Charles Burchfield, Journals, November 13, 2017

 A November day. Tho sky at going-to-bed was starry early morning brought rain which soon ceased and the day became one mighty wind and swift clouds. Midmorning showed a wonderful phenomenon of sunlight.  Thru holes in the clouds the sun sent great shafts of light, and as the clouds hurried along the shafts swing around like giant searchlights a marvelous sight. When there were several, they appeared as a great rimless wheel slowly revolving thru apace.  I was keyed up to the highest pitch of excitement and roved restlessly from window to window unable to satisfy myself and finally ended up by going out of doors where the wind snapped around my shoulders.

  At 10:30 Rohrheimer comes to give talk on Historic orna­ment. The Acanthus leaf reminds me formalistic religion strangely. The expression sounds like “passion-speaking.”  But both have lasted so long for the same season. So bewiles I looked out of the window and watched the wind play with the leaves. The wind among the leaves typifies the freedom I want to give myself. What a spine chilling sight as the circling wind sweeps across the lawns driving the leaves in a mass and finally capriciously ending in a whirl, tossing them tree-­top high.  From a near field many tumbleweeds bounded along.  At evening the sky cleared in a final sparkle.

Evening at Dorothy Williams. Music; cards; and finally over our lunch a heated discussion of dogmatic religion.  Bob, Mrs. Lucas, Dorothy + I pretty well agree, that I am the most radical of the four.  Esther Watkins is a strict orthodox Methodist. Joe + Martha more free interpreters of Christianity, + Travis is as I mentioned before, a “cross” between Christianity + agnosticism. Afterward at 3:00 A.M., I reflected again on such discussions and won­dered of their worth.

Charles E. Burchfield, Friday, Nov. 13, 1914