The examiner. [volume] (Louisville, Ky.) 1847-1849, 1848-12-09

1t is a strange thing how little in genera

Ii is strange thing how little in general,
people know about the sky. II is the part
OF the creation in which nature has done
moro for the sake Of pleasing man. more
for the sole and evident purpose OF talking
to him, and teaching him, than in any other
of her works, in which some more material
or essentil purpose than the mere pleasing
Of man is not answered by every part OF
their organisation; but every essential pur-
pose Of the sky might, SO far as We know,
be answered, il once in three days. or there
abouts, great ugly black rain cloud were
brought up over the blue, and everything
we'll waterej. and so all left blue again till
next time, with perhaps film Of morning
and evening mist for dew. And instead oil
this, there is not moment Of any day oil
our lives, when nature is not producing
scene after scene, picture after picture, glory
after glory, and working still upon such
exquisite and constant principles Of the
most perfect beauty, that it is quite certain
il is all done for US, and intended for our
perpetual pleasure. And every man, wher-
ever placed, however far from other sources
of interest or beauty. has this doing for him
constantly. The noblest scenes of the
earth can be seen and known but by few;
it is no; intended that man should live al
ways in the midst OF them, he Injuries them
by his presence, he ceases to find them il
he be always with them; but the sky is for
all; bright as it is, it is not 900 bright MOI
good for human natures daily food" it is
fitted in all its functions for the perpetual
comfort and exalting Of the heart, for the
soothing it and purifying it from its dross and
dust. Sometimes awful; never the same
for two moments together; almost human in
its passions. almost spiritual in its tender
ness, almost divine in its inhnity, its appeal
to what is immortal in US, is as distinct, as
its ministry Of chastisement or OF blessing
10 what is mortal is essential. And yet we
never attend to it. we never make it a sub
ject Of thought, but as il has to do with our
animal sensations; We look upon all by
which it speaks to us more clearly than to
orutes, upon all which bears witness TO the
Intention Of the Supreme, that We are to
receive more from the covering vault than
the light and the dew which we share with
the weed and the worm. only ss a success
sion Of meaningless and monotonous acct
! dents, TOO common and too vain TO be worthy
Of moments watchfulness, or glance o
admiration.
! In Our moments OF utter idleness and in
sipidity, We turn to the sky as a last re
, source which Of its phenomena do W,
speak Of? One says it has been wet, AMI
, another il has been windy, and another i
J has been warm. Who, among the whole
chattering crowd, can tell me of the forms
and the precipices of the chains Of tai
white mountains that girded the horizon a
noon yesterday? Who saw the narrow
) sunbeam that came out of the South ant
/ smote upon their SUBMITS until they meltet
and mouldeIed away in dust OF blue rain
} Who saw the dance Of the dead cloud
, when the sunlight left them last nigh, ant
the west wind blew them before it like with
, cred leaves! All has passed unregretted
and unseen; or if the apathy be ever sha
ken of, even for an instant, il is only b,
l what is gross, or what is extraordinary; ant
/ yet it is not in the broad and finer NANTES
tations Of the elemental energies, not in tn
dash Of the hail, nor the drift of the whirl
: wind, that the highest characters Of tn,
sublime are developed. God is not in th,
, earthquake. nor in the fire, but in the still
5 small voice. They are but the blunt ant
; low faculties of our nature, which can onl,
, be addressed through the lampblack AM
: ligIrniIs. Ii Is IN quiet and snbdued pas
sages Of unobtrusive majesty, the deep ant
the calm, and the perpetual--that which
must be sought ere it is seen. and loved er,
, it is understood-things which the angel
work out for us daily, and yet vary eternal
ly, which are never wanting, and never re
peated, which are to be found always, We
each found but once; it is through these tina
the lesson of devotion is chiefly taught, anc
the blessing Of beauty given.-Moder1
Painters.