The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-08-04

and more brilliant crescent. Looking westward
moment, spark appeared to glitter before my
eye. For second believed it to be an optical
delusion, but in another instant l saw it plainly
to be a star. One after another they came into
view, more rapidly than in the evening twilight
until perhaps fifty stars appeared to us in a
broad, dark zone in the heavens, crowning the
pines on the western mountain. This wonder
iul vision of the stars during the noontide
hours OF day filled the spirit with singular SEN
sations.
Suddenly one of my brothers shouted aloud
THE mOon' Quicker than thought my eyes
turned eastward again, and there hoated the
moon distinctly apparent, to a degree that was
almost fearful. The spherical form the char
acter, the dignity, the substance of the planet,
were clearly revealed as | have never beheld
them before or since 1t looked grand, dark
majestic, and mighty, MS it thus proved its power
to rob us entirely of the suns rays. We are all
but larger children. In daily life we Judge of
objects by their outward aspect. We are accus-
toned to think of the sun, and also of the moon
as sources OF light, as ethereal, almost spiritual
in their essence. But the positive material ma
ture oil the moon was now revealed to our senses
with a force of conviction a clcarness of percep-
ton, that changed all our usual ideas of connec-
ton with the planet. This was no interpOsiton
OF Vapor, no deceptive play of shadow: but a
vast mass OF obvious matter had interposed be-
tween the sun above us and the earth on which
we Stood The passage of two ships at sea- sail
ing on opposite courses is scarcely more obvious
than this movement of one world before another
Darkness like that of an early night now fell
upon the village.
My thoughts turned to the sea. A sailor at
heart, already familiar with the face of the
ocean, seemed, in mental vision, to behold the
grandeur OF that vast pail of supernatural shadow
falling suddenly upon the sea during the bright
est hour of the day. The play of light and shade
upon the pillows, always full of interest, must
at that hour have been indeed sublime And
my fancy was busy with pictures of white-saied
schooners, and brigs, and ships, gliding like
winged spirits over the darkened waves.
was recalled by familiar and insignificant
incident, the dull tramp of hoOfs on the village
bridge; few COWS, believing that night had
cyertaken them, were coming homeward from
,he wild open pastures about the village And
no wonder the kindly creatures were deceived:
the darkness was now much deeper than the
twilight which usually turns their faces home
ward; the dew was falling imperceptiblv as
much so as at any hour of the previous night
and the GOODNESS was so great that the ther-
mometer must have fallen many degrees from
the great heat of the morning. The lake. the
hills and the buildings of the little town were
swallowed up in the darkness. The absence of
the usual lights in the dwellings rendered the
o0scurlty still more impressive. All labor had
ceased, and the hushcd voices of the people
only broke the absolute stiffness by subdued
whispering tones
"NhisN The whip-poor-will." whispered a
friend near me: and ut the same moment, as we
listened in profound silence, we distinctly heard
from the eastern bank of the river the wild
plaintive note of that solitary bird of night
slowly repeated at intervals The song of the
summer birds, so full in tune, had entirely
ceased, Tor the last half hour. A bat came fit
ting about our heads. Many stars were now
visible though not in sufficient number to lessen
the darkness. At one point only, in the far dis
tant northern horizon, something of the bright
ness of dawn appeared to linger
At l'l2 the moon stood revealed in its greatest
dlstinctness-a vast black orb, so nearly obscur-
ing the sun that the face of the great luminary
was entirely and absolutely darkened, though a
corona of rays of light appeared beyond The
gloom of night was upon us. A breathess in
tenslty OF interest was felt by all There would
appear to be something instructive in the feel
ing with which man gazes at all phenomena in
the heavens. The peaceful rainbow, the heavy
clouds OF great storm, the vivid flash of elec-
trlclty, the Hitting meteor, the beautiful lights
OF the aurora bOreais. tickle us the play of
1ancy-these never fail to fix the attention with
something OF a peculiar feeling, differing in
character from that with which we observe any
spectacle on the earth. Connected with all
grand movements in the skies there seems
an instructive sense of inquiry of anxious
expectation, akin to awe, which may possibly
be traced to the echoes of grand Christian pro-
phecies, whispering to our spirits and endoWing
the physical sight with some mysterious mental
prescience. In looking back to that impressive
hour, such now seem to me the feelings of the
youth making one of that family group, all ap-
paTently impressed with a sensation of the
lecpest awe / speak with certainty. A clearer
view than | had ever yet had of the majesty of
the Almighty, accompanied with a humiliating,
and, l trust, Il profitable sense of nv own utter
insigniticance. That movement of the moon
that sublime voyage of the worlds, often recurs
to my Imagination, and even at this distant day
as distinctly, as majesticallv, and nearly as fear
fully, us it was then beheld
group of silent, dusky forms stood near me:
one emotion appeared to govern all. My father
stood immoyabe, some fifteen feet from me, but
l could not discern his features. Three minutes
of darkness, all but absolute, elapsed. They ap-
peared strangely heightened by the intensity of
feeling and the flood of overpOwering thought
which filled the mind
Thus far the sensation created by this majestic
spectacle had been one of humiliation and awe
1t seemed as If the great Father of the Universe
had Visibly and almost palpaby yelled His face
in wrath. But, appalling us the withdrawal of
light had been most glorious, most sublime
was its restoration! The corona of light above
the moon became suddenly brighter, the hea-
yens beyond were Illuminated the stars retired,
and light began to play along the ridges of the
distant mountains. And then q flood of crate
full, cheerful, consoling brightness fell into the
valley, with sweetness and power incOnceiy-
able to the mind unless the eye has actually be-
held it. | can liken this sudden, joyous return
OF light, after the eclipse, to nothing of the
kind that Is familiary known. 1t was certainly
nearest to the change produced bythe swift pas
sage of the shadow OF very dark cloud, but it
was the effect of this instantaneous transition,
multiplied more than thousand fold. 1t
seemed to speak directly to our spirits with
assurance of protection, of gracious mercy, and
of that Divine love which has produced all the
glorious combinations of matter for our enjoy
ment. 1t was not in the least like the gradual
dawning of day, or the actual rising of the sun.
There was no gradation in the change. 1t was
sudden, amazing, like what the Imagination
would teach us to expect OF the advent OF a
heavenly vision. | know that philosophically
am wrong: but, to me- il seemed that the rays
might actually be seen flowing through the dark
ness in torrents till they had again Illuminated