The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1868-11-10
Indian Summer.

Indian Summer,
The delightful weather of the last week or
two has made this subject theme Of com.
mon remark among our readers. Autumn,
which in its earliest stages, with her hand
| grasped in the feeble clasp Of summer, as il
| 10th to depart, is wont to retain much Of its
freshness in the robes Of the field and grove,
and Of sunshine in the sky, clothes itself in
other hues as the season rolls on, and when
IN temperate latitude November approaches,
the forests put on their richest splendors, the
leaves rustic in the path, the harvest fields
are silent, and everything tells Us that "the
year IL growing gray
Forest scenery never looks so beautiful rs
at this season Of the year, when nature seems
| to exhaust oil her resources in lavishng the
richest and rarest profuson of cOlors in
myriad forms of fantastic brilliancy and
beauty on every hill and in every valley, field
and forest. Many writers moraIize upon
these scenes. Chatcaubriand says Of the
season, that "the leaves, falling like our
years the flowers, fading like our hours {;
the clouds, feeting like our Illusions; the
! light, diminishing like eur intelligence the
sun, growing colder like our affections; the
rivers, becoming frozen like our lyes--al
! bear secret relations to destinies.'
INDIAN SUMNER
in this latitude is the most delightful period
Of the autumnal season, but those who have
not seen It IN more northern latitude can
scarcely conceive Of its genuine splendorJ.
The mountains of Pennsylvania aud of New
York show something of its forest respleud.
cuce but it is in New England that it dis.
plays more than anywhere else in the world,
perhaps, its most transcendent charms. No
language can describe the gorgeous, fantas.
tic radiance of the mountains, hills and
wales in that country at this season Of the
year, as if nature we're eXerting all its euer-
gies by the richness and glories of it's APP
parel to bcguie attention from the decay
that is stealing upon her. This change OF
foliage is one of the most peculiar features
of Indian summer though it begins in an
earlier period of the autumn. 1t il the first
early frosts Of late September and early De-
tober which often, in single night, trans
form n whole forest from its summer hue6
into every conceivable color and delicate in
termingled shade Of yellow, brown, bnd
crimson Of the solar spectrum. The hOsr
frost which freezes the sap is scattered by
the rising morning rays, revealing the oaks
in its robes of brown and "lndian red, the
aspen. in its varied shades Of yellow, fawn,
and orange; the sycamore in its bright, and
the elm in its pale brown or yellow; the
ash, the sumac, the beach, the chestnut, and
other trees their middle tints the evergrecns
alone resisting the wintry invader. 1t is,
however, the maple that gives the most con
spicuous glory to autumnal forest scenery.
Its brilliant robes range through every shade
and tint, from the deepest aud richest Grim.
son and scarlet to the most delicate orange
and yellow, with every intermediate, eXquis-
itely blended hue, utterly beggariug all at
! tempts Of art at imitation.
The falling Of the leaves commences
! slightly with the change of color, though in
forests and clusters, where, protected from
the winds, they mostly cling to their places
till early November, the oak being an ex.
ception, and often holding its robes through
all the winter blasts. The change of leaf
of which we pave spoken takes place, Of
course in all frosty attitudes, though it
seems the European trees do not furnish
that peculiar splendor which marks the
more northern American attitudes. In Eng
land the sombre, brown, and yellow, some.
thing like what is seen in this latitude, are
prevalent; and the same is the case on the
Continent, though the forests of our warmer
ATTITUDES are more brilliant than those of
Europe.
THE NAME OF INDIAN SUMNER,
1t is well known, is given in America to the
brief period, often in the latter half of No.
vembcr, Of warm, sunny weather, usually
preceded by some days of frosty atmosphere
o Tie origin Of the name is cOntroverted
= question. The first United States history that
. We met in our childhood said that the Indians
!. IN their lmprovidence, were in the habit OF
a procrasunatlng the work of gathering their
scsnty food for winter till the cold snap OF
a early November brought them to their
- thoughts, and that ia the warm weeks sue
A ceeding they did their hunting and gather,
r. ing, and hence Indian Summer" The
4 New England tradition is, that the Indians
believed this season to be caused BY the
southwest wind which prevails at this period
and which their good divinity, Coutentowit
who resided in that quarter, sent them as a
special blessing. Ii has been sometime,
SAID that the term Indian was given to thi,
y, period because, game being plenty at the
ID time, and tho hazy condition Of the atmos
ID phe,re 'avorng their near approach to ami
a mails nnsusPected, made it special Indian
d hunting season and it is believed that al
E. who have had experience among the north
l. ern Indians concur in the general correct
d ness Of these statements. They do but lit
tie hunting till September and October an,
d when November comes they gather up thei
If corn, rice, and meat, and start on their win.
S ter hunts into the forests Ask these Indi
J. ans at any time of the year when they are
e going to their hunting grounds, and they
4. will say, "When the Great Spirit sends US
' our fall summer which they universally be
, lieve sent after the cold fall rains for theiv
e particular benefit. The fact of the prevail,
, euce Of south winds during this period in
the northern latitudes has been disputed,
and especially by DR.. Lyman Foot Of the
army, who, some thirty years ago, in writing
on this subject, stated that he had kept a
diary Of the weather for nearly twenty years,