The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1907-05-12
Sea Magic
From the Spectator.

| There is nothing in this world sc
| clean and clear as the skyline at sea-
| The first sight of it on leaving land.
when fields and hills and houses sink
| out of sight and all around is nothing
but that vast unbroken circle of which
the ship is the center with the great
arch of sky meeting it delicately at the
edges, affects one with sheer amaze
ment, so immense is it and so simple.
Kipling speaks of the excellent lone
liness'' of the sea; but till one grows
used to the vast emptiness of its soli-
tudes, this loneliness is almost appal-
ling. 1t is curious thing to feel the
interest aroused by any sail or funne!
during a voyage. The ocean solitude
fosters a strong sense of comradeship
with anything that sails Or swims, so
that it becomes possible to throw one
self outside, as it were, and survey the
liner in which comfortable people trav-
ell from a humber level-with the eyes
of the deep-sea fisherman or the master
of q tramp steamer. Imagine the sem
timents of half-wrathfuI admiration
with which those who go down to the
sea in the "Bolivars" of the ocean
overloaded, undermined, meant to
and see, green upon the
starboard bow, red upon the port
'tsome damned liners lights go by like
grand hotel"
The sea magic is sure and inde7
the beauty of ships. Even in these
days when the sailing line-of-battle
ship and the swift and graceful frigate
have vanished utterly from the face
of the ocean, while the wind -jammer''
is slowly following them, there is still
the beauty of strength and true pur-
They trick her up inside in velvet and
gliding, SO that land-bred and seasick
may delude themselves into
thinking that they are still on shore.
The sea has nothing to do with the
liners cabins and saloons; but where
the water closes round her stark
old sea grace perforce come back-for
the sea endures no foolish excrescences.
To get some glimpse of 1.-The way of a
ship upon the sea- it is well to go to
the bows where the high-peaked fore.
foot lifts so sharply from the water
there the wind and the dancing move
ment of the. vessel are of an intoxi-
eating quality. The motion at the
forecastle head is quite different from
that amidships, where there is the
constant underground throb of the ems
gfnes. But at the bows there is lift
and a tremble, a springing forward
that combines the grace of a dance
with the resistless strength of march, |
ing army. The firm, clean cutwater
parts the heavy seas on either hand
into miniature Niagaras, a smooth, |
CLASSY outward curve and then the
plunge of foam-a foam that is Of an
absolute whiteness--delicate evanes-
cent, always new-created. Nor must
we forget the little rainbow that lies
on the water close under the bows,
always going before the moving vessel
when the sun is shining
Each time it is an amazement to
realize anew the weight and depth of
that wonder of water we call a sea-
wave-to see with the actual eye Gas
Rusl>in says in a fine if somewhat
overburdened passage) Its green
mountainous giddiness of wrath. it's
overwhelming crest-heavy as iron. fit
full as flame, clashing against the sky
in long cloven edge-its furrowed
TANKS, all CHASTITY clear, deep in trans,
parent death, but all laced acrossed
with lurid nets of spume, and tearing
open into meshed interstices their