Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1894-09-28

when fully developed 70 yleld enough
sugar to sweeten the beverages OF tne
earth, and raise enough tea to soothe the
nerves and stimulate the conversation
Of the social groups Of all zones, and pro-
duce enough cotton to clothe hemls-
pheres; enough iron to be brought up
from the cellar of these colonies to rail
track the planet; copper and lead, sill
yer and gold waiting for resurrection;
sapphires and rubies, topaz and chryso'
beryls ready to fash and burn on the
bosom Of the worlds beauty. Cope's
creek yielded IN one year 20, OOO dia-
monds.
Do you say that vast regions are not
arable, but deserti Yes, but boring
underneath the sand and rock discover.
ed water which is only waiting to be
called up to irrigate the surface. What
irrigation has done for Egypt and China
and is doing for the American desert
will be done for the lido acreage OF
Australia It has been demonstrated
again and again that better than tho
rainfall it is to have waters gathered
into reservoirs, and so droushts and
freshets are avoided, and when you
want water you turn il on, and when
you want it TO stop you turn it of. II
you say there are not enough hills.in
Australia to pour down the water upon
the lands, reply by asking, Where is
the power Of machinery Science and
enterprise will invent pump that
could spout up the subterraneous and
hidden rivers, lakes and oceans Of Aus
tralia. Irrigation will yet abolish tho
American desert, the Arabian desert,
the great Sahara desert and the Austria
liam desert. All hail to the agriculture
and mining and merchandise and man
ufacture and art and opulence and re-
ligion Of the coming generations Of
Australia After awhile America the
focus Of emigration from all lands, will
be occupied, and then, if not before,
Australia will call the millions Of the
earth who want more room and better
chance and easier livelihood TO pass
through the Same ocean gate that open
ed for us few days ago, and to feel
the welcome blooming from the same
skies and reaching out from the same
Hawkesbury sandstone, and brea.- -
in the balsamic atmosphere, and fashS
ing from the depths Of the same match
less harbor.
While debating this letter to ste
nographer in Sydney and looking OF
upon its harbor l hear the chimes OF the
bells from the tower Of the postoffics.
It is the only postofice that l have ever
known to be graced by such charm OF
harmonies. But how appropriate for tho
postofice Of every city rings out moro
music or tolls more sadness than any
other building. There are the piles OF
letters with joyful tidings and hilarious
surprises and marriage announcements,
and every postoffice ought to have
chime of wedding bells. But every post
Office has piles Of letters with stories OF
sadness and bereavement and loss and
death and burial, and therefore such
building ought to have bells to sound
the knell and bells to toll the grief.
Ring on, We bells Of Sydney postofice,
and sound over yonder harbor your mer-
riment or sadnes.l -Four times every
hour that tower showers its chimes. At
each quarter hour the air is stirred with
its melodies, but al the close OF each
full hour the effect is very peculiar.
Tinkle and clash and jingle and roll 90
the sweet metallic voices, as much as
to say: "Be CHEEKY while the moments
90 by. Move as briskly as you can and
let the passing moments keep step with
the sounding JOY" But while you are
listening, suddenly there comes in the
mighty stroke of the postoffice clock IN
deepest and most reverberating tone, let.
ting you know that one moro hour OF
| time is forever past, and 1T sounds SOL
emn and tremendous, as though at every
stroke it said Of the hour just departed:
"Gone Gonel Gone"
The deep bass of that last sound over
towering the merry sopranos that pre-
coded it So the gladnesses and solem-
mites commingle. But perhaps l may
have misinterpreted the utterances OF
that heavy and mighty clock in the post
Office tower. 1t seemed like the death
knell Of the hour and seemed to say,
"Gone, goneW Bot, now that / think It
over. that bell might have been in dif-
ferent mood frons what 1 thought, for
bells have moods and they weep, and
they laugh, and they dance, and they
rroan. n may be that the resounding
and overpowering stroke in that tower
might have been one Of invitation, and
that because this harbor is the ocean gate
Of An almost infnitudc Of opportunity,
and the mines are waiting FOR more
crowbars, and the pasturase is waiting
for moro focks, and the hillsides are
waiting for moro cities, and the pic
turesoue is waiting for more artists, and
the fields are waiting for more plows,
and the printing presses are waiting
for more authors, and the fora is walt
ing for more botanists, and the skies
are waiting for more astronomers, and
the churches are waiting FOR more wor-
shipers, and these lands are waiting for
moro occupants, and this harbor is wait
ing for more merchantmen, the bell OF
the postofice tower is really sending
forth a welcome word to the people OF
all lands and the voyagers Of all seas,
saying, "Come, come, come"
T. DE WITT TAIMAGR
The Gold Fever.
II = IN