THE BLUE SKY 



53 



rather than illusion. What causes it I cannot 

 say, but it would seem to belong to some shak- 

 ing of the lower atmosphere, for I have never 

 seen it from high mountains. 



The lower atmosphere is, indeed, responsible 

 for most of the volatile capricious appearances 

 of the sky. From mountain-tops the sky is 

 not so changeable, the stars twinkle less, show- 

 ing that the atmosphere is quieter, and the face 

 of the blue more uniform and serene. It lies 

 there calm as at creation's dawn, lighted as was 

 the old Mosaic firmament, and studded with 

 the same jewel-like stars. It seems above and 

 beyond all local and temporary disturbances. 

 Winds mark it not, storms are far beneath it, 

 heat, dust, and moisture effect it but slightly. 

 It pales and lightens under the sun, deepens 

 under the moon, and darkens under the stars, 

 but in other respects it shifts not. An enor- 

 mous sweep of violet-blue, it rests, a type and a 

 symbol of unchanging serenity. 



And oh, the mighty silence of the upper sky ! 

 What a contrast it is to the noisy, wind-swept 

 earth and the restless ocean ! Infinite realms 

 of violet-blue sweeping outward and upward, 

 yet from them comes only the Great Silence 

 the hush that tells of limitless space. No 



