Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1870-02-20
The Most BcautifuI.

We have somewhere seen grouped to-
gether in gorgeous imagery, curtaining the
Real and draped in Poetry various defini-
tons of the Beautiful. The expression of
the sad sweet dreamer, Keats, who sleeps
beside the Aurelian wall of the Eternal
City, that thing of beauty is Joy forever,
must be true, for it finds a response in
every heart There are times when the
eye dilates, and the soul swells over with
emotions at once tender and grand, inspir-
ed by the pleasing and the beautiful.
Whether furnishing the lap of Nature,
glowing on the works Of Art, or shining
out from the soul of man, there is divini-
ty in the beautiful. But the most Beauti-
ful! Wherein doth it consist? and who
hath seen it?
The tourist wanders along the voluptu-
Gus plains of Italy; he looks down into the
blue Rhone beneath, and up at the blue
skies that glow above his head. He sees
the bald peaks of the towering Alps, clothed
in the spotless splendors of Southern sun,
layes his brow in the waters of the wide
and winding Rhine" and exclaims ''This
is beautiful"
We go out into the far-stretching prairies
and linger amid the mellowing glories of a
serene sunset. The hour is quiet and
holy one. Just enough breeze is stirring
to fan our cheeks, and lull of the fever of
day into the calmness of night repose.
The undulating sea of grass around US is
stirred only into the very gentlest waves.
Away off yonder to the West, the big.
round, red sun hangs trembling above the
horizon, The great high domes of the gods
are purpled with golden glory, and ali the
plain is tinged with saffron. Slowly,
slowly, yet like a glorious conquerer, be
glides behind the blue curtains of his wes-
tern couch. AS he dips himself down into
the prairie, like the smile of a departing
god, who will greet us again tomorrow,
clothing all the horizons verge with the
folds of his evening drapery, We exclai1n ::
"Ihis is beautiful"
We go down among the subterranean
wonders of earth, and in the hollow re-
cesses of deep caverns study the mysteri-
BUSINESS of the Power that made u.s. Amid
dim corridors, old and ancient, notched
out by the matchless masonry of Nature,
we are startled at the echoes of our own
football. Carved upon eternal rocks are
the dread tracks Of the Mighty One. Glis-
tening above, as though ten thousand
diamonds had been flung into the finty
dome, Respondent stars are twinkling,
peerless in their splendor as those that erst
shone around Judea's ancient hills. We
are dazzled with the sight and exclaim 4:
This, too, is beautiful
We sit ourselves down where great Nj
agara thunders, frets, and foams, and roars.
With dread crash and sound we see the
terrible cataracts tumblng like columns of
| marble from the high quarries of God, and
| rising from the tremendous abysms below,
vapory folds of beauty clothed around with
all the hues of the rainbow. We gaze
long and in rapt bewilderment upon the
| scene, and say: ''This is UerR beautiful p
We go out into the calm, still starlight.
The rich jewelry of night is scattered all
| along the sky. These stars are so pure,
and clear and bright. They look like bios
SONS blooming on, and making fragrant
the bluegrass fields Of heaven. The full,
rich moon, chaste as the smile of lovely
woman, hangs in space like an orange
| ripening in the gardens of God Our soul
bathed in the soothing inspirations of the
hour, we exclaim: ''This is beautiful :"
But from these, we turn for yet, high
er beauty. We SAW a lovely girl bloomed
into the full blush of womanhood.
Her eye, all lit with love, was fit to meet
the look of angels. No seeds of passion
had ever dropped into her sinlcss soul,
where purity, goodness and love forever
dwelt The love whisperings of seraphs
were not purer than the tender smiles that
wreathed her cheeks and hid themselves
away in the sweet curves of her gentle
lips. The icicle that hung on ''Dian's Toql-
pie was not more chasie than her lovely
brow. Her dimpled little hands were suited
best to the twining of soul-blossoms. Her
happy bosom swelled and glowed, and
thrilled, and trembled with dear strange
blisses, for it was her bridalnight. Draped
in spotless white, her bridal veil waving
with her heart-beats, and wreathed in or
| ange bloom, we saw her led, all blushing.
to the altar, and there to notes of deep
music, place her hand lovingly in the hand
of him She loved, and, as the fitting vows
were said, take the sweet and holy name OF
wife. ''Ah that indeed, we exclaimed,
is the Most Beautiful"