Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1906-01-04
Communicated. }
RAINBOWS.

Nessrs. Editors "A few evenings
since your paper announced that
rainbow had been seen on the previous
afternoon. The phenomenon OF ram
how in winter is more remarkable
than AT other seasons. This may serve
Ia remind us that in the winter OF our
ACE measures are fewer than Ia the
Snrinc and summer of our hves, anu
as thew. like the rainbows, are less ire
uuent in these days when roses oLoonh
out of doors and the grass is green
under our feet, so they ought TO oe the
more highly priced. Ihere seems 70
be an appropriateness In consiuei my IN,
the rainbow on this beautiful flrst day
of the new wear, for it is the emblem
of hone and promise. The omnlpotent
has said ~ do set my bow In the
cloud. aud il shall be for token OF Q
covenant between Me and the earth,
aud further "While the earth remain
eth. seed time and harvest, cold anu
heat. and winter and summer shall
not cease. Here is reminder OF
the regular return of the seasons ana
their blessing of which New ear is
the starting point and the rainbow,
the promise.
Sometimes we see two rainbows, the
one a Tefraction or reflection OF the
other. and this reminds us that at one
time in the past the Naval Academy
had its two rainbows, the one orlght
young fellow with the rank OF Oarpen-
ter. the other q beautiful little SCI oon-
er designed and built under his d.
rection aud called by his name. Some
of us are still living who remember
with pleasure this tiny little craft
and who enjoyed cruises in her on the
river and bay. Usually they were
very pleasant, but sometimes exciting
and even dangerous. | do no recall
her ultimate fate, perhaps at the be-
ginning of the Civil War she was
taken TO Newport with the Naval
Academy and the Constitution ana
like the latter was never returned TO
her old moorings, but she, like the
rainbow of few days ago, mas passed
out of sight and is well nigh forgot
ten. At one time she and two cut
tiers, the MARY Ray" and the Kent
Hall" named for two Annapolis bellies
of that period, were the entire hotllla
of the Naval Academy. What con-
trast to conditions as they now exist
But there is another contrast not so
pleasant and not so fiattering TO our
local nor national pride.
In those days midshipmen were wont
to settle their personal affairs by
fights between themselves. Sometimes,
but rarely, they resulted unsatisfac-
torily, but generally after the encoun-
ter they made up, shook hands and
were probably better friends than
ever There was no cruel, petty, cow
ardly, tyranny; no hazing, no social
ed code of honor, no class DULLES, but
now ! would that the black pail of
oblivion could be thrown over some OF
these late events or that the recording
angel could blot them out with tear,
but this may not be. The future his
torian of the Academy. when his eyes
fall on these dark pages, will pause
and wonder if such things conld really
have happened and ,then he will pass
them by as the timid do a graveyard
at midnight or else he will hold them
up, like the executed malefaotor in
the olden time use to be hung up in
chains az the cross roads as ghostly
warming against such offences.
have digressed. but this digres.
sion is due TO contrasted conditions in
the career of the Naval Academy
Poets and writers have piled mp de-
scriptions of the rainbow, some of
them beautiful, but to my mind there
is not one of them so far as / have
seen, superior or even equal to that
contained in the 18th and 18th verses
of the 43rd chapter of Ecclesiasticus,
which | will quote as the conclusion
of this article: Look upon the rain
bow, and praise Him that made it,
very beautiful it is in the brightness
thereof. 1t compasseth the heaven a
about with glorious circle, and the
hands of the Most High have bend