Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1862-01-23
ORIGINAL ESSAYS.
For the Herald.
LIGHT.

Most people think they know all about
light They see it every day; they have
always seen it, and can see nothing very
peculiar about it. 1t comes so still, and
steals on us so gently, and leaves us SO
softly, that we do not realize that it APP
proaches us at the incredible speed OF two
hundred thousand miles in second, and
still it reaches the eyes of men and ami
mails in such way as that every healthy
eye receives it with pleasure.
Though light surrounds us more than
half our lives, we know little about it,
Few really understand how much it has
to do with animal and vegetable life,
Everybody knows that cloudy, dark
day, makes them teel uncomfortable, and
is depressing to the spirits. Let sue
cession of such days be succeeded BY a
clear light morning, what change what
an unwonted flow of spirits what is it
that fills every face with hope and every
heart with light? 1t is this mysterious
agent we call light that has reused all an
iral life to energy and exertion. Every
bird and beast welcomes its advent.
The dropping, silent songster of yester-
day breaks forth in carols of exultant joy.
The blessing is felt and acknowledged by
every living thing, Bnt its inAuencees
tends far beyond the animal creation.-
Vegetable life deprived Of this powerful
agent droops, changes color, grows feeble,
and if not relieved, dies.
Animal life deprived of light is robbed
of half its pleasure. The skin loses the
glow of health and becomes pale, the mus
Giles diminish in size and lose their vigor.
Thus it appears that light is a powerful
stimulant to all animal and vegetable life,
given by God to be daily enjoyed by ey-
cry thing that lives.
How do we receive this universal bles-
sing warily and cautiously. The rich
particularly, think that anything SO com
mon must have been intended for the POOR
They are right for once it certainly was
meant for the poor The rich generally
construct their dwellings so that with their
double blinds they can exclude every ray
of light Their children, hungry for
light and out door air, seize every oppor-
tunity to escape from their oppre8sor5.-
When they are allowed to 60 out for q
short time they must be muffled up so as
to exclude the light and air, as it would
inevitably injure their skins. If they live
long enough to go to school, the inevitable
blind fellows them, and gives them only a
kind of twilight in school hours; and SC
the poor child, out of kindness, is cheated
out of the light of Heaven.
The poor, thank God! get light ant
air in plenty. They cannot spend time
and money to SHIT out the blessing.
Sometimes fond mother observes thai
there is a great difference between tht
barefooted and sturdy children she meet
in the street and her own puny things, bu
the dear woman seldom learns much wis
dom by the contrast. She generally &C
counts for the difference by supposing tina
the poor have so much better constitution
than her children that they can bear ligh
and air that would destroy her children
Light, fresh air, and daily exercise in til
open AR, are Heavens medicines. TAX
Z them yourselves, and see that your chi
dren have them. /.
Rutland. Jan, %. 1862.