The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1885-09-24

In the Woods.
Whom men pass from city to country
they pass from the themes of thought
and sentiment common to the large as
semblages of human beings, and find
themselves raising new inquiries and
forming new attachments in the arena
of trees and grass. 1t is question OF
absence and presence-an absent city,
a present woods--a PARKWAY noise and
excitement of metropolis, an immedi-
ate society of deep lake. infinite YER
dure, silent rocks, the life of bird and
plant In this change of circumstance
the mind empties itself of the contents
of former days and is at once filed with
new subjects of meditation, and while
in the city the preacher goes to his pill
low wondering what he can say to his
flock next Sunday, here he composes
himself to sleep by wondering what kind
of bird is the famous "whip-poor-
will" What mind one possesses lays
hold of that enigma with just as much
earnestness as would mark the same in
tellectual machinery were it attempting
to solve the problem of mans free
agency or the eternity of matter. OF
course, q man is quite fool If he will
permit a question of birds or fish or
plants to give him the mental trouble
that should come from thoughts of
| strikes among workmen or cholera
among the people, but it would be diff
ficult to prove that man possesses al
ways the merit of being reasonable.
The whip-poor-will repeats its cry
from about eight o'clock each evening
until about ten. If one is tired
enough to GO to bed before ten he can
count himself to sleep by these birds.
Their cry does indeed sound much like
the words which threaten whipping
to poor William. AS the masculine
quail is said to be forever calling for
Bob White" SO with equal truth it
may be affirmed that this bird alludes
to poor Will. He yells rapidly, per-
haps ten cries to the minute, and, like
the boarder who compensated for eating
rapidly by telling his landlady that he
would eat good while, this night bird
calls rapidly and calls long.
1t is probable that only the male
bird does this yelling, for natural his
tory shows many instances in which the
male animal is the noisiest Is well as
the most fierce.
The "whip-poor- will" possesses a
wonderful ability for keeping out of
sight of man. He is aided in this effort
by the fact that his activity is noctur-
nal. His work is all night work. His
personal appearance Is that of small
owl.
Coming in the almost holy silence of
the night in the woods, the song of this
bird possesses all that charm which
solitude confers upon sounds. Tie
sound of toals, frogs, the chirp of the
"katydid" and the cricket are made
poetic and romantic by the solitude and
silence which make such delicate noises
so audible. The Laying of the watch
dog beyond the Tiber' gave Byron
sweet pleasure, because it measured
the silence OF the night and the loneli-
ness OF the heart. Here in this match
less retirement some little bird or toad
can, from some tree-top as gallery,
throw its little song or speech out upon
human ears that are listening half
mile away. The silence of the world
not only makes the little utterance
powerful in the air. but it also strings
up the heart of man until nothing can
appeal to it in vain. In some of these
hours of isolation and semi-rapture it
seems as though one can almost hear
the moon passing through clouds, or
catch some notes of the hymn sung by
the morning stars when the universe
was young.
Nearly all the best proofs of God
are hidden away out in the country.
In unexpected moments the fact stands
revealed Lie down on the edge of
your boat and look down into the water
and mark the beauty and graceful
motion of the fish in an element made
for them. The water having no con-
tact with city dust or dirt having boun-
daries of stone and floor of pebbles,
offers no obstacle to the rays of light,
and fish which play fifteen feet below
your boat play in your sight. These
occupants of the water seem to have as
perfect home in their element as man
possesses in the houses on the tree
covered banks. While the mind is
thinking of these adaptations the sun
sinks and the sky slowly passes through
series of colors, each beautiful. The
lake joins with the sky in accepting
these hues from the hand of some un-
seen artist. You will be peculiar
mind, mind not to be envied, if you
can row your boat slowly homeward
without being worshiper and without
deep wondering what other planets
there may be which are thus doing the
mysterious will of God. -DdUid Suing,
IN the Current
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