Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1870-04-22
THE DOOR.
9tM1f1A 1AEYIr o65FFnistFbREg-.

Casting about for theme, the door
seems to afford very good opening for an
aftiSleT We don't 6recollectt seeing any
thing written on the door, not since we
were, startled by seeing. Smallpox :"
written on one In an obscure portion OF
the CITY, gHvnr0alf gtt hrp YayqU 9rafW
Thedo0r is about as old as architecture
itselE and We are inclined 70 believe Tas
invented before windows were, though
that is disputed point II is our opinion
that house architecture began with the
door. In the early days when people
lived outof doors land out of almost every
thing elseb IL occurred to one of those IN.
easy individuals of inventive minds, who
are constantly disturbing the calm
placidity OF, the world with new-fangled
ideab, that q door would be q good thing
10 hhve. Sleeping ina teh-Acre LOT, for ip-
stance of d stormy night, 1t would be 50
comfortable to have a door to his lot and
what sense Of security would be afforded
when he went away from home, TO know
that the door was locked
This, of course, excited the envy of his
neighbors, who slept in lots adjoining, and
who began to repine at their lot. Some
said he was putting on airs others that
he was unduly suspicious OF his neig ghbors,
and they asked him tauntingly why he
didn't put number on 1t and have door
plates In fact, they slammed that door in
his face continually. Then another In.
dividual Of an inventive turn set himself
to work to get up an Improvement on the
door, and thus vitiate his. patent, just as
men do nowadays when fellow thinks he
has got good thing There are several
things we have thought of inventing, only
L, al i,,Nv N
come out the next day that would knock
our patent higher thsn,a kite. 8 .
This other man hit 1t at length he took
a door and built house to it and doors
have been constructed in that manner ever
since. We give this theory for what 1t is
worth writing as we do, by the column),
but it Is probably as correct theorizing as
much that is INDUCED in concerning the
early origin of matters and things. Win
dows, of course, followed d. ors for 1t was
natural for people to want a window TO
look out OF when the door bell was rung
late at night, to see who was there. Or,
perhaps, before the inventing of windows,
some man laborihg under delirium tre-
mems wanted place to Jump out of, and
thus realized the incompleteness of the
house of the period, supplying the def
cheney so soon as he recovered.
1t is not with the window that we are
now dealing, as we shall reserve that for
another able article; we are, metaphorieal-
iy, Knocking at the door, cJSq ISS
The door is more intimately associated
with our every day life than one would
think, if he didn't think anything about
it. How cold aud forbidding to some, and
how slow to respond to their knock, while
to others it wears face as genial and in
viting as that of an ola friend, and at their
approach flies open like lovers arms in
viting to warmest embrace. Dark and
stern it scowls from within its portals
upon the houseless wanderer, who gazes
sadly and pleadingly in its tace as he hall
pauses on the sidewalk, and then creeps
falteringly by; but there is, radiance in
its look, and welcome in its creak when
the Loved ana honored are invited to en-
ter. O." N
In the olden times it was usual for the
wealthy and ihospitable to decorate Their
doors with ribbons and banners, and
above the door they sometimes inscribed
sentence, us The Good House" or the
name of the king who had honored the own
er with Office and emoluments. There are
inscriptions now, but they usually reac
Mutual,"" Home Insurance Company,
'To Let" or something of that kind, and
the only banner we see is the red flag o
| the auctioneer. -r.
If some of the ancient customs hayG
passed away, there are hospitable doors
| left yet; doors that when opened revea
glimpses of brightness, and gladness, and
| beauty that do the heart good to loob
upon. There are doors, too, that are
never closed upon the unfortunate, and
doors that long to receive back the way
ward wanderer, whose footsteps are
ashamed or afraid to turn in the direction
of their thresholds. Mournful doOri
there be, bearing the significant Grape
that tellsits own silent tale of the sorrow
! that is within, and that breaches TO us thu
eloquent, though oft unheeded, sermon o
morality. .-,...-.,., ....g 81,
If the doors could only speak, what sto
ries they could tell. OF warm and joyou
greetings; of heart. gatherings and misgiv
ings, as trembling hands rang the bell o
cold farewells oflonging glances through
fearful eyes, that follow the departing
form of the loved one; of the letter tina
brings Joy, and the message that bring
| grief; of tender whisperings and loving
| partings; of 6iLiet-d0uS going out, ant
bills coming in; of gay weddings arriving
and sad funerals departing Tell you,-
the door sees great deal of life in its day
IL sees your first visit to the outer world
borne in your nurses arms. You give
a stunning slam as, with boylsh shout
you hasten to your play and when yol
"come to be man" and learn to smok
and drink, and, therefore, find it necessa
ry to JON club, it sees you stumble u
the steps late at night, and laughs as yo
try to find the keyhole-tickling it, as on
might say, with your night key. 1t see
you totter out and totter in when you ge
old, and at last closes upon your final dc
parture for your long home. Pray Heave
that the eternal door you knock at then
not shut upon you'll .g ....f .r
We did not know there was SO much i
the door until we got TO writing about i
Our attention had lot been attracted to /
owing, probably, to the fact that we WEI
never shown the door not as we reco
lect. Our only advice, in concluding, j
beware of evil doors, II Ot7lctftadtS TiJne