Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1907-12-05

Several years ago, going across
| MOosehcad lake to Kineo, it CHANGED
that near the group in which the writer
sat, was o. man who had made several
| trips to his suit case in the cabin, and
his manner, which grew cordial in =.
corresponding ratio to the number of
| times ne went below, was circumstan-
tial evidence as to what he found
there. We had been admiring the
| beauties of nature, as seen during the
delightful sail across Names inland
sea. when somebody quite truthful1y
exclaimed: What perfectly glorious
| scenery" The man who had imbibed.
catching the last word, rose and stand
| ing mSteadily by the rail, said: "Schen-
ery-Schenery, my dear madam? Show It
| to met If there's one thing / love more
than another, it's schenery, and want
lots of it," Had the gentleman been
| with US in Switzerland, he would have
been perfectly happy, for of scenery
| there certainly was an abundance.
| We had reached Interlaken in the
early evening and only suggestions of
the lofty heights and grand vistas Of
the Alps had been granted us, as the
| train sped :lorg a route where noun
tains and lakes We're constantly appear
ing and disappearing, something after
the nature of moving picture, when
the lights suddenly go out, only to
come on again With views new and fas-
lcinating. We We're kept changing our
vision from one side of the car to the
other, as one crowd said: ooh, see the
scenery on this siden We would just
hnn dc he, f1,n
opposite side, exclaimed, with tantaliZ-
| ing enthusiasm: Isn't this the best
YETI After trying this neck exercise
for some time, and discovering that the
railroad company had been impartial,
and placed the track so that those on
the right hand and those on the left
We're equally favored, we treated with
silent contempt the efforts to draw our
attention from our own special pam
Drama. 1t was not until the next
morning-and exasperatingly early at
that, for trains will continue their fac
tory, rather than government schedule
that | CHANGED to look out of the win
I dow and beheld my first view of the
snoW-c capped heights. A little friend
of mine, about to face an examination
in psychology recently, was feverishly
turning over the leaves of her text
book to find the definition of emotion.
If one can look for the first time on the
grandeur and wonder Of those great
Alpine SUBMITS. in their awful sublim-
| ity, and not feel his very being stirred
ard q sense of awe and reverence and
peace come to him. then he should look
for the meaning of emotion on the print
ed page Mt. Washington, as seen from
far-aWay Maine, my friend since child
hood. and now to meet the Alps! My
ewes We're riveted on their ma jeStic out
lines. my thoughts up among the clouds
when a very material person said. rude
w. Are YOU going to stand there all
the morning. rapsodiZing over the seen
ery and not eat any breakfast, While
the rest of the people are rushing Tor
the train" You have no poetry in your
soul" | replied. 'Well, l confess I'd
prefer something a tritic more SUBJ
stantial than poetry Tor an all day
trip" was the response, and was nus
tied down stairs. and stone-iike roll,
n cup of Indifferent coffee, and some
really good honey, thrust upon me,
which collection constitutes the Euro
pean breakfast.
We used to study about glaciers in
school. They seemed far away then
about as distant as Commander Pearys
North Pole We never expected to
really sec one, and yet. here We were.
on our way toward the slistening
peaks, leaning out the car window TO
observe these great ma sses of ice, mann
mouth snowballs, great boulders ana
other objects which the glaciers had
.,,.l f1D. n
visit the glaciers is Il part of the pro-
gram-a Thomas Cooky thing tc do, as
Booth Harrington puts it. GrottoS
have been hewn in the sides for the eX-
nloration of the tourist, and the inl-
mensc walls of ice and snow are some
thing wonderful. Here are also the be-
ginnings of some of the great rivers, as
the blue water flows down to the val
lev below. There were parties OIL noun
tain climbers. off for a days Journey
over the dangerous passes ana we were
quit, obvious of the experiences theV
would Rave. as we waved our nanuS W
them from our prosaic seat IN the TRAM
in response to their SaluteS. Later
reading an account of the 40 deathS 'he
mast wear and the $50 accidents, among
these more ambitious people, we declu-
ed perhaps it was just as well to De
pushed up by an engine. Snow ana
ice were everywhere this July day, ana
vet the sun was so warm we scarcely
needed our wraps.
The train left us, on our trip through
fine Rerncse Overland. where we couid
see the grandest panorama of slisteh-
ing mountain peaks which this country
affords. and its speciality is scenery.
The Junsrau towers so high in the ar
that to stand on the summit, where the
railway will soon take its passengers
one would apparently be within easy
hailing distance of the Top of Things.
We had become accustomed, through
orr practice in gazing at the ceilings
and towers of cathedrals, to follow Ed
ward Everett Hale's advice and look
m, so the muscles in our neck were
we'll developed. This is excellent tram
ing, for to be put suddenly in front OF
these giddy heights and told to gaze
1850 feet into the air. might cause an
inexperienced person to lose his equili-
brium and fall over backward into
snowbank. Although there was plenty