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 
Trish 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 
Material 
beauty. 
European 
lakes. 
Lake 
George. 
