Charles Burchfield, Journals, August 14, 1914

A morning for the fairies - cool and calm. A slight breeze from the southwest, bringing with it long streamers of filmy clouds, which renders the sun a soft glow. All the while I am dressing I hear an oriole. He utters but one note - seeming as tho he started his song and then suddenly bethought himself of something else or again, as tho the wind had snatched the zest of the song away. As I go to work I hear him on High St. & this time he sings his song in full. Even tho I associate it with May mornings, it is not out of place on this cool morning.

A willow on Vine Street. As I walk along, and look at the sun thru its fairy lacy foliage, it seems to sparkle as with a million diamonds as when we walk along a picket fence thru which the sun is shining.

Noon brings sultriness tho in the shade we may escape it with the fresh breeze. Big curly clouds come.

At evening I saw an odd cloud formation. The day clouds had vanished, and capricious gourd mesh fea­thery creations had appeared woven perhaps of the sun’s rays as warp and leaf-glint as woof, by the wind. At the zenith, extending about a third of the length of the sky and lying across the ends of several feathery streaks, that radiated from the north, was a straight clean cut narrow bar of clouds by far the brightest the in the sky attracting the eye as much by this as by its peculiarity. Perhaps some God has lain this cord across those strands,to catch them up and bind them into sheaves.

I entered the house and came forth again almost immediately: I was amazed to see how the cloud had travelled. The one end had almost reached the horizon the whole appearing as a giant search-light.

Great events in our lives are only those things which cause upheaval in our thoughts. It does not necessarily mean a complete change of thought. On the contrary it may mean a renewal of a flagging train of thought. Poor is the day which goes Past without some event. It may be only some poetic phase or phenomenon of nature, a conversation, a passage from some great literary work, or a sudden truth revealed to us as we lie thinking. And so each day is fairly studded and stands out distinctly.

Everything works for good. There is no evil, when we consider that all evil becomes good. A certain professor has come forward with the declaration that the human race is deteriorating thru war - the “flower of the nations goes to war, becomes killed wounded or diseased, while the weaker part remains at home to produce posterity. But who knows but that with the passing of the war – loving element, a war despising race may evolve.  The “weaklings who stays at home does not love war. If it is left to them to reproduce the race, may they not produce war fearing posterity. We need not fear that the race may become weak.  We see daily “young giants” born of small parents.

Charles E. Burchfield, August 14, 1914