The New York herald., 1876-01-31
Unnatural Scenery.

Some years ago law was passed by the
Legislature at Albany forbidding the deface-
ment of every picturesque spot in the State
by the Goths and Vandals who wished to
advertise their wares and nostrums. 1t was
a source of great congratulation at the time,
among the suffering dwellers on the Hudson
River, for example, whose view of the opposite
Palisades was destroyed by the denominations
painted all over them. But after time it
leaked out that the passage of the law had
been obtained by the first pioneers of these
very Goths and Vandals, who, having
carefully secured good places for their
advertisements, wished to prevent the
institution from being overdone. The
law, like many other good ones, has
virtually become a dead letter, and paint
and whitewash have run riot all over the
land.
The coming centennial visitor, who is
being whirled through what the railway COM
panies advertise as ''the most picturesque
scenery in the world" will gaze with dismay
upon some beautiful cliff which bears the
perhaps unreasonable announcement in let
ters eight feet long, weather Strips r. and
will perhaps wonder why Matt Morgan has
not long ago engaged Weather for his temple
of nudities. little further, as the train
winds through q deep and solemn pine
forest, our traveller will see, affixed to some
monarch of the woods huge board bear
ing the inscription, "Sozodont y and, if Of
an imaginative turn of mind, will catch the
wood nymph's echo, go don't" as he
rapidly glances at the feeting "most pic
turesque scenery" on every side, Paper
hangings, liniments the New York Tribune
stove polish, blacking, hair dyes comic pa-
pers, safes and pill autocrats
In gay but quick succession shine,
while here and there the name of some eminent
actor or actress stands in the awful simplicity
of letters six feet high, framed in verdure, as
if the artists mortal remains were inferred
near the spot and the pious wayfarer were
invited to shed tear to his memory or offer
prayer for the repose of his soul.
When the poet Cowper wrote "God made
the country and man made the town" he
did not live in so fercely advertising an age;
the gentle agriculturists of his time did not
supplement their hard earned gains by rent
ing their fences to hopeful advertisers.
What a poem might he not evolve could he
revisit the glimpses of the moon and be con-
fronted on some appropriate dead wall by
the dread apostrophe, Fancy Dyeingr'
There are two interesting conundrums
connected with this subject. One is, When
and by what stealthy process are these tre-
mendous placards painted or affixed? Has
the eye of man ever rested upon an individ-
ual in the act of ''defacing natural scenery"
The other wonderment. is, Who are the
people tempted to buy by these hateful
means?
In the infancy of advertising in England
law was made and enforced against pla-
carding the streets. Charles Lamb and his
friend Theodore Hook on turning q corner
beheld a stealthy boy running away from a
legend which he had not completed, and
which read, "Day & Martins B" The
witty essayist suffered forth, The rest
seems to be l-lackingT Let us hope that
this may shortly be the fate of the number
less horrors about our mountains and for
ests. Let some hitherto mute, inglorious
Bergh start up to protect inanimate nature
and emulate the great protector of horses
dogs. foxes, game cocks and pigeons. So
shall we no more behold
From near and far DER cliff and scaur
The advertisements boldly blowing