The Commonplace 43 



City persons have no sky, but only fragments 

 of a leaky roof; for the city is one structure 

 and needs only a cover to make it a single 

 building. They have no free horizon line, 

 no including circle laid on the earth, no 

 welkin. There are no clouds, only an un- 

 defined something that portends rain or hides 

 the sun. 



One must have free vision if he is to know 

 the sky. He must see the clouds sweep across 

 the firmament, changing and dissolving as they 

 go. He must look deep into the zenith, 

 beyond the highest cirrus. We have almost 

 lost the habit of looking up : 



" Look unto the heavens, and see ; 

 And behold the skies, which are higher than thou. " 



Lie on your back in some quiet spot, and 

 let yourself go out into the endless distances. 



Or, if we note the sky, it is chiefly a mid- 

 day or sunset recognition. Our literature is 

 rich in sunsets, but relatively poor in sunrises. 

 Civilization has led us away from the morning, 

 and at the same time it has led us away from 

 youthfulness. We have telescoped the day 



