The Columbia daily phoenix. [volume] (Columbia, S.C.) 1865-1865, 1865-07-12
COLUMBIA.
Wednesday Morning, July l2, 1865.
Scouting for Scenery.


forests and in the wilds Of difficult noun
rains. We must only dream of that which.
lust now, we cannot mortally enjoy. We
must dream of the scenery of North Caro-
lima, of Yadkin County especially, which,
we are told, is thrice glorious, without
being quite famous. We must explore
this county some day. Meanwhile, we
must fling ourselves into the past, and
dream of what we have enjoyed. Alas!
alas what says Tennyson, simplifying the
famous passage from Dante:
"Ness,e,s naaggior do.ore, che ricordarse,
dee tempo felice, 4ella mascria.'
.For the poets crown OF sorrow
Is remembering happier things"
'.lBut we cannot forget; we must remem-
Der whether we will or no, and thus con-
strained, we must seek to suck out from
our resources in the past only such things
rs will reconcile US to the present. We
can. recall the mountains OF Saluda, C;e-
sar's Head, White-sides, Black. the chain
of the Currahee. and the lyrical and dra-
matte cascades Of Toccoa and Tallulah. We
have drank in inspiration from all these
treasure worlds of landscape; and it is
still left us to hope that We may again re-
new our grateful experience, on grand
SUBMITS, and gazing on glorious vallies-
on sunrise and sunset Of marvellous
grandeur, and musing at the foot of water
falls that come laundering down with the
latest intelligence from the moon. But
what shall be our companionship revisit
ing these scenes2 Not the old, alas! alasl
And yet there Should be compapionship.
We lose half of our pleasures unless we
share them. We forfeit half the beauties
of the prospect, unless some dear one be
nigh to partake and respond. Yet such a
companion must be wisely chosen. There
must be sympathy of sentiment between
YOU. and there must be no vanity Of
speech always ready to burst cut in
poor paroxysm OF superlatives as is the
case of the blockhead always, crying
GLOW grand how beautiful at the very
moment when, rapt in sublime contempla-
ton, you are bathing in rapture, and inn
plore silence as the absolute need for the
perfection of all your harmonies Beware
of such blockheads whenever You would
attain the sublime of any scene, prospect
or enjoyment Their tongues will spoil
all your fine visions, and expel the spirit
ua! from you: solitary haunts. In such
situations, you are to brood and browse in
silence, if you would feed on celestial
fancies. The soul then imbibes through
the eye. The mind quickens from within,
and, at such times, human voices make
nothing but disco:ds. You may place
your hand upon that of your companion,
and she "a may rest her hand on your
shoulder and whisper sounds which you
do not distinguish to comprehend. Your
sympathies are the sufficient medium, an
you are joint pupils, and heirs of bliss
under the one maternal teacher, nature.
Be content with her silent but most clio
quent teachings You must not heal
human voices. They would only vex you
You should desire to hear no sounds save
those which are properly kindred with the
tccnc, and the beings which people it.
The voice Of the torrent, the occasional
cry or scream of some gray eagle or lordly
vulturc, as he sweeps in great circles over
head, and screams in unison with ths
hoarse roar Of tunlbling waters. Feeding
alone with these, and taking in all tn
proper adjuncts of the scene, you Absorb
song and picture-music and the dram'
fancy, feeling, thought-until you ris
up with the delighted consciousness of th