The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-12-04
WHEN THE STARS FELL.
The Celestial Phenomena wnio., st.r+,oa
the People of the United States in Novem-
Der, 1888.

(Murat Halstead in the Cincinnati Com
meroial Tribune.)
am 1.-the few who can speak as eye
witnesses of "The Night of the Falling
otars, November 1918, 1888. Those who
peheio tne wonders of that time were
oazeo by the awful splendors, and long
spoke OF them as of some majestic, SUPER
natural vision. 1t was the night Edwin
hooth, the famous actor, was born. My
age was years and 2 months, and point
OF observation valley in Southwestern
ONO. One. of the treasures of our house
was an astronomical atlas, with myster-
ious maps of the consultations, over
which my parents pondered: and the
| strange animals drawn among the stars
the more they were explained. My
parents were much given to studying the
clouds by day and the stars by night, and
one of my earliest recollections is that
they would call each others attention to
celestial phenomena, SO that I was some
thing OF "star gazer' myself, and
knew when a four-year- about ''Job's
Coffin and "Orion's Belt, "The Seven
Stars" "The Dipper," 'The North
STAR and the star of the morning and
evening.
My father. the day before the memoir
able night had "killed mess of young
squirrels" and out CT Difference to me
had moi nf n yG m a n
should, through the head, for my favorite
diet was squirrels brains. My passion
for this dainty dish was INDUCED at sup
per, and during the night disturbed the
house shouting for alienation Of sharp
pains, resulting from too much brains-in
my inexperienced stomach. My mother,
aroused, saw strange light glaring at
the windows, and 10! 1t was evident
enough the universe was afire My father
seldom allowed any thing to astonishshim,
but that did If he had not seen it he
would not have believed it, and yet he
did not think the last hours of the globe
we inhabit had come and ''the judg-
ment'' at hand. The hour was after mid
night, and how long the stars had been
falling could not be ascertained
Special attention was given to pointing
things out for me to fix in my memory,
and the amazing scene is before me now,
though that was long before photography
do not recollect that looked westward
at all. Observation of the east fascinated
me, and.I do not think I turned my face
in any other direction. There were in
invisible pencils with points of fire
strangely straight lines sweeping from
near the zenith to the horizon. My clear
impression is there were no cross lines
that there seemed to be monstrous
| stream of fiery hair, vivid blending of
sun and moonlight, pouring from stu
pendous, exhaustless urn; some of the
bright lines fading as they swept far
down, fainting into the serene depths OF
the sky. There was n certain majestic
serenity about the exalted Indignation.
My parents were not alarmed or greatly
agitated, but enjoying every moment.
recall their low tones and some of their
| ordinations of surprise and admiration.
| The silence that attended the dazzling
displny-the apparent flight of all the
stars from their courses-the mighty
movement, inexpensive save in the swift
darting of celestial arrows that dashed
| into space and made no sound, most i'm
pressed the beholders, and was always
mentioned as something mystical-an APP
partition of glory inconceivable 1t was
unsu bstantial as the northern lights, and
| yet what more could happen after one had
seen the vault of heaven incandescent
with thousand streams of pale lightning
all still as the frost that glistened on the
grass. The dome of the edifice in which
the world is as toy was the fountain
from which sped sheaves of long-drawr
shafts of light, as if some sudden volcano
intthe blue had sent forth radiant array
of spectral spears, putting out the stars
The.commotion among the people in some
country neighborhoods was as if warning
had been given that the day of burning
worlds was at hand. There were horn.
blown-always in the West in rural re
| gions signal of alarm at night or OF
Sunday-and messengers ran from HOUSE
| to house. 1t was long time before thu
| full restoration of cnfidence of the people
| In the steady proceedings, as of old, o
the sun and moon and the consultations
| The stories of tho distraction of Southern
negroes furnished fun for many years
The amount of loud praying reported o
| them was remarkable.
| OAUTYNVE Ne0EsVYK A Mrn