OBSERVING BEAUTY 209 



exact trend of the mountains, and the source and 

 course of the rivers. But looking back now I see 

 that my natural instinct was a right one that a 

 knowledge of the beauties of Tibet was not only one 

 geographical result of the Mission, but the chief 

 geographical result; and that, in fact, I ought to 

 have paid not less but more attention, both in Tibet 

 to noting its beauties in all their multitudinous 

 variety, and in writing my lecture to expressing 

 with point and precision what I had seen, so that 

 you might share it with me, and learn what is the 

 most valuable characteristic of Tibet. 



When the new tradition is established, and 

 travellers become aware that we regard knowledge 

 of Natural Beauty as within the scope of our 

 activities, the error into which I fell will be avoided. 

 We shall think travellers barbaric if they continue 

 to concern themselves with all else about the face of 

 the Earth except its Beauty. We shall no longer 

 tolerate a geographer who will learn everything 

 about the utility of a region for military, political, 

 and commercial purposes, but who will take no 

 trouble to see the beauty it contains. We shall 

 expect a much higher standard of him. We 

 shall expect him to cultivate the power of the eye 

 till he has a true eye for country a seeing eye ; an 

 eye that can see into the very heart and, through all 

 the thronging details, single out the one essential 

 quality ; an eye which can not only observe but can 

 make discoveries. We shall require him to have the 

 capacity for discriminating the essential from the 

 unessential, for bringing that essential into proper 

 relief and placing upon it the due emphasis. When 



