isa-normaladvance-1913-00120

Description:	120THE NORMAL ADVANCEVPwe easily imagine it brushes past us with alight touch. Now look above! The most shocking shapes are flittering and gliding in pantomime across the ebon vault. This is the Carnival of the Ghosts, conducted amid a weirdphosphorescent glow, which emanates fromsome of the mountain recesses. After we havescaled the mountain and descended the otherside, we may turn and see the Evening Starshining with majestic splendor in this deepvault. Beside a spring whose crystal waterssparkle in chalices of purest cave onyx, we refresh ourselves with natures nectar.Feet foremost we enter the Auger Hole, anarrow cavity which after the spiral plan ofthe auger descends to the crest of TobogganSlide or Slippery Hill, w7here even on theFourth of July we may enjoy the pleasures ofcoasting. Through Creeping Alley we enterthe Crystal Palace, and stand amid suchsplendor and beauty as we never dreamed possible for mortals to behold. In one of the wingsof this palace is Beautys Bower, with itscrystallite walls which glitter as if studdedwith a million diamonds. Here the ForestKings Palace is discovered. It also is ofpurest alabaster and with fresco work that doescredit to its namesake. We see the Last Roseof Summer plucked by the Frost King. andcarried here for the decoration of his retreat.It is a perfect rose of purest white, and as wepass on through many corridors and roomswhose walls glisten and flash back our lights,we see many of her sisters nestling in the rockyrecesses, and we may almost fancy we see thefairy gardeners skipping about on the outskirtsof our shadows.AVe must pass quickly the ledges of jasperfrom which the Indians mended their arrowtips and tomahawks, on to The Fortress, inwhose ancient sides may be seen the half buriedstone cannon balls, the remainders of some subterranean combat. For awhile we gaze at themoccasined foot prints which have been preserved in the sand for ages. In the Autograph Gallery we may count for hours, if welike, the names of those who have preceded us.Perhaps we may carve our own names on thebits of golden ore found here and leave themas a record of our visit in fairyland.At last we stand before the entrance toAArorm Alley, a narrow crevice extending between solid rock, and just high enough to permit us to worm our way with difficulty overthe thirty feet of space separating us fromMilroys Temple. But when once we standwithin the portals of this, AVyolyos Shrine,we are repaid for all the trouble. Here as themagnesia ribbon burns brightly we behold theThrone and Canopy, the Chapel Organ,whose keyboard and reeds are by nature formedof clearest cave onyx, and give forth such puretones, that hymns may be played thereon by experts. Below is the deep abyss, know7n as theBottomless Pit. Listen! Someone hashas thrown a stone and we hear its rumbledown—down—down—until it finally dies awayin. the depths. Reluctantly we leave this paradise and retrace our steps for a time to theCut-off, through which we may pass and saveseveral miles on our return. As we emergefrom it we exactly resemble a tortoise comingfrom his shell. Perhaps we shall not fail to investigate Lover Retreat, the fairy home ofCupid. Lucky are the youth and maiden entering this bower together.For twenty-three miles we may enjoy thesenatural wonders, but time w7ill not permit, solet us hasten homeward. As we leave the caveproper the guide, by means of his magic, produces the beautiful effect of the full moon, making the room resplendent with its beams. Wepass at once into Twilight Hall, but this timeour impression is that of morning, burstingfresh and glorious upon us.Now let us bid you all adieu, hoping that youmay sometime see in reality, that of which wehave endeavored to give you a glimpse.
Source:	http://indstate.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/isuarchive/id/34565
Collection:	Indiana State University Archives

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