The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1897-02-13
OUR CONTRIBUTORS.
A SUMMER WINTER SUNDAY.
BY j. W. HANSON, D. D.

sion of the continual delight that
fills the winter sojourner here in this
land of ever blooming flowers, ever
ripening fruits, and almost continual
sunshine. One might think that
there would be monotony here, but
it is not so. There is every note in
the gamut of the fair and beautiful;
every tint in the palette of the per-
feet. 1t would almost seem as though
nature were striving to change con-
tinually from fair to fairer, from
good to better, as though she were
working on the problem how to
make every day better than yester-
day and every tomorrow better than
today. look, and enjoy, and re-
frain from wreaking my thoughts
on expression just as long as | can,
and when l can hold no more, / in
fict on the readers of The UNIvER-
sALIsT some faint impression of my
experiences in this American Italy.
Just now a new wonder is revealed
to those who are here for the first
time, though it is repeated every
winter. During two or three days
last week a copious and delightful
rain drenched the land. That is, it
rained in all the valleys, and on the
foothills and mesas. But above
four thousand feet there fell snow,
for here, in winter, the moisture that
descends in rain in the valleys, be-
comes snow on the Sierras. Of course
the sun is obscured and the land
scape is hidden during the storm, but
all hearts rejoice as the raindrops fall,
for they fill the cisterns in the hills,
and store up in the mountain alem-
bics the snow and rain that are essen
tial to the beauty and bounty of the
coming year, and every raindrop or
snowflake is a potential rose or
orange. But when the clouds rolled
away and the sun lighted the sky on
last Sunday morning, it did seem as
though such day had never before
dawned on earth. There was not
cloud in the dome of lapis lazuli
that over-reached the world. The
uncultivated valleys and foothills
that are so brown in summer were of
the divinest emerald. The heights
around the valley, and above the
green were dazzling white with snow,
not only old Baldy, and Grayback,
and Cucamonga and the lofty sum
mits that wear their mantles of er
mine even to the summer months,
but every one of hundreds of lesser
peaks was white. 1t seemed as
though under cover of cloud and
darkness winter had approached and
pitched his tents on all the heights,
and had beleaguered the Wales. But
the people in the valleys knew
that winter was only temporarily en-
throned in harmless impotence on
the mountains, but could not descend
to the valleys. Every tent of snow
on the mountains, was opposed by
thousand of the tents of white in.the
vale, for there was a battalion of
orange trees in bloom, asserting
the triumph of summer, for every
drift on the mountains, and we knew
that while the sun would in few
days dissolve the snow crystals, the
cohorts of summer would maintain
their ground, and the fruits of the
land would be all the more abund-
ant for the treasures of the snow"
But more wonderful contrast was
never seen. 1t was Switzerland on
the heights and Italy in the valleys,
hundreds of miles of snow in sight
while flowers and fruits were every
where around. One could pluck an
orange or bouquet of roses, and in
an hour could walk on snow shoes or
enjoy a toboggan slide. Winter at
its grandest and summer at its best
were in sight of each other and not
more than five miles apart.
Can you imagine more delightful
experienced You are looking at win
ter on his throne while all around
you are flowers and fruits and sing
ing birds. 1t was such winter land
scape as is possible only in this fair
portion of our land, and a Sunday
experience that could nowhere else
be matched. What eternal repose
sat enthroned on the snowy peaks
What serenity radiated from the in
finite azure above What peaceful
ness smiled from the motionless
trees fragrant with bloom or golden
with fruit How soothing the dia-
pason of the bees in the blossoming
trees! 1t was an ideal Sunday. Ser
enity's self seemed to press her cheek
on the sky as she leaned over the
beautiful world. 1t was the middle
of January, and yet every sight and
.o,,nd ,Oroclaipna1 mid Si1n,noar %