Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1889-10-12

ty feet deep, and so clear that the
bottom was plainly visible. The
noon sun could be seen just above
the rim of the crater, and the long
beam of light that came down
through the gloom, fell on the lake,
and lighted its crystal waters and
made them look beautiful.
There were many strange things,
and many gloomy things in these
hidden caverns. There were deep
masses of snow that had drifted in
during the winter storms, and this
was slowly melting now. All round
the little lake that I have mention
ed, the snow was deep, and came
down to the, waters edge, and the
drops of water from the melting
snow fell into the lake with a con.
slant and monotOnous dripping.
There were large masses of ice hang
ing against the walls. 1t assumed
all manner of wild and fantastic
shapes, as 1t caught the stray beams
of light, or hung in the semi, gloom
of the eternal shadows. [ thought
of Dante's descriptionof that cycle of
ice and frost, beneath the cycle of
fire, and how he had there seen the
hideous wings OF Satan frozen fast
in the Ice, surrounded by the leglons
of other demons, all living frozen in
congealed waters-speechless, mo-
tionless, but still alive and conscious
of their doom. 1t almost made me
question whether or not Plato was
not right in his theory of Eternal
Ideas," wherein he claimed that i'm
agination and fancy never pictured
things but what had actual exist
ence somewhere. He said that the
human mind was eternal, it knew all
things, and had seen all things, but
had forgotten all except what it had
seen during this life Che believed in
transmigration of souls); and mag
inationt and fancy was simply the
recollection OF something that had
been forgotten. 1t is, beautiful
theory, and it came yividly to my
mind when 1 saw the hldeous forms
of ice about me, and saw how accu-
rately Dante had described them al
though he never saw them. Plato
would explain it by saying that
Dante's soul-while his body slept
had visited this crater and had
seen these forms.
-~- GLOOMY AND FEARFUL.
But banished these old theories
and superstitions from my mind.
They made me afraid-almost. The
caverns were gloomy and deathlike
enough anyway, without calling up
all these old fancies of dead poets to
add more gloomy terrors to them.
We found place where the noun,
tain had been burst open and there
was huge crack leading from the
bottom of the crater to the outside
of the mountain. The water that
accumulated from the melting snow,
flowed out through the crevice, and
reached the outside the world. This
means of exit for the water prevent.
ed the crater from filling to over.
flowing as many craters in northern
California and Oregon have done.
Gloomy and fearful as the scenes
where as we passed from one vault
to another in the crater, and climbed
around the edges of the lakes of
water there, yet we found one place
the beauty Of which surprised us. 1t
was nothing strange at all, nor curl
GUS; but being surrounded by so
many shapes of death and ruin, it
claimed more than a passing notice
from us as we passed along. 1t was
in the bottom of the crater, on the
margin of a little lake. On three
sides of the lake there was snow. On
the fourth side there was none. Each
day during the hour of noon the sun
in passing over could shine down on
this spot aid the snow there, for the
space of few yards, has been melt
ed away. The grass was green
that is, the moss was green. And
few curious and pretty flowers,
with deep bright colors, were bloom.
ing there. The ground all around
them, except for a few feet, was
frozen, and covered with ice and
snow. 1t was little plot ofsummer
in the midst of eternal winter. Even
the summer for that little plot could
not last more than a month or two.
The days were only an hour or two
in length, while the sun was passing
directly ever the top of the noun
tain, and could shine down through
the crater. There was something
touching and pitiful in the scene
that made a deep impression upon
me as thought of the cold, dark
crater, with only one beam of sun.
light penetrating to its deepest cav.
ems, and in this one warm ray of
light that little handful of flowers
were growing. 1 gathered few of
them, and pressed them in my mem.
orandum book to send to friend in
the east.-Intclligencer.
-.
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