Page:Gods Glory in the Heavens.djvu/121

Rh such was not the case. The darkness was no greater than that often produced by a passing cloud, and, in the case of many, the eclipse occurred without being in the least noticed. Partial and annular eclipses are now regarded as matters of mere curiosity, and a momentary glance upwards is regarded as all that is demanded in the way of attention. It is far otherwise with the total eclipse. The gradual creeping of the moon over the disc of the sun, gives no preparation for the grand final effect when the last ray is quenched. It is felt not to be a matter of gradation, so frightfully sudden is the darkness. There is no comparison between a man nearly drowned and drowned altogether, or between a man half over a precipice and over altogether; so there is no comparison between a nearly total eclipse and one absolutely total. As it is the last straw that breaks the back of the camel, so it is the extinction of the last line of light that produces the darkness that may be felt; and the "feeling of the darkness" is hardly a metaphor, as the borders of the terrible pall thrown over the earth can be actually seen swiftly floating past in the air.

In these days, when the passion for travel is so strongly developed, people are ready to go any distance to experience a new and strong sensation. They do not scruple to traverse the Atlantic, that they may gaze on the Falls of Niagara, or shoot the rapids of