Year: 1859

For the present age, there are many de6ni
| tiQns Approach one man, and he will tell you


that this is an age of philosophy annother


and be will tell you that it is an age of seien-
tific research another, that it is an age Of


steam while the bystaDder, declares that it is
a fast age. Now all these definitions have g


fair proportion of truth, yet none of them cover
| whole ground 50 completely, as to exclude


our definition.


Nations are forsaking the old paths, and in
dividuals are swift to follow new leaders. Be
yond the Atlantic, the nations have whims.-
But though France pants for something new
and willingly grasps a:syy key, whose turning,
may open to her some foreign and untried
State regulations; though knowing English
men, lament the enormous expenses of the ma
tional fabric, and long to see aristocracy drag
ging in the dust and though masses of the
Russian nation, desire to see an emblem OF
freedom, and republicanism, inserted in their
national colors, yet none of these are SO change
loving and whimsical as we Americans.


Let one of us project measure, and whether
it be foolish, or not, he will soon have crowd
of admirers and followers and let an antagon-
istic measure he set forth in the same commu-
nifty, and advocates, and defenders, gather
around its staff. An American 9ronaut as
cends to the thin air, revels above the clouds,
and after brushing along their sunny sides, de-
scends, under the impression that with larger
volume of gas, he could traverse our continent
from west, to east, in three days, and after
ward, reinhate his balloon for a successful trans
atlantic voyage. The public mind assents to
his whim, illustrated weeklies devote whole
sides, in giving to the public, clear idea of
the magnitude of his air ship, and the beauty
and grandeur of its extent. All along his in
tended course, telegraph operators remain up
all night, to get glimpse of his light, as it
passes over their heads so that they may en-
Tighten the morning papers, and thereby salts
fly the confding public. But alas no light is
seen; and no tiding heard, until dreadful
splash in a northern lake, and cry for help a
wakens sleeping fisherman on the shore, who
relieves the exhausted air traveller from his
dangerous position places him in his homely
tent and hastens to The nearest telegraph Office
to inform the public of the failure. Soon long
editorials are written, setting forth the mad
ness cf the late enterprise and the impossibili-
ty of any, but short aerial voyage; by pens
that were employed the day previous, in con-
Quoting "a hope and belief that man had the
mastery over another one of the elements. The
public wavers from its cherished but brief
whims /; and all concede the failure inevitable.


When the idea was suggested, to unite two
continents by telegraph cable; how We fell
in with it As a nation, what long-winded
articles did we write, showing the magnitude
of the enterprise and our belief in its success
What eulogies did our orators pronounce on
its learned protector Yet in few short
weeks how changed we became. AS the dis
patches became irregular and llnintelligibc our
faith wavercd, and when the cable ceased to
make the mystic dots, and give forth the won
ted raps, we foFsook it; and soon began to
procure some other Golden Fleece = and at
present it is difficult to find man who believes
that we will even be successfully united to
England by telegraph, though the absolute
chances are numerous ever before.