The mountain Democrat., 1864-09-24
IFrSm the Cincinnati Enquirer.l
who Has Done Thisf

whole machinery of our Government
moved smoothly and beautifully, just as
our fathers had arranged and set in mo.
ton The several State were managing
their own local concerns and domestic In.
stitutions 10 suit themselves without mo-
lestation or dispute. The general Gov
ernment con6ding itself strictly to the
letter of the Constitution, was dIschaFging
such duties and exercising such powers
as were delegated to it by the several
States, and no more. Domestic tranquil.
ity reigned supreme the people in every
section prospeved and were happy beyond
any precedent in history; real freedom
prevailed and was accorded to every citi-
zen in the land. What change has come
over-us since thenl In the whole history
Of the world there is no parallel to the
rapid fall which we have sustained. That
people so prosperous, SO free, so happy,
so elevated in the family Of nations, should
madIy throw all away, and sink so rapid
ly and thoroughly into bankruptcy, des
potism and national ruin, must be an en-
igma and q marvel to all the nations Of
the earth. II "all the fiends from Heav
en- that fell" had been turned loose upon
US in an evil hour, could they have work.
ed the ruin Of the great Republic more
rapidly or more effectuali
In the name, and by the memory Of
our fathers, we ask what has done this
Who has done this? The question press
es itself upon the heart of every man in
the land-in his business, in his attempts
to be gay, throughout all his working
hours, and even in his dreams, il comes
again and again who has done this?
AS anecdote, illustration and fable are
at present in high favor at Washington,
we trust we shall not offend in that quart.
er at least, il we attempt to answer the
question fashionably. Indeed, some Of the
ablest teachings Of the people in the past,
and the noblest sentiment ever inculcated
particularly in times Of great national
peril-have been through homely ilIustra-
tions of animals and birds. The fables OF
ancient Greece and Rome were produc.
tive Of great good in their day. May we
not even now profit by their example p
Not long since we were in the city of
New York, and, having a leisure hour,
visited Barnum's Museum. 1t is not our
purpose to erumerate the thousand and
one curiosities which are there collected,
but simply to speak OF one part Of the
show. In one Of the rooms we came to
= large cage, filling almost the entire
room, and in it were confined, in one
common apartment, a great variety Of
beasts and birds Of different and antagon-
istic natures. For instance we noticed
the wolf and the lamb, the fox and the
goose, chickens, cats and rats, coons and
rabbits and pigeons, and many other ami
mails which we do not now remember
(the cage was fulD. But in addition to
those we have mentioned, We shall never
forget there were two or three restless,
meddlesome, pestiferous, mischief making
monkeys in this modern Noah's are. The
animals, We were told, had all been put
into the cage when very young, before
their several native propensities had been
developed, and the experiment tried by
constant association and abundant feed
ing, to subdue the natural antipathies
which exist among tfen. The Snowman
claimed that the experiment was a sue
cess, and exhibited the hugh cage to his
auditors as 1.-THE Happy Family"
We stood by the cage and watched the
family for some time, with considerable
interest and curiosity being amply and
regularly fed, we saw no disposition man
ifested by any Of the inmates TO prey up
on each other as when in a state of ma.
ture, but every one, save the monkeys,
looked worried, fretted and miserable. -
There was no peace, no rest in that cage;
the monkeys were necessarily meddling
and interfering with the other members
of the family. Not an animal was per.
mitted to eat or to sleep, or to enjoy in
any way a moments peace for these rest.
less prying mischief makers. They new
er seemed to be satisfied, or to grow
weary Of their deviltry, but were con-
tinual, all.pervading, abiding unmitigated
curse to the whole establishment Though
stuffed with food, almost to bursting, they
were clutching with greedy paws at eve.
trything put in the cage. If apiece Of
meat was thrown to the wolf, although
meat does not agree with monkey diges-
tibles yet still they would contrive to
steal it away from him just to keep their
hands in. If the coon went to the most
distant part Of the cage from the monkeys
to enjoy a quiet snooze, in moment they
were upon him, pulling his tail, biting his
ears and riding him within an inch Of his
life. If the poor pigeon, half dead with
incessant persecution, attempted to climb
upon his perch to get few minutes rest,
his head was not under his wing before
be was mercilessly pulled down, touzled
here and there and almost the remaining
feather plucked from him in malicious
sport; if he had not been poor, pigeon
hearted thing, he would have died then
and there before submitting any longer to
such treatment The fox had been rid
der. and pulled and bedeviled, until he
had evidently lost his cunning. In fact
we are not sure that he had become q
confirmed lunatic; his once magnificent
brush had diminished to bare pole, un-
der the iDcessant manipulations Of his in
defatigable foster brothers. The rabbit,
the emblem always of excessive timidity
was picture of concentrated misery his
tail, like that of Tom O'Shanter's mare,
was scarce a stump" Somehow it didn't
set or hang to please the fastidious mon-
keys, and they pounced upon it and pull
ed it off, (of course the tail was to blame
for this.) His fur was nearly all gone, yet
they didn't scruple to ride him bareback.
ed. His ears were split into shreds, and
dropping like those Of a Crow Indian
Poor fellow he would gladly have been
orthodox If he had only known how he
would even have been Puritan for peace
sake.
The wolf was all fret and snap, and ILL.,
nature, and constant. annoyance, and even
the sheep, though innocent as lamb bad
his share of troubles with the rest Hep.
py family indeed We never saw SO
much genuine misery cOngregated in the
same space.