Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-08-28
A Poet on the Pratries

Mr Willis, writing to the Home Journal last
week, has the following pretty thought:
Yet-tpardon me, Spirit of the Prairie y
what man is there. with liberality of choice,
VINO would be content to live where there are
no mountains. Who would take as a gift the
famous hundred mile prairie" of Illinois-(a
farm OF the extentof fertile latness, without a
fence.)-on condition of there taking up his
abode had never realized before what a
cathedral influence there is in the mountains
we dwell near-how the sunsets and sunrises
are made reverently sublime by them-how
tne storms perform glorious anthems with the
DILL echoes-how the eye, which is lifted from
the valley to the tall peak whereon rests the
thunder cloud, carries the heart with it, in an
lnsunct OF lnvoluntry ave. The mere prairie
hoor seems to me wilderness without an altar
Nature without gallery or dome-earth with
out proper cathedral wherein the elements
shall unbidden worship God.
And the following lively description:
To overtake q thunder shower, Whirl throupb
II, and outrun it, was the first of the days ex-
citing novelties. Wesaw it ahead of US, on the
prairie, as you sec simple black cloud in the
SKY, with sunshine all around it, 1t was NOV
ing In the same direction as ourselves, probably
at about twenty miles an hour; and we soon
began to overtake it with our better harnessed
thunder and lightning. The conductor pointed
the dark mass out to me some ten or fifteen
minutes before We entered the outer skirt of
the shower; and we were in pelting rain, with
lightning and peals of thunder, for perhaps ten
minutes--emerging in fair weather on the other
SIDE, and leaving the storm to lag after US, like
the "slow coach" that it was. But, certainly.
1t was very queer thus to give thunder and
lightning the go-by. 1t seemed to me, some.
how, anticipatory Of another state of things.
when we go telegraphing about at the begin
ming OF our spirit travels in the next life, I am
sure shall have vague impression of having
done something Of that sort before-this expe.
rience Of distancing a we'll trained thunder
cloud being laid away in my memory
But 1t Is to the wild animals of the prairie
that the switness Of the rail train is most in
explicable. Ages upon ages have established
certain relative rates of speed between man
and the subject races of creation-the mounted
hunter being the fastest pursuer for which the
elk and reindeer, the bear and the prairie
wolf, the fox and wild cat. the skunk, otter,
and marten, are at all prepared. The small
line OF rail track, nearly hidden in grass is
not recognized by these wanderers over the
vast plains of the West, and while thinking
ensslyes f. in their own hor: ed ged
wilderness, they suddenly see the coming of
the new monster. 1t is daily experience on
the trains on this railroad across Illinois, to
oVertake some one or more Of them; and it is
curious $50 the different conductors and brake
men all told me) how none of them seem to
have the sagacity to escape by running off at
angles! Almost n a-iably they flee before the
pursuer and run down, at last, to fall faintinp
with terror and exhaustion in the neighbor.
hood of the track.