Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-09-09
CAMP LIFE IN THE
YOSEMITE VALLEY
Shirt-Sleeve Democracy in the Mecca
of Transcontinental Travellers.
Canvas Metropolis Amid
Tented Cities
pv REV. DAVID NJ. STEELE, D. D.

i think, in the United states where Ma
ture's wonders are made centres for sight
seeing have essayed descriptions Of them
through a dozen years professionally l am
glad put off this trip TO Yosemite until the
last, for IL is climax TO the whole: II Is as
different from each Of the others as Il is
superior to all Of them in its peculiar forms
Of fascination.
Elsewhere one catches piecemeal an i'm
preston Of the scale upon which Nature
does things, reveals her marvels and re-
serves surprises. One who travels East or
West transcontinentally learns the wide
reaches of the praries, the height TO which
mountains may be piled, the density Of for
ests, width Of rivers, charm Of valleys and
sonorous sound of waterfalls, the size OF
trees, and. above all, the age thus indicated
the antiquity, stern dignity and repose of
lllimitable time and imperturbable silence
Here, however one finds all these things
at once.
The Big Thing
While the Yosemite may well be the last
place to visit in a seres-if one follows
progressive order and would work up TO
climax--it was one of the first regions Of
our great natural wonder lands TO be made
into a national park. II Is more than 40
years now since IL began to attract tourists.
But its interest has grown rather than
diminished. That is why this summer this
is the big thing" to do out here. Not the
Fair not either Of them for that matter, but
the Yosemite and the big trees together
these are Mecca, It would seem, for every
pilgrim who on his route East or West goes
perforce North or South through one or other
of two functions whence the Journey may be
made with ease.
A plateau is at the bottom of the valley,
fiat and extensive as you would climb hills
to attain elsewhere. The peaks and sum-
mits are great sawed-off buttresses which
taper downward, so that sides of mountains
seem not only to stand straight but to lean
over backward toward you. Away off above
are the vast meadows of the sky, dotted with
shesves of cloud on the blue background as
white themselves the fiower-covered car
pet where you lie in blue.
About you everywhere there are choice
spots for camps with dense forest for shade
underlooking peaceful valleys high up in
the air
And there are camps also, as many as
places. Indeed there is no other way of
living for those who would sojourn in this
out doors There are admirable perma-
nent camps, as big as army encampments;
and they have all the needful accessories,
automobiles and stages, four-horse coaches
saddle horses, telephones, electric lights and
all other convenences insuring delightful
stay of day or a week or a month in the
mountains. Hereabouts are half a dozen
tented cities. Here is a metropolis of can
vas in the centre of the wilderness Here
are a postoffice, express, telephone and tele-
graph offices, office of the superintendent of
the park, a general store and all kinds OF
curio emporiums. With amazing resource
fulness every detail has been arranged for
comfort, for convenience and for cleanli-
ness.
The joys here of camp life are commingled
with every device known to the city habi-
tant. There are swimming pools, dancing
pavilions baseball grounds, tennis courts,
bowling alleys, soda fountains laundries,
yes, and movies" Think of Palace Hotel
turned into 1OOO-square mile public park,
the lobby made of rustic logs of frs, the car
pets deep pine needles, the orchestra a noun
tain stream, the heating system a campfire
of cedar logs and the illumination a million
living frebrands dropping from a cliff 5000
feet above your head and you may gain an
idea of this forest hostelry
In this camp the help" are largely from
the colleges. A very fine lot of young peo-
pie, Western college boys and co-eds, waited
on our tables and toted our baggage,
sweatered. blazered, badged and decorated in
their negligee attire with every form of ath-
letic and Hellenic monogram and cryptogram.
To say that the guests could not be told from
the help was, upon the whole, a compl-
ment to the guests.
No Houses Locked
Here was a sample In truth Of a shirt
sleeve democracy. In all of these camps
last night, put together. 5000 people slept,
not to say without lock on door-for
there Is hardly door in the valley-but with
scarcely so much as tent flap closed. There
was motley variety of guests, rich, poor,
Old young wise and otherwise. who sat
around great camphres and at O'clock
withdrew TO soundest slumber.
Which, last of all, reminds me: one must
see the valley in the moonlight. had lain
awake and listened TO the music while. there
In the wilderness, hundreds OF people danced.
walked again to hear the sound of the
wind In the trees. and yet again was walk
ened by the very slence-it was so intense.
If one is to use a night like this for sleep
he must sleep soon and soundiy: for the
early Intrusion of the morning mountain
light is as surprising as the twilight was
long slow and lingering. But this night
happened to be that OF the full moon and in
that weird light the cliffs had a charm and
made an appeal II would have been a desc
Grafton to sleep through.
! went forth stealthily and wandered at
will where the only sound was not a sound
at all, but the far echo OF the sound of fall
Ing waters, and the only aiRhta uara shaa
ows rather which the darkness but made
visible. II you ever have the luck to tread
the meadows where the Asphodel shall grow
and where Lethe itself will pour its life
giving post mortem stream, you may have
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