Idaho semi-weekly world. [volume] (Idaho City, Idaho Territory) 1875-1908, 1889-03-19
THE MUTABILITY or THE
MUTABLE,n


wh'ch no cause can be assigned by
'ne un-sclentific mind. A phenom-
enon IN nature this year, however.
does not cause such wide-eyed won
der and expressions Of astoni.hment
as similar phenomenon would have
created or brought forth during pre-
vious years, but, however, We have
one here that is not devoid Of inter-
est, and gives the impression that the
year is "turned wrong end to-" or
something else is "out of whack.n In
gazing at the surrounding landscape
there IS nothing to indicate that thi.
is the merry springtime, Gentle An
ME, but nature is clothed in the bright
hue OF autumn, in the sere and-not
yellow, but red leaf. 1t looks like
fall, in land where the maple -four
isheth, and the leaves are flaming
red. In this county the predominatine
brush is mountain laurel, which, like
the pine and fir tree, has been classed
among the evergreens. AS far back
as the memory of man runneth, when
the leaves of other kinds of vegeta-
ton succumbed to the influences of
the seasons, putting forth leaves of
green in the balmy springtime, and
changing to golden and flaming red
in accordance with autumn's decree,
and shedding their leaves when old
Boreas blows his chilling blasts, an
nouncing the near approach of hoary.
headed winter-when these changes
were going on, the hardy, sturdy
laurel ever remained the same, proof
against all influences of the seasons
changes, never going back on her
color nor shedding her leaves. and
amid winters chilling frosts and
SHOWS, when kissed by the scented
breath of spring, the heated, passion
ate breath OF summer time, or touched
by mellow antumn's beautifying in
fluences, the mountain laurel re-
manned firm, immovable, unchanging,
self-willed, ever true to the color she
first sailed under, to The last, with
native characteristics too firm and
strong to be overcome by any of ma
tures' whims, reminding one of GER
tain characters in history, who, (under
influences that carry away and change
the "colors" of multitudes, and in the
face of stirring events that, like the
powerful, devastating sweeping cl-
clone, gather up and hurl promiscu-
ously and excitedly customs deep
rooted) remain unchanged. But the
stern laurel has gone back on the
character so long sustained, which
reminds us of the mutability, even, OF
the 'simmutable." But the laurel, in
changing, showed Its independence,
by making the change of its own free
will and accord, in opposition to the
I usual order of things. 1t has taken
on the autumn tint in springtime,
showing a defiance of established Gus
tom. 1t is not only a bunch, mol
, simply a few bunches of laurel, that
has undergone this change, but the
whole laurel family, young, old, mid
dle-aged and all, without exception
Will some one of a scientific turn o.
t mind, and on intimate terms with ma
> ture, her mysterious laws and inhuen
| ces, come to the front and explair
5 why the "evergreen" laurel is nj
longer green? 1t changed about tn
: time of the change of political ad
: ministration, but this cannot surei.
D be the cause, for during all tn
changes of this nature heretofore, tn
. laurel has kept on in its set way,
if nothing unusual had happened.
q In accordance with instruction
e from Territorial Superintendent G
r PubEc Instruction, &. G. Stevenson