The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1874-04-15
Ghe 99ailg Arsns.
Independent In Eoerything.

Little by little the wind is taken out of
the sails OF the good bark Romance, in
which the years of childhood and youth
drift SO pleasantly along. The shady
paths of sentiment through which our
grandmothers glided in satin slippers are
torsaken, and the girl of to-day in her
high-heeled boots storms fearlessly the cit
adels of science and high art. Alas the
damsel of coming years will never weep
over the Sorrows of Werther or push the
light shallop from the shore with Ellen
Douglas. Oh, no! she will never mention
the troubadour who lightly touched his
guitar or tell us of the minstrel who re-
turned from the wars, or have dear ga
zelle to glad her by the bowers of Bende-
meer's stream. The coming boy will per-
haps find apologies for Judas and Robes
pierre; the Adventures of Rasselas and
the Travels of CULVER will not be found
in his library, if pcrchance he own one for
does not Laniartlne aver that in the year
of our Lord 1900 nothing will be read but
newspapers p and the Thousand Ariblan
Nights, the wonders of Robinson Crusoe.
and even John Whopper will become obso-
lete
1t is not enough that William Tell with
his arrow, and boy, and apple, are pro-
nounced myths that the stately Pocahon
tas is described as dirty little Indian girl
thieving about the camp Of the white man;
and that the beautiful Mary, Queen o.
Scots, is said to have been no better than
she should be: but now the roof of the
lear old ALEXANDRIA has tunlbled in, and
disclosed skeletons which put to fligh
| those visions OF delight when we roame
with Irving under lofty ceilings of c, dlr
and vernillIpn in the royal abode of tn
VI 'oriSh kings. where surrounded with the
splendors and refnements of Asiatic lux
dry. they held dominion over what they
Wanted as a terrestrial paradise. land made
the last stand for Spain.
We are unhappy, and we protest, anC
we sincerely wish that these old fellow,
like DR.. Prime. who go prowling abou
seeking what they may devour, would stay
at home and mind their own business, anC
not pain us with such developments as Thu
conversation OF his with a recent guide t.
the ALEXANDRIA. Did you know our coun
tryman, Washington Irving, while he wa
here?' 'Oh, yes; and a nice, worthy gen
tleman he was, so pleasant always; bu
then he did not keep very closely to facts
To tell the truth, those are very beautiful
stories of Mr. Irving, but the most of then
are all in your eye, sir. But, said tn
aveler, Mr. Irving speaks of the goo
people who lodged here in the Alhaulbra
! and fair maiden whom he styled Dolore,
and noble young man named Manuel
what became of them . At which Ben
saken, the guide, with little low laugh
and not knowing the mischief he was doins
= said Dolores was a coarse and dowd
lrudge, whom Mr.. lrving's imaginatio
nad invested with purely rhetorical charm
| de went further, and said one of the fan
lily whom Mr.. Irving mentioned had bee
J killed in street brawl, and that the who
ace had passed into deserved Oblivion
But neither traveller nor guide can depriV
rs of the impressions made on the mir
years ago; and still we fancy we beho
he sun set behind the purple mountains
Alhama; the wilderness OF roses whe
the nightingale sang all day long; the nu
he bandit, the priest, and the solder al
we strain our ears for the tinkle of Il
;astanet, or the last sigh of Bobadil at b
ing expelled from such kingdom and su
an abode.