Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1859-03-23
For the Spirit of the Age.


no care say tHey are wrong
For the Spirit of the Age
Retrospection.
This lovely spring day, seems a fitting orc
for memory to throw her lights and shadows
over the soul. The sun sheds his bright
beams around, while ever and anon the sweet
song Of some forest warbler greets the ear
with cheering note, as if to awaken to mem
DRY the Joys and happy hours ofthe past;|
while the gentle breeze signs mournfullY
through the grove, as if to accord with the.
shadows which mingle with memories of the.
past. Yet with all its shadows, It's sweet to-
think on past scenes-scene which can nev~
er be erased from memory's tablet. All! IT'S
sweet to revert back to the days of our child
hood-those happy, g~uileless hours of our ex-
istence, when a mothers hand guided us-a.
mother led US to a "throne of grace" and
endeavored to unfold to our untutored minds
the great plan of redemption. Twas a moth
er, too, who gently chided us when " we in
error ~strayed," until we would fain hide our
blushing faces and weep out the remembrance.
Of our fault.
How dear the haunts of our childish fan
cy, where, all unmindful of the career and
turmoils Of life, we plucked the first flowers,
of spring and wreathed them around our ring
lets then chased the gay butterfly until ex-
hausted we were compelled to desist. We
remember too, when our school-days com
menced. How we shrunk back from the
: strange teacher until he, by kind words and
c~aresses, won Us over and taught us not only
to love our books but our teacher and fellow
scholars also.
And here | involuntarily pause to think
over the varied destinies Of those companions.
/ of our girlhood. Memory brings painfully
y forward many of them. One is welded to a
man who once was one of natures noble
men," but who sacrificed his manhood's glo-
E ry at the shrine Of Bacchus, and | shrink
4 from contemplating what the misery Of his.
fair browed and once sunny-hearted wife.
must be, and to what deeper wretchedness
I'd such a course (unless reclaimed) must inevi-
tably lead. How strange that man will
thus debase himself, and in his fall bring
others Town also.
Another, the dearest of all, is walking, as
!, it were upon the verge of the grave. The
~ malice Of enemies and pretended friends seem
- - to have leagued against her, for revenge of
~ supposed injuries (but of which she is more
~ ~iMp Prs fgssnptd thar fba; they o2En th nasca for f fnd 5 te1e e
nj revenge.
~ ~ Some have "passed away in the morning
- - of life, even as the frail, beautiful flower of
"a spring torn from its parent stem, faded
- and dead; but not like them, faded forever.
:" In that " better land' they bloom in immor-
g" 100 tai verdure, never more to fade and die. Some
= have wandered to distant lands and from
-, them sometimes comes glowing thoughts and
. loving words to remind me of former friend
w ships, and sweet converse together. Yet tbs
II notthus with all for some have, in new scenes
pa and among new friends, forgotten old friend
ships and ties and one dear friend, alb how
III ~ much sorrow she gave! so much, that !
Ell could almosthave believed that on earth there
lu were no true ones. The deep bitterness is
past-but memory still reverts to hours Of
oe- happiness spent in her society, and my hear
grows sad. He, too; but why should I write
cd of him, since | no longer care for him.
on draw a vail over those hours and let them
10! mingle with scenes buried in oblivion.
ing W0mGn's day wit it'll high hopes an6
lng' bright anticipations have We come up to wo
'eo' mans day but how far from realizing ouI
low girlhoods hopes. Then the world appeared
as one bright sphere of love and harmony
I'm Even as the stupendous works of nature bar
Don monised and obeyed the bidding oft "Grea
the Sunremen en- tbonob+ NO viii mon nod
OdplCHO1 ~, CIouSu6 VIC, VII tHdIl, LHdoe
10 in Gods own image, with a mind to thinl
lhey and know natures God," surely he vii
render even more praise than the natura
was world. Alas that such hopes are vain. In
ute stead Of love, harmony and peace, we fin
'edl- man alrayed against man, brother agains
nse, brother, each emnlous Of self to the ute
the disregard of others-oft drowning the voic
med of conscience and reason in the wine cup an
eak- Bacchanlian reyel, or even becoming equal
re with brutes wallowing in the mire. W.
nm man, too, forgetting her responsible dutie;
all, mingles in the syren's train, and though Sc
. OF dom sinking so low as man, yet she ofte
places man (by her influence) in his dowr
lage ward course, even putting the ruby wine t
r the lips of her offspring, thereby creating
= thirst for that which may lead to the depth
of of depravity and wo. Yet we cannot den
t it; that we have also found true hearted one
, to around whose hearts cluster many of the vi
the tues which adorned the "meek and lowl
part Saviour" MATTE.
Welcome, young friend, to a place in o.
luch Department. Care, study, and cultivation
over a fertile and talented intellect, Will give yc
give a place among the gifted of our sex whol
we strive to emulate-EDITREss.