Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-12

| The crescendo of the rain beat across
the roofs of Washington in the night.
Its coming had been heralded by flashes
| of lightning which split the dark, unac-
companied by thunder.
The softly warm night held menace
in its folds for all sensitive persons
afraid of manifestations arising from
clouds BY the f1aring light of the bolts
restless Sleepers could see the dark
storm masses scudding by over the tops
| of houses.
Glimpses of distant hills, covered with
| trees. gave an impression of land In
| motion, as the great oaks nodded their
| heads before the onrushing storm.
| Then as II curtain were suddenly
| drawn over the face of the world all
| became black again. There could be
heard only the curiously insistent COM
| ing of the rain, which seemed to be
walking across the city on velvet shoes
Large drops slapped the tin roof, one
by one, one by one, causing sort Of
echo. And above all there was to be
| heard the rustling of the wind, made
by bushes and flowers bending beneath
| the impact of the air in motion.
There is nothing human about such
sounds. They come from the heart of
| Nature, and enter into the hearts of
| those whose ears and minds are attuned
to hear such melodies.
Man-made music is calm music, no
matter how much the bass may roar
and crash, or how high the treble in
StrumentS climb. Let symphony rock
the hall, its miniature storm is soon
| over.
With Natures cloud-made music
always comes a threat, as if the winds
and the lightning were laughing to-
| gcther. we could wreck your old
| houses, and your old halls, if we wanted
! to! We could tear up your great bridges.
and make tangled wreck of your neat
| is no telling what we might not do, If
we once got into the mood for It,"
\ y X y
The restless, lying in their soft beds
as they listen to the gathering storm,
know that what the wind whispers-to
those who can hearts nothing but the
truth, so help them God.
Men who have lain awake through
| the centuries listening to the crescendo
of the rains have become restless over
that threat. There is no telling what
storm might do If 1t got out of hand.
Whose hand?
There in the night come whisperings
of the Great Mystery, visions of the
eternal doors, the everlasting gates, the
| quivering wings of the Almighty SO
as continuously feared.
Loved because needed. feared because
unknown. The shadow of storms, the
| bright light of sun, the CLEANS of
hatred, the peace of happiness-all are
mixed in the manifestations of Power
which sway the world, sweeping over
it in storms, whether at sea or on land.
In ancient times men feared most,
being in awe of natural manifestations.
They waited for brave thinkers to arise,
such as Lucretius, who told them that
thunder and lightning were not caused
by Jove, angry like a child, but by
processes of Nature which we're or
dained otherwise.
A man had to be brave 1000 years
ago to stand firm in the face of the
everlasting uproar and say to himself
and others, "All this is the result of
natural forces"
We of today do not believe the Lord
is angry with us when the natural
interplay of temperatures and pres
sures brings a thunderstorm to any
given area. We know that the air has
weight, that lows" sliding down under