Newbern weekly progress., 1860-12-04
sIEEpING ON voI,cANo.

SLEEPING ON A VOLCANO.
We have high authority for stating that before
the flood there was marrying and giving in mar
riage. up to the day when Noah entered the ark :;
we know that it was said of old 1.-The Son of
Man cometh like a Thief in the night" and sin
the twinkling of an eye shall be caught up
We know that human affairs often proceed calm
ly and in their usual routine when the most tre-
mendous crisis are at hand the people OF Pom
peil were in the amphitheatre when the erup-
ton of Vesuvius overwhelmed them, and Bel
shazzar was feasting his lords while the enemy
let the river overflow his city. Later yet, the
ball on the eve of Waterloo is famous; Mr..
Everett said well, year ago: The ordinary
business operations went on in France In the rev.
olution of 1889, till the annihilaton of the circu-
latlng medium put stop to every thing that re-
quired its The theatres and operas and all
the other places of public amusement were crow
ded to madness during the reign OF terror The
revolution which overturned the theatre of Louis
Philippe occurred two days after the interruption
of banquet, and when no one of the ordinary av
ocations of the business social world OF Paris
had been at all interfered with People paid Wis
its and gave balls, and went to the OPERA and
dreamed not how near the future, so big with
events. So now, those who fancy that because
the shops are open and thronged, because the
faneurS seen on Broadway, because parties
are given, because the picture galeris are open,
and the theatres succesful-need not lay the fiat
tering JUNCTION to their souls that revolution is
to be Appended here. 1.-The great social machine
moves with momentum that cannot be sudden
ly stopped And indeed, when misfOrtunes are
blackest, people sometimes rush to pleasure with
the maddest zest. The cholera season has been
known to be a fortunate one for places of amuse
ment. Three years ago, during the financial pam
ic, New York merchants might be seen every
night at the opera, who had failed during the day
anxious for while to distract their minds from
the contemplation of what was either unavoida-
BILE or irremediable Let not. then, those who
casual observers, fancy they see in their eve
ry day life no indications of storm, that it is
sure not to break upon them We are III the
midst of the most momentous crisis that has oc-
CURED in the history of the nation; we may be
the brink of revolution and those who close
their eyes to this fact, will be infinitely the most
likely to be cipitated.-Neto York. Express.
LETTER FROM HON. HENRY A. WISE.
Ex-Gov Wise of Va, in letter written to
Rufus Dolbear, of New Orleans, October 21st,
two weeks before the election, says:
The election of Lincoln is certain in event,
and it is certain in effect, TOTO sanction the
entire doctrine and application of abolition of
slavery everywhere in the United States, in the
States as we'll as Territories, and I shudder to
say that [ fear the States will silently submit
1t will be an avowal at the polls of one section
that the other shall not govern itself There is
not sovereign, independent power upon the
earth, which would or should quietly submit to
aggression Of such nature-the worst which
can present itselfinto confederacy The worst,
because it comes in all the panoply Of form
The form will be eIection-the election c0astita-
ti0naL That will be the pore out of which the
courage of resistance will ooze. The Su6Stance
is aggression-the aggression vital. Your re-
medies would not meet the case G01c. They
would once but not n0ac-the case is chronic
We must dccl0re war, and fight enemies They
too, think won't dc either, and that is the
first and worst evil to be met. Convince them
that you viii declare war against the substance
Of aggression-that you won't submit, and viii
fight How? Form Committees Of safety and
organize Minute corps at once, as in the Revo-
luton. Snuff tyranny in the tainted breczes
from Pennsylvania and Indiana, and begin rev
olution again to maintain tile Constitution and
the Union, up0n both Of aOhjch B1acI, Repub-
Icdnism Is marchjag. Take no disunion stand
and make no ant-cOnstitutional movement-
Nv ,,pmilv is too afflicted, and am too needed
at hom. to 90 actively into this canvass. [
despair OF say,og the Republic by speeches, or
partv organic atiol1, and am disgustcd through
out with the con. duct Of this campaign. It has
been a petty, part, an affair, with no patriotic
or comprehensive sch,ne Of policy Our State,
and her Ssatc-R;ghtS re- ne, have been sacri-
feed bv selfish faction. which will allulk
from ali responsible position y NV lnuS;t 90
the work-icad into revolution, O" be led il
haltcrs. have no money to give; brt land,
and negroes, and myself, and al thai IS iNh.a
70 offer Up for sacrifice, rather than be cEs1a ed
by slaves.
sial attend q political Inoetiag in t;.is M
ado1 pied co&nty ncZt VI etncaday, and siial! of
tcr rv*"uti 'n% to f0r1n a committee Of safety,
ami organize our minute Men. Il this couId
|le done simultaneously throughout the South,
1t might wake up cohSerrGtiTeS, and pat Wide
AwakeS to rest.
Hastily and crudcly, but truly and respect
fully, yours HENRY y. WISE,