The anti-monopolist. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1874-1878, 1875-12-30


below the surface; and supplement her
grand wheat crops by inexhaustible sup
plies Of metallic wealth.
read in the papers IS rode along,
that Richmond, Virginia, and the coun-
try adjacent had inst been visited by al
severe shock of earthquake, which sell
the houses rocking and rolled tho aston
ished people out Of their beds at mid
night. And as look out Of the car win
dows can see in the rocks past which
we are flying evidences of vast disturb
ances OF nature in remote antiquity, the
various strata of rocks, Teach like the
page Of book recording the history of
thousands and perhaps millions of years.
are pitched and tossed and COMPOUNDED
together in the most remarkable man
ner; while some which were originally
deposited horizontally at the bottom Of
placid ancient seas, are rolled and
crumpled into fluctuations,
As if the ocean in its grandest swell
Stood still, with all its rounded pillows fixed
And moionless forever"
One can form some conception OF the
awful forces of nature which thus agitat-
ed this mighty encasement of everlast-
ing rocks, as If it was silken garment.
And we turn from it to read of the
tremors which have just shaken Rich
mond, debilitated descendants to besure
Of those ancient and awful commissions
whose wrecks lie around US; gentle re-
minders at the same time Of the thinness
Of the crust which lies between our
farms, homes, palaces, cities and all our
our arts and civilization, and that un-
quenchable globe of molten FIRE whose
chimneys are the volcanoes, and whose
shudders shake the world.
AS we enter the Cumberland Valley
the country improves In beauty and fer
tillty, the houses are better and brighter,
and the fields larger. A rich soil pro-
duces in time every thing. 1t blooms
into handsome dwellings. lordly barns,
fine stock, and all the adornments OF
life, A rich soil breeds faster then
every thing else except money; that
produces the largest crops, bvt it ex-
hausts the soil. In a new and rich
country. like Minnesota, it is q race for
years between the soil and the interests
on money and too often the Unsuitable
interests eats up the land. Neither
drought nor wet, storms nor hail, grass.
hoppers nor the chinch-bug can keep
money from bearing its annual crop.
Cumberland is really beautiful city,
its chief hotel, 1.-The Queen City Ho-
tel" is q magnificent structure. The
streets swarm with cheerful and prosper
Gus people. The two crops, one above
and are below the surface, are represent
| ed here in a thousand forms.
We found Philadelphia the same
beautiful prosey hospitable city; with
its everlasting uniformity Of new-brick
houses and its narrow streets, which
looks as if western man could readily
Jump across from curb to curb. Thu
weather Is damp and mucky, sloppy ant
raining. Every Philadelphia is borl
with an umbrella in his hand; and hi
great study in alter life is not to los
it.
My mind reverts to the time when les
than two hundred years ago that wis
old Quaker, Bill Penn, came here ant
found this spot wilderness, save wher
the adventurous Swedes had plante'
their little farms along the river banks
even as to-day they may be found aroun'
the lakes and rivers OF western Mime
sofa. How wisely he read the futur
when he laid out that wilderness int
the framework of a great city even DIES
gnating a site for the pnblic buildings
.. [now being erected on the greatest seal
ever seen on the continent] at the in
tersection Of those two great avenue
; Broad and Market streets. Did hi
!, president mind reach forward to thu
! greater future. two hundred years fror
now, when our whole nation will b
densely populated. and this city vi
! contain in all PROBABILITY double tn
population London has to-day? 1t v
: can hold our union together. and pr
! serve the blessings Of liberty for OF
! posterity. our future developments vi
! exceed anything the world has ev'
: dreamed of.
Christmas has passed Delightfully."- vii
us, al:.id the society Of relatives AZ
]. friends.
= Life has few things sweeter tina
these renewed associations, with tho:
we love.
! But enough for to-day.