The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-07-08

nave OtSE Autly Souh pcHsatcu W hhN sP'SH-
did July that our wet June has made pos
sible. In ordinary seasons little rain falls
in Seattle between the Goth Of May and the
10Th Of September. and in these circnm-
stances everything becomes so dry that
the forest fires get started and a pail OF
smoke hangs over our beautiful noun
tains from the middle of July until the
autumn rains begin. But this year the
rains have not only purified and cleared
the air. but have kept the forest fires in
allegiance, so that our mountain view this
month has been as fine as could be asked.
The bright. unclouded weather this
month has shown our state at its best to
the tourists from the East. These tourists
have all been so highly impre ssed by the
beauty of our scenery that they will be far
more likely to come again than II they had
found US masked in smoke and been COM
PEELED to take our statements concerning
the splendor of our mountain line entirely
on trust. Such days as we had last week
are unknown at the East and exercise
wonderful charm over the tourist. A New
England visitor is not prepared for such
magnificent summer scenery and climate.
The evening outlook from Queen Anne
hill upon the harbor, or that from tho
crest of the ridge as you look down upon
Lake Washington, seems like a sight of
fairy-land. A strip of rosy cloud crossed
the sky between and in line with the top
Of Mount Rainier and the lesser peaks of
the Cascades. The outline of Rainier was
clearly cut in dazzling white from its apex
to Its foot, while the dark-gray shades that
wrapped its foothills were in fine contrast
with It's symmetrical cone. We have be-
held the Green Mountains. the Adiron-
dacks and the White Hills Of the old
Granite State. bat our picture of city.
harbor, lake, dark-blue foothills and grand
snow peaks. standing forth in stately
majesty against a clear sky, completely
surpasses in its scope aud variety all
mountain views east Of the Rockies.
Our people today have little leisure to
stop for day dreaming over our city's gift
of suburban beauty and distant mountain
glory, but the day will come when We
shall all have more leisure, and then our
children's children will be glad that their
fathers cast their lines in pleasant places,
where they do not need to read themselves
into rapture over scenes of natural beauty.
for when we rise in the morning Mount
Rainier is a liberal education in the
sublime and the beautiful, and at sunset il
lends glory to the faded garments of
departing day.
The Hudson excites but languid inter-
est in a man bred II not born on this Coast,
for we have the Columbia, and New York
harbor would hardly charm anybody who
has made the trip through the Sound to
Victoria on one side and returned to Seat
tie on the other side via Deception pass.
Altogether the people of Washington have
much TO be thankful for. Some day when
we can stop for the invocation of the
poetic mood We expect our people will be-
como imaginative. fertile in fiction and
poetic prose. for If the Tennessee noun
tains can inspire Charles Egbert Craddock
Miss Murfree) 20 write nohly, the grander
mountains and rivers Of Washington and
Oregon must surely some day stir some of
their sons and daughters to fine poetic
speech.
The view from the top of Queen Anne
hill sometimes includes the Cascades on
the left. the olympics on the right. We
see rosy signals in the evening dying from
strips Of cloud: there is a golden haze IN
The air; the declining light falling upon
the city; the cleaning waters of the har-
Dor below recall Whittier's lines;
Beauty seen Is never lost
Gods coiors all are fast
TAe glory OF tails sunset heaven
Into MY soul hSs passed.
There have been days during the past
week when the morning sun might be
fairly called the sun Of natures Austen
litx; the victory of the light and heat of
July over the clouds and rain of June.
For more than thirty days our beautiful
mountain peaks. when not absolutely IN
visible were IaniahEing in spots of beauty
that occasionally dashed through rift in
the elouded sky. Bat with the coming Of
July the fall-orbed beauty of our noun
talns was restored TO cur straining sight
The walls OF our heaven were no longer
hung with black; the sun god. in golden
armor dressed. touched the misty peaks
with his glitteriny spear. and LOT the bat
Elements Of the Cascades broke forth from
the shattered gloom reSplendent with
victorious light The hardest and dullest
among Us must have lels grateful to see
Ra.nieEs buried beauty bursting the oere-
ments OF the eavloos clouds and rise 70
heaven. droppiag her damp, torbiddinS
shroud st her feet
The aspect of oar mountain peaks on
some resurrection morn after brief sea-
sea e gloom when they have been lost
% our sight seems ike the distant vision
Of the Celestial City that Banyan so elo-
eaently describes As slowly rising before
the eyes Of the Christian pilgrim march
Ing with painful progress cut Of shadows
and pitfalls ana deep darkness 20 eternal
llshG To see sAis mounsAia heAnty drop
SIS black robes enc By one nnti. IL stands
forth cad in nothing But TIE fascinating
nudity Of il noble frame i al expsTienes
taAs however cd and oit-rupeafed Is ever
rev so tie spectator Of ordinary soasi-
hsiIsy. The remarkable beauty of the
summer ogt,oek abOut Seattle. iolaea "a
sAs sAlUhglsy and n-l3asss q It's xEnser
weather probably explains The strong
soSA. attachment o. sls peepis 20 tAs4r