Newport weekly independent., 1904-01-29
GLEN BIERN FALLS.
BY $. ARHETT ROMAN.

preclplce halfway down the mountain on broad shelf of gran. ite, then falls in broken cascades with a continuous roar, much 1 froth and spray, over powder and rock, until reaching the valley be. low, it runs off smooth, shallow and peaceful, deepening to wide river as it goes to the ocean hun dreds of miles away.
 | Glen Biern Falls, majestically beautiful, are visited by all tour ists who frequent the Blue Ridge at Blowing Rock, to escape the midsummer heat of cities and plunge into the bright and glori- ous October atmosphere in July and August.
 To get there these sightseers plunge recklessly through the tangled brush and primeyal forest l growth, down the oblique noun tain slope, catch desperately at I Toverhanging branches while stumbling over sharp rocks and stones hidden under thick car 4 pet of fallen leaves, rotting, to make the rich loam from which the grand trees spring, until, panting, breathless and delighted, they reach the foot of the falls and throw themselves down to rest. Sitting around on moss and lichen-coyered powders, on the fallen trunk of some storm-rocked tree, they gaze up at the beanti- crate all traces of the last dreadful gorgeous wealth of rhododendrons and other mountain flowers, and, making themselves comfortable, get out the baskets and start eat ing lunch.
 This is what distresses the Glen Biern falls.
 s'I would not mind," murmured the waters complainingly to the forest, sstheir coming to disturb Lmy solitude and singing discord-
 nt songs, as they often do pop 1 ular songs, they call them, and they are all hideous), if they would only not leave ugly, greasy bits of>Paper and scraps of ill smelling via2ds and ugly, broken paper boxes, sea tered everywhere over the moss and the>anderbrush and by the waters edge.
 "Why, it took two months 0tS wind and storms and rain to o0lit- crate all traces ofthe last dreadful picnic some young men and women had here recently. It's outra- geous. They ruin the landscape and vulgarize my beautiful falls. Why were not some vultures at tracted here by the remnants of ham sandwiches and turkey bones they left carelessly on the grass? Think of carrion birds picking and squabbling over remnants of flesh near these deep pools and my foaming torrent alongside of my lovely falls"
 "You'll have to get used to that sort of thing" big hickory tree, covered with it's luxuriant bloom, said dryly. Men and women are ruthless, and care very little for the beauties of nature as a rule. They have no natural artistic sen timent or appreciation of the fit ness of things, and my experience has been, except in the case of a few artists and poets, they are all greedy. We nut trees know that. They are not content to let our nuts ripen and mature and drop of their own accord on the soft green sward; they must needs hire men with long poles to beat our boughs and thresh our limbs bare, not only of nuts, but of leaves and tender growing branches as well. Men and wom- en love to eat. They are as greedy for food as they are for gold. You will be fortunate if some of those men 1 see prospecting about our mountains do not set up their hid eous machinery on your banks and make use of your falling waters for smelling or some other horri- ble purpose.
 There's no telling. You may 1 pot 1.nOm if (.Ian Riarn h,,+ fIt,