Imperial Valley press., 1916-10-06
BY MARGARET MASON

BY MARGARET MASON
Written for the United Press.)
Before the beauty of the bay
At Rio, all l wish to say
Is surging deep within my breast
Too wonderful to be expressed. =.
My tongue is mute, my pen is dry,
Before the glories of the eye,
And yet / hear on every hand
| The clamor of the tourist band
Eyclaiming loudly "It's just grand"
I RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Sept. 6.
(By Mail)-The bay of Naples may
brag of its necklace of diamonds, but
in the harbor of Rio de Janeiro at
night, the bay is belted with diamonds
and Sugar Loaf mountain even boasts
OF a tiara. Electric lights are really
snuperfluous as first aids to beauty
here. Even the roseate splendor OF
sun swooning in crimson sea, the
gold effulgence of a harvest moon
OF the CLEAN Of a myriad of tropic
stars can enhance no further the al
ready exquisite charm of this South
American Dream City.
With a lavish and partial hand, ma
ture has poured all her splendors at
Rios feet Colorful mountains of
rock jut abruptly out ofa sapphire
sea whose waves kiss sands as white
as alasbaster. Verdant palm fringed
valleys simmer at the base of jun
gle covered hills. Irridescent hum
ming birds and gorgeous butterflies
feast at the hearts of vivid tropic
blooms and sassy little swallows and
blue and green Brazil birds play tag
in the sunshine Of Rios midwinter.
Surely Rio deserves the palm when
|it comes to natural beauty and she
got it too, when Dom John vi of Por-
tugal brought the first Imperial palm
from the Isle de France in 1908 and
planted it where it now stands, rear
ing its lofty royal head high above the
Botanical Garden. Thanks to Dom
John, these are palmy days with many
palmy days n Rio now. Massey rub
Der trees spread their dark green
leaves in a reckless profusion that
would cause any we'll regulated Brook
Ignite to swoon with envy. Brides
may pick their own orange blossoms
and bananas grow in backyards. Marie
Cahill wouldn't have to take much of
a stroll here to sing "Under the Bam-
boo Tree" with natural stage set
ting. Out in the Botanical Garden
however, you find quite the most
beautiful bamboo break of all. ! was
personally conducted through the
garden in six languages.
Antonio Cana is the name of my
versatile young Brazilian guide ant
aside from his native Portuguese he
has acquired a knowledge Of French
German, Italian, Spanish and English
at night school. This linguistic ability
liz not uncommon among the ambtiou!
young working men of Brazil. Ant
they are always most polite and oblig
ling. Just imagine how delighted w
North Americans would be if our sub
way guards and street car conduc
tors could even speak English--as fol
their ever being polite and obliging-
this is too Utopian dream
In the Botanical Garden Antonio
| was always turning over new lea
and was alternately presented will
one redolent Of lemon, camphor, tur
pentine and cinnamon. emerged
hctelwards clutching spring of sen
sitive plant in one hand and spra.
Of young Hyson in the other.
Hotelwards for me means to TAX
a trolley in the heart Of town and rid
for twenty-five minutes and 81,
tmiies of beautiful views to the Hote
International up on the mountains o
Santa Theresa. The international j
not Just hotel. It's half way hous