CHAPTER XH 



VALLEYS, PLAINS, AND LOWLANDS 



THE lines that give character to the moun- 

 tains, the valleys, and the plains also create in ! 

 us definite feelings or impressions. When nat- j 

 ure shows us the broken or abrupt line we gain 

 from it an impression of activity or restless- 

 ness ; when we see the long, diagonal line the 

 impression received is one of swift movement, 

 as in the downward flight of an eagle ; when 

 the flat, horizontal line appears the impression 

 is one of rest, peace, inaction, even drowsiness 

 and sleep. Hence it is that people speak of the 

 abrupt and broken mountains as representing 

 the earth's action, while the low-lying marshes 

 and meadows represent its repose. There is a 

 truth of feeling or imagination in this. The 

 broken peaks and spurs, jutting up from the 

 mountain's ridge against the sky, certainly do 

 seem restless, suggestive of motion ; while the 

 meadows, where flowers grow and bees hum and 

 cattle recline at noontide under the trees, are 

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