The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1911-08-30
BEAUTIFUL PRAIRIES
OF EARLY IOWA
Vivid Description Of the Procession
Of the Seasons on the Great
That Are No More.
OLD TIMERS REMEMBER THEM
Many at Old Settlers Picnic Thursday
Who Remember Iowa As
Sea Of Prairie.


Williamsburg Journal: To the per
son who was fortunate enough to hav'
lived in Iowa when it's almost bound
less prairies stretched out like an oce
an with every billow fixed and motion
less, there must frequently come thu
thought OF the inspiring sight an(
through the glass OF memory he viii
see again what Bryant referred t.
when he wrote:
"These are The gardens OF the Desert
these
The unshorn fields, boundless an(
beautiful,
For which the speech Of England has
no name
The Prairies.'
And the heart will grow warm and
the pulse will beat faster as milrored
from the past roll out against the lord
" sweeps of primal sward, laughing
back the glances OF the sun, catching
the drifting patter of the shower OF
white, all white with winters drift
ing snow.
There was never vouchsafed to NOR
tai man, vision so entrancingly fair
as that afforded by an Iowa prairie. 1t
was as if Goo himself called you to his
side and permitted you to stand over
virgin sod upon which the first rain
drop fell across, which the first wind
sighed its vesper song and above which
the stars sang together in honor OF
creations dawn. 1t is spring, the tree.
less wastes, the long sweep of ridge
and rounded slope; the south wind has
blown for days and weeks across the
land and many a drifting rain has
marched with its million feet across
the open world. First comes the grass,
type SO rare that no man could ever
transplant it to foreign soil; by the
dim May time green carpet cover
ed the land and when June came a
million flowers waved their plumage
above the grass. Who, that has once
viewed, ever forgot the grandeur OF
the scene when Flora placed her vern-
al offering on the bosom of an Iowa
prairie. Hill and dale and graceful
swell in lcngthening ridge a riot of
color! Sweet Williams, req and pink
oh q If
lifting their tufted floral crests above
the soft and tender grass; intermingl
ed with these the lady slippers gold
en- pouch glinted in the sun OF noon or
held in the morning the liquid dfa-
monds strewn broadcast by the fingers
of night. A thousand acres OF such
bloom was thousand acres of Eden.
1t was as il heaven, in an hour of &C.
stacy, kissed the earth and million
flowers stood forth to attest the favor.
Nor were these wild wastes void OF
music. The old prairies, sun kissed
and flower bedecked, were vibrant
with song: Prairie chickens drum
med" in choruses of millions; Quails
whistled a response to the meadow
lark's sweet and silver notes: The
doves plant mingled with tie robins
praise, while the trill, twjtter and chirp
OF countless prima donnas floated
across the land like wave of sweet
est harmony antheming the morn.
When the summer came it brought
q new charm to the prairie: Cattle
grazed on a thousand hills; the grass
shifted from its pale green to brown
ish tint; a stiffness huns dreamily up
on the scene; the giant rosin weed
turned its golden disk to the sun and
the stately 5lue-stem nodded and dip
ped its plume in every passing breeze;
the hawk, poised on steady pinion,
moved slowly up and down the long
reaches of aerial sea-, butterflies on
gorgeous wing wheeled and huttered
in the pulsing air; great dragon flies
spread their emblazonad wings over
the late blooming flower. and even
ing's hush wasbroken only by the
ing's hush was broken only by the
epic ever written was the passing of
summers pagentry on an Iowa prai-
rie; its lines were transcribed by the
Almighty's hand on field of the cloth
Of gold and as the flame of its sublime
beauty paled in the light of receding
sun a new glory was revealed.
while Autumn, nodding Ger the yell
low grain.
Comes joval on"
Autumn on an Iowa prairie! Go
paint a sound or give to loves own
dream a form of speech that the ear
may understand, but do not hope to be
able to describe the beauties when au-
tumn rests like benediction on the
prairies now no more. A stiffness,
settled on the picture and the west
winds musky wind set long low
whisper through the withered grass as