The Hayvkeye Okxitiiologist and Ooi.ogist. 



in a uniform repetition of the laws of 

 nature. That all benignant sua that 

 shone so brightly during the past 

 summer is but repeating the lesson 

 which he learned in his youth; for 

 the sua is old. Yes, the sun is old 

 and weary, rapidly passing away in- 

 to feeble age. Those waves of light 

 and heat, without which no life 

 could exist, are gradually losing 

 their strength. 



The vital power of the sun is ebbing 

 into eternity, and even this land on 

 which we live is covered with the 

 foam of age. I would that some pow- 

 er could take us back to the time 

 when the earth was young. Would 

 not tho._-e mysterious hills come to us 

 in another form, and teach us of mar- 

 velous things? 



The history of Egyptian wonders 

 (Rameses and all of his idolatrous 

 successors) cannot compare with the 

 history of the section of country that 

 we plow from year to year, and call 

 our own. Those elements around us 

 that give life to all vegetation now, 

 formed the very ground on which our 

 dwellings now stand. I have often 

 heard men complain of the weather — 

 how this is wrong, and that is wrong 

 — how the whole world is wrong, if 

 tilings do not shape themselves to 

 their minds, but don't you know that 

 the elements around you are your 

 friend.-'? 



Without the rain, your crops 

 would'ct grow, and the springs 

 .would run dry, the poor, weary cat- 

 tle would suffer unto death, and all 

 vegetation would die. 



No life could exist if deprived of 

 this precious boon. Aye, even the 

 wind would droop and die away; but 

 without the sun we could have no 

 rain. 



The elements around us, the sun 

 above us, 92.000.000 miles away, — yes, 

 'twill bear repeating; these are the 

 a rents which have formed the soil 



that you plant with corn and take 

 such pride in. In what way has the 

 sun done this work? The heat of this 

 fiery sphere evaporates the oceanic 

 waters, and thus forms clouds. The 

 rain comes down and forms rills, 

 creeks and rivers; and these agents 

 spread rich, alluvial soil over the land 

 and have finished this expanse of 

 country that we might profit by it — all 

 for us! God in His wise and all pow- 

 erful plan has done part of His work 

 in this way, and as we enjoy the 

 light and heat of this brilliant orb 

 we are but enjoying the power that 

 formed the solid hills and fertile soil 

 of our mountainous regions and 

 and prairie lands. 



[TO BE CONTINUED.] 



Fur lite Hatokeye 0. and 0. 



THE BAD LANDS OP DAKOTA. 



BY L. W. STILWELL. 



A region lying between the White 

 and Cheyenne rivers; where those 

 streams flow near together, in Zie- 

 bach, Washington and Jackson coun- 

 ties, and toucning the "Bad River," 

 is a barren tract constituting what is 

 known as the heart of the "Bad 

 Lanis," (Mauvaises Terres). Once 

 covered with an ocean whose waters 

 in the lati ages laved the shores of 

 the uplifted island which is now 

 known as the Black Hills, subse- 

 quently covered with brackish or 

 fresh water lakes following the subsi- 

 dence of Old Ocean, this "Bad 

 Lands" region is now left a dry, ster- 

 ile, desolate waste. The appearance 

 of the soil and rock is that of a ma- 

 rine deposit of clay, sand and calca- 

 reous compact. A wierd feeling 

 creeps over the visitor as he stands 

 amidst the towers, pyramids and ser- 

 rated ridges carved here and there 

 by water erosion; a loneliness steals 

 over him as he perceptibly feels the 

 solemn stillness of nature's gray city 

 of pinnacled forms; and he finds him- 

 self looking around him, almost ex- 

 pecting to see arise ghosts of the 

 hug» mammals that perished with 

 the Tertiary age, whose remains lie 

 buried in the detritus at his feet. 



