Living the Radiant Life: A Personal NarrativeJames, George Wharton
Religion
Living the Radiant Life: A Personal Narrative
James, George Wharton
Conduct of life
In his _Saul_, Browning has David tell how the stars suggested to him
the life of the people far away, who dwelt far beyond the possibility of
his ever seeking them. How could he, the poor and humble shepherd lad,
ever hope to see and know these people? Yet he could picture them. So
can you. Let your imagination grow! Let it roam! Enjoy all it gives to
you of good and inspiration. Think of the life you might live if you had
the power some of these people have, and then seek to live worthy of
that larger life even in the restricted sphere in which you are placed.
But there are other things in the heavens, almost as common as the
stars, that may become a great and glorious inspiration to you.
I once saw a display of lightning that came to me as a revelation from
God. It was so vivid and intense that the friends who were with me, old
Arizona pioneers who had braved hundreds of storms, were afraid, and
like myself hid their faces in their blankets. But by and by the
absurdity of this act struck me;--as if we were safer with our heads
covered than if we were taking in the sight in all its sublimity and
terrible splendor. So I resolutely cast my blanket aside, and although I
had not yet gotten over the shaking of my knees, I stepped to the cabin
door and enjoyed the splendid scene to the full.
Who could hope to describe this display so that others can see it, or to
be believed if he even attempts to picture the intense and vivid
brilliancy of that evening's marvelous fire-works? For a few moments we
were enveloped in a "darkness that could be felt," and then, in a
moment, what seemed to be hundreds of millions of darting, zig-zag forks
of lightning struck downwards through the heavens in every direction. We
were encircled in these myriad flashes of vivid violet light that almost
blinded us with their brilliancy. For an hour or more this display
continued. But it was a sight that I can never forget, and it gave me a
new insight, and new thoughts about the glory of God.
I have sat in the grass on a summer night or have walked many a mile
both in the South and in the West watching the scintillating, yet soft
and delicate, light of the fireflies as they sparkled and twinkled at my
feet and in the air all about me. With a sort of irregular yet rhythmic
movement they opened and closed their tiny lanterns, and interested,
fascinated, and thrilled me by the perfection of their simple beauty.
With equal fascination I have watched the phosphorescent glow on the
ocean beach, as the great foam-crested breakers curved over and dashed
shoreward, gleaming with that peculiarly weird brilliancy, altogether
different from any other light known to man. It is even more fascinating
when seen in the amethystine waters of the Gulf of Mexico, as the
steamer plows its way through the yielding waters and casts the
gleaming and phosphorescent spray from side to side in the otherwise
dark and silent night.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account