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railroads, wagon-roads, and hotels. In Switzer- 

 land there are but few hotels above five thou- 

 sand feet, and most people live below the three- 

 thousand-foot mark. Timber-line in Colorado 

 is five thousand feet farther up the heights than 

 in Switzerland. The Centennial State offers a 

 more numerous and attractive array of wild 

 flowers, birds, animals, and mineral springs 

 than the land of William Tell. The Rocky 

 Mountain sheep is as interesting and audacious 

 as the chamois; the fair phlox dares greater 

 heights than the famed edelweiss. The climate 

 of the Rocky Mountains is more cheerful than 

 that of the Alps; there are more sunny days, 

 and while the skies are as blue as in Switzerland, 

 the air is drier and more energizing. 



But the attractions in the Alps are being pre- 

 served, while the Rocky Mountains are being 

 stripped of their scenery. Yet in the Rocky 

 Mountains there are many areas rich in perish- 

 able attractions which might well be reserved 

 as parks so that their natural beauties could be 

 kept unmarred. It is to be hoped that the grow- 

 ing interest in American scenery will bring this 



314 



