The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-01-01
Forming Star and Catholic Messenger.
NrW oRrEANs. SUNDAY, JANUARY 1. ISL.

IJOyutUS otdI anu OoI"o"s "rSS,.S.l
INV ORLEANS. SUNDAY, JANUARY 1, ISL. I
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~ MIscELLARY. II
Sunshine at Midnight.-There is noun
tain in the north of Sweden, almost on inc
boundary between that country and Rus
sia situated SO near the Arctic Circle that
from it's summit may be seen the phenome-
ma of the midnight sun. 1t IS called ava,
saxa, and parties of"travelers to tire sun"
frequently climb it's wooded sides to get
view of the sublime spectacle that may he
seen from its summit. we ma IN an eN-
change the following description OF the
scene: {" 1t is midnight now, and over the
boundless prospect of wooded darkness
the sun shines without lishung IL up.
Fright but without beams, 1t stands above
the horizon, cleaning with softencd light
and casting a purple glow on the figures
moving about on the mountains. NOW g
floating cloud obscures lts broad disc, and
great columns of smoke ascend here and
there along the horizon towards heaven
and ey cry thing is in harmony with the great
festival Of nature. Over the gazer comes
feeling Of fear and reverential awe, min
gled with the sublimity of the scene and
sense of it's exceeding beauty. The mys-
terious hour, the mountain summit, the
earth Quietly sleeping, with it's daI woods,
it's still waters, its silent habitations, and
the soft mist hanging over Its valleys, SLOW
ly moving in the celestial archway, the
midnight sun shining in Its softest spien-
beaming with love, give the elements of
scene whose loneliness exceeds the widest
dream of fancy. Such is the midsummer
festival of the far North, where the " Cod
/, Of Light himself conducts the mighty
solemnity ;" where in the short summer
the luxuriant growth of vegetable life is
like the creation of magic; while BIRDS
sing, flowers bloom, insects Haunt their
gorgeous colors, and in q few weeks the
life is over, gone as swiftly as the dream u
resembles. 1t was among these regions OF
short enchantment, these lovely Islands
of bliss" that the Norsemen placed their
mystic Valhalla. Here was their longed
for home beyond the North wind, under
q light which never sets, In the society OF
gentle and religious spirits, in communion
with the gods, beneath eternally bright
heavens, where the combat of every day
- snort and every night feast of victory.
Thus did the physical characteristics OF
their northern cline inspire the fancy OF
Northern poets to locate the pleasure gar
den of the sun in regions always illumina-
- ted by his light. In our latitude no mid
night sun circles in brilliant course above
the horizon at the midsummer festival, and
no lengthening twilight blends together
the crimson of evening and the crimson o.
morning. But this very night OF the sum
mer sOlstice, the sun will not set to al
the dwellers within the Arctic circle, ant
on Avasaxa and all mountains OF the same
latitude parties may gather, like the ont
to which we have alluded, to witness hi
mysterious midnight presence. In our owl
part of the earth it is tn. supreme momen
of physical perfection. Farthest to thu
north this day rolls the chariot wheels o
the sun, highest in the heavens reaches hi
I meridian course, and farthest 70 the nortl
sinks his descending wheels. Mornin:
twilight and evening twilight linser long
est over the landscape, while the dominion
of darkness has her shortest ways.
For some time past electricians have beel
:, trying to discover way to send two mes
sages at the same time along a wire. w
understand that the problem has beel
solved by MI h5d e 81 witch four currents n
once can be delivered by a single wire
AfhenGum.
Two instances are reported in Les Monde
of somnambulism being perfectly cured b.
the administration of bromide of potassium
In one case, woman OF the age OF twenty
four who had been subject to attacks tw
or three times week for ten years wa
operated upon; the dose given was tw
grammes of the bromide in seventy-fve q
water per diem, gradually increased to 81
grammes the attacks became less and les
frequent, and entirely ceased at the end {
two months. In the other case, girl {
eight was the subject; one gramme wa
given morning and evening, and the cur
was complete and immediate.
Sharp Faculties OF the Bhnd-Ihe FHr
Globe, speaking of the astonishing capac
ties developed by the blind at the Stat
asylum, says: cit is said that some bin
people have been able to tell colors by I'll
sense of touch, but it seems almost fabt
lous. 1t is not a fable, however. that som
blind girls, of this and other institution
can cut and make their own garments, ca
thread their needles by the aid of the
tongues, and do plain sewing we'll. Son
of the blind pupils here play dominoes vii
each other, and sometimes with seeing pc
sons and of course know what they play
feeling the number of spots on the domin
When playing with seeing person, it
noticed that the blind person plays as ia
as the seeing one, or so nearly SO that an
body interested in. the game would not n
tice any difference in the rapidity of the
playing.
Water Glass.-No doubt many will
surprised to hear that it is possible to b,
down glass to a syrup or a jelly, and tn
they may, on occasion, ask their druggl
to pour them out pint, or to to spo'
them out a preserve-pot of soluble glas
but so it is. The secret of all lies in lnakii
the glass originally more strongly alkalin
that is, in putting in more potassa and so'
. than for common glass. This substanc
when exposed to air and heat, hardens
an ordinary CLASSY consistency, and WI