Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-12-03
colorado,
\ SYMPHONY IN YELLOW AND RED.

From the December Atlantic We reprO-
duce some portions of brilliant mono
graph OF Mrs Helen Hunt jackson On the
Color of Colorado" 1t i one Of the
most poetic pictures of poetic locality
yet drawn:
We owe great debt to Mr.. Whistler for
having reclaimed the good word - - IL
phony' from the arbitrary monopoly oI
music-writers At first we wondered at the
daring reprisal /; but presently the right of
1t became 50 plain that we only wondered
no man had done it before. Hencelurth
they who make harmOnies for the eye will
hold the word fraternally in common with
those who make harmOnIes for the ear. and
no just person can call it an aleciali1r
And he also who seeks to render 10 word.
others In music or color. some enc ut
Natures gracious harmonies which has
greatly delighted him, will do il all the bel-
ter by the help of this good word in the b.
ginning. Except Tor 1t | think should
have never believed It possible u Iell what
| am going TO try to tell now. One day an
artist IN Colorado spoke to me Of Mr.. Whist
ler's symphony in White.
- An" said |. " Colorado j. a symphu-
up in yellow and red" And A. soon a.
had said the words. the c0l0rs and the
shapes in which | knew them seemed IN
stantly To be arranged IL my thought
places miles apart began TO knit themselves
together into d concerted and related sue
cessiOn spots and tints had only vague
lY recognized became distinct ana Sig.iii-
cant. each in its order and force and more
and more as | looked from the plains to the
mountains and from the mountains - the
plains. and stood in the great spaces crowd
Ell with gay and fantastic rocks. all the
time bearing IN the mind this phrase. il
grew 10 seem true and complete and iney IL
able
ought TO say at the outset that in speak
ing Of the c5lOring OF Colorado. | speak
only Of the part OF colorado which know
thoroughly, the vicinity Of the town Of Col
oraio Springs, which lies seventy mile-
south OF Denver. AT the foot Of Pixies Peak
There l. 4 similar br.iiiance and variety of
cOlOrlng in other parts Of the Territory,
but know them less.
- The eye paints best 10 the presence. the
heart in the absence. of the loved object -
said Bet,ina To-day. a. | Il, On a New
England hillside and look westward. the
pale blue bar Of the horizon line seems
vista. rather than a barrier. and see the
plains lying beyond see item a.
distinctly "a If | were standing on their
very edge. and counting the belts and
bands OF color which know the fiery Col
OradO sun / at this very moment printing
on their III face.
When first saw them they were gray
blank, bald. pitiless gray. under 4 gray NJ
yember sky.
a sEA OF GRAY ICE p"
said 10 myself " 1t Is terrible" " 10 the
east and the south ard the north they
stretched, apparently endless broken only
by a few huttes rising a. gray iceherg-
Inig ght, frozen fast in the gray sea. To the
west mountain wall mountains which
looked like black adamant crystaiiizsd into
lmmOvab.e and giant shapes. Had passed
by then, and never seen those plains and
again, the picture would have
lived 10 my memory always as the pictsre
Di place iit for the Old Scandinavian he'll. /
recall the scene now a. one recalls a vision (
from a nightmare dream M darkest day /
ever produced it again After had once /
-een the plains agl0w. nothing could make 4
hem anything bat beautiful We know no /
ace till 1t smiles Ii the smile i 4 true (
smile the face l. ;ranshgured to Us for /
,ver
The northern horizon Of this shining ear
'et, this sunlit SEQ, Is Il deep blue wall
This i the divide, the taole-land Separa-
ing the Denver plains from ours 1t l.
light thousand feet high at is hishts.. and
hickly grown with pines but it looks
imply like solid bar of blue
No.. inc westeIn nOIIAon y q ilouhta range
iAe can hI"IlS h'teyn tuouSani iee'
~ II, eentiai anu cuII'lna'ils point
'gSe ''lils SiiHii oo H1iS leusoluen yelIo"'
y y ueeP puIPle oiue; acooiuius - you See
'eNi | lolS leu a. ia W. SIl." III tne HIS'
loOI oil sunrise anu purple Just aiter tue
In mas SET Inc SoGtherh anu eastern hofi-
on 9hs are Sky OF pam yoH kno" no' "Aieh-
y neither the skN oenuS anu troops. or tNe
'iaih noIo"s and enrVeS up 10 the tender'
ahiShihs !ihe In "hicl poth cease % pe'
og ~ never know
ne isihouS
GARDEN OF THE GODS,
or which every body asks as soon a. be en-
ers Colorado, and which nine out Of ten
eople see iGr the first time with u luti-
rous sense OF disappointment, is another
I these strange, rOck-crJwded parks W no
: responsible tor the inaPprO3riate name.
Iarden OF the Gods, do not know one
lore signaily uniting could hardly have
,een chosen. Fortress OF the Gods or
ombs Oi the Giants would be better. Ihis
ARK lies only three miles from Colorado
prings. and ITS grand gateway l. n full
Ight from every part of the town Fancy
wo red sandstone ROCKS three hundred leet
igh. of irregular outline and surface.
ising abruptly and perpendicularly ike "a
Fall. with narrow passage-way between
nein- The rock on your right, as you en-
q "oIh 'iie east, Is oi tue ueepes' oiieh-
81 'io o"e on tne iei' i PHi.. A'o'o y.
r. ~ ~-ooIor ~ 'heI. DaSc i ~ thlcA sio"t"
: ~" VaA ouene, wv ~ siS9n - s"t
&c. u" y me- - ~ ~
ei, !.Ai na Vn ~ n 'pf "a -
~. arc h'eihly 'Ie''o' iu4i ot "o'oc ','I
iouiu h1ieS a. Sihou,n a u an
uSer nau ooreu trsni gnas1S eIe''ves IT,
hI c.a:nis. shootHeu az hoi'g~el rS M
ooAe's +, h' III siean'ic shelo.2ns in1uS'InuS
= s"al'oNS nAte nests III 'hesc' @n'. a. '"li-
~ IL = oeaa,iiuI Sighs 20 sec snoni o'i
mug his 'n 'ne ar per1hlns ioi n,o
len' On tne entering Ieu Spires anu Pin-
acisS AZ Tue '1P oi eie "au anu 'ien s"oot
1s uO" """iu "'iu ul7apPeaiii-S Suiuo.
mere no aper'ure Is 70 DC seen d. Il WIFE
nsir iittie pms they hau clC'eh way Ior
themselves INTO the soma IoeS- tthih
I" & ~ '"i 'Up oL u ,no W ,,mn,J- In, o
le Iight-hahd rock, j. SNAIL. uilm3hu-
haped opening, mnlIioned window
arough "hich Is aiways to ne seen the
tne diamoIc-snaped oit OF skN. "rish'-
iue or soit-grey or shedo"y -~nits;
loud happens TO pause ~ A. TO MI iHe
pace
RAISING 'hronsh inns maieS'ic gateway
ou ma youTSI IN
THE wEIkD1sr OF PLACES.
our red road winds along over reI ground
linly grass grown. among low cedars,
ines, and firs, and through wild confu-
on of red rocks rocks OF every crneeiva-
le and uncomfortable shape and size, from
ebbles ur 20 gigantic boulders. from
ueer, grotesq ue little monstrosities. Iook-