The Middlebury galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1848-1850, 1849-01-02
THE OPEN SKY.

1t is a strange thing how little in general
people know about the sky. Ii is The parl
ofthe creation in which nature has done more
for the sake Of pleasing man, more for the
sole anu evident purpose Of taking 10 him
and teaching him, than in any other OF her
works and it is Just the part in which we
lleast attend 10 her. There are not many oI
her other works in which some more mate
rial or essential purpose than the mere pleas
| ing OF man is not answered by every part OF
their organization but every essential pur-
pose of the sky might, so far as we know, be
answered, if once in three days, or lherea-
bouts, a great ugly black ran-cIoud was
| brought up over The blue, and every thing
well watered, and so all left blue again till
next time. with perhaps film Of morning and
evening mist for dew. And instead of this,
there is not a moment OF any day ofour lives,
when nature is not producing scene after
scene, picture after picture. glory alier glory.
and working still upon such exquisite and
constant principles ofthe most peri, CT beauty,
that il is quite certain il is all done for us, and
intended Tor our perpetual pleasure. And
every man, wherever placed, however far
from other sources ofinlerest or beauty, has
this doing for him constantly. The nohlesi
scenes OF the earth can be seen and known
but by few; 1t Is not intended that man
should live always in the midst Of them he
Injuries them by his presence. he ceases 10
find them if he be always with them but the
sky is for all bright as il is, il is lot too
bright nor good, for human natures food"
Il is fitted in all its functions for the perpet-
ual comfort and exalIing OF the heart-ior
the soothing it and purifying ii from lis
dross and dust, Sometimes gentle, some
times capricious, sometimes awful; almUsi
human in its passions, almost spiritual Ill its
tenderness, almost divine in its lnfnity, It's
appeal TO what is mortal in US, is as distinct,
as It's ministry of chasIisement or oil blessing
10 what is immortal is essential. And yet
we never attend 10 it, we never make II
subject Of thought, but as il has TO do with
| oar animal sensations; we look upon all BY
which il speaks 10 US more clearly Than 10
brutes upon all which hears witness 10 the
Intention ofthe Supreme. that we ale to re-
ceive more from the covering vault than iiis
light and the dew which we share with the
weed and the worm, only succession OF
meaningless and monoionous accidents, too
common and too vain 10 be worthy of mo-
meni's watchfulness. or glance o. admira-
ton. In our moments of utter idleness and
insipidity, we turn 10 the sky as last re-
source which of its phenomena do we speak
Of? One says il has been wet, and another
1t has been windy, and another il has been
| warm. Who among the whole chatering
crowd, can tell me Of the forms and the pre-
cipices ofthe chain Of tall white mountains
that girded the horizon at noon yesterday
Who saw the narrow sunbeam that came out
Of the south and smote upon their SUBMITS
until they melted and moudered away in
dust of blue rain Who saw the dance OF
the dead clouds when the sunlight left them
last night, and the west wind blew them be-
lore il like wiIhered leaves? All has passed
unregretted, and unseen or II the apathy
be ever shaken off, even for an instant, II is
only by what is gross, or what is extraordi-
nary; and yet il is not in The broader and
finer manifestation OF the elemental energies,
not in the dash of the hail, nor the drill OF the
whirlwind, that the highest characters oil the
sublime are developed. God is not in the
earthquake, nor in The fire, but in the still
small voice. They are but the blunt andlow
faculties Of our nature, which can only be
addressed through lampblack and lightning.
1t is in quiet and snbdued passages Of unnb-
rusiye majesty, the deep and the calm, and
thepcrpelual-lhat which must be sought ere