The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1857-02-04
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Morning and Night,


The following exquisite passages are
from MIR. Everett's Address on the Uses
Of Astronomy, delivered in Albany, q
short time since, on the occasion of the
inauguration of the Dudley Astronomi.
cal observatory
Much, however, as we are indebted to
our observatorics for eleyating our con-
ceptions of the heavenly bodies, they
present even TO the unaidcd sight scenes
of glory which words are too feeble to
describe ! had occasion, few weeks
since, to take the early train from Prov.
idence to Boston and for this purpose
rose at two o'clock in the morning. Ev.
erything around was wrapt in darkness
and hushcd in silence, broken only by
what seemed at that hour the unearthly
clank and rush of the train. 1t was a
mild, serene. mid summers night,-thc
sky without cioud,-the winds were
whist. The moon, then 10 the last quar-.
ter, had just risen, and the stars shone
with spectral lustre but little affected
by her presence. Jupiter. two hours
high, was the herald of the day. The
P!eiadesjust above the horizon shed their
sweet influence in the East Lyra spark
led near the zenith; Andromeda veiled
her Dewly discovered glories from the
naked eye in the South the steady point
ers far beneath the Pole, looked meek.
ly up from the depths of tho North to
their Sovereign.
Such was the glorious spectacle as
entered the train. AS we proce eded the
tmid approach of twilight became more
pcrccptible ; the intense blue of the sky
began to soften; the small stars, like lit.
tie children, went first to rest; the sis
ter beams Of the Pleiades soon melted
together, but the bright consultations of
the West and North remained unchang
ed. Steadily the wondrous transfigura.
tion went on. Hands of angels hidden
from mortal eyes, shifted the scenery of
the heavens tho glories of night dis.
solved in the dawn. The blue sky now
turned moro softly gray ; the great
watch-stars shut up their whole eyes;
the East began to kindle Fain streaks
of purple soon blushed along the sky
the whole celestial concave was filled
with tho iDfowipg tides of the morning
light, which came pouring down from
above in one grand ocean of radiance
till at length, as we reached the Blue
Hills, fash of purple fire blazed out
from above the horizon, and turned the
dewey tear-drops of flower and leaf into
rubies and diamonds. In few seconds,
the everlasting gates of the morning
we're thrown wide open, and tho lord Of
day, arrayed in glories too severe for the
gaze OF man, began his course.
do not wonder at the superstition
of the ancient Magians, who in the morn.
ing of the world went up the hill tops
of Central Asia, and ignorant of the true
God, adored tho most glorious work of
his hand. But l am filed with amaze.
ment, when / am told that in this en-.
iightened age, and in the heart of the
Christian world, there are persons who
can witness this daily manifestation of
the power and wisdom of tho Creator,
and yet say in their hearts, "There is no
God,
There is much by dOy to engage the
attention of the Observatory ; the sun,
bis apparent motions, his dimensions, the
spot on bis disc, TO us tho faint iudica.
tions ct usimaginsd grandeur in his lu.