STILL WATERS 



189 



The sentiment is, of course, wholly of human 

 origin ; and that part of it which relates to the 

 weal or woe of past humanity is not with us 

 here in America. The legend and the story 

 cling about European lakes and make them 

 romantic ; ours have only their material beauty 

 combined with a dash of untarnished fresh- 

 ness that belongs to an unworn world. But 

 that material beauty is quite sufficient in it- 

 self. Without pride of place or breath of pa- 

 triotism, the American may venture to think 

 that such waters as Lake George are not out- 

 ranked in beauty by any lake waters on the face 

 of the globe. To be sure, the Swiss lakes come 

 in and claim high place in any such compar- 

 ison. The Lake of Lucerne has great charm as 

 well as great beauty about it, though, perhaps, 

 it is a little dwarfed and obscured by its high 

 mountains ; and surely the Italian lakes are ex- 

 ceptionally fair and lovely to look upon. The 

 Irish and the Scotch lakes, too, are famed for 

 their beautiful borders and graceful forms, 

 though in purity of lake color they cannot rival 

 the waters of Geneva or Como. 



But, again, I come back to query : What is 

 so fair as Lake George ? It has all the marks 

 of natural beauty unblemished by cities and 



