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.
l read in the papers as l rode along,
that Richmond, Virginia, and the coun-
try adjacent had just been visited by a
severe shock of earthquake, which set
the houses rocking and rolled the 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 a book recording the history OF
thousands and perhaps millions of years.
are pitched and tossed and confounded
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 mohonless 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 siken garment.
And we turn from it to read of the
tremors which have just shaken Rich
mond, debilitated descendants to be sure
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 I'M
quenchable globe Of molten fire whose
chimneys are the volcanoes, ard whose
shuddcrs shake the world.
As we enter the Cumberland Valley
the country improves ia beauty and fer
tillty, the houses are better and brighter,
and the fields larger. A rich soil pro-
duces in TIM every thing. 1t blooms
into handsome dwellings. lordly barns,
fine stock, and all the adornments OF
life, 4 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 a race fol
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 keel
money from bearing its annual crop.
Cumberland is really a beautiful city
it's chief hotel, 1.-The Queen City Ho
tel" is magnificent structure. Th'
| streets swarm with cheerful and prosper
Gus people. The two crops, one abov'
and are below the surface, are represent
| ed here in a thousand forms.
We found Philadelphia the sam
beautiful prosey hosptable city; witt
its everlasting uniformity of new-brick
houses and its narrow streets, whic
| looks as if a western man could readil
Jump across from curb to curb. TIL
weather IS damp and mucky, sloppy an
raining. Every Philadelphia is Dor
with an umbrella in his hand; and hi
great study in alter life is not to los
it.
NV mind reverts to the time when les
than two hundred years ago that wis
old Quaker. Bin Penn. came here an
found this spot wilderness, save wher
the adventurous Swedes had plante
their little farms along the river bank
even as to-day they may be found aroun
the lakes and rivers OF western Mime
sofa. How wisely he read the futul
, when he laid out that wilderness in.
/, the frame work Of a great city even de-
grating site for the pnblic building
Tnow being erected on the greatest sea
ever seen on the conlinentl at the IN
tersection Of those two great avenue
Broad and Market streets. Did b
: president mind reach forward TO tn
!, greater future. two hundred years frol
now, when our whole nation will
! !, densely populated. and this city wi
! contain in al PROBABILITY double Il
/ population London has to-day? Ii
: can hold our union To- gether. and pr
!, serve the blessings Of liberty for o
: posterity. our future developments v
! exceed anything the world has ey
!. dreamed OF.
Christmas has passed Delightfully."- vi
us, amid the society Of relatives al
!. friends
= Life has few things sweeter tn.
these renewed associations, with tho
we love.
! But enough TOR to-day.