The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1892-02-18

visible in this part OF the country, and II
was new to many who saw it on this Oc
casion. 1t may be that few words col
/ lated from the authorities and mostly in
/ their very language, descriptive of the
same, will prove Of interest to some O.
/ your readers.
| The word Aurora is derived from two
Greek words meaning the golden hour,
and is generally applied to daybreak or
the morning.
! In mythology the Goddess OF Morning
is represented as riding in rose-colored
! chariot scattering roses from her hand
and preceded by the morning star.
The Aurora Borealis, meaning North
ern day-break, might be described as
the Goddess of Night riding in her Grim
son car, down the ways of darkness fasci-
mating the world with her beauty and
creating about her with beams of living
light such gorgeous images as appals the
genius of man and forces him to acknowl-
edge the glory and omnipOtence of his
God. Wherever we turn our eyes
! throughout the scene of nature and fix
our attention on it's plans and move
ments we find the Creator acting like
Himself: and in no case is this more
strikingly displayed than in the grandeur
ttl'l ltSlllllCcllCc vi llt vi US uiIu W olluti -
of the Heavens, and the immense spaces
with which they are surrounded. "Great
is Jehovah and of great power; His I'M
unsearchable. Canst thou by searching
find out God? Canst thou find out the
Almighty to perfection? Who can utter
the mighty operations of Jehovah? Who
can show forth all His praise? Lo, these
q l,I,f orfS of hnf no
der of His, power, or the full extent Of11is
omnipotence who can comprehend?
"The Aurora Borealis is a nocturnal
luminous meteor supposed to be electri-
cal, often very splendid, especially in high
Northern ATTITUDES. 1t consists of white,
crimson, pale greenish yellow and steel
cOlOred mellow light, and exhibits vari-
Gus and changing forms and appear
ances as the arch, columnar up-shooting
streams, and beautiful cOruscatiOns,
which sometimes cover the whole heavens.
1t takes it's name from its resemblancetO
the dawn"
\ rare form of the Aurora is that in
which the rays appear to hang from the
sky like the fringes or folds OF a mantel.
The one that has just visited US was OF
an unusual form, size and color.
Crimson Aurora like ours have often
been imagined by the superstitious to be
omens OF war, pestilence, and famine.
The flaming splendor
Threatening the world with famine. plague
and war,
To princes death, tokingdoms many curses,
10 all estates, enevitable losses;
To herdsmen rot, to ploughme. hapless
seasons,
TO sailors storms, to cities civil treasons."
And people of poetic temperament have
easily imagined that they have seen on
the bosom OF the Aurora
"Fierce, fiery warriors fight upon the clouds
In rank and squadrons and right form OF
war
In many parts of Ireland a scarlet Au-
rOra is supposed to be a shower of blood,
and under that name it is mentioned in
the old annals. always in connection
with some battle or the murder of a
great chief.
Our Aurora came too late to play any
part in our Gillian embroglio. Perhaps
if our President could have had it to
come little earlier, his premature Mes
sage might have matured and borne
bloody fruit.
If | did not know what the late scarlet
Aurora was, should hope that it vas
the bloody shirt that the North has been
waving at the South for a quarter of a
century, snatched away from the lying
fanatics by the hand of a Just God. out
ragged beyond endurance by the infamous
ISLANDERS of those South haters and the
true traitors and only traitors to this
gOvernment-1ngalls, Shepherd, Sherman,
Foraker, and their coajutors.
Auroral displays are frequent, if not
continuous, near the magnetic poles,
while in middle ATTITUDES they are the in
variable Accomplishments of all consid-
cradle magnetic storms. Near the Equa-
tor they hardly ever occur.
There is considerable variety in the
forms they assume. 0 A horizontal
light like the morning Aurora or break
of day. GU An arch OF light which fire.
quently extends across the heavens from
east to west; five of such arches have
been seen in the polar region at one time.
we'll defined and with bright light. a.
The corona. (5) Waves or flashes Of
light.
The Aurora Borealis of the Arctic win
ter is said to be the most magnificent
spectacle that relieves the gloom of that
region.
1T bursts with the suddenness of a
storm upon the Northern horizon, and
speeds to the zenith in a great arch of
flame, heaving and waving to and fro,
sending out flashing beams, and play
ing the tricks of meteors in color and
velocity. Then there is a gathering of
splendOrs in the centre of the magnificent
arch. The briliancy of the meteoric
streams grows more intense, the red
color of their base, the green OF their
middle, the yellow of their tips, becomes
deeper and more vivid. They dart with
greater vivacity through the skies. The
earth itself glows with the magical light.
The sea, when unfrozpn and the ice fields,
CLEAN with strange and wierd beauty.
Heaven and earth tremble in their out
lines as il all were unreal, and night
heightens the charm of the spectacle by
her imposing silence.
Gradually the crown fades, the brilliant
! bow diSsOives, the streams shorten, the
meteOric play is less vivid and frequent.
| the storm subsidies, and the gloom OF
winter succeeds the midnight magnif.
cence'
There is much discussion in scientific
| circles as to whether Aurora are attend.
ed ny cracking, kissing or whizzing
sound as has been repeatedly affirmed by
those living in high Northern ATTITUDES
The conclusion reached is that there is
no improbability of such sounds being
occasionally heard since a somewhat
similar phenomenon accompanies the
brush discharge OF the electric machine,
but the sounds are generally attribute.
BILE to the cracking and straining of ice.
The average height of Aurora is one
hundred miles, but they have been known
to approach within two miles of the
earth, some OF their rays shooting down
ward
preceded by the same general phenomena
as thunder storms, and concludes that
the storm clouds, instead of bursting