The daily intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Territory [i.e. Wash.]) 1876-1881, 1880-08-28
IN THE MOUNTAINS OF TIE
MOON.

When one looks at tbs moon througA
Q powerful telescope furnished With .
prism eyepiece. be seems 70 Do sus-
pended in mid air and looking down
upon the lunar plains and msuntains
from an enormous hight The falling
away of the surfscs toward he edses
Of the great ball sometimes produces
the sensation that - experienced in
standing oa th. brick OF . giddy pseei-
pice. II the magnifying power used is
500 diamstxrs, the ensst 10 ab.atA the
same - IL the obaaever> v9s il .
balloon 500 miles above the sarfsce Of
the moon Below him liz osuntAins
greater than Moust Rlsno and Chin-
borazo. looking no larger than pebbles.
Ancient see bottoms are spread be-
meath him like smooth floors. dotted
here aId there With elevations that
may once have been islands. spd sur
rounded by table lsnds. plains. aud
mountain chains that show where the
old sea coast vas fat and marshy.
where il was full Of haFbors aad whore
it vas iron bossd and pssiloas. Great
naked plains stretch out in various di.
rsctious ss sososth - oar prairies. and
in other places there Are reaches si
hilly country. aud then tremsndous
mountain masssa The great typo
graphical features remsie, - in the
dsys vhee ths moon VA youag cod
full Of life like the earth; bus the coasts
are silent - the Doontain peaks. the
se.s are empty. the fruitful soil 10
gone. ell that ancient tssning hfs has
vanished. and the whole lasd - vaid Of
air. II 10 only the rocky skeleton Of
millions of years hence.
II 10 this last considerstioa-that the
moon furnishes rs sort VI prophetic
page wherein the esrth's future can b
read--which makes the study Of lunar
scenery only less Interesting than il
would be il our telescopes revealed 10
US cities and cultivated fields and all
the evidences Of mans prssesce in the
moon.
The scenery of the moon 10 not osly
wonderful. but exceedingly beautiful.
when viewed from the lofty perch that
the observer with telescope seems 10
occupy. This is especially true of the
mountains. There oeing NO Air on
those rocky nights. there Is no grads-
tion Of light and the shadows are sb~o-
luteiy black. Therefore. night and day
confront one another without any inter-
vening twilight. II one could stsnd
upon lunar mountain, he might be 10
the fun blaze Of the sun on the summit.
while tsn feet below al woulj be bu-
ried in the darkest night. The scsns
recalls the Plague Of Darkness that
was sent upon Egypt when the hAbita-
tions Of the Isrselitss we're filled with
light. while the adjoining lands Of the
Egyptians were walled up il night.
The effect OF this sharp contrast OF
light and shadow in the moon 10 won.
derfully beautiful. A chain OF NOUN
taias just at the edge of the illuminated
portion lies under the telescope pictured
in silhouette upon the adjacent plain BY
the long shadows that are ss sharp IN
outline - if cut from black paper.
Yet more beautiful are the circular
mountains. or craters, that Are the
characteristic features Of lunar scenery.
Some Of these are forty O. 6fty miles in
diameter. and in the center Of the Nat
floor closed by the ring nountsin rise
ops or more high peaks. The effects Of
s % s;.rS. - ~ !. s S;.l.s;.. ~. ~
s's .''n''' o"'''' ;" 1'.'1.''s.
Win gooo three inch Telescope.
and little psactics IN the management
st the magnifying powers. one may
easily see all the famous mountains OF
the moon. aud most Of the strange
looking objects that have at different
times been taksa for fcsti6eetioos.
roads. asd other works of man. There
are . number Of sxosllsnt msps Of the
moon. by whose aid every conspicuoss
object may be recognized. The point
of greatest interest to the observer -
the iOog. jagged line, csilsd The tse0i>
nstor. that marks the sharp divisios
between day and NghA - yee uateA
thst line for an hour o. two you viii
be astonished ct the changes that have
taken place under your eye. You will
ses the suDshins creeping down the
atecp inner side 81 . singed DeoAtntn,
until the floor Of the vast basin. which
had before besn perfectly black, looking
like hols right through H 0eoa. y
reached and lighted mp. whila shs
rocky Assks q ths ssstesl speak, o.
cluster of peaks. come into visv. and
begin 70 oass long spiry sh4dovs evse
the crater floor. 4 lelty meuntoin,
whose summit gildsd by tha sunlighk.
has bsea visible for N heaf shiniag ont
q the desse ebscurity thss sovees Ne
re0iou about ik. which q yot Uoo0Uo6 -