Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1882-05-10
Letter from Iowa.

tian names and sets my weapon down as
very feeble and faultily welded.
accept tho gracefully turned compli-
ments, and feel that with such courteous
opponent a cause were better lost than
won.
And vet, for the fair fame OF the beauti-
full land of my adoption, as well ms IN
fcaltv to the contour of my own Uranium,
/ must beg leave to "risc to explain that
though born among the Green Mountains,
their Jagged bumps" are in no wise
mirrorcd in my chronological develop
ments. And if we are to indulge in
good, solid "bone picking" we must stick
to latitudes in comparisons and facts in
figures. 1t is entirely outside limits to
compare residents Of torrid and temperate
climates as to their &" bumps quite rs
much as to their compilations.
We will quote: "All forms in nature
arc such as existing conditions permit"
Granted. But mature is one thing and
man quito another; and because some
convulsion of nature threw up the eternal
hills, and mighty glaciers Of the glacial
period ground smooth their northern
brows, it does not follow that mems heads
were similarly convulsed and then ground
lop-sidcd.
As for ancient hiStory-wc find that
civilization has risen and fallen like the
tides that ono empire passes away and
another builds, in after ages, her cities
upon the ashes and chimney pots of former
cities.
Again, Jane" confcsses that the
wonderful activities Of 4 "brain, with
samcnoa5 corresponding to the surface of
the county coH!d no; be Ijmitcd," and it
was perfectly natural that she should for
sake her home" Sec? That was what
VIC were first saying, | hare been from
limit to limit of the state of Vermont re-
peatedly, wherever a railroad threads its
scrpentino way, and admit to tho grand
outlooks, but, you see, it's a terrible pull
to got up to them; and then again, people
Hrc, for the most part, in the valleys.
Wewho believe in the hcrGdity of intel
Iect must know that Americans, rs n ma
tion, can hardly DO Judged by inborn
effects of surfaces, for VIC arc, as a people,
= heterogeneous mixture Of AL nations
aud classes, and the surface Of the country
can have had little to do with the forma-
ton OF the convolution5 of BRAIN" al
though it can alict our individual mental
ity, depressing and checking our powers,
or awakening and unfolding,
If "Janc," spending = year in the west,
especially upon the prares, devoted her
time to meditation, do not much wonder
the mind turned in upon itsclf," and
that sheep returned to Vermont, and, let
us hope, built fortress on some Of the
storm beaten crests, and has a free,
square outlook in tho face Of nature, smil.
ing when she smiles, and-dodging the
thunder bolts when she frowns. But this
is only proof OF my teNt-y y0u a0ant
G9tcypriSe y0u must hare elJoW room! I
presume am not giving Ucrbatim ct liter
atm, for not having n copy Of the FREE
MAN of March 20th | have only the
vaguest sense of what | may have said,
further than that this was the spirit Of my
SAY so.n
Pre-omincntly the west is not the place
for dreams and musings. We dabble
sometimes little in poetry, and occa-
sionally ripple of into romance, but we
don't stop for the "soul - to "view ex'
ternal objects ~ very much. We drive the
plow through the blossoming fields; we
SOW and we reap the harvest; we fill our
sails of commerce and we drive the busy
wheels Of manufacture with our strong
arms Of steam. We make our money,
and then we 20 to the Yosemite, to Mag
ara. across to the old world; even we stop
at the White Hills, but not for d" lraughts
Of sublimity." not at all; but because we
want to be chic. We've earned the money
and now we mean to take the good Of it,;
and VIC will find nowhere else the enter
prise, tho adventure and tho open handed
good fellowship that we find in the broad,
now west.
When wO come to consider divine
thought arranged in material ORDER" I
will admit it's too deep water for me,
except that Switzerland is noted for very
poor watches (no ono would think Of pur-
chasing ono If they could procure an FL
gin) and wooden toys; while Goethe.
Victor Hugo, Madame Dud0vant, George
Sand) and George Eliot " wero none of
them born Of the mountains, and ] think
we find the "diyinc thought" " gets quite
as often picked up on city streets rs any
where else.
The agricultural editor may guess"
at facts as long as he chooscs--a guess is
quito as apt to miss a hit--but if he wants
figures 1 will pit Iowa against any
mountainous country, Of the same area
and are. ia the world. and viii not be
ashamed.
As for prominent mon--tho mountains
could hsvo had little TO do in forming
bumps on our presidents head. unless
in the way (Which Heaven forbid of birth.
marks. aud for tho good Of our Nation we
arc glad to believe he is not an uneven
(mountainous) head; for we'll developed
hrain is IN evenly developed one. High
bumps " are a proof Of woful deprcssions.
An uneven, convoluted brain will give
some strongpoints, but also correspond
ing number of weak ones. Tho perfectly
developed brain is always an even one.
Carpenter was a strong man Che, cvi-
dcntly, wishing elbow room, emigratcd) ;
and Idmunds is man to bt proud of;
but we of the west have still our Allison
and Kirkwood, and we have given the
Nation Grant, a Garfield and Lincoln
men on whom thn live octivitios IF tbio