Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1886-02-01
A VIEW FROM JEFFERSON ROCK
HARPER'S FEBRY.
BY THE REv. W: c. GRIFFITH,

Ii is sunrise. The Great King og
Day has just crossed the line in bis
southward journey and appears this
morning right in the mountain pass,
"a If rising up from the river bed.
His glorious form, yelled by vapor
that sparkles aud glistens like nlY-
riads of diamonds, seems to rest for
the moment upon The surface of tie
water. The long deep passage, over
hung by rocky cliffs. is filed with y
food OF light that sends its fartherest
rays up the declivilious sides OF the
Ferry Hill in front, lighting up the
marble monuments of the old grave
yard on its brow, and throwing i
sheen of glory over the village atlshe
base. The river appears like great
mirror. dazzling the eve. with the re-
hected light that plays upon It. A
river OF wafer beneath . river of light.
walled in by precipitous heights,
crowned by moss. covered rocks, whose
ragged brows, bathed with the mists
of The early morn, look out from their
forest green seats TO catch the first
beams OF the rising glory. Gould
Fancy's golden dreams create love-
or sight, A sno~white cloud, With
rainbow lining, spaus the river near
the opening OF the passage, and rests
its silvery srch oD the pr,jTetiug slltis
of either side - Angels might cross
upon it, aud one wonders ii the time
shall not come when human feet may
tread such marvellous highways. Who
shall affirm, indeed, that yonder
i heights
"Whoee awful form.
Swells from the vale, and midway
Leaves the storm
is not peopled by celestial hosts who
bave come hither to enjoy with Inc
tbe rapturous delight Of a scene SO
beautiful and grand look away
down beneath the natural bridge, that
now begins to fade befure the rising
sun, aud lar to the left my eyes fall
upnn feldsof curn, whose tall tasseled
stalks, glisteping in tbe light, look
Ike sentinels in The pan"piy of war
Lowing herds stand beneath the
trees on the bills. or stroll across the
meadow bottoms; while. behind an
intervening bill. there rises the smoke
If little hamlet just idden from
view. The shrill whistle OF on ap-s
preaching train is heard in the dis
tance, aud quickly rounding curve
us long. fibeiy painted coaches rush
by, leaving lines Of v bite smoke that
hang like curtain upon the river side.
A canal boat crepps slowly alonv like
1.-The tortoise Of the iable--but 10 this
ease the hare makes no unnecessary
stops ard heats its slow rival 90 my
right look down upon tbe She
na 1doah that = made its way along
ltbe side Cf the Blue Ridge To meet
/ the p tomBc of ibe Aliegbanies on
my left-BUth have come from their
far away sourees tp seek passage to
the ocean, and, meeting here, they
miDQle and flow Of thruoghtbis great
gorge wbi Nature has opened Tor
them. As set each il shadow ed BY
the mouDtain aud bid from The gor.
&EOuo ufdHcfy IL thG P@r1 0@tVW s
Youder, on one side, are Loudoun
heights. opposite, on the other side
| are Mary land heigkts.--a great gulf
between. What memories cluster
about taese renowned summitsl Down
| from their rugged tips rained shot
and shell. Meu ir.m the pine clad
bills Uf Maine, ard from the cotton
fields Of Geofgia stood on the feights
Who cousd imagine, as be lOoks upon
their placid features, n0w transformed
! with beauty by the msgnifcence ol
this earIy sunrise. that they oneo
lechoed to the booming cannVDg Deep
1hnswered 10 deep;< height Numbered
I ID hsigbs; Mays land to Loundon;
Loudon 10 Bolivar. But twenty
| years have gone and the face Of Ma
| tnre il still unchanged; to the lover
Oi the picturesque aDd sublime she
lpresents The sane attractive aspect -
when the author of the Declaration
Of Independence declared 80 was.
worth i trip across The ocean % look
on such sights