The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1879-04-12
NUN DER 26.
DAWN OF THE MOON.
Tho Lunar Wonders Revealed by the Ad-
vancing Sunlight

from the Rochester Exprcss.1
A Rochester journalist, who visited
Prof. Swift the other evening and had
view Of the moon, says: The telescope,
with power Of thirty-six diameters,
was turned upon the moon. At first the
food of light was binding, and the view
was but cursory. The moon looked
like shield of embossed silver--the
shield of Achilles--hung by his goddess
mother in the azure of the heavens.
Prof. Swift looked over the field, and
noted as he looked many Of the inter-
esting points, and suggested that we
follow the sunrise on the moon. On
the moon the dawn advanced at the rate
of ten miles an hour, lighting up new
fields and furnishing to him an ever
changing panorama. Still there is
naught but desolation, yawning craters
and sharp peaks of volcanic mountains,
and circular walls with perpendicular
sides that surround deep pits. The
moon is dead, to all appearance--burned
out with volcanic fires. No water leaves
the desolate and rugged shores OF its
great sea-bottoms. But in the gray
plains, where some astronomers think an
OSthh ohSo pBAChu. Ctut-is-ul0 SSCA WAbll
perpendicular walls. The gray plains
can be seen with the naked eye, form
ing what is called "the man in the
moon," on map like the Eastern con-
tinent. Under the telescope we could
trace what seemed at first to be shore
lines on the borders OF this plain.
On closer inspection, instead OF wave
washed sand, these lines appeared to be
but rounded steps formed by successive
lava bursts spreading over the plain and
making, by the lessening flow, the
gradual exhaustion of the volcanic
force. From one Of the largest
orators rise three volcanic cones,
the SUBMITS of which are tipped
with sunlight before the floor OF the
crater is lighted. In another large
crater two cones arise. From the larger
crater rays spread out, as though the
volcanic force cracked the firm crust in
its upheavel, injecting through the
broken surface ridges of dazzling
white lava, that spread out like the
arms of cuttle-fsh covering a vast
surface.
The grandest phenomena are to be
observed by following the sun on the
moon. The advancing dawn forms
ragged crescent line upon the surface
etill in darkness. The suns rays pass
over dark chasms and low fields, light
ing up ragged mountain tops fer in aa-
vance. They appear like little islands
Of light lying off the coast of an illu-
minated sea. High mountains and crater
walls near the shore OF light cast deep
Il 49, ~ o@<xo
are illuminated, and shine like rings OF
silver glittering upon a cushion OF
darkness. The advancing dawn now
lights up the bases OF the outlying
mountains that but q moment ago
showed but speck Of light and still
new mountain tops are tipped with sill
yer far in advance. The sunlight strikes
upon the side of circular wall of
crater, and there is silver crescent,
with black space between it and the
sea Of light Slowly the summit OF
other portions OF the circular wall are
lighted up, and then the sunlight in
vades the depths of the crater, while
the shadow OF the wall nearest the sun
stretches half across the floor OF the
chasm. Frequently great gaps are
broken in the crater walls, and streaks
of light stream across the floor The
Jagged rocks in calm, cold beauty shine
and glitter in the fierce white light.
The mountains are mountains OF DESC
lation, and the valleys are valleys Of ST.
lence and death. They are wrinkled
with the flow of lava and torn with up
heavals. The moon is dead. No air, no
sea, no forest shade, or living thing.
The moon is never-failing source OF
delight. It is also awful in its sugges-
tons Of power and in its loneliness Of
utter desolation.