Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1869-03-04

) % he adorned, or al idea eonYey yetl
with elegance Does Nature suffer us
To scocn her until the hour Of need, and
then pour forth her stores IN rich abun-
da.rs4: Not So We must learn from
this book as from others, by patient stu
D. We can appreciate her teachings
only by deep attention. She, Ike wo-
man. reserves her smiles and fayors for
those who court them And thew who
refuse to seek them thus, must forego
thcir possession. We may draNastrikiug =
analogies but they viii como ,ssecond
hand. We may write yes,'s Il they
VII contain no poetry We nay paint
pictures; but they will be only copies
We may read the works Of poets bu;
feel little Of their force For can one
born bind, appreciate fully graphic
description o. the visible world; or the
deaf mate read music, aul b thrilled
with ccstacy? Aud though our souls are
soformel in harmony with the Soul Of Nl
ture, that spontaneously we feel sym
pathy with all around YET how feeble
and u1l9yalop 4 is this, compnel with
what it my become BY culture and how
certainly VII this element Of our charac-
t"r b crushed out or dissjpatcl, by yio-
lence or neglect
And whore else can we find the charac-
ter Of a wise AMI benevolent Creator, 50
clearly displayed? By what other means
can we elevate our mind and heart so near
to Him, as through his works q? I speak
not only ofthe broad landscape, the noun
tain and the forest but also of closer
and more particular study Of the little
beings around; the humbl-, aye, the
mean things we tread upon daily, and
call them weeds and vermin. From such
unpretending subjects, genius and inspl-
ration have taught lessons Of wisdom and
reproof to man. These have drawn forth
tbs deepest feelings and most graceful ef-
tUs oas of genuine poetry. And it is on
Such themes that the poet or poetaster
most clearly reveals his true nature.
Ny auditors began gradually to drop
of At this point in my remarks; but my
blood was up" as they say, and l went
on.
BI, does Natures influence extend no
further than to the mind .? How does
She cultivate the heart, that noblest part
of man, whose 'graces all affect to cherish,
80 essential t. true worth but which so
few 10 rightly value? She is the very
nurse Of what makes up the heart How
she helps Us to retain that child like sim
picity and purity Of soul, 50 rarely found
am 5n5 the m IN WHO elbow on their wy
through the crowded thoroughflros Of
lie How sha wards off the bIighting
influence offashi N upon our simple tastes,
She ptlnts life in its brightest hues, alI
leaves, still clingins there, some Of the
sparkling dew drops, that once so thl k
iy studied it. To many, this may seem
! doubtful blessing. Bat the man, whose
sympashies are not barred to all but
wealth or honors, desires to retain while
ne can, flith in virtue to believe still,
that his is not the only generous nature
IN the universe that selishnesS is not the
handspring to all our actions. And where
has liberty ever made her home, AMI found
her truest sons but in the woods and
mountains Where do hearts and hands
greet Us 50 warmly as at the country fire
side Where is there seen such genu-
Inc ploty, such deep devotion, as the par
ish church affords?
II, then, the influence Of unstulicd
Nature IS SO potent, how much more
must she exert upon all who strive to seek
out her hidden ways, appreciate her wis
dJm and beauty, aud attune their hearts
to her sweet music.
Yes, said |, and whom does woman
seem half 50 queenly as when she stands
Like Proserpino amid the flowers, herself
The tairest dover
And if she scorn her sister lilies Of the
held, how VIII she brook to stand through
life, watching with her winning arts, to
still the first troubled beatings of that
treaeherous thing, the human heart?
There must have been something anus
ingin my manner Of saying this, I fancied,
for the last Of my auditors seemed to van
ish with an uamistakable sr<le upon his
face
lis always 50, thought I, with our
fFiends-we must either fatter or offend
them. If We venture to open our hearts
i little, when they are bursting with emo
ton, they call US childish or tirasome :;
sometimes even harder names. How cold
tue fricu@ships Of this day And as We
journey onward through the loag dusty
!. road they grow colder and fewer, until 1t
las. we have nothing but aequaintances.
Who can now boast friend, that shares
his joys aud sorrow. as scbcolmates oncc
did And of these schcol-fellows whom
Fortune has still left unscattercd, some ad-
dress him respectfully as Mister others
give him his surname with neighborlv
kindness a few remember him by full
Christian name, while rarer and more
valued than all, are they who still greet
hirn with its frst syllable. 50 rich in old
associations
Bu, the one wlc makes Nature his
friend. has no such sad experienced Zach
hour Of intercourse deePens his admi7a-
t.oa. his conf lcace. his love She i al
ways At hand never growing weary d
him never refusing to respond 10 Tho
feelings Of bis iur.oSt soul, with deep
though silent sympathy, which the world
knows little Of elsewhere. When other
frisuds f3resako him, h5 walks forth. and
els rrec;s him aS IN form r days. When
bright hopes fade. AMI the world looks
iov.eSs. let hjal ;urn 70 her. and she Will
shy him in his dark diSpair, with her
kind maternal tenderness, until his droop-
ins spirit rcyiye=, ana IL returns to busy