The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-10-28
The Spectrum
Of Three CoIors.


Following essay was read by Prof r.
Hume Smith at the opening meeting Of the
Ladies Reading club for this season. aud
he secured very hearty applause and many
compliments:
On. come and see The rainbow! Who of
us has not heard that Joyous exclamationg
And who Of us does not glow with en-.
ehsntment at the remembrance Of that
mcst fascinating Of nursery talesI Go 10
the end Of the rainbow and you will find
pots OF gold and gems and precious stones.
| What grand and alluring prospect. The
story Of the little girl who goes out in
scnteh Of rainbow wealth. how pathetic!
The credulous mind Of childhood grasps
! ,1uitantly the hope OF riches and ornament.
She hastens in the buoyancy Of hope. to.
| ward that Imaginary goal planning suita
| Die gifts 20 father, mother, sisters and
/ brothers. Alas, tragic disappolntmcnti
Lost In the woods and swamp. her hope
changes 10 despair, smiles to tenrs, ard
Deset with fatigue and hunger aud fear. the
! niue creature, sobbing and trembling falls
/ TO sleep.
But come! Throw back the curtain and
| look ut bow Of three cnlors which will
not VANISH as you approach It, Draw near
ana explore field rich In diamonds
a promlse--a covenant-a really tangible.
raIpab'e bow. Therefore 60 md the puts OF
gold, ind wisdom aud UNDERSTANDINGS tine
HeIchandisc OF which Is better tnan The
,hs ar ,i Of silver and the gain thereof
man unc gold; she Is more precious Than
fuhies, ana all the things thou canst desire
aie not 10 be compared usito her, Seek
he treasure beStOw thy richest gifts UpOu
society and endpw posterity With the very
uesl on iegacieS-a deeper moral, spiritual
and intellectual inheritance
The spectrum of three colors Let us
study H. Puritan, Quaker and Cavalier
our coIors. Let us examine them-aullyzc
mon. While these colors are primary and
1{pical' sun they blend IN beNuteous tint.
TO the student OF colonial literature ;he
sfauatlons from Puritan to Quaker and
lrom Quaker to Cavalier, are noticeable,
anu intensely interesting, but al The first
6larce NJ the spectrum lie dlsccrns that In
stAdylng the typical colors. knowledge OF
me shades naturally follows. To the savage
Ine RAINBOW Is mystery; to Noah cove
uaht, 70 US simply refraction and re1cc
tiou Of sunlight. When sunbeam shines
course and we have spread out before us
tile RAINBOW colofs. Let Us carry our Srleu-
tine experiment little farther. Pass a
delicate thermometer along from Violet to
req and We observe an increase OF heat.
receive the spectrum on coucave mirror,
or pass 1t through a convex lens. and we
get back our original sunbeam. Now. In
tensify, II we please, this beam OF light
with reflector. What interesting and
instructive experimental These expert
ments can not be performed without the
necessary apparatus. and materials Have
we such equipments Why, yes. English
civilization Is our sunlight American iSola-
tion the prism, the Atlantic seaboard the
screen upon which the colors fall The
acument of the Ladies Reading club the
thermometer that Is 10 register the inCreas-
Ing heat from Puritan to Cavalier the
revolution and the succeeding epochs OF
National life and unity is the convex lens
which combines the colors, forming cut Of
the Puritan, Quaker and CavaIler a trans
eendent ideal chnracter-the Americau-and
al s.HHH AFrNsaF staRnn sci IL ILL.,
50 urces ana hgtteriCg augurics Is tho re
Hector which Is TO intensity the light o.
orHry men and women with talent Of "traus
utn1rnt brightness" causing them to 'out-
shlul myTlads though bright"
The birth of American literature and the
dawn of American civilization come nj a
favorable time m history The VirglB
uueeC Is dead, but the literary armament
Is stu ablazc with the spendor and mag.
uiGcence Of that constellation of brilliant
writer's of The Elzahethau age The lgst of
Ibis age reaches ont into the centuries
, eperyizlrg influence The re3aissanc. VAS
The outt1rst Of light after long eclipse
I Diverse activities, long dormant. be ONE
Reformation taught men 70 feel and honor
The majesty of conscience. the discovery
hearts With dreams Of conqrests. OF wealth
( OF fame Hnd OF Immense territorial domin-
ions The Intellectual, maritime and re-
licious Influences gave to the world a
stre0in of new ideas and conditions which
impaired a piquancy and charm to litera-
ture with which the preceding epochs are
not 10 be compared Al the beginning Of
the Seventeenth century, when colonists
ere beng planted Ia the wilds Of America,
ne influence of this glorious age Is still
felt, and The iucipieut writers Of America
are stu intoxicated with the blthvsone,
bucyfnt spirit OF this age, 20 which the
great draIGatist lived This literary I'M
petus Is au inheritance for which We owe
England II deHt OF gratitude. Ihts is the
sunlight that streams across the Atlantic.
As soon as this country began TO be col
onzed we mark he beginning OF he Amer
lean literature not literature in the high
est sense of the Term, not tie voice Of dt-
vine Inspiration which thrills the heart and
SEXES upon eternity. but rather q class
OF wriiiIgs ,deSigned 10 subserEe-humane
ana nraeiral emu Men 81 aialrs TOOK W.
the PEG ana wrote heenuse they uaq some
tmpehtate object IN NiGnw. ne attainment
OK which would De taclntaled ny writing
Ihey az not cream OF winning tame as az
tbors, OF establishing literary STANDARD,
/ or OF creating literature properly SO called
I'M mere Is the germ oil American htera'
ture 49,. .,, . 49,.
search me archiYeS OF the eaiiy colo
nists, read their chronicles, histories, dln'
RES, letters, messages, sermons speecnes
| magazines ana papers, the miscellaneous
prose ana poetry, examine their courts 81
law, tnelr FORMS OF government, thei
creed, their civic ana aomesuc relations
1 I and YOU VIII discover tue emnrlOnlC stage