The Davenport daily gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1856-1869, 1856-06-13
THE DAILY GAZETTE.
IHE WIND.

a truly mysterious agent il the
| wind, yiewless itself, yet having ar
| eye withal, toward which, II one finds
hlmselfmoving, he will be sure to fee
its force, ifhe does not see bis form
1t is strong armed also, beating down
oppo5ition with restless strength -
Its voice is terrible sometimes an
sometimes softer than a hntc. Nov
it has the plaint Of an Eolian Harp;
then litelike whistles loud and clear.
1t sobs among the pine cones. rustles
III the chesnut's summer leaves, ana
rattles in the bare branches and falling
foliage oftheautumn. Almostnoisc-
lessly does this invisibly tenant efthe
space above us seem to creep, though
in fact unseen, along the waving gras ,
and corn, which bend in reverence a.
it passes
The wind has been said already 10
have an eye. 1t has breath too, now
emitting In the Sirocco or Simeon,
now cutting men down with the Nor
ther, and prostrating in the hurricane.
Generally it may be inferred that it
possesses good character. The com
mon saying, that it is an i'll wind that
blows nobody any good; implies that
usually it is a good creature enough.
1t blows our vessels to pieces some
times indeed, but then how MANY
more does it blow, with their rich
freight Of men and merchandise across
the oceanGl Winds derive their char
actcr as men 90 from the country u
their origin. Those from the land of
Boreas are apt to be savage in their
attacks as the white bears ot' the pole,
while those from the tropics softly
kiss our cheeks AMI WOO rs to repose
1t makes itself useful in a thousand
ways one OF which is turning mills,
and powerfully helping all sorts Of.
manufacture. As an entertainer, it
is unrivalled. How snblinely it
brings up the thunder shower; how
beautifully it foats along the sky the
biilowy cloud. 1t causes the hail or
rain drop to patter against the window
and ityou are good-for nothing sloy
Gu or slatern in your house keeping,
1T will drive thesnow orwater through
the broken pane, or dilapidated ROOF.
While fishing in the lake, Or lying
under shady tree upon It's banks
the wind is ever ready 10 anlnse one.
Now it stirs up nIyriads OF ripple5
running after one another over its sur
face, and now it Elns the longer with
the big branches of' the chesnut above
his head.
1t is not always, however, that It
appears as master of the revels. In
the character Of avenger il now amt
then rushes upon the stage and makes
its audience tremblc. Wide forests
are Instantly laid lov By its irreaisti-
lie, yet vicwless arm: dwellings are
torn asunder and crushed beneath it5
weight; men and aninlalslarc lifted
up, and whirIed about like snow
fakes in winters storm. So it on
the land.
At sea It's power is terrific; the
ocean is lashed into rolling moun-
tains. Earth and the heavens meet
andmingletogstherin nigh and chaos.
The elements put forth their voices;
but above all their horrible thunder
summons to the universal uproar Of
battle. ltragss, itsceams. itshrieks.
Over all other sounds the blast ofthe
invisible is heard; and that power
which is the cause OF the boiling of
the deep, the agony OF the cracking
ship, vet is itself forever unseen. I