Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1898-10-22

hills of crystal that have been over 5, 600
years growing In places the earth,
throbbing, sobbing, grooming, quaking
with aqueous paroxysm. At the expira-
tion of every 65 minutes one of the gey-
sers tossing it's boiling water 1856 feet
in the air and then descending into
swinging rainbows. "He toucheth tho
hills, and they smoke" Caverns of
pictured walls large enough for the
sepulcher of the human race Forma-
tions of stone in shape and color of Gala
lily, of heliotrope, of rose, of cowslip,
of sunfower and of gladiolus. Sulphur
and arsenic and oxide of iron, with
their delicate pencils, turning the hills
into Luxembourg or Vatican picture
gallery. The SO called Thanatopsis Gey-
ser, exquisite as the Bryant poem it was
named after, and Evangeline Geyser,
lovely as the Longfellow heroine it
commentaries.
Wide reaches of stone of intermingled
colors, blue as the sky, green as the
foliage, crimson as the dahlia. white as
the snow, spotted as the leopard, tawny
as the lion, grizzly as the bear, in cir
cles, in angles, in stars in coronets, III
stalactites, in stalagmites. Here and
there are petrified growths or the dead
trees and vegetables of other ages, kept
through process Of natural embalm-
ment. In some places waters as inno-
cent and smiling rs child making a
first attempt to walk from its mother s
lap, and not far off as foaming and fren-
zied and ungovernable as maniac IN
struggle with his keepers.
But after yon have wandered along
the geyserite enchantment for days and
begin to feel that there can be nothing
more of interest to see you suddenly
come upon the peroration of all majesty
and grandeur, the Grand canyon. 1t is
here that it seems to me-and / speak
it with reverence-Jehovah seems to
have surpassed himself. 1t seems a
great gulch let down into the eternities.
Here, hung up and let down and spread
abroad, arc all the colors of land and
sea and sky. Upholstering of the Lord
God Almighty. Best work of the Archi-
tect of Worlds. Sculpturing by the In
finite. Masonry by an omnipotent
trowel. Yellow You never saw yellow
unless you saw it there. Red You new
er saw red unless you saw it there. VIC
let! You never saw violet unless you
saw it there Triumphant banners OF
color. In cathedral of basalt, sunrise
and sunset married by the setting OF
rainbow ring.
The ArchnnCeIs' Amphithenter.
Gothic arches, Corinthian capitals
and Egyptian basilicas built before hui
man architecture was born. Huge forti
fications of granite constructed before
war forged its first cannon. Gibraltara
and Sevastopols that never can be taken.
Alhambras, where kings of strength
aud queens of beauty reigned long be-
fore the first earthly crown was en-
pearled. Thrones Oh which no one but
the King of heaven and earth ever sat.
Fount of waters at which the hills are
baptized, while the giant cliffs stand
around as sponsors. For thousands OF
years before that scene was unveiled to
human sight the elements were busy,
and the geysers were hewing away with
their hot chisel, and glaciers were
pounding with their cold hammers, and
hurricanes were oleaving with their
lightning strokes, and hailstones giving
the finishing touches, and after all
these forces Of nature had done their
best in our century the curtain dropped,
and the world had new and divinely
inspired revelation, the Old Testament
written Oh papyrus, the New Testament
written on parchment, and this last
testament written on the rocks.
Hanging over one of the cliffs,
looked off until l could not get my
breath, then, retreating to q less ex-
posed place, looked down again. Down
there is pillar of rock that in certain
conditions of the atmosphere looks like
q pillar of blood. Yonder are 90 feet
of emerald OIL a base of 500 feet of opal.
Wall of chalk resting on pedestals OF
beryl. Turrets of light trembling Oh
floors of darkness. The brown bright
ening into golden. Snow of crystal
melting into fire of carbuncle. Flaming
red cooling into russell Cold blue warm
ing into saffron. Dull gray kindling
into solferino. Morning twilight flush
ing midnight shadows Auroras crouch.
ing among rocks.
Yonder is an eagles nest on a shaft
of basalt. Through an eyeglass we see
among it the young eagles, but the
stoutest arm of our group cannot hurl a
stone near enough to disturb the feath-
cred domesticity. Yonder are heights
that would be chilled with horror but
for the warm robe of forest foliage with
which they are enwrapped. Affairs OF
worship at which nations might kneel.
Domes of chalcedony on temples OF
porphyry. See all this carnage of color
up and down the cliffs. 1t must have
been the battlefield of the war OF the
elements. Here are all the colors of the
wall of heaven, neither the sapphire,
nor the chrysolite, nor the topaz, nor
the jacinth. nor the amethyst, nor the
Jasper, nor the 10 gates of 10 pearls
wanting. If spirits bound from earth to
heaven could pass up by way of this
canyon, the dash of heavenly beauty
would not be so overpowering. 1t would
only be from glory to glory. Ascent
through such earthly scenery in which
the crystal is so bright would be ut
preparation for the "sea of glass min
gled with fire.
The Golden West.
Standing there in the grand canyon
of the Yellowstone park for the most
part we held our peace, butafter awhile
it flashed upon me with such power
could not help but say to my comrades,
"What hall this would be for the last
iudgment!' See that mighty cascade
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