The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1901-03-20
The Land OF Snow.

During the past Winter Rev. A. S.
Stewart, who is now filling Rev. MIR. Me-
Aninch's pulpit in the Presbyterian
church, was in Vermont, and in his lei
sure moments he wrote the following
beautiful description of the wintry scene
in that State to the Christian Instructor,
from which we copy;
stainless as Truth, or Purity's white
face,
Behold the snow fall Never came a
dream
On lighter pinions from the Courts Of
Sleep
1t IS not a land where snow falls every
day, nor in heavy masses many days;
but where it is constant all the winter
long. 1t is not land OF billiards, though
sometimes there are days together of
driven snow, when eddying gusts piles
it in mounds and ridges rapidly. 1t is
true that the people speak of "storm,"
but this means only a fall of snow. So
some morning, after days of bright sun
shine, you rise, and, looking eastward
cloud resting on the summit of the STAN
nard hills. In few minutes it drifts to-
ward the valley, torn by the mountain
and when ycu look again all the view is
filled with snow falling slowly through
the silent air, as salt from an unshaken
sieve. There is gray pail over all the
landscape-the world slut out in the per-
sistent twilight, which gives way to dark
ness when the sun goes down, and re-
mains when he rises again. But on the
third morning, it may be, his beams
shine bright over the untrodden, stainless
snow lying on mountain and in valley;
even the leafless forests clothed in white
robes, and the clumps of pointed frs
staud like fairy fabrics, or Chinese pago-
das in grotesque groups.
Cold, is it? Sometimes the mercury
falls far below the zero point, but The
white fleece is warm as wool over all the
land, the ground remains unfrozen and
forest brooks go murmuring on their
way, free of prisoning ice, yet with
hushed voices for though the increasing
warmth OF the sun may soften the snow
on houseroofs, so that great icicles de-
pend from low caves to the ground, the
housewife mourns her empty cistern,
where no rain falls for months.
In earlier winter, there is little hind
rance to travel or labor; but toward
spring the increasing depth of snow
make forest and field impossible except
with snowshoes and the travelled road
becomes a "highway" indeed, rising
slowly from week to week, notwithstand-
ing the passing rollers pondrous weight
or horses beating feet. To miss the mar
row road is likely to bring to driver aud
steed a snowy baptism.
Toward spring, indeed there may come
such snow storms as are known in lower
latitudes and lesser attitudes, when the
feathery flakes fall fast through the mur-
ky air, and in few hours time block all
the ways of trayel; but these are not
characteristic of the land of snow.
Between the snow and the sunshine
there may be days of silent blue, when
morning mists veil the mountains crest,
rising slowly by-and-by to show their
long line, frost crowned, crystal snow, a
dream of beauty; and, when the sun goes
down, the blue cloud curtain lifts for a
moment, and his last glorious beams
converge through the gates of the reyer's
course through the western ridge, and
paint on Wheelock's walls pictures, as
though angels wings had winnowed
down the light of rainbows there.
ALBERT S. STEWART.
Greensboro, VT, Feb. %, 1901