Winchester journal. [volume] (Winchester, Indiana) 1862-1863, 1863-03-27
A SPLENDID FIGURE As TRUE
As BEAUTIfCt,


As BEAUTIFUL
In the whole range OF litera-
ture, we do Tot remember to have
read a more striking and beauti-
ful comparison than in the follow
ing, which we copy from "The
Autocrat OF the Breakfast table,
by DR.. o, w. Holmes, of Dos
ton. The figure is so natural
and perfect, the application so
graphic, as to render i; one OF
the happlest efforts in the English
language. 1t is specially appli-
cable to the present time
"Did you never, in walking in
the fields, come across large,
flat stone, which had been, no
body knows how long, just where
you found it, with tle grass form
ing little hedge, as it were, all
around it, close to It's edges? and
have you not, in obedience to a
kind of feeling that told you it had
been lying there long enough, in
sinuated your stick, or your foot,
or your fingers, and turned II
over as a housewife turns a cake,
when she says to herself, It's
done brown enough by this time
What an odd revelation, and
what an unforeseen and unpleas-
ant surprise to a small communl-
ty--the very existence Of which
you had not suspected, until the
sudden dlsmay and scattering
among its members produced by
your turning the old stone over!
Blades OF grass nattened down,
colorless, matted together, as il
they had been bleached and iron
ed; hideous crawling creatures,
some OF them coleopterous or
horDy-shelled turtle-bugs, one
wants to call them; some OF them
softer, but cunnIngly spread out,
and compressed like Lepine
watches; black, glossy crlckets,
with their long lilaments sticking
out like the whips OF tour-horse
stage coaches; motionless, slug
like creatures, young larvae, per-
haps more horrible in their pulpy
ST. illness, than even in the infer
nal wriggle Of maturity! But
no sooner is the stone turned and
the wholesome light of dav let
upon this compressed and blinded
community OF creeping things,
than all oil them which enjoy tue
luxury OF legs-and some OF them
nave a good many--rush round
wildly, butt,ng each other and
everything in their way, and end
in general Stampede Tor under
grouad retreats from the region
poisoned by sunshine. Next
year you lfind the grass grow.
ing tall and green where the stone
lay; the ground-hird builds her
nest where the beetle had his hole
the dandelion and the butter-cuT
are growing there, and the broad
Ians OF insect angels open and
shut over their golden disks, as
the rhythmed waves OF bllssiu
consciousness pulsate through
their glorlhed being.
"There is meaning in each o
those images-the butterfly "a
we'll as the others. The stone il
ancient error. The grass is hu
man nature borne down ant
bIeached OF all It's color by il
The shapes which are found be
meath are the crafty beings tia
thrive In darkness, and the weak
er organisms kept helpless by II
He who turns the stone over /
whosoever puts the staff OF lruti
to the old living incubus, no mat
ter whether be DO it with a serl
Gus face or laughing one. In
next year stands for the comm
time. Then shall the natur'
which had lain blanched AM
broken rise in its full stature an'
native hues in the sunshine
Then shall Gods minstrels buil'
their nests in the hearts OF new
bora humanity. Then shaI