Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1861-01-03
For the Centre Democrat.
Solitude.

MEssRs. EDITORS A few evenings since
called upon my friend Arthur -, will
whom had been long associated and will
whom 1 had spent many happy hours, suct
as none but congenial spirits can enjoy, Tht
elements of his nature demanded society
and he had always appeared to be a. home
when surrounded with large circle Of
friends. But recently, he had manifested a
disposition to court solitude, and whilst glad
! ly receiving the attention of friends, to whl m
he obviously desired to impart happiness. he
was unable to hide from me the sorrow which
was mingled with, and contrary to, his for
mer habits and cheerfulness.
But upon this occasion I found him unusu-
ally cheerful, and his kind greeting was
such as to convince me that he had enjoyed
a mental triumph of no ordinary character.
And was left in suspense but short time,
till he related to me the following halluci-
nation, which was: quite sufficient to explain
the singular phenomena which was begin-
ming to perplex me.
And with your leave, shall give it to
your readers in his own language:
my family had retired for the night, and
were wrapped in unmolested sleep, whilst |
was reading DR.. Harris upon the benignity
and wisdom of God, which is manifested in
the harmonious relations which prevail in
the mental, moral, and material world. The
argument Of a-priora, with the a-posteriona
modes of reasoning, and also the mutual aid
which the deductiye and inductive modes of
argument give to each other. The mind was
directed by an easy transition TO the danger
which is believed to lurk under the doctrine
| OF L'Place, when he teaches that the fur
| ther we advance in scientific Investigations,
the further we recede from the ultimate
| cause
"The mind having been thus occupied un.
| til it became wearied, and being somewhat
disposed to mingle sorrow with solitude, very
naturally adverted to the past history of life
From the gambols of childhood up to the
present hour, all rose up, and crowded the
memory with mingled "reminiscences of joys
and sorrows. There was my former happy
relation to society. There was the large
circle of relatives in whose company / had
enjoyed so much pleasure, nearly all of
whom had consigned to the silent tomb
And thcre was still the larger circle of
friends, once endeared to me by the most ga
cred bonds of religion and every copgenial
sentiment which tends to sweeten society,
and render the pathway of life tolerable,
nearly all gone.
"And now being bereft of the equals in
years and companions of my early life, who
participated in all my joys and sorrows, and
surrounded with new generation, who had
advanced so far in arts, science, and moral
refinement, that could not hope to overtake
them nor. secure their sympathy, was OPP
pressed with the idea of solitude, and feared
that very soon should bo left dreary as the
lone hemlosk, with the top gnarled, limbs
broken, and the trunk too feeble to withstand
the first breath of the tempest And when
thus nay foolish cogitations troubled and op-
pressed me with the idea of loneliness, my
head fell upon the book and oblivion closed
the scene.
But soon awoke, or thought awoke, in
open day, and oh what solitude addressed
my sight. My family had disappeared. /
wandered over my forsaken fields, where but
few hours previous the busy sound of joy-
GUS industry prevailed. But no human be-
ing was to be seen.
Il went to town hoping to meet my former
associates, ard witness the joyful life and &C.
cial pleasures which SO lately prevailed; but
alas the silence of death reigned there
The doors were'sh in the streets, domestic
animals were seeking their masters in vain !;
while the terrible idea struck me, that of all
my race, / was left alone. | found myself
lord and owner of this world in fee simple,
with all the accumulated wealth of four
Thousand years, for which so much anxiety,
toll, and sweat, and blood had been expend
ed by the millions of earth's inhabitants
But how vain the pride of wealth under
such circumstances Or what was the own
ership of planet to me. bereft of all else
congenial to my nature no human being
with whom to associate, nor any to whom |
might bequeath it at the end of my misera-
BILE and lonely existence. In most melan-
choly broodings returned to my residence
without any allegation, save that, my do
mestic animals surrounded me, with obvious
signs of sympathy and condolence. threw
myself upon my couch and soon lost all con-
seriousness of mental pain in sleep.
But soon awoke, to a consciousness of
deeper solitude; all the animal creation,
with which we were acquainted, were gone !;
there was no human habitation; no fields
waving in rich abundance. in anticipation of
harvest; nothing of that fair theatre upon
which men had reveled with such great de-
light, and upon which ten thousand joys had
chased and succeeded each other. Nothing
was TO be seen but tertiarian forests, haun-
ted with strange mammals, gigantic fowls
wading in muddy, marshy pools, with dis
cordant screams, in search of their prey, and
the most disgusting reptiles, whilst all else
was gloom and despair.