THE INCENTIVE OF BEAUTY 223 



rivers, heavenly mountains, delightful lakes. In- 

 stinct tells them that they will have the joy which 

 comes from exerting their capacities to the full. 

 But somewhere in the back of their being is also this 

 expectation of seeing wonders of Natural Beauty, 

 and of seeing more of this Beauty from the very fact 

 that they will be seeing it as a prize truly won and 

 when their faculties are all tuned up to a fine pitch 

 of appreciation. 



And when they return from the unknown, when 

 the adventure is over, when they are again relaxed, 

 it will be the Natural Beauty which they have seen 

 that will remain in their memories long after they 

 have forgotten their exertion, long after they have 

 expended any wealth they may have found, long 

 after they have recorded the exact measurements 

 of the various features of the region. 



Curiosity to see the Natural Beauty of an un- 

 known region is a principal ingredient in the lure 

 that draws men to it. And Natural Beauty is what, 

 above everything else in regard to the unknown re- 

 gion, stands out in men's memories on their return. 



This at any rate is my own experience, and we 

 are perhaps on safer ground when we speak of what 

 we have ourselves experienced than when we speak 

 of what we imagine must be the experiences of 

 others. Though in this case I have good reason to 

 believe that my own experiences are very similar to 

 the experiences of others, and may therefore be 

 taken as typical. 



Almost my earliest recollections are of a Somer- 

 setshire village set in a lovely valley, fringed with 

 woods and surrounded by hills. Up the hills on the 



