﻿THE 
  SCENERY 
  OF 
  NORTH 
  AMERICA 
  

  

  369 
  

  

  the 
  forests 
  of 
  eastern 
  America. 
  To 
  see 
  

   these 
  colors 
  anywhere 
  between 
  Carolina 
  

   and 
  Canada, 
  but 
  best 
  perhaps 
  among 
  the 
  

   lakes 
  of 
  Maine, 
  is 
  worth 
  a 
  voyage 
  across 
  

   the 
  Atlantic. 
  The 
  hillsides 
  seem 
  ablaze 
  

   with 
  them, 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  Nature's 
  most 
  ex- 
  

   quisite 
  handiwork, 
  yet 
  they 
  are 
  not 
  vio- 
  

   lent 
  or 
  crude, 
  no 
  more 
  than 
  is 
  the 
  finest 
  

   Cashmere 
  shawl 
  or 
  Persian 
  rug. 
  

  

  These 
  beauties 
  are 
  in 
  no 
  danger, 
  like 
  

   so 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  world's 
  beauty, 
  of 
  perish- 
  

   ing 
  at 
  the 
  hands 
  of 
  man, 
  for 
  the 
  woods 
  

   have 
  not 
  sufficient 
  economic 
  value, 
  at 
  least 
  

   where 
  they 
  are 
  far 
  from 
  a 
  railroad, 
  to 
  

   render 
  it 
  profitable 
  to 
  turn 
  timber 
  into 
  

   lumber. 
  

  

  THE 
  COAST 
  LANDSCAPES 
  OF 
  AMERICA 
  

  

  The 
  scenery 
  of 
  sea 
  coasts 
  makes 
  so 
  

   large 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  what 
  the 
  American 
  visitor 
  

   finds 
  to 
  attract 
  him 
  in 
  Ireland, 
  Scotland, 
  

   and 
  Norway 
  that 
  a 
  passing 
  word 
  ought 
  

   to 
  be 
  given 
  to 
  the 
  coast 
  landscapes 
  of 
  

   America 
  (see 
  page 
  384). 
  

  

  The 
  Atlantic 
  shores 
  are 
  low 
  for 
  thou- 
  

   sands 
  of 
  miles, 
  all 
  the 
  way 
  from 
  New 
  

   York 
  to 
  the 
  Mexican 
  frontier, 
  and 
  may 
  

   be 
  left 
  out 
  of 
  account, 
  though 
  there 
  are 
  

   pretty 
  bits 
  among 
  the 
  "keys" 
  on 
  the 
  coast 
  

   of 
  Florida. 
  It 
  is 
  therefore 
  only 
  the 
  New 
  

   England 
  coast 
  from 
  Long 
  Island 
  Sound 
  

   to 
  the 
  Bay 
  of 
  Fundy 
  that 
  comes 
  into 
  the 
  

   sort 
  of 
  inventory 
  I 
  am 
  trying 
  to 
  make 
  of 
  

   the 
  scenic 
  wealth 
  of 
  the 
  continent. 
  

  

  Most 
  of 
  this 
  northeastern 
  coast 
  is 
  well 
  

   known. 
  Newport 
  and 
  Cape 
  Cod 
  and 
  the 
  

   north 
  shore 
  of 
  Massachusetts 
  Bay 
  and 
  the 
  

   "Islets 
  of 
  the 
  Pointed 
  Firs" 
  that 
  fringe 
  

   the 
  deeply 
  indented 
  shores 
  of 
  Maine 
  are 
  

   too 
  familiar 
  to 
  need 
  description, 
  and 
  no 
  

   one 
  who 
  has 
  ever 
  looked 
  out 
  from 
  the 
  

   highest 
  hills 
  in 
  Mount 
  Desert 
  Island 
  on 
  

   the 
  wonderful 
  sea 
  and 
  landscape 
  of 
  

   "promontory, 
  creek, 
  and 
  bay," 
  with 
  its 
  

   winding 
  channels 
  and 
  rockbound 
  isles, 
  

   can 
  ever 
  forget 
  its 
  enchanting 
  variety. 
  

  

  NIAGARA 
  NEEDS 
  NO 
  WORD 
  

  

  Neither 
  need 
  "Niagara 
  be 
  spoken 
  of. 
  

   Fifty 
  years 
  ago 
  it 
  w?s 
  the 
  great 
  natural 
  

   wonder 
  of 
  America 
  which 
  every 
  Euro- 
  

   pean 
  traveler 
  made 
  it 
  his 
  first 
  pleasure 
  to 
  

   see. 
  Since 
  then 
  the 
  falls 
  of 
  the 
  Zambezi, 
  

   in 
  South 
  Africa, 
  and 
  the 
  falls 
  of 
  the 
  

   upper 
  Parana 
  (Iguazu), 
  in 
  South 
  Amer- 
  

  

  ica, 
  the 
  former 
  higher 
  and 
  the 
  latter 
  wider 
  

   than 
  Niagara, 
  have 
  become 
  well 
  known, 
  

   and 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  the 
  Yellowstone 
  

   Geysers 
  and 
  Grand 
  Canyon 
  of 
  the 
  Colo- 
  

   rado 
  River 
  vie 
  with 
  it 
  as 
  marvels 
  of 
  

   Nature. 
  

  

  Moreover, 
  another 
  thing 
  has 
  happened 
  : 
  

   Niagara 
  has 
  suffered 
  at 
  the 
  hand 
  of 
  man. 
  

   An 
  unlovely 
  suburb 
  of 
  the 
  town 
  has 
  

   grown 
  up 
  on 
  the 
  American 
  shore, 
  and 
  the 
  

   cliff 
  on 
  that 
  side 
  is 
  defaced 
  by 
  small 
  

   spouts 
  of 
  water 
  spurting 
  out 
  from 
  holes 
  

   pierced 
  in 
  the 
  rock 
  connected 
  with 
  the 
  

   channel 
  constructed 
  for 
  the 
  power 
  plant. 
  

  

  Worst 
  of 
  all, 
  the 
  flow 
  of 
  water 
  over 
  the 
  

   two 
  great 
  falls 
  has 
  been 
  diminished, 
  and 
  

   is 
  now 
  distinctly 
  thinner 
  in 
  the 
  American 
  

   fall 
  than 
  it 
  was 
  in 
  1870. 
  One 
  who 
  re- 
  

   members 
  the 
  scene 
  as 
  it 
  was 
  in 
  that 
  year 
  

   sees 
  it 
  now 
  with 
  a 
  sense 
  of 
  sad 
  regret. 
  

   One 
  wishes 
  that 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  possible 
  to 
  

   preserve 
  so 
  exquisite 
  a 
  picture 
  as 
  the 
  

   banks 
  clothed 
  with 
  natural 
  wood, 
  the 
  

   majestic 
  torrent 
  of 
  bright 
  green 
  water, 
  

   bright 
  and 
  clear 
  as 
  crystal, 
  pouring 
  over 
  

   the 
  precipice 
  into 
  the 
  seething 
  whirlpools 
  

   beneath, 
  as 
  presented 
  to 
  the 
  first 
  ex- 
  

   plorers 
  (see 
  pages 
  364 
  and 
  365). 
  

  

  Whether 
  the 
  gain 
  to 
  the 
  companies 
  that 
  

   have 
  developed 
  the 
  electric 
  power 
  and 
  to 
  

   the 
  Canadian 
  communities 
  that 
  have 
  util- 
  

   ized 
  it 
  for 
  electric 
  railways, 
  doubtless 
  to 
  

   the 
  convenience 
  of 
  the 
  public, 
  has 
  been 
  

   worth 
  the 
  loss 
  of 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  delight 
  

   which 
  the 
  falls 
  gave 
  to 
  the 
  two 
  nations, 
  is 
  

   a 
  question 
  not 
  to 
  be 
  examined 
  here. 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  DESERTS 
  SURPASS 
  IN 
  BEAUTY 
  

   THOSE 
  OF 
  AFRICA 
  

  

  It 
  remains 
  to 
  speak 
  of 
  one 
  other 
  fea- 
  

   ture, 
  and 
  that 
  not 
  the 
  least 
  remarkable, 
  

   of 
  North 
  American 
  scenery 
  — 
  the 
  Great 
  

   Deserts. 
  They 
  fill 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  States 
  of 
  

   California, 
  Colorado, 
  New 
  Mexico, 
  Wyo- 
  

   ming 
  and 
  Idaho, 
  most 
  of 
  Utah, 
  nearly 
  

   all 
  of 
  Arizona 
  and 
  Nevada, 
  in 
  the 
  last 
  of 
  

   which 
  the 
  population 
  is 
  less 
  than 
  one 
  in- 
  

   habitant 
  to 
  the 
  square 
  mile 
  and 
  is 
  not 
  

   likely 
  to 
  increase 
  unless 
  new 
  mines 
  of 
  

   silver 
  or 
  copper 
  are 
  discovered 
  (see 
  pages 
  

   366, 
  368, 
  372, 
  381, 
  and 
  380) 
  . 
  

  

  The 
  American 
  deserts 
  are 
  more 
  beauti- 
  

   ful 
  than 
  those 
  which 
  T 
  have 
  seen 
  in 
  North 
  

   Africa 
  or 
  North 
  Arabia 
  (except, 
  indeed, 
  

   in 
  the 
  Sinai 
  Peninsula) 
  or 
  in 
  South 
  

   Africa 
  or 
  western 
  South 
  America 
  or 
  Ice- 
  

  

  