Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-08-15
Mountains.


An eminent writer has said
"Thanks be to God for mountains .
and there is charm connected with
mountains, SO powerful, that the
merest mention of them, OF. ketch oil
their magnificent features, kindles
the Imagination, and carries the spir-
it into the bosom Of their enchanted
regions at. once. The mind 10 filed
with their vast solitudes, and the
inward eye is fixed on their silent,
their sublime, their everlasting peaks.
Tho hart hounds at the music OF their
solitary cries, their gushing ,rills, and
the sound OF the cataracts. Their
colossal firmness seems almost to
break the current of time itself, and
the geologist searches in them for
traces of the earlier world. The in.
teresting phenomenon called mirage
is often seen on mouatains, which
has given rise to a variety of appal-
ling storie ofmountains being haunt.
ed by spirits of mischief.
A peak of the Harz mountains in
Hanover, called the Brocken, rises, 10
tho hight of about $500 feet above
the level of the sea; it rears it's head
far above the other peaks, and over.
looks all the country for fifteen
miles around 1
The inhabitants have u tradition,
that upon its cold and barren summit.
which glitters all over with thousands
of rock crystals, ia held an animal
festival, on the night between the
last day Of April and the first day of
May, well known by the name of
Walpurgis night. to which all the
witches and magicrans on earth are
invited I; that at midnighs the guests
begin 20 arrive from all quarters, and
when all are met, an immense bonfire
is lighted up, and wild dance
commences, after the dance an i'm
pious harangue, concluded with
supper and that at the first bluse of
morning the whole assembly dis
perses. The peasants dwelling 10
the neighborhood of the Brocken, on
the approach of Walpurgi's night
draw the sign of three crosses on
ell their doors, firmly persuaded that
it is by using this precaution only,
that they Can protect themselves
from the bad designs of the unholy
assembly. ~
- Mr.. Have had, however Invested
the spot of that romantic interest
which arises FROM a. belief, in
supernatural vis;tations, and has
given this as an illustration OF an
oft-ilIusive appearance in the atmos-
phere, from the variable temperature
of which it has different retroactive
powers, and this is the usual
cause of that phenomenon called
mirage, often also scene 10 the deserts
of Africa A talented writer observes
that light passing through q vacuum,
-or a medium of equal density, moves
in right lines but when it enters q
medium of different densities, it
moves in czrves. These causes acting
upon light, bending aud distortlng
itsrays, produce variety of singular
optical deceptions sometimes throw.
ing the images of bodies upon dense
clouda, and at other times infesting
Terrestrial phenomena with unnatural
and almost magical appearances.
The eminent philosopher, DR.
Vince, states that, at Ramgate. be
has seen in. the air the four turrets
of Dover Castle, over a hill between
Dover and Rarnsgate and that at
one time he saw the image of the
castle, so wildly projected on the
Ramsga.o side of the hill, that the
hill ITSELF could not be observed thro'
the image. 91s 800 -