Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1905-10-13
TIE HARVEST MOON.
LONELINESS that Comes with Large
October nights

October Nights.
In other days and other lands the poets
gayly sang Of merry May and bonnie June.
The Treasury OF Literature" sparkles with
many a gem in praise OF spring and SUM
mer. But for the jewellers in the Missis-
sippi and Missouri valleys there Is but one
queen Of the months beautiful. bountiful.
benign October motherly and serene.
What a world of romance fingers about
this peculiar season. A strange mingling
of heat and cold, the subdued sunshine by
day. the soft whisper of rain by night. the
gentle rustic Of leaves as they fly before
the autumn wind. all tell story OF the
finished year and hint at coming winter,
No other month OF the twelve seems to
smile upon us like October with skies so
hazy, so soft. so mellow
This is the social month, the time for re-
unions and state fairs and harvest homes.
1t is the time for good old-fashioned coun-
try visiting, for nutting parties and apple
parings; for friendly neighbors TO come
with thimbles and help with the cuttings
and comfort tackings
Thoreau has told how the bright coloring
OF our autumn leaves is slowly tingeing our
poetry and giving II a glowing hue, I'M
known TO old world literature
No country but our own. no month but
October. can show such trailing draperiss
| OF scarlet woodbine, such yellow fiags OF
forest leaves, such liberty poles Of fantas-
tic naples, from which a thousand gay
banners are flying. No celebration with
bunting and ribbons could make the land
| soape so beautiful; no picture gallery on
| earth show half such variety and charm.
| Not yet have come the melancholy days.
not yet the tragic sorrow of the frost; but
everywhere the glow before the ember days.
But yesterday the equinox was here with
rain and wind. Now ali is peace, the golden
hours follow each other until the setting
sun drops slowly out Of sight.
What is this halo, the radiance, serene,
unmistakable; this light that never was on
land or sea? II is the harvest moon. the
fun moon of October-theme Of poets lay.
and strange old world superstition.
All day It hides beneath the greater glory
OF the sun. In the calm autumn afternoon
we may see it like a silver shield, far up
in the deep blue sky. But as night draws
nigh its fun beams are so bright that we
scarcely miss the departed sun.
! The beautiful moon OF harvest" has from
time immemorial filled the fancy of artist
and singer.
Moon OF Harvest, herald mild
| or plenty-rustic labor's child.
Hail, Q hail! ] greet thy beam
! AS soft It trembles DER the stream
And gilds the straw-thatched hamlet wide
Where innocence and peace abide.
'Tis thou that glad'st with JOY the rustic
Prompting the DEMONSTRATING the merry
| songi
| No other moon of the year can equal this
in brilllancy and mAgnihcence. At its ris-
| ing 1t has a character so peculiarly its own
that the more we expect and observe 1t the
more does 1t strike us with astonishment.
The warmth and dryness Of the earth, the
clearness and balmy serenity of the atmos-
phere at this season. the freshness which
comes at eventide-all combine to make the
twilight walk delightful
But scarcely has the sun departed in the
west when suddenly the fun moon in the
east springs up from beyond some solitary
hill. over a broad lake, or from behind the
dark, rich foliage OF the trees, and sails up
| into the still, transparent air in the full
magnihcence of glowing world. 1t does
not appear. as at other times, merely
fair fiat disk pasted against the sky. Now
we behold it suspended in the crystal air
in all Its greatness and rotundity.
1t stands out like ball, rounded on
every side. silver orb floating in the pale
gray ether. The April moon is DAINTY
maiden, chary of smiles. coy, retreating,
reluctant, shy The october moon is a
mother, a warm-hearted benevolent Juno
smiling on all her children.
Men have always had strange fancies
about the moon. They have worshiped 1t
as a goddess, sung of 1t as the birthplace
OF dreams honored 1t as the home Of kind
spirits empowered to visit the earth and
help good men and women. Once It was
queen of the weather. and by It's rising
and setting all farming operations were
decided. The old-fashioned almanac was
full of moon lore. "If the moon rises with
a white light, it signifies fair weather; II
with swarthy light, rain. If at full moon
half the disk is clear then look for good
weather; II red wind II black, rain
A circle around the moon is sign or
stormy weather. When the moon is shaped
like a boat, the end upturned predicts
fair weather. When Adam Bede was pre-
pairing for his fathers funeral he watched
the moon and said: There's no likelihood
OF drop now, since the moon lies like
boat there"
rrha Utarature of all nations is full OF