“At Day’s Close”

From FB:

“With the decline in magical beliefs, night time for most urban households became less menacing. Like the natural world generally, darkness lost most of its aura of terror and mystery. Formerly a source of fear within educated circles, night even became, for some observers, an object of awe and admiration. The very air at night, once thought perilous, now appeared sweet and refreshing. Celestial spectacles such as comets inspired rapture rather than dread, as unprecedented numbers delighted in using telescopes.

Artists, travelers, and poets all celebrated night’s beauty and grandeur. Visiting the Continent in 1787, a London bookseller exulted, ‘The evening was still & tranquil & the sky perfectly serene, enriched with millions of stars shining in perfect beauty.’ Similarly, a traveler in France opined, ‘Nothing could be more delightful than this journey by moonlight, in a serene night.'”

– “At Day’s Close: Night In Times Past” – A. Rogers Ekirch