv desk and dictates as
Snowman. Now can truly see how little
and transitory is life. The earth appears al
lar microscope Of the Imagination must be
brought to bear, in order to make out any
thing distinctly.
The animalcule there, in the pea iacket. is
Louis Philippe, just landed on the coast OF
England. That other, in the grey surtout
aud cooked hat, is Napoleon Bonaparte
Smith, assuring France that she need ap.
prehend no interference from him In the
present alarming juncture. AT that spot,
where you seem ~ see speck VI something
In motion, is an immense mass meeting
Look sharper, and you will ace man brand
ishing his mandibles in an excited manner.
This is the great Soandso, defending ms po-
sition amid tumultuOus and irrepressible
cheers. That ininitessimal creature, upon
whom some score of others, as minute as he,
are gazing in open mouthed admiration, IS
famous philosopher, expounding 10 Il Sc
lect audience their capacity for the infinite.
That scarce discernible putaet Of smoke and
dust is revolution. That speck there is q
reformer Just arranging q lever with which
he is move the world And 10! there creeps
forward the shadow OF ii skeleton that
blows one breath between its grinning teeth,
and all orr distinguished actors are VIII SIX
ed off the slippery stage into the dark
beyond.
Yes, the little show-tox has its solemn
suggestions Now aud then we catch Il
GLIMPSE Of a grim old man, who lays down q
scyt6e and hnur-glass in the corner while he
shifts the scenes There, too, in the dim
background, weird shape is ever delving.
Sometimes he leans upon his mattock, and
gazes, as a coach whirls by, bearing the
newly married on their wedding ,jaunt, or
chances carelessly ut a babe brought home
from christening. Suddenly (for the scene
grows larger aud larger as we look bony
hand snatches back performer in The midst
of his part, and him whom yesterday two
intpites tpast and future) would not suthce. Il
handful Of dust is enough 10 cover and 81
lence forever. Nay, we see the same flesh
less fingers opening ~ clutch the Snowman
himself, and guess, not without shudder.
that they are lying in wait for spectators also
Think ofit! Tor five dollars year | buy u
season ticket to this great Globe Theatre,
whose scene shifter is Time, and whose cur
taiu is rung down by Death.
Such thoughts will occur to me sometimes
as | am tearing of the wrapper OF my news
paper. Then, suddenly, that otherwise too
often vacant sheet becomes invested Tor me
with strange kind Of awe. Look. Deaths
aud marriages, notices Of Inventions, dlSc"v-
cries, and books, lists OF promotions, OF killed,
wounded, and missing news Of fires, acc-
dents, Of sudden wealth, aud as sudden power
ty. hold in my hand the end OF myriad
invisible electric conductors, along which
tremble the joys, sorrows. wrongs, triumphS,
hopes, and despairs of az many men and
women every where. So that upon that
mood Of mind which seems to isolate me from
mankind IA spectator of their puppet
pranks, another supervenes, in which | feel
that |, too. unknown and unheard ot, am yet
of some mpori to my fellows. For. through
my newspaper here, do not families take
pains to send me, an entire stranger, news OF
a death among them? Are here two who
would have me know OF their marriage? -
And, strangest Of all, is not this singular per-
son anxious 10 have me know that he has re-
ceived fresh supply of Dimity Broissin>:-
But to none of us does the present (even for
moment discerned AS SUCH continue mira
culous Weglance carelessly at the sun rise,
and get used to Orion and the Pleiades-
The wonder wears of, and tomorrow this
sheet, in which II vision was let down to me
from heaven, shall be wrappage to bur OF
soap or the platter for beggar's broken VIC
tuais.