2
THE HESPERIAN STUDENT.
tion, is very much like a oatorplllor in so
much that ho has boon termed the worm
of the dust, lie in in a sluggish mood,
and Is composed of the products of the
earth. When , in the eyes of his Croolor
ho has reached, through the many in
Huences he Inn passed, that slate at which
lie Is prepared for a higher sphere, this
form he forgets, and soars away to the
throne of his Master. Hut, you ask, what
is it, that thus puts on an immortal hue?
It Is the genu, living and reasoning,
which, like the hutterlly has changed it's
earthly, for a higher, purer sphere. It is
that principle, only of a different. form, by
the many impressions it has received, that
once actuated the human body this we
once called mind, we now call spirit.
Then as impressions are received so is the
spirit modified. Hence these are the in
struments, delicate and rare, by which
we color our future garment. They are
divine gifts direct from (foil's own hands.
Let no man, then, consider them careless
ly ; for they descend like snowllakes, and
their origin is as high as heaven. They
fall silently and slowly around us, and
when the burning Sun appears they arc
restored to their former positions, or sent
through the turbid stream, leaping catar
acts, at last reaching a great and
stormy ocean. F. M. L.
PicturcN.
ITow many times have I longed for an
artist's pencil, not that I have any idea
that the world would be astonished by
the beautj' of my conceptions, but because
certain lovely tints and groups and pos
hires have haunted me through almost
my whole life and I long to express them.
Perhaps these pictures of long-a-go beau
ty are cherished the more tenderly that
for some three years past nothing much
more striking in color or form has presen
ted itself to me than these prairies now
bare and brown these few trees which
yet have such a decisive, matter-of-fact,
way'of giving up the ghost that, to a per
son brought up in sight of eastern forests
death is their crowning glory, it is de
plorable in the extreme. Towards Au
tumn without warming or change of tint
except the sad turning Jo dullest brown,
the leaves of these trees grow hard and
crisp and rattle to the gaound.
Yet even here I have seen the shadows
playing and chasing each other in a mar
velous manner over the gently rolling
hills. Here is a leaf from the record of
my first year in Nebraska :" The Spring
is just changing the brown prairies to
faintest green the sun isjust throwing up
golden banners to herald its approach a
mcadow-lark of sweetest song the herd
ers' voices sound distinct through the
morning stillness as they shout to the cat
tle and to each other. Between two hills
the roof and chimney of a cottage is visi
ble with the purpule smoke wreathing up
ward, and, now, behold, the hills step out
before me, the one in purple, the other in
palest rose!" Here, too, the sunsets are
almost Italian in their far-reaching bril
liancy, but I have a picture in my mind of
one seen at Long Branch more wonderful
than any of these. There was the low sad
murmur of the sea in the distance, other
wise all around a solemn silence and mel
lowncss of 'light while in the west a great
canopy of densest cloud was suspended
directly over the sinking sun and as the
prssmatic beams shot up one after anoth
er and died nway, it was alternately lined
with rnrost shades of purple and gold and
rose.
Again 1 wonder if t can present ty your
minds a picture which tilled with admi
ration myself and all who saw It. See
a great Newfoundland dog and a pet lamb
Inseparable In rest as in motion;
beside them, his elbow on the dog and his
tired head on his band, a child of some
two or three summers, with loose brown
curls falling his shoulders; with eyes the
most remrrkable for pensive pleading and
angelic beauty I have ever seen! There
was something about this picture that
tilled with admiration and, at the same
time, with inexpressible sadness the heart
of. everyone who saw It that occupied
the mother's heart for years after the dear
child and its playmats were taken out of
her sight forever.
Again I see thi same mother receiving
two gentlemen guests with a sweet child
like embarressment of manner, vet all un.
conscious of ihrce great yellow lilies
which the little fellows' hand had fasten
ed in the coil of her glossy black hair. I
remember, child as I was, how the pretty
unsuspecting perk of her red mouth
charmed me I
Unco more and, and oh ! most grace
ful picture, which no artist can portray
a snake riding the water! Note the
superb poise of the head, the graceful
undulations of the body, and more than
nil, the absolute silence of his course
how exquisitely harmonious and beauti
ful a picture! You can not believe that
you have heard no sound for your ear
seems to vibrate as to some spirit-like
melody !
Another little picture seen when I was
six years, I .see as distinctly yet as this
snow covered prairie before me. Imag
ine then (for I cannot paint) two children
standing in a marshy meadow with sweet
grass and Hags and brooks at their feet, a
lonely crow sitting in the top of a dead
hemlock and a sad-voiced little Phu'hc
crying in the distance a most wonderful
mingling of golden light and shadow
Hooding the whole earth and sky and
lighting up with a kind of glory the shin
ing golden heads of the little girls!
Again, imagine but, no, we must stop.
There is no end to the pictures and sweet,
beautiful and touching, if only we have
the eyes to see them, the heart to open and
Hut as to the latter part of the saying, I
am Inclined to think that If a few of the
old " fogies" were to receive the same
sign of whales that Jonah did our world
would be no worse oil'.
Since my mind seems to wander at pres
ent upon these old superstitious ideas, it
makes me think of an old rhyme that I
verily believe was made in the lime of
Noah; but whether any of the old patri
archs was the author of it or not 1 will
never tell; if lliey were Ihev were certain
ly greater " lunies" than I have taken
them to be. It is upon the art (V) of sow
ing turnip seed, and, according to the
grangers, must be lived up to or your tur
nips (as they say) will come out at the
little end of the horn. "On the 21st of
July, sow your turnips, wet or dry."
Strange to say, .some people are such
strong adherents to this rule that, If they
did not sow their turnips that day it
would be a sure sign Hint the frost would
come early ami nip tliem in the bud.
Hence as a certainty no turnips would be
planted. Nevertheless this is a dav of
progiess and civilization, and all of these
superstitious ideas are gradually dying
out. One by one these old " ignoramuses"
arc departing from the long list of hu
man knownothings, ami the world is, from
this very reason, growing better and wiser.
Here again we see an old granger wend
ing his way through the middle of the
street, with a loaf of g'ngor-broad under
one arm and a pitchfork under the other,
gazing in a t' i-dumnt at some of the
signs and, summing the whole thing up,
wondering in what art of the moon they
were planted. He, too, is
All druKised up In lily very host unr.
With two bohtalled dogs trotting in the roar.
Ami nn old plug-hat with the rim torn oil",
standx on his hcml like n eoflVc-pot.
A nine in hi month; lie is putllng away
With all or hit Ktrength. It in n warm day.
And thi! Hwcat from hln forehead rolls In drop,
Down to hln hoots and then It Mop.
The tail or hi coat Maud out from the unlet,
Which proo that he Ik in very great haste.
And the dogw, pour car! to follow atiout,
Hunt run m fact that their tongue hang out.
He is a constant reader of the almanacs,
and studies the signs of the zodiac as
carefully as the student does his mathe
matics, and I dare say, with a great deal
lllftri' mlmviwt
Illlll 1111.111 HIT Kilt lift,. liii.Mili.V.w.l
, " "'"" '""'. im.r.rnl face
are an my wonts: n i could only lake
up a brush and, with a few touches, tell
you just what I mean! A. C.
and played-out absurdities, we can say,
and without fear of very harsh citieism,
that "The fools are not all dead yet."
Burnt.
MuioMt ail KiH'oiiiitci',
In our perambulations about the Uni
versity building one day, our sensitive ear
was saluted with sounds harsh and dls
cordant. On the spur of the moment wo
made up our mind thai It was a freshman
up In the cupola rehearsing his declama
lion, but upon a nearer approach wo
found two "preps" engaged, not in deadly
strife, but in a terrible war of words. Wo
are timid and after taking in the situation
concluded to quietly depart; but an In
comprehensible something seemed to root
us to the spot, and we were an unwilling
spectator of a most unpleasant scene.
Oh Ih'milex! how those "preps" wanted
to run! but like a brace of l u lams, each
felt unwilling lo make the start. There
seemed to bo no lack of words on either
side, and both parlies expressed them
selves fluently and forcibly. Without
cessation or diminution those sturdy
"preps" continued the strife, and our
sympathetic nature was aroused upon see
ing one of our gallant "sophs" placed in
such a position that escape was out of the
question, and, though sullerlng from the
keenest fear (and a variety of other emo
tions too numerous lo mention, all of
which were depicted on his classic conn
tenance,) there he remained until the com
batnnis were pleased to adjust their "un
pleasantness." But I digress. Louder
and still louder waxed the disciples of
Hcenan; the hot blood found its way to
their pale and book-surfeited faces the
perspiration rolled from their noble brows
the muscles in their necks swelled al
most to butsti'ig, and there was seeming
ly every prospect for a trial of muscle,
but circumstances again proved that, it is
always darker just before the dawn. Af
tor relating a few biographies and being,
at times, .somewhat personal and pointed
in their remarks, they gave evidence of
weariness and ennui, in sundry grimaces,
the unsophisticated, though a "senior,"
could not err there in or mistake the
miMim ti tr
An old woman, whose! avi..,". . m
i !..,.,., .... . ,, "hat a striking scene not exact lv
fijj.i..- K1V.V nun uTiiiKicu loreuctui ,... ... .
wniihl slmw timt tvit. i...,. ...... r,,M,,r '"""or. approximately so.
nnssed sIiicp ilrst sii..' innif ,'.!. .,i...!TlH'lmr,il's Prnll and all was soon
e took charge of the
Sign ami SiipcrNtition.
As I seat myself to write something
my mind seems, as it were, to float through
the mysterious regions of somewhere
that appears entirely incomprehensible
and far beyond the reasoning power and
'""' v ' '" whik mi-1 surely "lnisl," and smell ccoodlii"lv
inanity, i nc nrst oiijecl tliat my mind I harsh when made into .,,,.,.,, 7:ii
fairly and squarely strikes In its inesti-1 tbec old "codgers" are continually seek-
farm and garden, and began to study the
"signs of the times," and make aerial as-
cents in order to find out whether the moon
Wiis made of green cheese, and, if it was,
at what time it indicated rain Arc. She
says that she must plant her cabbage seed
.... i... i... . .i it ... i .. .
un un- nisi uiiy oi .nitron, or ttie caliliare
quiet and serene where such a short time
before till had been wild commotion.
The "soph" escaped from his unpleasant
situation and with a long drawn sigh of
relief lefi the spot evidently painfully
and fearfully moved. Being left to our
self we fell to moralizing thuslv: Those
heads when they come to niiiluritv wHl i n"hh' ym,,h" l,m,,,,ll'ss '"' to the class
..... ' 111 lltlil Iti.i.u ..... .... .1 ..1...... !.. ...... C. 1....
.....i.i.. n:..i.i : 1.1 ., .. ...
mum- iiiyiu is nn um saying mat 1 nave
heard, originated somewhere between the
lids of the Good Book, and runs some
what in this wise: "O! ye wicked and
perverse generation, that are continually
seeking for a sign ; but I say unto you
there shall no sign bo given, except the
sign of the Prophet Jonah." As I pon
der for a while upon that saying, I am
very favorably impressed with the first
part of it; for it is plain to see that there
are some human beings (if I am allowed
to call them such,) who persistently insist
upon planting their potatoes in the moon
and are foolish enough to believe that if
they did not get them in the dark part of
the moon, the seed would be sure to rot,
ing for some new sign ; and, finding no
other way to substantiate their theories,
they must organize a grange where they
can meet and consult as to the best moth
oil and time of the moon to plant heels &c.
Yet when you prove to Jhem that all these
things are in contradiction to common
sense, they turn around and hiss in your
ear: ".list git 'way from yer with your
new fangled igees, for our forefathers
taught us these things and we'll stick to
'em or bleed." Although the world is in
such a stage of progression, still when we
look at the past and judge by it our future
condition, when we see all around us still
those that curse and abhor the truth, and
cling with a death-like grip to uIPso old
of bad boys we read about in our Sunday
School books, and thuy will perhaps come
to some miserable end, as such boys most
always do. It is impossible for them to
live to become men, under the circum
stances; for have not all bad boys from
time immemorial died early in life But
perhaps those youths may reform and be
come good boys, or, possibly, politicians,
and thus blot out this foul stain on their
names and the names of their ancestors.
Indeed, there Is something so grand in
thinking and cogitating upon (lie affairs
of others, that we might perhaps have
been taking a Hip Van "Winkle sleep over
the matter, had not a friend aroused us,
and we again assumed the duties of actu
al life,
What goes most against a man's grain
A reaper.
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