Hueber, Francis M.

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Beauty Within the Earth.:Francis M. HueberWIJEN I sit ill the solitude of my room, I reminisce over thevarious things that I see there. I look at my Indian relics,knives, anc! drums, and remember my trips to Guatemala. Isee the wood carvings and pictures of feather and straw, and I re-member my trips to lVlexico. Finally my eyes rest upon the displaycases which house my rock and mineral specimens, and I think backto the beginnings of this, my hobby.My collection began when I was eleven, with a modest array ofseven mineral specimens which I bought in a shop in the lead-miningarea of Missouri, and for which I gave the last thirty-five cents ofmy long-hoarded allowances. In the shop the hexagonal crystalprisms of the red ruby, golden beryl, green emerald, blue aquamarine,and purple amethyst were like ornate cells imprisoning the colors ofthe rainbow. There also were the lustrous cubes of galena gleaminglike the most highly polished example of the silversmith's art, andthe golden brightness of pyrite which is often labeled "fool's gold"because of its resemblance to the noble metal. There were moreelaborate crystals each placed in a more complex classification thanthe hexagon or cube and each with what seemed to be an untoldnumber of glittering faces. Many of the minerals on display werenative to the locality, the metallic ores of lead and zinc and the as-sociate minerals, but many others were from distant states andcountries; the rubies, beryls, and emeralds had been imported to addfurther interest to the display. The variety seemed endless, for eachshelf held a treasure of colors, the reds of the sunset, the yellowsof the primrose, the greens of spring grass, and the blues of deepwaters. It was difficult to realize that these objects were once partof the dark depths of the earth.Fr0111 the shelves of minerals I shifted my attention to a displayof fossil remains of many animals and plants long extinct. Herewere rocks that gave silent testimony to the life that had onceflourished upon the earth. There were shellfish and crustaceansfrom localities once covered by great seas that are now hills, plateaus,or mountains. The plant fossils were from localities once coveredby great swamps which are now the areas of the coal mining indus-tries. The slabs of shale and limestone bearing these remains offormer life were like pages from a great book of history, a book soimmense and covering such a great span of time that in comparisonman's entry is but a single letter.I am hardly the first to realize the importance of stones and theirrelationships with man; for as long as man's history has been traced,stones have entered the picture in one form or another. The earliestman found them to be the most convenient weapon to protect himselfand his family f rorn the attacks of wild beasts or unfriendly neigh-MANUSCRIPTS 37bars. As man progressed he found that certain stones lent them-selves to being fashioned into sharp instruments which were moreefficient weapons and useful utensils for daily life. In man's searchfor stones, out of which he was to fashion these weapons and utensils,he found many brightly colored ones, some of which were very hardanel resistant to wear.These stones were to become the first treasured jewels of man.Certain 0 f these were to g'ain importance as symbolic fetishes or wereto be attributed with healing powers. Here color played a great rolein the choice of stones. A green stone was the symbol of health andhappiness, for plants were seen to be green when healthy. Laterthe green emerald was a symbol of immortality to those who wereable to afford such a noble gem. The reel garnet was recommendedas a cure for heart ailments, possibly because of its blood-red cast.The sapphire was to royalty a symbol of divine consideration becauseof its heavenly blue color. Amethyst, the purple form of quartz, wasconsidered a protector against intoxication. As far back in historyas one wishes to go, there will always be found some supernaturalpowers attributed to stones possessing certain colors or qualities.The chatoyancy of such stones as the star sapphire, moonstone,precious cats eye, and opal was believed to be the dwelling of spiritswhich would protect the wearer from evil influences and bring greatluck. At present, however, the opal is supposed to bring bad luck tothose who can not claim it as their birthstone, for they are not pro-tected horn its evil enchantment. This belief in evil enchantmenthas been attributed to Sir Walter Scott's novel, Anne of Ceierstein,in which Lady Hermione, an enchanted princess, wore a particularlybeautiful opal in her hair. This opal sparkled brightly when she wasgay, and flashed fire-red when she was angry; but when holy waterwas sprinkled upon it, it faeled, and she swooned and died. Theenchantment of the stone was broken, and the following day nothingbut a pile of dry ashes remained of the Lady Hermione. Scott hadnot intended a superstition to spring up and spread as it has, for hehad used the opal as the magical stone onlv because of its iridescentqualities. Such superstitions associated with stones are great innumber, and there is not a stone that does not have, somewhere inthe world, a quality of good or evil associated with it.Stones have had bizarre uses through the years of man's history.It is related in the biography 0 f Nero that he possessed an emeraldof great size which had been fashioned into an eye-glass throughwhich he observed the gladiatorial fights of the Coliseum. It seemsa strange use for such a gem so highly prized in the present clay. Itis thought that Nero obtained this e111.eralclfrom the mine whereCleopatra obtained hers, for her collection of jewelry was made upof great numbers of these noble gems. Cleopatra was known to haveused two stones as a source of her cosmetics. Lapis lazuli, a softblue stone used extensively for the manufacture of talismans andamulets, was pulverized at her demand and mixed with certain fats38 MANUSCRIPTSto produce a cosmetic used for eye shadow. Malachite, a greencopper mineral, was similarly treated to produce a green eye-shadow.. From weapons to utensils, utensils to charms and jewelry, andJewelry to an eye-glass and cosmetics, all this is but a small part thatstones have played in the history of man. The study of these uses?f l:ocks .and minerals and the perception of their great beauty haveinstilled 111 me a greater realization of the wonders of the earth itself.~ittle did I suspect when I purchased those seven mineral specimens111 the .small roadside shop that I was to gain a new insight. I wasto realize that all the loveliness of the world is not to be found in theflowers, trees, streams, and animals on the earth but that there isgreat beauty within it, a beauty of rock and minerals, as old as theearth itself.Hay DayDiane ShoemakerTil E air was still cool at four. in the morning, but I knew tha..t to-day might be the day if rain did not fall before seven, so Idressed quickly and hurried downstairs. Aunt Jean and UncleMax were already in the kitchen, my aunt mixing biscuit dough, myuncle rinsing a pail in preparation for milking. I set the table, wait-ing anxiously for the word. After breakfast I cleared the disheswhile Uncle Max gazed out the window;' "Call the boys," he said."We're going to put up hay." My heart pounded as Aunt Jean rangfor Cunningham's. Haying time was here again.About nine-thirty I took my position at the corncrib door. UncleMax had forbidden me to go any closer to the barn, but I really didnot mind, for I was close enough here to see everything that washappening. As the first load arrived, I immediately noticed thesweetness and freshness of the hay, as the fragrance floated anddanced past me toward the house. Doc and John set the hay fork andunloaded : Harold scattered the loose hay in the loft; Mr. Webster,his son Norris, and Uncle Max scattered and piled hay on thewagons: Check and Darrell Gene drove the tractors, while PrestonWebster d rove the horse. Whenever hay season came, the neighborsalways traded a day's work. Tomorrow my uncle might help Check,hut today everyone was working for him, each performing his in-dividual task with care and pride, even though the work was notf or himself.John Marion was the individual who amazed' me. Even thoughhe was in his eighties, he worked as hard as any of the younger men.'Nearing long underwear in the summer and letting his mustachegrow to cover his lower as well as his upper lip were just two of hISidiosyncracies. I was official water-boy, so to speak, and kept thewater jar ill 111y shadow. To my unasked question, John told me

Beauty Within the Earth

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Beauty Within the Earth

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