The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-10-20

ings of the assembled Tuetons of tn,
country, and the Bohemians and Jen
kinses eff the metropolitan press expend
ed their little store of knowledge, grea
powers of description, and exhaustles
founts of immagination, in relating tn,
events of the, grand occasion. Wash
ington had its sensation in the creates
review the world had ever witnessed
when the three hundred thousand vete
rams of Grant and Sherman for two day
kept the "city ofmagnificence" in won
der aud amazement. 1t was a gorgeous
parade-and the sensation it created wa,
dignified into an emotion to see those
veterans of a hundred battles, fresl
from the wars, panoplied in arms. Bal
timore had its sensation in the Odd Eel
lows celebration, when its Streets gilt
tered for days with the manhood of a
noble Order, appareled like the cohorts
of Sennacherib, in purple and gold.
| Thepress's teeming columns were crowd
ed for days with glowing and fowery
descriptions of the great pomp-and,
then, the brilliant pageant faded away
and passed as the baseless fabric of n
dream-and Baltimore, too, had had
its emotion.
Next Norfolk, not the least important
among the cities of the land, had its
grand sensation on the water question.
1t was great day for Norfolk-but we
had our long procession-our torches,
and our transparencies-Juniper tri-
umphed-and we subsidized into our ac-
customed apathy and Indifference. We
must be pardoned for comparing small
things with greater, even as Virgil COM
pared Mantua to Rome-but since Nor
folk expended her fury on water, Phia-
delphia has been all ablaze with fire. Her
streets for days have been the scene of a
grand gathering of those stalwart sala-
,manders, the firemen of the country,
dressed in their gayest attire, and ac-
companied by the inevitable machine
and tile ubiquitous "Mose." The 'City
of Quakers" has been shaken to its
very centre by the "tramp, tramp
tramp" of the marching heroes of flame,
who fear no danger when the terrors of
the dread confiagration scatter dismay
over burning cities. This grand parade
Of the firemen has evidently been con-
siderable of display-that is, if we can
believe anything that comes to us from
Philadelphia. The columns of the pa
pers overflow with metaphorical descrip-
ton, and the reporters must have
worked nobly and theoretically to
accomplish all they have performed in
the way of doing full justice to the
great occasions. Some of the descrip-
tons, especially that in the Telegraph,
are very vivid and life-like pictures, and
excel in many respects even the efforts
IF the New York press to condense Web
'ter's unabridged into pocket diction-
.ry, and paint a picture that shall stir the
blood withal. 1t is seldom of late that
is heard from, and when
she does do something grand she is en-
titled to full credit. Since the days of
5he riots when she burnt the temples of
The Lord and murdered the Fenians, she
has not been so great as in this last
effort for notoriety. The metropolis of
Pennsylvania now boasts of her fire de-
partment as the most orderly and best
conducted on the continent, but there
was u time when the phrase Phila-
lelphia firemenp was synonymous with
'rowdy." We are rejoiced to know
hat all this has changed, and that now
his useful class of population are among
Ter best and most respected citizens.
treat reforms have been every where ac-
in these necessary institu-
ions, and even the firemen of Norfolk
re among the most respectable people
If our community. We congratulate
Philadelphia and her fremen upon the
uccess of their magnificent parade, and
rust that it will be alike beneficial to
10Th. Thousands of firemen from adj
AGENT and even from distant cities were
present and participated in the festival,
md enjoyed the inequalities of the
luakers; and half a million sight-seers
rowded the city to see the spectacle, to
he great joy of the small shop-keepers,
Who put many dollar in their purses.
is equal to New York in
urning these things to financial ac-
cunt. II
But the Philadelphia sensation is not
lone confined to the firemen has had
double shock, second emotion, The
'enians are there in congress. The
berators of Ireland are assembled by
lie thousand within the shadow of In
ependence. Hall, to proclaim, perhaps,
second declaration of independence,
I'D to finish the great work there be-
In in 1776. Who knows? The time
ld the place are ominous signs, and, if !
ley fail not in their, deep intent, another
Id still more important epoch in histo-
: may be inaugurated i'm Philadelphia
Y this congress of Fenians. We wait
+ the sound of cannon to tell us that
lie conflict between privileged aris-
cracy and the aristocracy of worth has