The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1874-08-01
For The Cecil WI
LETTER FROM THE WEST.
INDIANAPOLIS, July 18th, 10

INDIANAPOLIS, July 18th, 1874.
DEAR WING AND READERs:-Do not e1-
pect much from me, the day is warm and my
pen is execrable. 1t is late now to speak
Of the 4th, but it was kept in true Granger
style by the denizens of suckerdom. The
Granger picnic, which I attended, was
held in beautiful grove upon the farm of
one of the most noble and generous men
among the free hearted denizens of the
noble prairie State. Many thousand peo-
pie were present. The meeting was ad-
dressed by candidate for Congress, who
exhorted his constituents to stand firm in
the position they had taken against monop-
oily, in every branch of industry. He as
sured them of the ultimate triumph of
their cause if they would only maintain
unity. OF course there was the usual
amount of cheering, fire crackers, &C.,
beside dancing and flirting. A grand ball
at the hotel in a neighboring village ended
the glorious day, and in taking leave of
the original Granger in his native fast
nesses, 1 am glad to have left him thus
tripping it on the light fantastic toe. A
week later took the midnight train for
Springfield, having been advised to see the
capital. The gray dawn of the Summer
morning showed me the city, and must
confess, 1 took my first sight of it with
infinite disgust, with feelings like Mrs.
Hemans gives to the traveller of the Nile,
but the stars of Springfield's Heaven did
not behold my bursting tears, but if they
have ears as we'll as eyes, they might have
heard me murmur, Hang Springfield, l
wish that had gone to bed last night and
slept till midnight, instead of promenad-
ing" But warm breakfast and three
hours sleep, then dinner, and a pleasant
drive through the city, materially changed
my opinion of Springfield and of the world
in general. Being too tired for anything
else | resolved to spend the rest of the day
in reading. A visit to my friends library
showed me several recent publications,
which I had not read. First perused the
" Circuit Rider;'' it is very enjoyable
book, so thoroughly Western in its charac-
tiers and incidents. Then took up "A
Man of HONOR the writer says in his pre-
face, that he has long been of the opinion
that he could write a clever story; doubt
less he is of the same opinion still, but l
am not, for more absurd extravaganza
hardly exists in English literature, if we
except novel perpetrated by Cecil
authoress few years ago, but we guess it
has now fallen into oblivion. Getting
On in the World;' we'll that sounds like
business, and by Chicago professor too,
if anybody could tell US how to get on, it
ought to be a resident of Chicago, but it
hardly seems necessary to read some four
hundred pages to learn SO many self-evi-
dent truths. Then woman has no bust
ness getting on at all-only hanging to
mans coat tail. In the first chapter we
are cautioned against soaring too high,
because if you are only a crow no amount
of star-gazing will ever convert you into an
eagle. The illustration of Drs. Easy and
Juste sounds marvelously, as if Prof. M.
might have read volume, entitled Pick
wick Papers" at some remote period of
his existence, and the Mr.. Winans referred
to as an example of great success in bust
ness, is I think, native of Baltimore in
stead of Philadelphia, as stated in the
book. The moral of the book is, what !
sometimes say to the children when our
reading has been the "Try, try again"
lesson or King Bruce of Scotland" He
flung himself down, and despairingly tried
to think, for, though he was King and
wore crown, his heart was beginning to
sink. "Now if you were toiling up
mountain side, if you turn back you know
you cannot reach the summit, but if you
keep right on over rocks and torrents you
will finally reach the top"
eyes, if you don't fall down and break
your neck" once interposed mischievous
young Westerner with merry twinkle in
his black eye. "But if you do fall down,
Hubert" replied, "besure your neck is
broke before you give it up"
The house in which Lincoln lived stands
upon the same street with that of my
friend. There is a mournful pleasure in
gazing at it's brown walls and thinking of
the brave soul that once lived and toiled
within them, toiled toward the mountain
summit of true greatness and glory, with
the end so mercifully yelled from those sad
eyes and from the eyes of the nation who
delighted to honor him. Day before yes
terday l visited his monument in the beau
tiful cemetery of Oak Ridge. 1t stands
upon commanding eminence overlooking
the fair young city, whose sunshine seems
more fair. that he once hath trod its pave
ments, that he once hath breathed its air.
The entire structure is of white limestone,
found in the northern part of the State;
thirty seven granite shields are carved upon
the base, bearing the names of the thirty
seven States. Upon the south side is the
simple inscription "Lincoln," the bronze
representations of war, slavery, and eman-
cipation, together with life size statue of
the hero, have not yet been placed as de-
signed upon the four corners of the obelsk.
The new State House, being built, or in
course OF erect1On, Is designed 10 De tne
finest building of the kind in the West.
On the opposite corner of the square stands
the ruins of the palatial residence of Ex-
Governor Madison. The Sangamo Moni-
tor, published in this city, is edited by
gentleman from Cecil county, who came
here several years ago, by the name Of
Kidd, but how related to the Kids, form
erly of Kidd's Purchase, we did not learn,
but it is not o. G., for we saw him pass
along the street.
THE EARLY EDUCATION OF CHILDREN.
In lecture, Professor Walter II. Smith,
of Boston, Mass, said that the want of
ancpracu in cl,il6rop cbould hn M courcn Of