New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-09


will leave these dangers to be faced by their
anxious relatives They will take their ropes
and axes elsewhere. and seek out mountains
which still defy the engineer
TWO ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS
For here we reach two essential elements OF
the sport-the love of adventure and the love OF
solitude. | do not say that these elements exist
in all mountaineering; for certain amount oil
activity is to be put down in this as in 0ther
matters of life. merely to the injection OF iasn-
ion. But these are tests of the true mountain
eering spirit. The genuine CLIMBER VIII De nap
DeSt when he is alOne-when he is carrying on
his sport in a remote country away from the
applause of the hotels To him there VIII be a
sensible dmnution OF pleasure If he finds that
there is another party on his mountain at the
same time himself. He goes to seek Inc SOIL"
tude of the SHOWS; his deepest joys are to be
found in the gtterng expansc OF the snow
field the mighty curve of the glaciers, and the
awful silence Of the rock summit piercing the
skies with its ragged Spire. To him are vouch-
safed sights never seen or imagined by oWeHers
in the plain-line on line Of mountains, like some
frozen sea. hushed under the solitary moon: the
march of cloud and vapor as they debouch from
their night bvouac and march IN the carry
morning I'D the mountain side. or. more splen-
did than ALL the mighty war of the elements as
the thunder roars from peak TO peak ana the
clouds eddy in their wild dance around ene
mountain top What words can describe those
visions? For these are the Masonic secrets or
the mountaineer which can be communicated to
ne one outside the craft, and must be seen even
to De believed
have some friends who spend what time they
can spare from climbing mountains in climbing
pOplars | visiting them on one occasion
when they took me for an afternoons enjoyment
of this form of sport | confess that was new
to poplars and that l found them somewhat
unnerving but recognized the perfect reason
ableness of the sport, and hope that this men
ton of il may cause 1t to spread
To sum up this side of the matter. The charm
of climbing exercise consists IN the Iac'
that it gives full play to every muscle of the
NOD hat INN lipSa
sources and judgment of the climber ana tnat;
above all. ii develops qualities OF prudence anu
prudent as he who takes his life in has hand'
and there is no man so reserved as he whose
lungs are entirely occupied by frequent respira-
tons.
THE COMRADESHIP OF CLIMBING.
IT remains to mention one last and perhaps
the most important element of satisfaction in
climbing 1t is the cultivation of comradeship.
"Most valley -ubbers." to. use the expressive
Tyrolese phrase fail to understand the reasons IONS
which weigh with climbers in a question IKE
that Of cutting the rope. | speak as one VINO
has not been tempted when say mat ne Is not
a climber who would not prefer death 10 cui-
ting the rope When two or three individuals
are roped together for a mountain ascent eacn
of the party contributes to sort OF poor OF
risk. Each one draws from that pool certain
fund of increased security. But there are cir
cumstanees in which one would be SAFER alone
but on the whole the strength or seVeraI -
greater than that of one de obtains the au,
vantage or being roped with the others, ana IN
his turn he sacrifices the chance OF safety which
he might draw from being alone. If he draws
the advantage. and then when an emergency
arises contracts himself out of the bargain by
cutting the rope his survival is breach Of con-
tract
1t il this feeling Of mutual risk and common
liability which gives it's peculiar strength and
beauty to Alpine cOmradeship. 1t is an old say
ing that the best friendships are the friendships
made in danger. and. except the friendships OF
war | suppose there are few 80 deep and ehdur-
ing as those of Alpine climbing.