52 With Feet to the Earth 



They are religious, but they have few 

 schools. 



Out in the Rockies you find a race of 

 men sharper, wiser, heartier, but it is new 

 land, and they have no time to build 

 roads, except to the mines. When they 

 have driveways half as good as their rail- 

 ways, when they emulate Switzerland in 

 the creation of comforts and conveniences 

 to draw the public, their mountain belt will 

 be a pedestrian's paradise. 



The opposite of these mountain coun- 

 tries we find in the plains and prairies, 

 strong and new in their populace, partaking 

 of their bigness and freedom, but still 

 behind the age in their streets and turn- 

 pikes, which are often sloughs of despond. 

 If we want to walk in a flat country we 

 shall do better to take the East. Cape 

 Cod has an isolated character of its own, 

 but, like the rest of it, the roads are sand. 

 Long Island has level highways of mac- 

 adam, the joy of bicyclers. Except at its 

 eastern end, the scenery is commonplace, 

 though pleasant. Its older towns bear 

 names bestowed by the Montauk and 



