The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-12-27

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But / was conscious that all this was merely a
vision and fantasy, and that, in reality,
was not half frozen by the bitter blast, nor
tormented by those grimy coal-heavers, but
that was basking quietly in the sunshine of
eternity. :. Any sort Of bodily and
earthly torment may serve to make us SEN
sible that we have a soul that is not within
the jurisdiction of such sbadowy demons-it
separates the immortal within us from the
mortal. But the wind has blown my brains
into such confusion that cannot philosophize
now.
April 10 =. What beautiful
day was yesterday. My spirit rebelled
against being confined in my darksome dun
geon at the Custom House. 1t seemed a sin,
"a murder Of the joyful young day-a
quenching of the sunshine. Nevertheless,
there was kept prisoner till it was too late
to fling myself on a gentle wind, and be blown
away into the country. When shall
be again free, will enjoy all things with the
fresh simplicity of a child of FIVE years old.
shall grow young again, made all over anew.
| will 60 forth and stand in a summer shower,
and all the worldly dust that has collected on
me shall be washed away at once and my
heart will be like a bank Of fresh flowers for
the weary to rest upon. s...
p. MI went out to walk about an hour
ago, and found it very pleasant, though there
was somewhat cool wind. went round and
across the Common, and stood on the highest
point of it, where / could see miles and miles
into the country. Blessed be God for this
green tract, and the view which it affords,
whereby we poor citizens may be put in mind,
sometimes, that all His earth is not composed
of blocks of brick houses, and Of stone or
wooden pavements Blessed be God for the
sky, too, though the smoke Of the city may
somewhat change its aspect; but still it is
better than if each street were covered over
with roof There were good many people
walking on the Mall-mechanics apparently
and shopkeepers' clerks, with their wives;
and boys were rolling on the grass, and
would have liked to lie down and roll too.
April 30 :. Iarose this morning. feeling
more elastic than / have throughout the
winter; for the breathing of the ocean air has
wrought very beneficial effect. E. What
beautiful, most beautiful afternoon this
has been It was real happiness to live.
If l had been merely a vegetable-.a
hawthorn bush, for instance-I must
have been happy in such an air and
sunshine but having a mind and soul,
l enjoyed somewhat more than
mere vegetable happiness. =. The foot
steps of May can be traced upon the islands in
the harbor, and l have been watching the
tints Of green upon them, gradually deepen
ing, till now they are almost as beautiful as
they ever can be.
continually fitting across my inward sky, and
! know neither whence they come nor whittier
they go; nor do | inquire too closely into
them. 1t is dangerous to look too min
utely into such phenomena. 1t is apt to
create a substance where at first there was
a mere shadow. :. If at any time there
should seem to be an expression unin-
telligible from one soul to another, it is best
not to strive to interpret it in earthly language,
but to wait for the soul to make itself under
stood; and were we to wait a thousand years,
we need deem it no more time than we can
spare. {. 1t is not that have any love
of mystery, but because | abhor it, and be-
cause have often felt that words may be a
thick and darksome veil of mystery between
the soul and the truth which it seeks.
Wretched were we, indeed, if we had no better
means of communicating ourselves, no fairer
garb in which to array our essential being,
than these poor rags and tatters of Babel. Yet
words are not without their use, even for pur-
poses of explanation; but merely for explain
ing outward acts and all sorts of external
things, leaving the souls life and action to
explain itself in its own way.
What musty disquisition have scribbled
/ would not read it over for sixpence.
May 29.-Rejoice with me, for am free from
load of COAL which has been pressing upon
my shoulders throughout all the hot weather.
am convinced that Christians burden con-
sisted OF coal and no wonder he felt so much
relieved when it fell of, and rolled into the
sepulchre. His load however, at the utmost,
! could not have been more than few bushels
whereas mine was exactly one hundred and
thirty-five chaldrons and seven tubs.
May 30. -. On board my salt vessels
and colliers there are many things happening,
many pictures which in future years. when
am again busy at the loom of fiction, could
weave in, but my fancy is rendered so torpid
| by my ungenial way of life, that cannot
sketch of the scenes and portraits that atinterest
! me, and | am forced to trust them to my
memory, with the hope Of recalling them al
| some more favorable period. For these three oi
four days / have been observing little
| Mediterranean boy, from Malaga, not more
| than ten or eleven years old, but who is
| already a citizen of the world, and seems tC
be Just as gay and contented on the deck of a
| Yankee coal vessel as he could be while play
! ing beside his mothers door. 1t is really
touching TO see how free and happy he is
! how TIE little fellow takes the whole wide
world for his home and all mankind for his
! family. He talks Spanish-at least, that is
his native tongne; but he is also very intelli-
gible in English and perhaps he likewise has
! smatterings Of the speech Of other countries,
! whittier the winds may have waited this little
sea bird. lie is a Catholic, and, yesterday being
| Friday, he caught some fish and fried them fol
his dinner n sweet OIL and really they looked
| so delicate that / almost wished he
! would invite me TO partake. Every once in 9
| while he undresses himself and leaps over
board, plunging down beneath the waves, as i
| the seaAyere as native to him as the earth
Then L% uns up the rigging of the vessel, as
if he meant to fly away through the air