Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1910-04-01
CHAT
The Valley and Her Lover, the
Mountain-An AlIeqOry

A mountain, which lowered so majes-
ticaIIy above his neighbors with appear
ance so forbidding. looked down with
greatest tenderness upon the valley
which nestled 50 snugly at his feet SEEM
ing TO claim his care AMI protection
And this he gave with unselfish devo-
tion. Endeavoring TO shield her alike
from the summers heat and the winter 5
blasts. and this in a measure he was able
to do. for while the wintry winds tossed
his hoary locks. he bravely received the
greater fury OF the storms dashed upon
his mighty form reared as a bulwark
against this onslaught and with the
same courage he gladly lent his form TO
shadow the valley from the summer s
sun. thus robbing the day OF half his
heat Little rocked he how the storms
spent their fury on his barred breast and
bald brow so that he might protect his
beloved valley from thesr furies- The
more he endured for her protection the
stronger became his affection for her.
And thus il is with man; the more he
is called upon 10 endure, the harder the
labor, the greater the task. the fiercer
the conflict he encounters for the sake
OF those ne loves the greater that love
becomes.
No citizens are so patriotic as those
who have suffered. fought or bled for
their country.
While the mountain bestowed such
unremitting care on his beloved valley
she strove TO repay his devotion as she
las smiling at his feet py DOMINIC her
gown of richest verdure. all broidered
with the gayest flowers which sent up
their odor as a sweet incense on every
passing breeze. while she babe the birds
sing their sweetest carols for loves
sweet sake, as they builded their nest
and reared their young in her bowers.
But there came a time when the clouds
40 longer dropped their showers: when
the rains were withhOlden and there
arose a cry from the parched earth for
water.
The mountain looked down with pity
and compassion on his beloved valley
which lay so parched and thirsty. The
birds no longer sported over her bosom,
but had flown TO fresher fields. The
flowers and grass lay withered and dead
upon her breast In the depths OF his
compassion he caused two streams to
flow from his sides for the revival Of his
beloved
At his bidding two streams gushed
forth. but one OF them, forming lake,
refused to flow, saying. Il have no more
water than / will need for my own use.
Why should I impoverish myself for 9TH
ers7' And so il lay in its bed and hoard
ed its every drop. and when IT had be-
come stagnant a miasmatic stencil arose
from its surface. Poisonous weeds grew
on its banks and il became the home of
venomous reptiles and was Stunned and
abhorred by man and beast till. by nat
uraI process. its waters were evaporated
a. - hed
lay cracked and baked in the sun.
But the other stream rejoiced to do the
mountains bidding and rushing forth ran
merrily down the mountains side to the
succor OF his beloved vale and caused
the grass to spring up once more upon
her breast and the flowers to bloom and
the birds returned singing thier sweet
est notes as I'm Thanksgiving for the sill
very stream in which they laved their
parched threats. and famished cattle
gratefully Stacked their thirst, and merry
children waded its pearly depth and
splashed its bright ripples. and as il ran
on and on IL combined with other
streams. IL helped TO turn the wheels of
mechanical industries and thus became
one Of the most potent factors in the
worlds economics, a blessing to man
kind Ever flowing on TO its manifest
destiny. helping to replenish the ocean.
Ever giving. Never Withholding. Re
eeiving from a supply which is never di-
minished. Fed from the fountain of love.
from the very heart of the mountain.
for his beloved valley.
In this we have an illustration OF the
selfish and unselfish life and its results.
The deadly stagnation OF all that is help
fuI TO the development OF the best that
Is In US. and Of what we may do for
others
on'the other hand. we see the blessed