The Wilmingtonian., 1884-09-27
INDIAN SUMMER.

artificial twilight. The general denuded
state of the forest admits the sunshine into
its Interior and brighteus it with cheerful
ness exceeding that of any other season.
Some light tinted leaves still remain upon
the trees which haze been screened by their
situation from the frost and the wind, and
many an interesting object IS exposed to
view which was concealed by the foliage in
summer. A few asters and gentians still
inger in some protected nook, and the
chickadees and hemp-biris make the wood
lively by their garrulity and their motions.
The ground is covered with red, brown and
yellow leaves, making pleasant carpet for
the feet, and increasing all the pleasures of
woodland ramble.
After the fall of the leaf is completed,
then, according to tradition comes Indian
Summer, fruitful theme both for poets and
philosophical writers, but of which no one
knows anything from experience 1t may,
after all, be only myth, like the halcyon
days of the ancients, the offspring of tradi-
tion that originated with certain customs of
the Indian, and which occasional days of
| fine weather in the autumn have served to
perpetuate. 1t is certain that we have now
in the Eastern States no regular coming of
\ this delightful term of mildness and seren-
ity, this smiling interruption of the melan-
choly days of autumn. We are greeted
occasionally by two or three days resembling
| it after the first cool weather of October, ,and
these short visits are in some years repeated
| several times But true Indian Summer,
attended with all the peculiar phenomena
described by some of our early writers both
in prose and verse, rarely accompanies
modern autumn. 1t has fled from our land
before the progress of civilization; it has
departed with the primitive forest!
Indian Summer, if such season was ever
known, was phenomenon produced by
some unexplained circumstances attending
the universally wooded state Of the country
that existed for many years after its settle
ment. According to the most apparently
authentic accounts it did not arrive until
November or until series of hard frosts
had destroyed all the leaves of the forest.
1t then appeared regularly every year. At
the present time people know so little about
it that they cannot name the period of
autumn when, if it we're not thing of the
past, it should be expected.
The true Indian Summer was period of
: very mild weather, lasting from ten to fif-
teen days, and accompanied neither by wind
nor rain. it has been incorrectly described
by certain writer's as attended with tog.
a The sky, though somewhat dim was not
g obscured by vapor, but by sort of ruddy
e haze, that veiled the prospect as it often
! will during a series of warm still days hap
pening at any season. The air was dry; it
n could not have been otherwise. If it were
a moist the increased radiation would soon
dissipate the heat, and put an end to the
ID survive copious and extensive fall of rain.
The atmosphere was described as being
this was most apparent in the latter part OF
81 the day. This smoky atmosphere has lee
: some writers 20 suppose the whole phenom
nf enon to be caused by fires in the woods.
or According to tradition no part of the yea
was more delightful than this short period
IN Those accounts, however, that extended it
III duration beyond the space of fourteen o.
The nearest approaches to Indian Summe
we now witness in its proper season neve
last week. In our days, when a war;
we week occurs in the autumn, it comes at n
on regular or expected time. This irregularit
ar, of its occurrence proves that it is not to b
ct identified as the Indian Summer, which wa
an regular in its happening Immediately afte
a the entire denudation of the forest. Simili
tic but shorter periods of mild and sereI
ted weather may happen, at the present epocl
lily in winter and spring as well as in autumn
uld These Irregularities Of the weather cann
TX, be explained; nor can we make prediction
to Of the time when any of them may happe
cry But warm period in October or Decemb
and or January is not an Indian Summer, whiC
,uld belonged to November and is only relic
and the past.
In The origin of the name is explained
lich DR.. Lyman Foot in the third volume
the "Sillimau's Journal" He says; 'lf y
} to ask an Indian in the fall when he is going
and his hunting -groun!, he will tell you VIII
the the fall summer comes, or when the Gre
EN- Spirit sends our fall summer; meaning t
Kan time in November which we call Indi
Summer. And the Indians actually belle
that the Great Spirit sends this mild seas
Cp'l in November for their special benefit"
dent
John E8-The last but the grandest excursion
avn the season of 1884 will be Thursday, DC
story Der 9th, to Mauch Chunk-the recogn
Switzerland of America. Mr.. Gouley
lders been promised the right of way, both go