Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1867-09-03
EFeom our Special cOrrcspondent.l ]
Harper's Ferry.

The Falls of Niagara, to visit which peo-
pie travel thousands of miles, are considered
very every day affair, by the residents of
Erie county, New York. While it is a we'll
known fact, that in tropical climates. people
have forfeited their lives for daring to saw that
in their travels they had seen frozen water.
Thus, it is not the character of thing, but
the scarcity of it and our ignorance of it, that
creates astOnishment. And, accordingly, the
greatest wonder remains such but for nine
days, when, Its nose being put out of joint by
a new wonder, it hides its diminished head;
unless, indeed, it is very fortunate, In which
case its life is preserved for few days longer
by the nursery maids and children of the
neighborhoOd. Sometime since, thus goes
the story, without saying aye, yes, or no to any
one, with the HORch0Lent of Poe's Raven,
there stepped into Mr.. Emanuel Spangler's
garden on Camp Hill, strange visitor, and
selecting one of his choicest beds buried
itself in the corner of it. For some time its
history is easily told; the sun no doubt warm
ed it. the showers refreshed it, and, very evil
IDENTITY, as the sequel shows, the moon, the
queen of the night, protected it. But to all ap-
pearancs. mastery inactivity was its policy.
To use the words of an old English song:
There it lay,
From day 10 day,
In the BS
OF Biscay.
One day Mr.. Spangler's lady observed some-
thing green poking up its nose through one
of her flower beds. SIT is weed" ouoth
she, "and shall pluck it." ''Mag," inter-
posed the benevolent Emanuel, ''let us wait
and see what it is" 1t occurred to him, per-
haps, that the devil sometimes comes in
questionable shape, and that SO do angels
Or, perhaps like Marcellus in the play, he
thought
''it wrong. being so majestical.
To offer it the snow of violence
Now, with this amiable pair, their being but
one mind, the flower was not moIested The
rays of the sun by day, aud the moon beams
at night were suffered to play about it. 1t was
daily watered, and careful hands from time to
time clipped away its withered leaves Other
flowers of respectable aud assured lineage.
going back to shaking quaker seeds, slips,
the gifts Of friends in the good old times ..be.
fore the war;" and the nursery at Winches-
ter, many Of which thought proudly of their
trips in yellow envelopes from the gardens of
Springfield and Bridesburg, turned up their
noses at the new conner. and "murmured
against the good man of the house." But
they were answered as unreasonable discon-
tent was answered more than eighteen hun
dred years ago: ''ls it not lawful for me to
do what will with my own? Is thine eye
evil because 1 am good 2" Aud so the un.
known stranger cared for like the rest, bloom
ed on and prOspcred. And, now, to make
long story short, crowd of young people and
middle aged, and old, including from time to
time visitors from all parts of the country
gather round tall and stately flower, each
evening at sunset, to see its large canary col
ored beauties burst forth from the green
chains that wrap it up during the day aud
unfold itself to view. This it does in so in
stantaDeOus manner as to suggest the posi-
bility of spirit>rappiug agency, or what is the
same thing, legerdemain. Hereafter, the
question. chow did this flower get into Mr..
Spangler's garden p will have to be classed
with that of ''who wrote Junius' letters ?"
and "who struck Billy Patterson ?" In the
meantime, what the flower is, and when it
came, is more interesting to know. Well.
then, 1t very likely came from the North
Southern people, flower cultiEators, who have
seen 1t, saw it for the first time While in
the North, though rare, it is not unknown
1t Is there called the "evening primrose"
sometimes the "night-blooming primrose" - |
Its real name, however, is the s'queen of the |
night, If Mr.. Washington Irving was alive, |
he could no doubt tell us much about its ear. |
ly history; for like a great many of our
choicest flowers We are indebted for it to the |
MOOrs of Spain. In the gardens of the al. |
hambra it was highly esteemed-and no won- |
der. Instructed by the prophet, its open- |
ing and closing regulated the time, night and |
morning. Priests were appointed to watch |
over it, as Vestal virgins were by the Pagans, |
to keep burning fires on their altars and it |
was regarded as holy by the people. Her |
majesty, unless great inducements are offered, |
mn
art" Is used, blooms but once in the same |
place, and only at intervals of years any place.
In this latter respect it resembles the centu-
~ plant; aud like the banyan tree. its roots |
worm in under the earth, coming up again, |
time only eau tell where or when. So, that |
unless friend SPangler is fortunate, the flow |
er now creating such a sensation may not |
again be seen for dozen years, and then per- |
haps in Richmond or New York. Should |
the learned reader, knowing much more about |
these matters than l do, remembering that |
the MOors of Spain were a highly civilized |
people, and understood time and what rsor,-
lates it, as we'll as we o,object to any portion
OF the above account, have only to say, that
l give 1t on the authority of Antar, an Ara
bic poet. BY regulating time, presume
nothing more is meant than we should mean.
IT We said that the opening of the morning.
glory regulates our breakfast hour. 1t will
be reply enough for others, that Tom Payne
was not the first or the last that doubted sim
ply because he did not understand.
In view of the taste and refinement which
understand always distinguished, and which,
unfortunately limited as my personal expe.
rlence is on the subject, am yet satisfied,
still distinguishes the people of your beauti-
ful town, have often wondered that there
was no profile flower nursery there For the
love of flowers and the cultivation of them
are as uuerring marks of refinement of char
acter, as smoke is Of fire. The man that loves
flowers or children, is not all bad. 1t Is true
IL