The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1890-12-18
MCELREATH'S MUSINGS,
THE SHENANDOAH VALLEY.

not a voice from the. sombre clouds
which drifted down from Pennsyl-
vania and Delaware, wrap mcun-
tain, valley and city in the gloom of
a chill December day, hut a voice
from the sunny land Of Georgia, the
duty of obeying which is pleasure,
If the voice had told me what would
interest its owner, | perhaps could
go about the task with mere assur-
ance of success. But, nevertheless,
such as ! have, give unto thee.
The Shenandoah Valley is sort of
Vale of Tempe, surrounded by
lofty mountains, out OF whose sides
gurgle the purest springs whose
waters uniting form the rolling
Shenandoah" which after fretting
the mountain sides for nearly wo
hundred miles, burst through the
mountains at Harper's Ferry and
weds the Potomac. Valleys are
generally supposed to be level tracts
of land between hills or mountains.
Not so with the Shenandoah. The
surface is extremely billy, but the
hills instead of being rugged are
comical and as rich as the Garden
OF Eden. Blue Grass is indigenous
and most Of the land is given up to
it. You can climb to the top of
some hill from which you can get
view of several miles of country,
and as far as your eye will reach
you see the country covered with
one continuous sward of blue grass
upon which flock after flock of sheep
feed, and herd after herd of the fin
est cattle Craze.
There is no truer principle in any
science than that the geographical
conditions Of people form their
national character. The Thessalian
living in his famous Vale of Tempe,
thought of nothing but raising fine
horses, and if [ had to describe She
nandoah Valleyan in awo words, |
would say that he is man remark
able for his love of mountain seen
cry and fine horses. The remarka-
BILE fertility Of the soil is accounted
for on the theory that long ago in
the days which the fairy tales call,
"Once upon time" the Valley was
vast lake whose outlet was river
flowing over the mountainins where
the present river sruns through
them and that in time it wore the
mountains away and drained the
the lake. Be this as it may, the
whole land is covered with marine
shells.
From the top of some Of the high
est peaks Of the Blue Ridge, there
is a most most magnificent view.
One day in the early autumn, a
young West Virginian, a young Ar
kansian and myself, decided to 60
to a lofty mountain, apparently
about five miles off. After walking
eight miles, we arrived at the base
and began the ascent. We reached
the summit just in time to see the
sun sink behind the West Virginia
hills, and cast his long beams from
crag to crag, as he kissed the noun
tains farewell While the Valley
is one OF the oldest parts of the I'm
ion, the mountains are still filled
with deer, bear and every other
sort of wild animal.
7 The famous Goshen Pass is few
miles from here. There the noun
tain side rise for hundreds Of feetson
either side OF the road and in the
spring time when the laurel is in
bloom it is said to be surprisingly
lovely, 1t was favorite haunt of
Commodore Maury and he request
ed his family to bear his body
through it when he should die.
When the sad day came the hearse
was driven through the loved Pass
as ne wished.
Until recently the Valley has
been proverbially slow and old fash
Toned, .her people moving on in even
tenor Of their way, thinking and
caring nothing for the outside world
but recently the Syren song of the
| boomer has lured them from their