The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1915-04-13
'EIEgD!A LILY 81 b EZRA IN
The HAsK LETTE.R
OUR Ma TON AL II ARkS.
1.-.P putting Them On . Business Basis
by Eroder1u y. Hnsktn.

Stephen e. Mather, who has been
chosen by Secretary OF the Interior
Lane TO make our ma onal parks and
monuments familiar and accessible to
the American people. once conducted
personal Investigate ton to find out
how much was known about these
American wonderlandsi Every, time
that he met an American citizen OF
light and leading, man who should
have known his country's resources
thoroughly, he took occasion to ask
him how many national parks there.
We're in the United States. Out OF
twenty prominent. intelligent and
highly educated Americans there were
only eleven who knew the names OF
as many as three Of our national
parks,Hwhile none OF them knew that
there were fourteen parks and monu-
ments under the protection OF the
federal government
These parks and monuments should
not he confused with the national for
ests. The latter are timber reserF es
only. The parks and nlonum ents are
bits Of the American wilderness that
have been set aside because of their
beauty and the national wonders and
|curiosities which they contain Uncle
Sam does not allow any one to cut
Q stick Of timber, plough an acre OF.
land, or harm a wild thing upon the
protected lands.
Certain it is that to most A1neri-
cans the term national park sue-
gests nothing except the Yellowstone
and the Yosemite, which have been
praised and advertised and toured
TO the exclusion of the other twelve.
many OF which are equally interesting
and some of which are just as easy
to reach There can be mo question
but what our national parks and
monuments constitute great, unde-
Feloped resource-nnt only a re-
source in their capacity to give
health and rest and recreation 10 hum
ldreds of thousands of people, but al
SO in the sense that they may be made
TO pay a splendid revenue both to the
government and to the people
A traveller who has seen practical
" all of the great mountains OF the
world has said that the IIimalayas
contain the most wonderful scenery,
that the American Rockies are sec
ond, and that Switzerland is rather
bad third. Yet thousands of Amer
leans have annually gone to Switzer-
land to climb peaks that were mole
hills beside the ones in their own
Rocky mountains; and to view scenery
decidedly less impressive, overrun
with guides and tourists. and CAPT
talized and exploited much of its pTiln-
tive charm was gone.
Furthermore. these Americans have
spent their vacations and their mil-
+ lions in Europe without even stop
ping to learn what the United States
had to offer. They do not even know
the names Of the national parks that
contain some of the most wonderful
scenery in the world Everyone, of
course, has heard OF the geysers of
the Yellowstone and the Yosemite
valley. but how many Americans have
ever heard OF Iceberg lake on the
Glacier national park? Here the great
Wilbur mountain glacier pushes a
sheer front Of ice 1000 feet high into
the crystal waters of the mountain
lake. When the sun grows warm,
great icebergs break away from the
parent glacier and crash into the lake.
where they float about in the wind.
grinding against each other and awak-
ening myriad echoes in the mountain
canyons. Iceberg lake is undolbted-.
spots in the world: yet few Ameri-
cans know of it's existence.
Tie Natural Bridge Of Rock Greek.
Virginia, is pictured in all geagraph-
les and known to every schooTboy as
one of our natural wonders, but all
most unknown to the public is the
great natural bridges monument of
Utah. In this Wild mountain tract,
which has been set aside by the gov
eminent as natural wonder, there
are. a number OF great ndstone
arches. any one Of which would make
the Virginia bridge look Lilliprtian.
The Augusta natural bridge, for ex-
ample, spans a canyon $50 feet from
WALL to wall. with an arch Of sand
stone 60 feet thick in the center and
40 feet vide. Beneath it is a clear
opening 357 feet in perpe ndicular
height. This is more than twice the
height Of the Virginia bridge. It.
ington. with 81 feet to spare above
the dome.
Easily one Of the most spectacular
mountain peaks in the world Is Mt.
Rainier on the Mt Rainier national
park. Its a lonely. icecapped noun
tain of tremendous height. with glac-
iers r:adiating from 1t in every direc-
ton and rivers sprinsing from every
glacier, while the fine curVing sweep
Of its TANKS are covered Atith forests
and flowery meadows
It would be possible to go on at
great length, naming natural won
ders OF our national parks and mon n
Ements that are almost unknown to
the American public; but these strik-
ing natural features are not half as:
important as the parks themselves.
Almost all Of them are located in
splendid mountain country where the
summers are delightfully."- cool, and
where fishing and mountain climb
ing may be enjoyed among the most
picturesque and healthfrl surround
ings: As summer playground, our
national parks and monuments are an
asset upon which we have absolutely
failed to realize. M
splendid example or what may
be done in the way Of exploiting ma
tional scenery is afforded by Swift
FT3F- r. 4-- NP