The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1879-06-19

mountain wall slopes down and breaks, and
where the snow lies all winter long. Few
invalids abide there-it is said to be liter
ally impossible to keep your feet when the
wind blows. You can see the storm clouds
gather there miles away, land approach lis fol-
lowing the mountain line, till they envelope
Pixies Peak, and then, our storms come
No danger for Colorado Springs as long as
| the Peak is clear, but when his bald crown
is shrouded in mist, we are certain of un
pleasant weather.
| The wind occasionally blows around the
stone signal-service building ON Pike, at n
| rate of one hundred and fourteen miles per
hour. These high winds are OF great bene
| fit to Colorado-no m iasma, no impurity
remains where they have swept their be-
som, and there is o special quality Of purity
in the air which you inhale. 1t is strange
to note how soon one grows accustomed to the
pranks of the wind. How exasperating it
was to my temper, soon after my arrival, to
be blown about, strangled in roy VEIL and
swathed by closely wrapped skirts. una
Bile to see for the clouds of dust the wind
playfully poured in my eyes. Now, either
the wind has grown less, or | am more ac-
customed to its rough freaks, for never no.
| tice it disagreeably.
Civilization has injured Colorado as a
| sanitarium. If a man has no house to enter
he will stay out of doors, and Colorado air
/, ~, Of ,olf R1f bn-
lieve me, friends, a house is the same, all the
country over; if you elect to remain within
four walls, why stay at home. The log
cabin of former years was not as attractive
as the tasteful houses of to-day, With easy
chairs, books, pictures, light and warmth,
and everything to tempt one within, but
how much more healthy they were? Colo
RADIO Springs is now laid out with trees,
which draw down rlin irrigated by net
work of bitches, which fill the air with
moisture, so the main feature Of Colorado
cure is in a measure lost. Ifone would make
business OF getting we'll, go out on the
plains, where there is not one tree in a
range of miles where the soil is arid as
u6SGTb, lGG ullu udhC SOulC OOihAOAVAciS
rancho his headquarters, and enter heart
ard soul into some ut-door pursuit. There
are antelope, cayotes, deer and jack-rabbits
for the hunter there are fossils and miner
ais for the geologist /; strange beetles and
reptiles for the naturalist; and, ah sucf,
flowers for the botanist. Then he will grow
brown and vigorous, his pulses bounding
with an enjoymentin the mere fact OF life
and breath. The magnificent physique OF
the stalwart men who ride in from the
ranches every day, will bear out what l
state.
Our Colorado is not perfect. We never
claimed that she was. She is sublime in her
mountains and canyons; tender in her SOFT
air and azure sky. There are winter days
which drop from Heayen-so tender somys-
tically soft, so dreamily beautiful, so throb-
bling and alive with the fluttering of invisi-
BILE wings; SO replete and bounteously over
flowing with an awakening and joyous res
direction not taught by man or limited by
creed summer in winters midst Then
the fralest invalid may. come forth; yes,
all the houses are emptied OF their dWellers
gone to enjoy the complete Colorado day.
You may spend it in some sheltered canyon,
whose rock-ribbad sides still hold patches
of unreasonable (2) snow; whose cascades
still keep their ice fringea garments. Under
that red and gray rock are daisies-yes,
daisies in lovely clusters, turning respon-
sive yellow faces to the golden sunbeams
which cast their spell alike over blossoms
and acicles. Who can describe the transpa-
rency Of the mid.ether on such day? The
eye wearies of its own boundless power of
vision. We ''see as througha glass darkly,"
save under Colorado sky. Pines and lofty
mountains miles away, fret the blue with
delicate interlacing twigs. Castled columns
of red and orange rock blaze out almost
painfully against their ''lazuh' background.
What approximates to this intense riot of
colors, unless 1t be one of Gerome's pic
lures?
Perhaps you would pass this day on the
plains, driving over those smoothest of
roads, which needed no engineering to COM
plete, with the breeze rustling the withered
grasses, and the dull. brown expanse dom
ming the ethereal tints Of an opal ocean, in
| the far, far distance. BIZ
Or you might turn to the pineries,
| that rich, green belt which extends thirty
miles across the ''Divide," where the never
resting wind is busy in the branches, and
| its resinons. breath ruffles the bed of glossy
green and copper colored kinnikinniek,
which covers mother earth so closely that
not an inch Of her brown robe is visible
Dark pines and FURNISHED kinnikinniek,
with red berry showing its jovial face here
and there inrebuke of the shadows. 5i
| Said one to me "Ah it is difficult to be-
Colorado" and the summer, when the on
| ly rain which ever freshens the plains, falls
| in ten minutes showers, every day or so.
Never any oppressive heat-burning sun, it
| is true-but constant breeze, like the es-
sence of mountain and ocean mingled
Their rugged mountlir arms encircle
patches OF yer6Y re, aud their jagged pima
Giles catch the torn fringes of the hlanched
clouds; the plains are as green as giant
rolling lawn. The pink cactus, the lemon
colored prickly pear, the tall spikes Of
green-white soap plant, the lilac columbines
with golden centres, the pink. scarlet, and
white gilias, and the violet mountain lily,
lavish their beauty in lonely canyons, and
on desolate prairie. White tents of campers
dot low land and mountain, and the Bohe-
milan srmmer-lite begins. Come to Colo
RADIO and learn of her treasures for your
self,
A word or two about physicians in con-
nection with the health question. have
heard it objected, Eyes, the climate is, well
enough, but it cannot do everything. Sup
pose the invalid is taken i'll, there are no
doctors on whom we can rely" This is
an entire misrepresentation. The majority
OF Colorado physicians are men who have
turned their backs on fourishing practices
at home, and fled here to save their own
lives. Who so capable of treating a disease
as those who have studied its eyerss sylnp.