Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1847-09-24
THE EMOTIONS OF A DAY.

There is a hush at noon but it is not like
the morning You have been mingling in the
business of the world, and you turn aside,
weary and distracted, for rest. There is far
depth, in the intense blue of the sky, which
takes in the spirit, and you are content to lie
down and sleep in the cool shadow, and for
get even your existence How different from
the cool wakefuness Of the morning, and yet
how fitted for the necessity OF the hour
The day wears on and comes to the sun
setting. The strong light passes off from the
hills, and the leaves are mingled in golden
masses, and the tips of the long grass, and the
blades of maize, and the luxuriant grain, are
all sleeping in rich glow, as if the daylight
had melted into gold and descended upon eve
ry living thing like dew. The sun goes down,
and there is tissue of Undesirable glory
floating upon the clouds, and the impercept-
Bile blending of the sunset color with the blue
sky, is far up toward the zenith. Presently
the pomp of the early sunset passes away
and the clouds are all cad in purple, with
edges of metallic lustre; and very far in the
west, as if they were sailing away into anoth
er world, are seen spots of intense brightness,
and the tall trees on the billy edge of the hori-
ION seem piercing the sky, on fire with its
consuming heat. There is tumultuous Joy
in the contemplation of this hour which is pc
culiar to itself. You feel as if you should
have had wings for there lisa strange stirring
in your heart to follow on-and your imagl
nation bursts away into that beautiful world,
and revels among the unsubstantal clouds till
they become cold. It is triumphant and ex-
travagant hour. Its joyousness is an intoxi-
cation, and its pleasure dies with the. day.
The night, starry and beautiful, comes on.
The sky has blue, intense almost to black
ness, and the stars are set in it like gems
They are of different glory, and there are some
that burn, and some that have twinkling lus-
trc, and some are just visible and faint. You
know their nature and their motion; and there
is something awful in so many worlds moving
on through the armament silently and in Or
der You feel an indescribabie awe stealing
upon you, and your imagination trembles as
it goes up among them. You gaze on, and
on, and the superstitons of olden time, and
the wild visions of astrology, steal over your
memory, till, by-and-by, you hear the music
which they "glve out as they co." and drink
in the mysteries of their hidden meaning, and
believe that your destiny is woven by their
burning spheres. There comes on you de-
lirious joy, and kind of terrible fellowship
with their sublime nature, and you feel as ii
you could go up TO starry place and course
the heavens in company. There is spirtu-
atty in this hour, a separation from material
things, which is of fine order of happiness.
The purity of the morning, and the noontide
quietness, and the rapture of the glorious sun
set, are all human and comprehensive feel
ings; but this has the mystery and the lofty
energy of higher world, and you return tc
your human nature with refreshed spirit and
an elevated purpose: see now the wisdom Of
God the collected intellect for the morning
prayer and our daily duty--the delicious re.
pose for our noontide weariness-and the rap
fervor 10 purify US by night from our worldll.
ness, and keep wakeful the eye of immortali-
ty! They are all suited to our need; and il
is pleasant to think, when we go out at this
or that season, that its peculiar beauty is fitted
TO our peculiar wants, and that it is not &
chance harmony of our hearts with nature.