The Ottawa free trader., 1878-07-06
DEER PARK !
J. D. H. Pays it a Visit and Tells
what he Thinks Of that Mighty
Gorge.
''Oh, woud some power the glftie gle us,
To see oursels rs others see us;
Ii wad fra mony blunder free us,
And foolish notion"

1t wad fra mony blnnder free us,
And foolish notion"
Wrote the immortal Burns, after seeing an
Iill.mannered louse taking his morning walk
on ladys bonnet IN church. Such freedom
may be allowed the brute creation in bonny
Scotland, and there may be no law prohibiting
them from airing their royal highnesses"when
and where they choose, but am of the opinion
that members of that class of the animal crea-
ton are better hammered in our country; and
though our freedom of laws to man or beast is
almost unlimited, yet | have doubt whether
any of them would be so outrageously impolite
as to take perambulation on such duck" OF
a bonnet as ladies wear nowadays to church,
and especially right out in meeting.
Evidently Burns intended ridiculc when he
wrote the address, but what sublime lesson 1t
teaches us, for surely if we 'looked before we
llcaped," or thought for moment about GER
tain things, we would from many blundcr
and foolish notion free ourselves, How many
there are today that get that foolish notion in
to their head Of going abroad" o." TO travel for
season." and spend their time and money in
other lands and other countries before they
have seen their own. All, but then there is
something romantic IN telling II have been to
Europe" ! spent Il season abroad, or, when
| crossed the Atlantic" and then tell of the
elegance, beauty and grandeur of other nations,
and at the same time show themselves perfect
"iacks" as regards the picturesque beauty
grandeur and wonders of their own country.
Travel where YOU will, 90 where you may,
there is no country beneath the broad canopy
of heaven where so much varied scenery and Of
J such sublime grandeur can be seen as in ours
For lofty mountains, mammoth caves, pictur
csquc gcns, and wonderful formations, we
have them in all varieties; and for broad,
sweeping plains, endless prairics and unmatch-
ed cataracts, their like is nowhere else to be
found on earth Even here IN La Sale county
scenery Of sublime and picturesque grandeur
unknown, while, like many places of the kind,
people have lived within few hours ride
of 1t who have been all over Europe, "lrope
and IrrIpe," and yet never saw the most ia
nous piece Of natures handiwork
DEER PARK.
On June 9TH | was one Of a party that went
for days enjoyment to that delightful and
wondrous location. The day was all that
could be desired for such enjoyment as Il
pc.nlc, and the ride was cxhilerating That
section Of country between Ottawa and the
Park is picturesque, and rs our carriages roll
ed along and farm house after farm house was
passed, and the vast corn fields and fine farms
appeared and disappeared now blooming like
flower gardens, our mind wandered back to the
dark days when over these same prairics roam
ed the wild deer and Reynard feared no buglc
sound. Here the wigwam loomed above the
tall grass and the council fires glared beneath
the starry dome, poor LO wOoed and won his
dusky mate" and languished in idlcncss and
ignorance But now all is changed, cIviliza-
ton is at Its height and happy hearts dwell
where "loafed" the idle savage, and delightful
homcs are built where stood the rude wig
wan.
A few hours ride brought us to the road
which leads to the park, and entering it we
were soon plodding our way along road that
Is simply terrible and dangerous in the extreme.
At almost every turn Of the wheels some dan.
ger beset us-one moment you are liable to
have your eyes knocked out by the hanging
branches, and at the same time have your car
riagc upset by the stumps of trees, and then
you are in continual danger of running into
some tree unless you have studied the art of
navigating through dense and dismal forests.
Out of the woods you imagine yourself safe,
but il is the old adagc illustrated, "out of the
frying pan into the fire. for then you begin TO
descend the road that leads to the entrance of
the park, which is steep, rugged and danger
Gus. A few turns of the wheel lands your We
next few "rollsn elevate one side and lower
the other to such II degree that you just escape
going over, while the next moment you find
you are on the brink OF IA precipce, from which
TO escape destruction seems impossible, and
finally, whether by miracle or good luck, you
arrive at the bottom or entrance TO the park.
There is no good reason why n road leading
to so sublime and wondrous place should
be in such condition, so dangerous 10 life and
limb. Some day somebody will get killed,
limbs be broken and vehicle smashed, and
then the road will he made easy, safe and
pleasant, or shut up altogether. 1t should be
made safe at once and fee charged for en-.
terancc, besides making other little improve
a al.
pleasure and comfort of visitors.
The entrance once reached, access TO this
mighty wonder of natures handiwork is easy
enough, and from the moment you begin to
move inward and onward there seems 10 come
over you the impression that you are leaving
the beauties of IN outer world with all Its fresh
ness ana entering something more of the un-