Spirit of the age., 1860-11-07
FOR TIE SPIRIT OF THE AGE.
a Glance at the Word and the Disolu-
ton Of the Union

One evening in summer l stood on the
granite dome of the Allegheny range of
mountains. Like the half-fedged eagle that
ascends the topmost crag to survey some dis
tant peak, l ha6 climbed dizzy height to
see hills on hills in awful grandeur piled.
Magnificent prospect! yet | desired wider
range than natural vision ever gathers in
| desired to peep around this sphere, and
gather in all its splendors at glance. But
the dusky heads of distant hills arise and
hide the world beyond Dispirited sank
to the ground, and night wrapped the earth
in its black mantle. Stiffness prevailed, as if
all animate nature had renounced allegiance
to life. But mind, that principle of man
that rises in proud triumph over all that is
mortal, slept not, but arose from its clay
house, and quickly passed the obstructng
hills. Thus | caught a glance at the world
| crossed desolate regions where magnifi-
cent cities orce sent up their lofty spires to
the clouds, speaking of the prosperity and
pride of the nations, but now teaching a
mournful lesson of the mutation of empires
and all the earthly glory of man. l saw
others, still magnificent, that had been stan
ding for ages, while mighty empires arose,
fourshed and fell, and while generation after
generation arose from the dust, rejoiced and
wept--lived while-then, as the morning S
mist, vanished away. l walked through
their catacombs, and saw the bony arms ol
mighty potentates, that in ages past welded
the sceptre over millions that at last shrank
from the tyrant's frown to the tomb,
There, in the vaults of the dead, saw the
grinning visage of the orator whose elo
quence, inspired by love of his race, shook
EN- pres and thrones, and caused tyrants tc
ell L. G. H. h.:
oceans wave, and beheld its pathway paved
with human skulls, and reefs of coral baset
on human bones. Tired and sickened a
deaths display This trophies turned from
his charnelhouse to look upon the empires
kingdoms and republics, now in their glor,
/ or wane. United kinkdom! exalted em
| pire! glorious republic, hope Of the world
have we not all imbibed the contagon tha
| brought ancient Greece and Rome to tn
dust? | beheld the waves of ambition q
they beat against kingdoms and empires, ant
saw some writhing under the iron heel of des
potism, and others trembling to their fall
! | turned to America, "The land of the fre
and the home of the brave - but what did
hear? The sound of Disunion, the deaf
knell of American liberty, was the first SCUM
that fell upon my ears and it grated NOR
harshly than did the clanking of the chain
| of despotsm to the Heroes of the Revolution
Immortal Heroes where are yenow? Her
and there were to be seen a few of the vetel
ans of '76, now more than five score years ,
age. As the sounds of disunion were waite
through the land, they raised their sunke
eyes to the Stars and Stripes, and wept; an
thought heard them say, Trenton, Nor
mouth--Bunker Hill Guilford-,K King
Mountain-Eutaw Springs Yorktown the
mournfully but silently they pointed to tt
yet visible mounds, where moulder the bone
of their comrades, that fell at their side
the storm of battle fore score years ago. Ho
these living witnesses of the price paid fl
American freedom, groaned when the
thought of the dissolution of the Union
| the parting asunder of this glorious fabri
based on the bones of its founders, and c.
mented with their bloodl
) Co." said one of the surviving warrior
"and invoke the spirit of some sleeping he
to tell of the price of the freedom of the
States" Il went-I cried, spirit of Washln
5 Observation-Disclosures of son
i other patriot that watered the tree of libe
e ty with your blood, and gave your life
]; ransom for ours-reanimate your sleepil
/ dust, and speak to this forgetful generati
: in all the melting tones of the orator th