The weekly union record., 1865-01-07

Mountaineering.

Under this title. John Ball. in the West
minister Review for October, holds the following
opposite language:
The Alps will be worn out only when the
ocean and The firmameot are stale. fat and IN
profitable and Alpine climbing may be reck
oned the folly of boys euly when the sap IS
wilhering I'd in men, and tie fbreS Of their
natures are growing coarse Il IS rather our
belief that. of all the modes in which men may
refresh themselves from work. this is the
worthies-, most reasonable, most adapted to
our times. Love for the mountains is vet but
in It's egg AID mountain walking has yet to
take rauk as the nobleSt, the happiest. and the
most popular of all our national pursuits
Let Us he just There are many things good.
even though but one thing Is best. Dull in
spirit. but weak Of stomach, is be who does not
know the thrill which stirs all English blood
upon the sea-who does not love il 10 its every
mood, It's gayest and its wildest-who is blind
10 the curves of PROV and sail-who deaf to
the laundering charge of waters, or the ripple
round the trencbaDl keel-wbo does not rejoice
il all sea sights and sounds. the answered
cheer, the quaint, quiet speech Of the old salt
who has not glowed with the true fellowship
of the deep. All manners and ways in which
men move upon the waters are good and not TO
be despised; the very thud of the drenched
fsherman's bow-the fierce pulsa,ion of con.
tending oars-the plunge into the still pool
the wreathed circles Of the ska,e-all are good
to fill the mind and nerve again the heart.
Yet though he were very degenerate
Briton who could gainsay the glories Of the
ocean, in the Alps men may find these and
more. 10 them earth, air and water all join to
give fresh mystery and beauty. The Alpine
soitudes are more lonely and terrible even than
those of the sea, the shapes and forms Of all
things stupendous beyond all comparison, the
loyelineSs more bewitchiug and nul'isorm, the
awfIlueSs even yet more deep. Billows of ice
yet wilder than those Of any tempest driven sea
dash themselves 10 fragments on Alpine peaks
lofler tenfold than those of any coast and
from an Alpine summit may be watched skies
yet more golden, yaalting far more various
horizon.
COLONEL CRocKErr's 5 60 AHEAD SroRY-
Il never but once" said the Colonel, was in
what call real genuine quandary. 1t was
during my electioreering for Congress, at
which time | strolled about 10 the woods, so
particularly pestered by politics that forgot
my rifle Any man may forget his rifle, you
know a; but it isn't every man can make amends
for his forgetfuness by lis faculties, guess
1t chances that | was strolling along. consider,
ably deep in congressianals the first thing
that took my fancy was the snarling Of some
young bears, which proceeded from hollow
tree but soon found that | could not reach
the cubs with my hands so | went feet fore
most, TO see if l could draw them up by the
toes. hung on the top of the hole, straining
with all my might to reach them, until at last
my hands slipped, and down went, more than
twenty feet, to the bottom of that hole, aud
there found myself almost hip deep in family
of fine young bears. soon found that | might
as well undertake to climb up the greasest
sort of a rainbow as 10 get back the hole in
the tree being so large, aud its sides so slippery
from the rain Now this was a real genuine |
regular quandGry If SO be | was to shout. il
would have been doubtful whether they woull
bear me at the settlement; and if they did
hear NE, the story would ruin my election fer
they were OF quality too cute to vote for
man that vtntured into place that he couldn't
get himself out Of Wei, now, while | was
calculating whether it was best to shout for
help, or to wait 10 the hole until after the cleo
ton, heard kind Of grumbling and growing
overhead; and looking, | saw the old bear
coming down stern foremost upon me. My
motto is always go dtcdd,' and as soon as she
had lowered herself within my reach, got
tight grip of her tail with my left hand, aud
with my little buck handled penknte in the
other, | commenced spurriDg her forward. III
be shot if ever member of Congress rose quicker
in the world than l did She took me out in
the shake of lambs tail