Year: 1868

The Mystery Of Darkness.


The weirdcst manifestation of the spiritual


influence to which the human body Is subject


ed is to be found in the expression Of blind


persons face If you want to arrive at a


real understanding of the mysterious life


within life which surrounds MS, and which is


upon Us, search studously the lncaments Of
the blind anil you will then know what kind


OF hidden force is the soul that has wrought


so inefiable an expression. The natural air


of blind face is that of repose 1t is right


that this should be for We believe silence to


be with darkness, and peace to be with s-


lence. There are few faces that have light


upon which in their hours of repose may not


be found am expression as of huugriness, wax


ing fainter or more powerful az we search


down the gradations of intellect. Life COM


municates to the eyes of those that can see


light which beams upon you with sense Of


want-an expression Of unrest--a thirsty de-


sire TO solve fresh mysteries. The suggest


iveness of being finds reflected inquistive-


ness in the open eyes of men, Take the


meanest eyes that ever gazed upon the endur-


ing glores of Gods universe, and, keenly


scrutinising them you will read as it were an


intelligence incorporated with their own nor
NAL consciousness, which stamps on the face


a thirstiness not to be- found on the face Of


the blind. This Incorporated Intelligence is


the knowledge Of things inspired by the


worlds show. 1t has Sided into the express


sion Of .heir eyes unknown to themselves


1t lives within the light of the eyes like the
memories with which some glances are preg-


nant 1t is the life of the eye that is two


fold; firstly, the light with which it has been


communicated. This second light is the deep


er mystery By it the expression Of the lin


eament. is stated, and because this light is the


embodied deep inquisitiveness inspired by the


suggestiveness of the surrounding life, 50 the


faces of those VINO are not blind have ever


upon them an expression of desire which
grows with time through which they live


The peace interpenetrating the lineaments
9 of the blind is the fruit of the silence which
is upon their spirits through the darkness
with which they are encompassed. A sense Of


this surprising peace is only communicated
4 to you when you watch the blind in the hour


of their repose The sounds of life, the ac-
: cents of human voices, the murmer of innum-
cradle things will agitate this repose and at
such time its weird beauty is without impress
siveness. There are periods when repose will
descend upon the spirit like a sense of sleep


it is in this slumbrous wakefulness that the
true expressions Of men come out, just as the
images Of things in water will grow visible


as the agitation on the surface subsidies and u


calm settles upon it, Then the manifestation


of the inwronght peace upon the face of the


blind takes place in all its startling mystery


of beauty. The yearning look which the
l blind sometimes wear, when you meet them
, in the streets or watch them listening amidst
=, audiences, is not the true expression of their
P spiritual being, 1t is an expression that i,
5 born from renewal of their ancient


inner activity by the sounds that are about
e them. Their true expression is to be found
I in the brow which seems to shine out of the
: very darkness of the mind that imparts to il
e its wondrous peace; in the lips that are
u parted and motionless because what whispers
! 20 on within are uttered in darkness, and
! need no movement of the lips to render theil
: significance Ineligible, for the blind do moi
c talk to themselves; in the eyebrows whicl


are contracted with no sense of light, no con
d seriousness of scorn, no cagerness of know
. N"s'' u" ',B""t VI "rN"''"'"" ~, "l''"
beauty OF the expression OF the blind face Il
full of the deep poetry OF pathos. 1t II
thronged with meaning OF exquisite lnconsls
: teney. 1t inspires the heart with the awe
u which tue sense OF darkness always inspires
d 1t provokes all wonder, and invites no sym
: pathy.


4 The seeing can have no feelings in common
" with the sightless-with those whose spirit
Il seem living life lnconeevable and unknown
+. to us who bask in the light OF the albright


ening sun, lind Joy, and music and poetry II
u the flushing OF flowers, the volupious swaylnl
= OF summer trees, the hazy glory OF stars an'
C skies. The souls OF the blind live the llie


deep CONSCIOUSNESS, whlch Is sei-lstehlhg
u seli-nspiring self-actlng, owing nothing Il
y outer suggestions instructive or absolute, argu
u ing with the spiritual logic which is conse
ID quenta only to itself, because II ignores al
N principles of positive and relative, of prece
III dent and comparison. They 1--we III the wor
of darkness, where the black skies OF thos
Is who were not born blind are strcaked acros


with the unillunnatlng mystic pale light q
y memory. In this dar kness they converse WIT
81 the echoes OF palpable voices they hear tn
u. vibrations of inoommunicable music; dream
r. of form and substance float before them an
p inspire them with all the thoughts they have
Is The mystery that follows the departure O


light is upon them. They i've aud move an
ot have their being in weird, phantom-world Q


thought that has no relation with the though
g of the lighted life. Their expectancy Is no
p' ours. 1t Is the expectancy that Is horn' no