﻿THE 
  SCENERY 
  OF 
  NORTH 
  AMERICA 
  

  

  38' 
  

  

  tences 
  to 
  that 
  unique 
  wonder 
  of 
  the 
  

   world 
  (see 
  pages 
  350 
  and 
  376). 
  

  

  THE 
  GRAND 
  CANYON, 
  UNIQUE 
  WONDER 
  OE 
  

   THE 
  WORLD 
  

  

  This 
  gorge 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  Colorado, 
  many 
  

   hundreds 
  of 
  miles 
  long, 
  is 
  most 
  accessible 
  

   at 
  the 
  point 
  to 
  which 
  a 
  branch 
  railroad 
  

   has 
  been 
  built. 
  Here 
  the 
  canyon 
  is 
  6,000 
  

   feet 
  deep 
  and 
  about 
  12 
  miles 
  wide 
  from 
  

   the 
  one 
  edge 
  to 
  the 
  other 
  of 
  the 
  gulf 
  

   which 
  the 
  swift 
  torrent 
  has 
  excavated, 
  

   cutting 
  its 
  way 
  down 
  through 
  successive 
  

   lines 
  of 
  horizontal 
  strata, 
  sandstones, 
  

   white, 
  yellow, 
  and 
  red, 
  and 
  limestones, 
  

   gray 
  and 
  blue. 
  

  

  At 
  the 
  bottom 
  one 
  finds 
  the 
  primeval 
  

   rock, 
  a 
  hard, 
  red 
  porphyry, 
  on 
  which 
  all 
  

   the 
  sandstones 
  and 
  limestones 
  were 
  de- 
  

   posited 
  during 
  the 
  untold 
  ages 
  that 
  

   elapsed 
  before 
  these 
  strata 
  were 
  raised 
  

   to 
  form 
  dry 
  land. 
  Thereafter 
  began 
  that 
  

   process 
  of 
  cutting 
  down 
  through 
  the 
  

   strata 
  which 
  has 
  already 
  lasted 
  for 
  count- 
  

   less 
  centuries 
  and 
  is 
  still 
  in 
  progress. 
  

  

  Wonderful 
  are 
  the 
  colors 
  of 
  these 
  

   strata, 
  superimposed 
  one 
  upon 
  the 
  other, 
  

   and 
  they 
  stand 
  strongly 
  out, 
  for 
  in 
  this 
  

   dry 
  air 
  no 
  mosses 
  or 
  lichens 
  cling 
  to 
  their 
  

   precipitous 
  faces. 
  

  

  On 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  main 
  canyon 
  com- 
  

   paratively 
  short, 
  narrow 
  gorges 
  have 
  been 
  

   carved 
  out 
  by 
  streams 
  when 
  a 
  sudden 
  

   storm 
  has 
  flooded 
  the 
  plateau 
  behind 
  and 
  

   forced 
  the 
  water 
  to 
  discharge 
  itself 
  into 
  

   the 
  great 
  canyon. 
  

  

  Round 
  the 
  upper 
  parts 
  of 
  these 
  sec- 
  

   ondary 
  canyons, 
  which 
  have 
  hollowed 
  out 
  

   semicircular 
  recesses 
  or 
  cirques 
  in 
  the 
  

   line 
  of 
  the 
  Grand 
  Canyon, 
  the 
  horizontal 
  

   strata 
  of 
  the 
  Grand 
  Canyon 
  are 
  contin- 
  

   ued, 
  prolonging 
  what 
  we 
  might 
  call 
  the 
  

   decorative 
  scheme 
  of 
  color 
  up 
  their 
  re- 
  

   cesses. 
  

  

  Such 
  a 
  display 
  of 
  rock 
  colors 
  laid 
  out 
  

   like 
  bands 
  of 
  blue 
  and 
  yellow 
  and 
  red 
  on 
  

   a 
  ribbon 
  and 
  stretching 
  for 
  hundreds 
  of 
  

   miles 
  is 
  seen 
  nowhere 
  else 
  in 
  the 
  world, 
  

   the 
  nearest 
  approach 
  to 
  it 
  being, 
  I 
  have 
  

   heard, 
  in 
  the 
  cliffs 
  that 
  stand 
  along 
  the 
  

   middle 
  course 
  of 
  the 
  Amur 
  River, 
  in 
  

   northeastern 
  Asia. 
  

  

  Why 
  this 
  deep 
  hole 
  in 
  the 
  ground 
  

   should 
  inspire 
  more 
  wonder 
  and 
  awe 
  than 
  

   the 
  loftiest 
  snow 
  mountain 
  or 
  the 
  grand- 
  

   est 
  waterfall 
  I 
  will 
  not 
  attempt 
  to 
  explain. 
  

   But 
  it 
  does. 
  

  

  One 
  cannot 
  leave 
  off 
  gazing 
  and 
  won- 
  

   dering. 
  Beauty 
  and 
  grandeur 
  enhance 
  

   one 
  another. 
  Morning, 
  noon, 
  and 
  even- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  same 
  unchanging 
  precipices 
  show 
  

   their 
  unchanging 
  colors, 
  cliffs 
  looking 
  

   across 
  at 
  cliffs 
  as 
  they 
  have 
  done 
  for 
  mil- 
  

   lions 
  of 
  years 
  and 
  will 
  do 
  for 
  millions 
  

   more. 
  

  

  One 
  descends 
  by 
  a 
  very 
  steep 
  and 
  wind- 
  

   ing 
  footpath 
  down 
  to 
  the 
  river 
  at 
  the 
  bot- 
  

   tom 
  and 
  ascends 
  again, 
  seeing 
  all 
  there 
  is 
  

   to 
  see, 
  but 
  the 
  spell 
  is 
  the 
  same 
  when 
  one 
  

   emerges. 
  

  

  The 
  vastness 
  and 
  the 
  changelessness 
  

   create 
  a 
  sense 
  of 
  solemn 
  silence. 
  This 
  in- 
  

   tense 
  silence 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  awesome 
  thing. 
  

   Why 
  does 
  this 
  strange 
  panorama 
  produce 
  

   so 
  profound 
  an 
  effect 
  ? 
  Is 
  it 
  because 
  color 
  

   impressions 
  are 
  usually 
  the 
  most 
  change- 
  

   ful 
  of 
  all 
  the 
  impressions 
  we 
  receive, 
  

   since 
  color 
  varies 
  with 
  atmospheric 
  con- 
  

   ditions, 
  exciting 
  rather 
  than 
  stilling 
  per- 
  

   ception 
  and 
  mental 
  reactions, 
  that 
  the 
  

   eternal 
  steadfastness 
  and 
  mathematical 
  

   rigidity 
  of 
  these 
  colors 
  grasp 
  and 
  fix 
  and 
  

   seem 
  to 
  hypnotize 
  the 
  beholder? 
  I 
  do 
  

   not 
  know. 
  Anyhow, 
  the 
  effect 
  is 
  what 
  I 
  

   have 
  .tried 
  to 
  describe. 
  I 
  am 
  giving 
  the 
  

   experience 
  of 
  others 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  my 
  own. 
  

  

  SCENERY 
  OE 
  NORTH 
  AMERICA 
  AND 
  OE 
  

   EUROPE 
  COMPARED 
  

  

  Comparing 
  the 
  scenery 
  of 
  North 
  Amer- 
  

   ica 
  with 
  that 
  of 
  Europe, 
  the 
  first 
  and 
  ob- 
  

   vious 
  contrast 
  is 
  that 
  of 
  scale. 
  Every- 
  

   thing 
  is 
  large, 
  and 
  the 
  most 
  interesting 
  

   pieces 
  of 
  scenery 
  lie 
  far 
  apart, 
  with 
  great, 
  

   dull 
  spaces 
  interposed, 
  for 
  between 
  Buf- 
  

   falo 
  and 
  Chicago, 
  between 
  Pittsburgh 
  and 
  

   Denver, 
  there 
  is 
  not 
  much 
  natural 
  beauty 
  

   to 
  admire. 
  

  

  Europe 
  is 
  small, 
  and 
  becomes 
  still 
  

   smaller 
  when 
  we 
  remember 
  that 
  the 
  

   northern 
  and 
  eastern 
  two-thirds 
  of 
  it, 
  all 
  

   the 
  region 
  from 
  the 
  Straits 
  of 
  Dover 
  to 
  

   Asia 
  at 
  the 
  Ural 
  Mountains, 
  and 
  from 
  the 
  

   Baltic 
  at 
  Riga 
  to 
  the 
  Black 
  Sea 
  at 
  Odessa, 
  

   have 
  no 
  scenic 
  value. 
  The 
  beauties 
  of 
  

   Europe, 
  if 
  we 
  except 
  the 
  coasts 
  of 
  the 
  

   British 
  Isles 
  and 
  of 
  Norway, 
  are 
  nearly 
  

   all 
  in 
  the 
  Mediterranean 
  countries 
  and 
  

   along 
  the 
  northern 
  slopes 
  of 
  the 
  Alps. 
  

  

  Within 
  these 
  limits 
  there 
  is 
  beauty 
  

   everywhere, 
  perhaps 
  most 
  abundant 
  and 
  

   most 
  perfect 
  in 
  Italy. 
  Few, 
  it 
  any, 
  re- 
  

   gions 
  in 
  North 
  America 
  bring 
  the 
  stern 
  

   beauties 
  and 
  the 
  soft 
  beauties 
  together, 
  

  

  