USA > New York > Orange County > Wallkill in Orange County > The Historic Wallkill and Hudson River Valleys > Part 3
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The monument was a gift from Ismail Pasha, Khedive of Egypt, to the city of New York, although its removal from the old world to the new was variously opposed, and attended with many difficulties. It is a rose-colored granite shaft, sixty-nine feet in height and weighing two hundred and twenty tons.
The removal of the obelisk to this continent-an interesting and gigantic undertaking-was intrusted to Lt .- Com. H. H. Gorringe, of the United States Navy. European countries had established and followed the precedent of building vessels ex- pressly for the transportation of these massive monoliths, but in no case were the voyages of such vessels wholly successful. It was, therefore, decided to save the time which would be re- quired for the construction of such a vessel, by the use, in this instance, of an ordinary steamship. The steamer "Dessoug" was accordingly purchased from the Egyptian government, and entirely refitted and repaired. A temporary aperture was made in the bow of the ship, through which the obelisk was embarked, and the removed portions of the vessel were then replaced. It will be seen that the en- tire work of removing our obelisk from its place in Alexandria, Egypt. to its present location in Central Park, required the finest of engineering skill, and it was in every way successfully accomplished. The amount expended. $103.732, was borne entirely by the late W. II. Vanderbilt.
In order to fully appreciate the value of this obelisk in the light either of art or antiquity. it is necessary to become to some extent familiar with the history of an- cient Egypt, which, but for parts preserved on monu- ment and tomb, must have forever remained an un- comprehended volume and, like her ruins, buried beneath the sands of the desert.
Thothmes III, whose reign sixteen centuries before
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Christ, covered the most glorious period of Egyptian history, celebrated his power by founding a multitude of new temples. He also restored the ancient Temples at Heliopolis -City of the Sun, which is the On of Genesis. Its ruins are a very short distance from Cairo. He adorned the entrance of the temple with new obelisks, hewn from the quar- ries of Svene, whence is derived the common term syenite. The location of the place, now called Assouan, is at the First Cataract of the Nile, which, it will be observed, fur- nished a waterway for the transportation of the montiments.
The Central Park obelisk was one of four similar stones placed before the Temple of the Sun-the abode of the sun-god, Ra, the deity preeminently worship in the Egyptian religion. Heliopolis was also the center of elegant learning and science of that time, and with it are associated the names of early philosophers and familiar biblical characters.
Obelisks were the attributes of temples, and not themselves worshiped. As shown by the hieroglyphs with which they are inscribed, they were dedicated to the various deities, and intended to eternalize the names of rulers. It is to be regretted that the records of those times throw so little light upon the actual labor and method of quarrying and set- ting up these giant stones, to say nothing of the genius of those who wrought the char- acters thereon.
After the Roman conquest of "the dark land," two of the obelisks referred to were carried from Heliopolis to Alexandria, which had then become the foremost city of Egypt. Since that time they have been known as "Cleopatra's Needles." in commemo- ration of that famous woman who, despite the Roman emperor, died a queen. Cleopatra doubtless, originally suggested the removal of the monuments, although it was not accom- plished until several years after her death. For this reason, her right to remembrance through them has been disputed.
Our obelisk stood on the receding shore of Alexandria for about nineteen hundred vears, and until it was removed to the United States. Its inscriptions contain the signa- tures of Egypt's greatest kings-Thothmes III, Rameses II, and Seti I-with vainglorious recitals of their individual achievements. Yet. above the vanity of the Pharaohs, is the eloquent voice of Time eulo rizing the art of the early Egyptian, and his striving for the ennoblement of the human race through the re-creation of young and beautiful forms.
Honor this. O Land of the Pharaohs and of the double crown !- the adopted of Joseph. the birthplace of Moses ;- land of the fabled Phoenix, and the Nile, we thank thee : first example of the world -- pointing out the fate of nations-whose temples, soar- ino heavenward in the morning, are now brt ruins silhouetted against an evening sky Wonderful land of the past, over which "the Sphinx gazes forever, but never speaks !"
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Y
Courtesy New York Central Railroad
The azure heaven is filled with smiles, The water lisping at my feet From weary thought my heart beguiles. -Henry Abbey.
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Courtesy Park & Cemetery, Chicago
AUTUMN SCENE IN CENTRAL PARK. Wild umbrage far around me clings To breezy knoll and hushed ravine, And o'er each rocky headland flings Its mantle of refreshing green.
-H. T. Tuckerman.
Courtesy New York Central Railroad
Among all the rivers of the world the Hudson stands the acknowledged queen-decked with romance, jeweled with poetry, clad with history, crowned with beauty .- Wallace Bruce.
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MOHONK, A UNIVERSE OF SKY AND SNOW.
The old familiar sights of ours took marvelous shapes. -Whittier. All day long the gusty north-wind bore The loosening drift its breath before.
-IT'hittier.
During the winter of 1897 a booklet was issued, entitled, "A Few Winter Scenes at Lake Mohonk." By courtesy of Albert K. Smiley, proprietor, we take great pleasure in reproducing these superb views of Mohonk in winter dress.
MOHONK, ICE BOUND TREES ARE GLITTERING.
Now no plumed throng Charms the wood with song ; Ice bond trees are glittering ; Merry snow-birds twittering, Fondly strive to cheer Scenes so cold and drear. -Translation from the German.
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MOHONK-HOW FAIR, HOW FAIR.
But when 'tis winter weather, * * * O, then 'tis sweet To sit and sing Of friends with whom, in the days of spring, WVe roamed through the greenwood together. -Bowles.
MOHONK, THE BEAUTIFUL.
We looked upon a world unknown, Of nothing we could call our own. Around the glistening wonder bent The blue walls of a firmament, No clouds above, no earth below- A universe of sky and snow.
-Il'hittier.
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5.3
MOHONK, SNOWBOUND.
Out of the bosom of the air. Out of the cloud-folds of her garments shaken, Over the woodlands brown and bare, Over the harvest fields forsaken, Silent and soft and slow Descends the snow.
-Longfellow.
MOHONK, THE MARVELOUS.
'Tis Winter, yet there is no sound Along the air Of winds along their battle ground ; But gently there The snow is falling,-all around How fair! How fair!
-Hoyt.
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MOHONK, IN WINTER DRESS.
Here delicate snow-stars, out of the cloud, Come floating downward in airy play, Like spangles dropped from the glistening crowd That whiten by night the Milky Way. -Bryant.
MOHONK, THE SUBLIME.
In tiny spherule traced with lines Of Nature's geometric signs, In starry flake, and pellicel. All day the hoary meteor fell.
-Il'hittier.
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MOHONK, ROCK-RIBBED AND SNOW-CLAD.
Dead white, save where some sharp ravine Took shadow, or the somber green Of hemlocks turned to pitchy black Against the whiteness at their back. -- IT'hittier.
MOHONK, ICEBOUND.
Lo! while we are gazing, in swifter haste Stream down the snows, till the air is white, As, myriads by myriads madly chased, They fling themselves from their shadowy height. -Byrant.
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L
MOHONK, IN SOLITUDE. i
All day had the snow come down,-all day As it never came before; And over the hills, at sunset, lay Some two or three feet, or more.
-Eastman.
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C.
THE OLD FARM HOME
Homesick? Well, no, not exactly that, I was only just wishing that I could go back And look around the old farm for a day. To see if it's changed much since I went away : To see if the old home looks much the same,- If the barn and the stable, still remain As they did years ago, when I was young, Before my fight with the world had begun. I would just like to run through the meadow again, And let down the bars at the end of the lane, And call to the cows :- Come Bossy, come Spot. Come White-face and Brindle, come Daisy and Dot.
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I can see them all now, as plainly as when I followed them home in the gloaming. And then Such milk-Oh! what would I not give for it now, That warm frothy milk, from the old Brindle Cow. I would so like to lie for an hour in the shade Of the big chestnut trees, where John and I played.
COWS COMING HOME.
We were Indians bold in the wild, wild west, Where we chased the gay squirrels, and spied out the nest Of the blackbirds and crows, that pulled the corn, And cawed us awake in the gray early morn ; And we started out to begin the new day As blithe as the breezes. as care-free and gay.
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I would just like to climb to the hilltop again And drink in the beauty of mountain and plain, As they spread out before me, a picture so fair The heart is enraptured .- the eye follows where Bright glints of the beautiful Wallkill are seen, Like a silvery ribbon entwining between
WALLKILL RIVER, MONTGOMERY.
Courtesy of L. H. Tat
Green meadows and woodlands,-past homesteads so dear, While far to the north the blue Catskills appear. And oh! to sleep up in the attic once more. And watch the bright moonbeams at play on the floor, Or, listen again to the pattering rain That lulled me to sleep with its sweet refrain.
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And then to wake up at the call of the birds, And, rushing downstairs, hear the old glad words, "Good morning"-sweet greeting, from voices now stilled. Oh! with memories tender, my heart is filled. Homesick? Well, yes,-I'm surely just that ; I'm wishing, I'm longing some day to go back.
MONTGOMERY NEW YORK
VIEWS OF MONTGOMERY VILLAGE
Reprinted from Picturesque Montgomery.
Far away from the city, its jostle and greed, Its extreme of wealth and its dire abject need ; Back, back to the peace of that valley enchanted. Sun-kissed, and dew-bathed,-with God's promise implanted In blossoming orchard, and billowing grain ; Where His sweet benediction delights to remain. -Carolyn M. Walker.
Hackensack, N. J., February 20, 1907.
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ALMOST MARRIED
BY JOHN WILTSEE LEE
S the war never going to end?" asked a buxom daughter of the Palatines, address- ing her companion, who dwelt on the other side of the Wallkill, where the Eng- lish element predominated.
"After going on so many years it will hardly stop of itself, Miss Nanchie, but Lord Cornwallis, 1 fancy, will soon end it to the satisfaction of those who sent him,"
WALLKILL RIVER, MONTGOMERY
Reprinted from Picturesque Montgomery
replied George Black- burn, whose Tory feeling was so strong as to make the course of his love run anything but smooth, at times, when his affianced thought such harangues worth rebuke.
"Better a thirty years war, as my fore- fathers had at home, than such an ending!" gravely spoke Nanchie House- lander.
"They fought for a free conscience and a free Bible, and I honor them. but this is a rebellion against the 'Protector of Faith.' Women cannot expect to understand these things, however."
"I understand enough. George Blackburn, to
know that they settled
for all time the principle of individual sovereignty, and so perhaps we had better part in peace." darkly hinted the indignant damsel.
It was in the spring, and the river was high and rising to a freshet, as they rode thus discoursing. When they had nearly reached Ward's Bridge at Montgomery ( whose ruins remain) he spoke to turn her thoughts, and wished they were over.
"No! I wish I could always stay on this side," Nanchie persisted, "there are too many Tories over there, and Tories are traitors."
Just then circumstances over which they had no control put an end to a dispute which might have proved disastrous. Going on the bridge, the water had reached the hubs of the wheels, but going off it rose vet higher, and before they thought of danger, the swift current took their horse off his feet, and swept them down the stream. They were vet on the flats, and if the struggling steed could be guided away from the channel. or toward the shore, all might be well. So thinking, Blackburn leaped over on
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his back to loosen the check-rein, and hold him more in hand, but Sorrel dissented, and sent him headlong in the turgid water.
Directly she saw her lover in peril, her love returned in force; and crying to him to save himself (which he did) and not mind the horse or her (which he did not think of doing), she seized one of the reins, and nearly pulled the pony's head off his shoulders. It happened to be the one next the shore, and brought him in swimmingly. The gig was light, and a THOMPSON'S POND few convulsive strokes carried 1- . to where he could touch bottom. Then, with a short and a shiver, he sprang up the bank, shaking the harness till all rattled; and had it not been for her soaking feet, Nanchie would scarcely have realized the strange sail she had taken. A few minutes' drive, and they were at their journey's end, but the chill did not reach their heart, which warmed as of old to- ward each other, and when they parted, it was agreed with many a kiss and as many blushes that their nuptials should be celebrated in the church on the following Sunday.
It is a picturesque spot where the old Dutch Reformed brick church stood then, and where the new American Reformed brick church stands now, with the graveyard sloping down from it, and at the foot of the hill below the parsonage the river winding along from the south through the Valley of the Wall- kill. Far at the north stretches the blue range of the Shawangunk : nearer by the Comfort Hills hide the sun in its setting, and away to the eastward loom the loftier peaks along the Hudson. There is peace in the picture, loveliness in the landscape and ever there
The old, half-forgotten, and beautiful days,
Come out of their graves in the twi- . light haze,
And the trees of our youth's renewed to our eyes,
In the shapes of the elms hung out on the skies.
And they were a hardy race of
MILOSTGOMERY NEW YORK:
WALLKILL RIVER
AGRIST MI
GRIST MILL AND DAM
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pioneers who possessed the land, patriotic from instinct, and loyal to liberty by all the memories of their home across the sea, or ever a ruthless decree of Romish ilk had depopulated a whole district, and made them "Exiles of the Palatine." When the strug- gle came with Britain, there was but one side for the sons of such sires to take, and all through those gloomy years they remembered the Prince of Orange only as a type of the great leader Providence had given America.
What had a Tory, acting in the sacred relation of Pastor, to do with such a people ? This was a question they had often asked themselves; but though slow to move, their sudden and decided choice gave a worthy answer.
About that time the Divine Witherspoon was "preaching politics" in the Conti- mental Congress. The Pastors of New England did not go back on the later practice
BELOW THE DAM
of their Apostolic successors; and all the clergy, save a few of the Church of England in our own province, preached the duty of resistance, and the glory of sustaining the noble declaration of their brethren at the Capitol, especially in the Dutch and Scotch Presbyterian churches of New York City, in the very face of the British General's staff and retinte. If the Pastors of that age had not been found on the side of right and heroism the returning wave of victory would have swept them off the pulpits they dis- graced, and away from the flocks they had betrayed.
Thanks to the preaching and practice of John Knox and Martin Luther, and other bishops of the Catholic Church long ago, our clergy are not in bonds to speak or forbear at the nod of any Master General. Thanks to the heroism of "profane priests" (copperly so called), such as they who uttered no uncertain sound and stood not aloof from the battle, upon a free American conscience rests a freer republic than Sidney ever sketched, or the Greek dreamed of. All honor to their memories: and to the ministers of our days, who honored their high vocation by rousing and directing the patriotism of the people, and rebuking the craven spirit of cavillers, sympathizers, Tories and traitors at the North : and to those who stand up now in the name of Christ where he has placed
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them, and, like Isaiah, denounce the enemies of the unity of the Catholic Church, of a security to Life and Property, and of the purity and integrity of the Republic, in spite of all the threats of all the slaves of all the Rings and kings in Christendom.
There is a struggle on us now that will test the strength and mettle of the men of our time more sternly than did the Rebellion, the stability of the government, with no neutral ground for Cowboys and Skinners. The American church is a unit on the side of right. Let all her pulpits resound with words of righteous indignation and warnings of inspiration.
"It's war we're in, not politics, It's systems wrestling now, not parties, And Victory in the end will fix Where strongest will and truest heart is."
But to return to the Valley of the Wallkill :
A CHARMING RETREAT IN THE HILLS.
The blood of bayoneted friends and neighbors was even then calling to them from the reeking ruins of Fort Montgomery; in the light of flames the foe had kindled along the shore of Ulster disaffected neutrality could no longer lie hidden, and they had vainly told him to go in peace, and leave them to fight the friends he left behind, till they joined him over the water.
The whole country was roused by late reverses, and more militiamen were summoned to join the army of the North. Among these were Dederick Shafer who, without avail, had sought to win the hand of Nanchie against the more solid attractions of his rival, but solacing himself with the thought Byron had not yet embalmed in verse, that
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Maidens, like moths, are ever caught by glare, And Mammon wins his way where Seraphs might despair.
he bnekled on his armor, and lightly bade her make a patriot of her lover before he came back again.
To New Windsor, whence the recruits were to take boat, he hastened; but the sloop had left with a fair wind, and was already out of sight above the Danskammer. Vainly he fell back to a higher standpoint, near what is now Mount Ellis, a knoll from which the whole sweep of the sparkling water for miles was visible, with the green- wooded Matteawan Range and Polipel's Island in the wondrous background, and south- ward, through the clustering cedars, the narrow gorge that takes on the look of a Swiss
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MONTGOMERY ACADEMY
lake below where the jutting headland of the Boterberg thrusts its bold front out into. the channel, as if it still remembered the ancient time before the great Inland Sea had cloven its way through the highlands. Hill and dale, field and forest, mountain and moorland, rock and river! How they were mingled by the Maker, so that man had but to enter the charmed precincts, and enjoy an eternal banquet of beauty.
But without Nanchie it would be no paradise for him, however perfect in all its elements. There was not much to draw him back, but everything to urge him onward. So on foot and alone he started, and with his musket on his shoulder, marched along the river till many miles above he passed the sloop becalmed, and reached the rendezvous before his regiment.
There he reported to General Jessup, who had been ordered to scour the country along the Upper Hudson, and was restless under the enforced delay. Hearing of their misfortune, he would wait no longer for the "Orange Blossoms." but taking Dederick, and the little band already mustered in, moved northward near the Adirondacks.
Around the Great Falls he scouted stealthily, for his forest foes were fierce and sleepless. But the continual thundering of the roaring water drowned the noise of Indian
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MonroomER NEW YORK.
BRICK CHURCH
foot-falls, and entranced by the wild sublimity of this haunt of na- ture, his customary vigilance was abated. From an overhanging cliff on the bank some rods above the cataract, the General and Dederick, whom he had made his orderly, were watching the foaming rapids and scanning the massive masonry, earlier than Solo- mon's, that has builded a flume through which the mighty Hudson runs no wider than the Bronx; when suddenly sounded the war-whoop close be- side them, and together they sprang down the jagged side of the mountain, and over the rocky shore flew to rejoin their comrades in camp be- low.
Their Indian pursuers knew better than they into what peril they were rushing, and shouted, sure of their prey. Just below, a precipitous bluff would cut off their further retreat, for it was white with the spray. Here the river dashes a hundred feet over the Granite Ledges, and only pours itself above through a deep rock-gorge, very narrow for it to flow through, though too wide for a man to leap over.
But turning suddenly, the General darted down the stone terraces, that rise like the seats of a Roman amphitheatre, and in full sight of friends and foes, leapt the chasm, and was up the eighty stone steps on the west side, before a single ar- row was sped-only hear- ing a grunt of compli- ment to his prowess. which no one of his for- mer pursuers seemed in- clined to imitate, and no one to this day has imi- tated, so that the Hat pave on which he won a footing has come to be known as Jessup's Land- ing, and will be forever. No sooner had their astonishment subsided than the disappointed red- skins searched long in every nook for Dederick, trampling the wild flow- ers that grew out of the crevices, and rolling down the hillside huge boulders UNION STREET, MONTGOMERY.
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to drive him from any hiding place. The wonderful escape of the one, and still more mys- terious vanishing of the other, began to work upon their innate superstition, and prepared the way for their easy capture; when from above, at the head of the band he had aroused to action (after passing so unnoticed and invisible through the midst of the awestruck savages ), Dederick appeared again, and flanked them effectually.
Nanchie Houslander had heard of this feat of her old suitor, and she half regretted that in following her he had not shown the half ardor displayed in the pursuit of the enemy. But she had chosen : and as she had said to herself: "What was Dederick to her now but one she could not help honoring as a brave soldier and a staunch adherent of the Continental Congress?"
The day of the wedding came clear and beautiful, and the little bell Queen Anne had given the Exiles pealed out over the field and forest, calling the worshipers. From
GOD'S ACRE, OLD BRICK CHURCH, MONTGOMERY
a circuit of miles, and by every road, they came, and before the hour of service the Green was covered with eager knots of talkers and listeners. No one seemed to care to go within, and all were waiting for something-the most for the arrival of the weddeners, and a few stern men on the doorsteps for the coming of the minister.
Then the farm wagon of the Houslanders was driven up with the blooming Nanchie therein, well supported by sundry sisters ; afterward George Blackburn dashed among the crowd with his gig with a vacant seat for the bride in prospect. and full of visions of the grand "In fair" his people would give her on the evening of the morrow. Last of all the priest came also.
Wondering at the concourse ont of doors, as a low hum announced his presence, yet looking neither to the right hand nor the left. he walked under the archway. But there
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was a bar to his progress. That church was closed on him forever. Then turning him- self, he saw grave men of the Great Consistory standing near with a look sad but de- termined.
"What does this mean?" he asked angrily.
"It means that your friends are our enemies, and while the road to New York is open you had better take it!" slowly spoke a man on the steps of the portico.
The blood shed at Fort Clinton had roused the lion, and instant flight alone saved the Tory Dominie from the lion's paw. A glance over the field convinced him that discretion was the better part of valor, and, smothering his rage, he mounted his horse and rode away, shooting out his flaming eyes a farewell sermon, which none took to themselves, as usual. So left in the lurch the bride and groom, that were to be, subsided into ordinary people, and began to discuss the events of the morning.
"It was basely done," said George, "to insult him thus openly."
"It was well done," retorted Nanchie. "Such a domineering Dominie would not take
WALLKILL RIVER AND CHURCH SPIRE, MONTGOMERY.
a hint that was not as wide as a broadsword." Drawing back she noticed an officer's uniform.
"The Dutch Boors!" hissed the Tory sympathizer, before he thought in whose pres- ence he was speaking.
"Yes!" The same Dutch Boors who flooded their homes to keep out the armies of a tyrant, and the minions of a Pope: who afterward went over at the call of your Lords and Commons, and put their prince on the Stuarts' throne in order to save the rights England boasts today ; and who, wherever they are, will help keep the jewel of Liberty in the family of freedom."
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