John Milton Binckley, June 1859 Travel Diary, Page 13

[John Milton Binckley, June 1859 Travel Diary, page 13. Many thanks to William Myers, Mary Davy, Sally Young and Sue Davis for their ongoing research collaboration; specifically to William for providing scans of the original document, and in turn many thanks to Peter Johnston Binckley and Patricia D'Arcy "Trish" Binckley (1951-2007), at the source. This is my rough transcription.]

bridge within an inch of your nose? You have only segments, or fragments of a whole & these become "combinations of disjointed things," very like the phantoms of insanity -- and in truth, if such allowance as leaves the observation of little use were not made the recollection of a railroad trip would be little short of folly, absurdity and delusion.

Here in the twilight, I see a clump of foliage trees in a cleared space. It has heavier foliage, and a [-- --], a house, a little elevated, hard by - The whole story is told before it is all seen. It is a spring. One of the most interesting of nature's phenomena, and one often [-- --] and therefore, least appreciated of her gifts.  Men collect about springs. They are the first suggestion of a civilization. They bring tribes together & war - war brings exhaustion and ... trials. The servants of law, rule, order, policy, etc. are all illustrated by such a thing. On the bosom of old Mother Earth we called as babes upon a mother's breast - ignorant as they [to be continued.]

[John Milton Binckley (1831-1878).]