Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1885-03-12
SKATING.
The Distinction Between Skating On the
Ice and In the Rink.

Ice and In the Rink.
Skating on rollers round and round a
rink is one thing; skating on the ice,
over a long, straight-away course, I'M
der cliffs, past meadows, among hills,
is quite another. The relation of the
former to the latter is the same that
shooting at clay-pigeons bears to quail
hunting in the stubble. In the one case
we find pleasure in dexterity; in the
other we get near to nature and catch
the spirit of adventure.
The writer never had but one thor
oughly satisfactory skating experience
in his life. 1t occurred on the Kentucky
River. He was one of party of ten,
all young enough to be lively, all old
enough to appreciate the rare condi-
tions. The river was struck where a
break in the bluffs gave an easy descent
to the ice-the objective point (and it
is always we'll to have an objective
point in life, whether one is skating,
soldering or sermonizing), seven miles
away. The sky was gray; just a
thought of snow IN the air; the
wind with us; the scenery rugged
and picturesque. Here was felicity
unmixed! We seemed to sink into the
embrace of nature. The region was as
wild to the view as when Daniel Boone
first looked upon it. We gazed down
the perspective of the valleys, that oc-
casionally opened as we swept out of
one defile into another, half-expecting
to see village of wigwams in the dis
lance. There was a charm in every
foot of the landscape which, like vast
panorama, swept behind us as we flew.
But the charms were those that hold us
irresistibly when we contemplate the
..deep solitudes" of nature, profoundly
sensitive of the august majesty of the
Creators own handlwork. We began
with whoop; but, as the true senti-
ment of the scene touched our souls,
we grew subdued by the environing
grandeur, the pace conforming to the
general mood, and it was not until
there was sudden realization that the
goal was near that the wild halloo of
the foremost, himself abruptly aroused,
awoke the spirit of frolic.
If skating were only attractive under
these circumstances there would be few
skaters in the world; but the same up
lifting experience may be attained in
other ways and a. all seasons. The
busy American needs the suggestive
diversion that sport in the open air
ves-whether it be skating, bicycling.
hunting, fishing or tours afoot. And
he needs to open his soul to the senti-
ment of the pastime. To play merely
to perfunctorly acquiesce in physi-
cans prescription is not the DOCTORS
intention. We should learn to enjoy
hunting quite as much because we go
to the hills and fields as for the oppor-
tunity to fill a game-bag. Skating in
rink. shooting at a target under
cover, or racing against time around the
tan-bark circle. are well enough in
their way. but the better thing is to 60
a-sporting where the eye can discover
a distant horizon. The anise-bag has
its proper use in default of the fox.
That there is, at the present time,
popular tendency to play out-of-doors
is very evident, Notwithstanding the
fervor with which some indoor pas
times are held. 1t is giving, as has
been noted by intelligent observers a
grateful element to American litera-
ture, and is awakening in the Ameri-
can youth an ardor in the pursuit of
only to be found where Nature main
tains something of her original condi-
tions. 1t was not many years ago
when there were but comparatively few
resorts for the summer-tourist in quest
of an idling-place. Now they abound
everywhere. The reason lies in the
fact that people no longer, as rule,
desire to go with the crowd, but prefer
the small groups in the places to
which the noise of commerce does not
reach, and where the beat of Natures
heart can be heard.-G. G. Matthew.
in CHICAGO Current.