The Arvada enterprise. (Arvada, Colo.) 1908-1970, 1916-04-27
One after another great waves of

swept across the Atlantic. continued
their unceasing march across the fair
plains OF southern France. burying all
before them-helds, meadows, vine
yards. houses, churches. even villages
leaving behind them only gray bill
lows, to which chung lunches Of brack-
en-, few starved bushes Of scrub oak,
and thickets OF white and purple
gorse. lighting stubbornly for hold
upon the shifting sands. with here and
there some struggling groups OF pine,
the protesting remains of great for.
est which wind and sand and fire and
water had spared.
"On the seaward side the great fur
rows, lying one within tho other. were
bare and gray. The western winds lift
ed the light sands and dropped them
Just beyond the crest to drown and
smother the shrubs which struggled up
the leeward side Here and there in
favorable places few scattered pines
marked the location of the ancient for
est to which the Greeks and the Ro-
mans. perhaps even tho Phoenictans.
came for timber and pitch and left
their names on the shore to mark the
limits OF forgotten commerce. They
brought with them not only reckless
greed. but still more reckless flame.
which. cooperating with the stcndy
western winds and the sand thrown
up by the restless waves. ate away
the forest and left only tho shifting
duncs-great sand pillows that crept
inch by inch and year by year, cntomb.
ing more of the bright blossomcd bruy-
ere and gcncts, no matter how brave
ly they fought for existence, leaving
behind them only dry roots. which the
foresticrs' gathered for their hearths.
March Of the Sand Dune.
whenever the foot OF the sand
dune rested, there was hopeless blight.
A little why grass grew in the shad.
ow of the heather and gorse. on which
the sheep browsed under the eyes OF
solemn. faced shepherds pcrched on
stills and knitting as they watched.
On and on crcpt the phalanx of the
terrible dunes. slowly but surely blight.
ing all in their path. not only Great
Ing n desert but destroying hope, Az
long as the winds blew from the west
the dunes marched to the east: the
desert fires ravagcd the Intervening
spaces: nocks grew fewer. the dcsola-
ton more extreme. In the henrt Of
sunny France desert was established.
ever increasing in extent and threat.
ening to stretch across its fairest fields
the aridncss OF the Sahara"
Then this consul OF tho United
States who also wns a writer told us
how today THE dark squadrons OF
the 'pID maritime are posted on thou
sands of sandy slopes faithful gnrdinnA
in the shelter OF which the vineyards
and wheat fields rest secure. The
gray dunes which were sweeping over
the land have become scrried for
trcsscs which shelter civilization and
prosperity"
SO ends the gripping story told In
an obscure corner OF nm obscure pam
phlci published as one OF Uncle Sam,
daily consular reports.
Books and Presidents.
The White House Is always tho
White House. but tho atmosphere
within It changes as tho American
people change their presidents The
tastes OF presidents and the tastes OF
men who are not presidents diner ma
tcrially. 1t would be possible for q
person of comparatively small discern
mcnt to learn something on entering
the White House OF the nature OF th'
man who occupies II even II he dc
not know 30 much AS the occupants
name.
Mr.. Wilson. Ike Mr.. Roosevelt. Il
student. Mr.. TAFT also was stu
dent. but the studious desires OF thu
three men have led them In dincren
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