The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1914-06-24
PROTECT rHE soUNTAIEs


~ NAeANANlAl IN WIKI u rAFICercu
the hope thar America would see
20 Il that the natural beauties Of
this country b. protected and pre-
served. he had travelled through
New England He had climbed the
mountains Of Vermont and New
Hampshire. lie appreciated rs does
every person that here In Vermont
Is natural beauty vel worth pre-
serving and he saw. as does every
person who observes and thinks.
that the axe OF the lumberman. IL
unchecked would rapidly deface that
natural beauty.
A dozen years ago our neighbors
on the other side of the Connecticut
formed the Society for Preservation
Of New Hampshire forests. With slow
and hard beginning. met by gibes ON
schemes for buying scenery but
pushing forward under the conyio
ton that n would be 10 the last.
ing profit Of New Hampshire TO save
the White Mountain region and other
inland resorts from the destructive
hand OF trade. the society has
achieved great things. BY appropria-
tions from Congress and the New
Hampshire legislature and by private
subscriptions portions OF the White
Mountains. Sunapee Mountain. a
forest OF virgin pine timber In SUIT.
ton and other properties. vast and
valuable. have been rescued for pre-
servation; but perhaps most strik-
ing from the viewpoint OF Vermont Is
the society's recent acquisition OF
Monadnock Mountain. Standing. as
Il does. by itself. visible IN It's
rugged outline from a great portion
OF eastern Vermont. Monadnock tow.
ers before ms as reminder that
Vermont had best be doing.
Vermont seeks 10 attract strangers
II seeks To be part OF the nations
playground. II advertises its beau
ties and It's comforts for holiday
tourists. Should Il not now begin.
In large way. the preservation OF
those natural features which make
strong appeal to the people whom the
state would attract? II yes, where
should the state begin.
On the direct railroad and motor
route from New York to the White
Mountains and Quebec. bold in the
very first commanding view OF Yer
mont that Is obtainahle in ascend
ing the valley OF the Connecticut.
is Ascutney Mountain. Visible from
summit 20 base from the windows
OF passenger trains that carry thous-
ands OF tourists TO and fro along that
route. visible from the trains as
far south as Charlestown Told No.
Four and as far north as Hanover.
visible also from railroad trains IN
Central New Hampshire along the
main route from Boston TO Montreal.
II looms by reason OF its complete is.
oation into the visions OF more tray
elers than any other mountain in
Vermont. In color and in outline.
especially from the northeast, it is
of surprising beauty. Admiral Fol-
ger, who has travelled the world, says
that next to Fujiyama there is no
mountain so beautiful in contour. II
was for years an Inspiration to the
painters, the architects and the men
OF letters who have made their
homes in sight OF IL at Cornish. Al
most in its shadow the President OF
the United States has made his sum
mer home.
On account of Ascutney's Isolated
position. its summit affords an as
tonishing range of view. To the
north are seen the three peaks of
Mansfield, TO the northeast the
White Mountains, to the east Lake
Sunapee, to the southeast Monadnock
to the southwest Greylock and
Equinox, TO the west Killington,
Shrewsbury and Pico. This view has
been famed in all Vermont history.
At the time OF Lafayette's visit to
America in 1925 people In the region
of Ascutney built n road to its very
top so that the distinguished friend
of America might see in one gorge
Gus panorama a charming sweep of
the country he had helped to make
free. This mountain is still ia
vorite resort. Hundreds make its
ascent every year. The Ascutney
Mountain Association was the pio-
neer of all the Vermont societies
whose object is the cherishing of our
mountain scenery.
Is not Ascutney a good place to-
begin on broad scale the work of
protecting vermonts natural fores,
beauty? Today the slopes Of this
mountain are still fairly well clothed
with spruce, hemlock, birch. maple
and beech. The lumberman, al
though at work has not yet made
scars sufficient to mar the grandeur
and beauty of this mountain. But
look on the other side of the page !
Suppose that the travellers up the
New Hampshire by train and motor
Connections River valley or across
on getting their grst near view of
a Vermont mountain shall see a.
brown, burned and barren waste.
Ought such to be their first inn
preston of the Green Mountains"
.