The southern sentinel. (Winnfield, La.) 1883-1910, 1885-01-30
Accommodating Results.

Many years ago. visiting all the
ruined castles and abbeys that lay in
our route through certa N parts OF ng-
land and Scotland. we were much puz.
zled by one fact repeatedly forced upon
our notice; that was, the wonderfully
great depth 10 which those old build
ings seemed to have sunk into the
earth. They were certainly not lost in
their own debris, that was nearly every.
where cleared away: in centuries long
past it had entered into the compost
ton of lowly cottages. or, possibly. had
descended to the still meaner use Of
material for the pig-stes of the peas
antry. No, those gloomy cloisters,
those massive and once-fortified walls
lie half hidden in right good soil, al
most without stone. as you see where
the recent eScavators have left then
work. Around the abbey it may be,
where they have cleared few roods OF
ground to the original level, We see
newly uncovered tombstones, feet be-
low the surface of the ad dining ground,
where the very graves OF men are buried.
reminding us OF the promised final de.
struction of death itself. Or. if the
ruin is that of an ancient stronghold.
instead of entering by the door into
that v hich is now. perhaps, asheep-fold,
but was once the banIueting hall oil
some Highland chief or Norman baron,
we step in from level ground to ground
on the same level. through. The window
which, in old times, admitted down
wards slantlng beams of light upon a
scene OF festivity in the space now &C.
cupied by solid earth. Where did all
that earth come from? This question
renamed for years unanswered, unit.
the explanation. Those h"ndreds OF
tons of line loan which half do en-
laborers. with spades, planks and
to be followed by carts
and horses are -triously removing.
represent the effectiveness of small
forces, the daily, or rather. nightly con-
tributions of the despi ell earth-worm
And does not this eaamp illustrate
the accumulated results of hum IN
labor? May it not be applied in illus.
tration of mans work in the improve
ment of live stock? We are asked for
the history OF an improved breed.
Some one undertakes to supply the de.
sideratum. and. beginning at os urus,
or longifrons. the wild boar, OF
primeval types of horse or sheep. then
leaping across . dark. unbridged
chasm to some nearer standpoint
of National or ecclesiastical his
tory. telling how this monarch
or that monastery possessed q not
able breed uf animals whose desc Upton
suggests relationship to the breed in
question. proceeds by a succession of
similar leapeto the days when Sud
Book, Herd Book or 10 k Regi ter be-
gan the preservation of connected evil
dence; anu so we have our history,
which most persons, overpowered BY
the authors assumption of familiarity
with ancient zoology, med val roo
ords, and the works of tremendously
learned writer's. are glad enough to ac-
cept without question. The true his
tory, if its minute fragments could he
brought together into their proper
places. out of the obscurity of the un.
written past, would be very much like
the history of that heap of soil which so
deeply covered the carved stone where
the outlines of mitre and crozier. or of
two-handed sword and crossed legs are
still traceable. Some one man. who
had the good luck to be found in The
front rank in the hour of brig htest sue.
cess. and was happily enabled. by a
combination of favoring circumstances.
to contribute to its Driliancy, usually
gets the credit of the united brain.
power of hundreds of lesser men. whose
scarcely-observed and quite-forgotten
services have gone to make the big re-
suit with which history associates his
name. -NGtsonG! Lace Stock Journal