THE VALLEY AND ITS SINGER 



WE must have our valleys. Nature will have her 

 valleys. Tablelands are the blocks out of which valleys 

 are to be carved. Mountains are for feeding the 

 valleys with living streams, and for breaking up the 

 more boisterous winds into zephyrs for the valleys. 

 First the mountains, blocks of raw material for the 

 carver granites, limestones, sandstones ; flat, crum- 

 pled, laid on edge according to the design of the 

 finished work. Then the glen, then the valley, then 

 the vale which, in two syllables, means farewell to 

 that design, and the beginning of another under the 

 sea. Under the sea the cracks of the glens are 

 designed, the course of the torrents, the windings of 

 the valley between its hills, even the roads that man 

 shall hereafter build spirally round the flanks and 

 over the passes carriage roads, military roads, and 

 railroads ; for the conquering of other valleys or the 

 tapping of their produce. 



There is the same fascination about a rough group 

 of mountains that there is about an artist's rough 

 sketch. It often seems to us that we prefer the 

 sketch. It is exhilarating ; it " sings the rapture of 

 of Breath " ; but the finished product gives rest and 

 sustenance. The struggles of giants are exhilarating, 



