The workingman's advocate. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1864-1877, 1875-06-19
PICTURES. CHARACTERS AND
NEWS FROM MIEERsTowN.
BY sUBTERRASEAS.

The writer cannot say At what time of |
the year, nor under what particular aspects
or conditions you will view the carbon !
ferrous mountains with the most favor |
your tastes may be so very different from |
his, that he is doubtful about the choice |
Of the season, the time Of the day, or
night, the conditions and influences into
which to introduce you in order to suit
you, serve you in the most acceptable
manner. He cannot take you some thous-
Ands of feet onto the ridge Of mountain
at midnight, in midwinter, when those
terrible blasts are sweeping away the fall
ing SHOWS, and piling them up into huge
drift masses in the valleys and on the lee
sides Of the mountains slopes choking up
bride path and team road. Now, can he
invite you to gaze on the snow clad hills by
daylight, when the rocks forming the bold
precipices are walls Of ice glistening in
the light Of the sun When the spring
time has come and brought back the leaf
70 the tree and the song TO the merry little
bird that sits IN its boughs Al this time
when the temperature is moderate and the
breeze full of health it may be more to
your taste. But what do you say Of mid
summer when the sun is hot and the woods
dry and dusty, and the air sultry and
overchsrged with volatile matter, moisture
and electricity On the afternoon Of such
a day when you see the dark clouds ris-
ing over the ridge Of mountain to mount
into the heavens like huge rolls Of smoke.
the harbingers Of coming storm, let him
for PHYS sake fancy that you are not
on any Of the mountain peaks. When
these storm clouds condense and get be-
tween the heavens and the high hills to
hinder the shine Of the sun, and empty
their contents onto the thirsty landscape
with the rapidity and force Of a water fall,
let him not imagine you are there to get
soaked to the skin and through the pores
Of it, nor to witness the tall trees being
split up with the lightning nor to have
the drums of your ears injured by the
peals Of thunder which follow H. When
man is on the pinnacle of e mountain it is
not very pleasant prospect for him to
become conscious of the fact that he is act
ing in the capacity Of a lightning con
ductor. With the wind bowling, the rain
splashing the thunder roaring and the
lightning flashing with your wet clothes
sticking 40 close to you a. to make you
feel like calculating something concerning
the scenery and its surroundings, which
may be the very opposite Of grand mag
ni6cent sublime
Let it be after those clouds have passed
away after such a storm, when the sun
comes out in all his splendor to touch the
dripping landscape with his flashes Of
silver
Behold those drops Of water pending
on the foliage they glisten in the sunlight
like a myriad Of pearls
Behold the foliage itself. which 50 short
a time ago looked parched and dusty and
oppressed. 1t has changed its color to
deeper and a brighter tint. Then your
mountain streamlets have been infused
with new life, and they rush with greater
vigor over their declivitous paths to fall
peacefully in the placid stream flowing
quietly through the valley while it is al
most concealed among the brushwood.
This lazy stream crswls to q mountain
gorge, cutting pass into q valley Adjoin-
ing. In this gorge the bed Of the stream
nclines, and the water rushes on with &C
CELEBRATED speed, and beats vigorously
against certain rocky distractions, which
are in it's course. Foam Of the whitest
form on its surface, and cloud Of thin
spray rises into the air. In foam Of rage
the stream finally bounds over . precipice
and disappears in q subterrARsan channel
a. if bidding defiant farewell to it's late !
eKistencs and its antagonists
II yon crawl onto the end Of the meun-
tain Which forms one or the other side Of
declivity. Al four hundred
feet below. you will catch glimPses
through the trees OF the stream, and here
and there you will see how in places
glistens like silver plates set among the
green foliage, whose roots lind footing
among the apparently loose rocks forming
the steep sides Of the gorge You will see
also how the wAtery particles lowering over
its turbulent surface from the Prismatic
colors Of the rainbow, when the rays OF
sunlight happen to fall on them from GER
tain angles Of obliquity. The construction
Of those steep ends Of Rocky Bay Moan
Iain, We will call it, strike you ~ being
temporary. Whether the
rocks held the trees in position, or whether
he roots Of the trees form in such q man
asr a. to retain those rocks fOrcibly in
(Oent;awed on third PGSe.J