The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1892-12-07
BILL ARP.
The are.. metsoric Shower OF 1893.
C0Dstxn$iOta.

tllQg6 Ia leaVou Suu eA1tu LAoh ~Ae
dreamed Of in odr philosophy" The fall
of metsors on Wednesday night was quite
wonder to The generation and made the
young people serious AID solemn. Tor
nsdoss and earthquakes anS' comets and
meteo1s are always alarming, they
bring home to US our utter helplessN, :
under the mighty hand Of God. From
8 o'clock until near midnight We watched
these msteors. Part of the time We were
standing out iu the freezing air but most
of the time ne looked through the uncsr.
taiaad windows, and there was hardly a
moment that they we're not seen some
where in the heavens. I hoped for
another viaitation like that Of 1888, which
I distinctly remember, for my father
awaked me and dressed noe hurriedly snd
We all stood in the piazza and watched
and wondered for an hour or more. They
seemed sure enough like falling stars and
cane down in myriads as gently as snow
fakes. They nearly touched the earth
before they went out and l remember
hunting arouad in the potato patch nex'
morning for some sign of them, but found
none. If there WAS any heat in their
glittoring light there was no sign Of it in
the tree tops among the leaves. | re-
member that Aunt Minty, our good old
cook, prayed ssd exhorted long and loud
and white woman across the street
screamed out: "Corle, Lord Jesus take
me, Lord Jesus. God, save us; God,
forgive u.s." and she was kDeeling on the
door with her hands stretched up toward
heaven. I remember that Mrs. Lester,
the widowed mother of our late Attorney
General, lived very near Ut and came
over to our house, stopping as she came
for fear the stars would touch her. l
remember that ray father was calm and
serene and gave US all assurance that
there was no danger, for he was we'll
read man and knew that such phenomena
had happened several times before and
did no harm. Several times within the
past century there had been a fall of
meteors on the same date, the 18th CT
November, but none SO brilliant or that
came go near the earth.
1t was in August 1854 that we were
awakened about o'clock one night by
the Growing Of the cocks for daybreak
and our negroes got up and fed the stock
and prepared to 60 to the field when our
attention was attracted to the clock and
on going out to see what was the matter
We found it as bright as day and the
aurora borealis was flashing brilliant
light that illuminated the heavens and
the earth. Such things are always alarm.
ing to the timid and the ignorant. [
heard Professor Proctor, the great astr"n'
omer, deliver three lectures at Lake
Weir a few years ago and be lifted me
up on thought among the starry heavens
aud made US realize our oun insigui6-
cauce as ne approached the very confines
of eternity and told us of things NO had
never dreamed Of. He was great and
good man and loved him ~ much for
bis humility as his learning. One night
he leclured on the birth and growth and
maturity and decay of a world, and he
proved by the most convincing argument
that this world had long ssce passed its
maturity and was in the decline and that
the scriptures would be fulfilled aud thi,
earth be buraed up and pass out of e1iat.
ancs. he said that worlds had passed
away and that worlds had came into e1-
istance since the Christian era and that
comets had appeared that had no record
in the past-that creation was mt finish.
ed but WAS changing and this little world
of ours was but speck in the universe.
he said that if straight line from the
eye was drawn and extended in any
direction it would sooner or later be
stopped by heavenly body.
We can enjoy this and be amazed but
when cyclone comes along or an earth
quake begins to rock the little world
about, there is no philosophy that can
make w calm and serene. We don't
understand these systems of nature nor
can We fortity against them. I never
saw man or woman who was not super
sitious about ghosts and it is because of
the mystery that hangs around the dead
where are tho spiritss Where had
Samuel been when the witch of Eudor
called his spirit up-what kind Of 7irtue
was in the bones Of Elijah that brought
to life the dead man Who was buried in
his tomb? What kind of spiritu were
rowing about distressing good people
until they were rsrt into the svines and
the swine into the sea? II We knew
where we were going We could be less
troubled no matter how terrible our fate.
It is the mystery that hangs around that
undiscovered country from which no
traveller returns. I viah that we all had
she faith of the little boy that / know
whose mother asked him where he
thought hsaven vas and replied promptly
"why, its over al grandma's house."
"Ah no." she sale, "heaven isn't there
at all. What made you think that? ?"
"Woll, it isn't mere than about mile
from there" he said. Grandma was
enough heaven for aim.
This seems to be an off year anyhow.
A year of surprises. Just q few weeks
ago and everything looked lovely for the
Republicans and distressing to the far
mers but Mr.. Cleveland beat oat the
administration and all its patronage to
the surprise of even the most sangutne
Democrats. Right on top of this cotton