THE LANDSCAPE BEAUTIFUL 



ural scenery probably none. I have seen 

 the alkali plains and the bad lands; but 

 these latter are full of interest, while the 

 former are truly beautiful. Every river is 

 beautiful, big or little. As Mr. Ward said 

 of girls: "I like big girls: — and little ones." 

 Every mountain is worth knowing and 

 every little hill. Every valley in the world 

 is a panorama of beauty; every plain is a 

 picture; even the desert is an inspiring sight 

 in spite of the physical discomforts which 

 it may yield. 



In another essay we have talked of 

 trees. They are the most conspicuous liv- 

 ing elements in the landscape and most 

 closely touch our humanity. But the 

 throbbing ocean, the quiet lake, the gossip- 

 ing brook also appeal to our human moods. 

 Each has been personified a thousand times 

 in literature. Each one, indeed, has spoken 

 to my life and to my neighbor's, and waste, 

 indeed, is that soul where no response has 

 been heard. Who could stand on the deck 

 of the boat in mid-ocean, with a thousand 

 miles of unmarked water on every side 

 inviting the eye to invisible horizons be- 

 yond, and not feel the infinite stretch of his 

 own life? Or who, standing by the peace- 



44 



