Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1865-12-09
BLOOMS SBURG:
Saturday Morning, Dec. 9, '6S
Winter is on us Again.

to this generation of Americans as have
been those through which we have passed
since 1861. Never such SHOWS, never
such storms, never such cold. The clear
est sky was never cheerful. There was no
cxhilaration iu the glittering atmosphere
There was no beauty in those gorgeous
mornings, "when last night snow hangs
lightly on the trees" and the wind "sends
it drifting through the air like Gnc gold.'
There was no gIadness in the ring oI
sleigh-bells. There was no luxury oil
long breaths in the rich cool air of a
December morning. We remember these
winters with shuddcring, How we lay
awake in the nighttime, and thought, and
thought, and thought, and thought, won
dering weIher those we loved were lying
out in the cold night air, or shivering un-
der their shelter tents or whether they
were hot and fierce in the fire Of battle
or whether perchance they might not lie,
colder than ice with calm faces set for
eternity under the snow. No human i'm
agination can estimate the agonics of the
past four winters. Earth never saw such
account of this of vast people of whom
nearly every household was in mourning
or else fearing the wind Of the winter lest
it might bring as its cold burden the last
sigh of some one beloved.
1t is all past. The winter is here again,
and no sound Of battle is heard on the
broad expanse of the American soil. But
somehow it is mpossiblc even yet to arise
out of the gloom or 10 realize the truth
that the land is at peace. 1t will scarce
ly be more cheerful winter than the last.
The weight Of individual sorrows cannot
pc lightly thrown off, nor will the heart
OF the people rise to its old beat Of happi-
ness for many winters-not indeed until
this generation shall have nearly passed
away. There is something in the approach
of winter which steadily increases rather
than to diminishes the weight of great
sorrow. The evenings are longer and
grief is always heavier in the dark. The
inclination to remain within doors and
confne ones self to household scenes and
familiar objects, reminding US of the past
and the lost, revives, instead of allaying
regret. Ia the country, especially where
houses are far apart and society is not the
crowd which we have in the city it will
be many winters before the fresido ceases
to be surrounded by saddened faces and
the conversation changes from the sorow-
fu stories of these four years
Nevertheless, there is certain good
which might come from this. The whole
land North and South, East aEd West,
mourns for million of dead. Before the
conflict there is anger fierce hatred grow
ing animosity. 1t continues after the
battle if the mourner Of one dead thinks of
the enemy as happy cheerful net bereav-
ed. Revenge then sometimes becomes an
absorbing passion and bitter hatred be,
comes permanent feeling. Bui when two
Inourners come together OF the field and
sit down by their dead, slam in contest
with each other grief over powers enmity
and the community ofsorrow is sometimes
the beginning cfsympathy and even of aft
ection; Out of this universal sadness of
the American people might grow univer-
cal feeling of brotherhood. 1t ought to be.
We have had enough of hatrer. We
have gone through fearful years of passion.
The graves of our dead lie between US and
We stand by them as the first snow whiteps
them, and we can bury in those graves
al the bitterness of the past, and cover
it out of sight forever. So doiug, it will
hereafter seem not SO sad to have lost
those who sleep under the snow
II out Of our common loss in the strife
should rise up feeling of common inter-
Get in each other if We cultivate sympathy
and sorrow for every household in the
land which mourns one fallen on either
side; if the sentiment Of common afilCtiOn
and therefore of common humanity and
suffering, should outgrow the animosities
of the struggle, and pity overpower anger,
then it will not be SO very sad to sit down
by the winter freside and think of what
might have been.
gG- Peterson's Ladies National Meg.
azine, for January, 1866, reached us upon
the frst day of December. This is the