234 NATURAL BEAUTY 



The effect of Natural Beauty upon man and of 

 man upon Natural Beauty is immense. Geographers 

 take note of the effect which the Alps by reason of 

 their height and ruggedness, or the Rhine by reason 

 of its length, breadth, and depth, have upon the 

 activities of men — ^upon their history, politics, and 

 economic life. My contention is that equally 

 should geographers note the effect which these same 

 natural features of the Earth by reason of their 

 beauty have upon men's activities and movements. 



And when Natural Beauty is fully recognised as 

 within the province of Geography, we shall be 

 taught to pay to it the attention it deserves — ^taught 

 to look for it, taught how to observe it, taught how 

 to describe it, taught where are the regions of 

 special beauty and wherein their beauty lies, and lastly 

 taught where in an ordinary district Beauty may 

 be found, for even in the flattest, dreariest region 

 soTue beauty at some time of day or at some season 

 may be discovered. We shall, in short, be taught 

 to cultivate the sense for Natural Beauty, and how 

 to put in fitting words a description of the beauty 

 we sefe. Our geography textbooks, besides all the 

 mathematical, physical, political, and commercial 

 geography they contain, will tell us something of 

 the Natural Beauty of the countries they set them- 

 selves to describe. And geographers when they 

 set themselves to describe a new region wUl not 

 think it necessary to confine themselves within the 

 old limits, but will do what the ordinary man in- 

 stinctively does — describe its beauties. 



Our methods of describing countries will thus 

 radically change. A few years ago Colonel Tanner 



