Oxford Democrat., 1918-11-19
Ths caayea sssesm sssa.
A HUNDRED THOUSAND VISIT IT YEARLY
BUT FEW PENETRATE rrs RHcKssIs.

Most visitors to the Grand Canyon see
it only from the rim; ssmall proportion
take the extra day to descend to the
river, and still fewer the two days neoes-
sary to spend . night in.its depths. But
It ID necessary to see the canyon from
within II one 10 10 have even superficial
idea OF It. The rim view 10 noble In the
extreme; Il 10 inspiring, to. some even
terrify ing; to oil it affords an emotional
experience whose memory remains for .
lifetime. But, after all, It presents only
one aspect of very many, for the great
gulf offers sensations OF infinite variety.
For this reason there 10 probably no
great place In the world seen BY 20
many and known to 90 few. The eu.
premaay Of the Grand Canyon In the
worlds scenic gallery 10 universally
acknowledged. Not far from . hun
dred thousand persons visit It annually.
The boundaries proposed for the nation
al park which Congress 10 now coDaider-
ing inclose about . thousand square
miles Of magnificence which phrase and
photograph fail even to suggest.
The fact that 30 few who visit the
Grand Canyon really see It grows out OF
the public disposition to consider 1t .
side trip of the transcontinental journey.
People planning to spend weeks or
months ct the Pacific resorts accept the
popular misconception tha: "the canyon
can be done In day or two" en- route.
Many leave 1t with some realization that
they have merely looked In through Q
crack In the fence, but, with prearraag-
ed reservations, they naturally hold to
to their programs; besides, they argue,
nobody else stays more than day or
two, 90, In spite of appearances that
must be all It 10 worth; besides hotel,
carriage and trail accommodations are
organized on the idea that the stay will
be brief. Thus the greatest spectacle Of
it's kind, and many think of any kind, 10
the whole world has become side show
to Q western vacation.
REASONS FOB THIS MIscoNcEPTIoN.
This colossal blunder naturally would
cure itself In good time II the Grand
Canyon could only be made as comfort.
able to live In a. It 10 to stop 10, and II
it's inpumerable details we're made COM
fortably accessible. Many visitors eat
spend the succeeding night on
the train going; they have "seen'
the, Grand Canyon in between
The excellent hotel, so charming to live
in, If people would only livs.in It, almost
suggests the hurry Of crowded street,
so rushed is 1t with the visitors of g
single night. {
But, after all, there are two good rea'
sons Why the visiting public should not
be charged with lack of appreciation
One 10 this general preconception tha,
the Grand Canyon is q one or two days
spectacle. The other 10 that the private
| interests which have built the trails and
9th hervise planned the manner In which
the public shall see 1t have adopted the
same idea; 1t is natural that they should
not invest more money In roads and
trails than just enough to take care OF
the business that naturally offers. A
man who, after he has spent one day or
that part Of the rim which is develop, d
and one day going to the bottom OF The
Canyon, finds that further exploration
involves expensive special equipmen
and special guides, and that the Canyon
floor is> unprovided with good laters
trails or more than the one camp; II
other words, who plans an undertaking
which resembles an expedition, mus
possess enthusiasm and pocketbool
beyond the usual.
Artists and leisurely travellers some
times do this, but 1t Is out of the ques
ton for the great body of busy Amer
leans. Their turn will come when the
Grand Canyon becomes q national pari
and is studied and developed for th'
special purpose of making Its infinite
treasures comfortably accessible to all
Meantime 1t is unreasonable to sxpec
private interests to do more for the pub
lie than they find profitable.
Those who have lived with rather thar
glanced at the Grand Canyon become In
creasingly moved by its glories. 1t ha
inspired more literature and art than al
the other scenic places OF America com
bined. It is the center Of q steadily in
creasing pilgrimage Of painters. 1t per
haps may be said that the Grand Canyon
and the region of which 1t is the clima,
inspire the highest as we'll as certainly
the most extensive expression OF land
scape art In America to-day.
An interesting example Of the way th'
Grand Canyon 'gets'' those who
live q little with 1t u
found In tue technical, and to most
of US the incomprehensible, reports o
the Government topographers ant
geologists who studied 1t for years
Apparently in spite of themselves, thes'
men to whom rocks and canyons are tht
grim business Of life, often Interrupt
their dry technical pages by brief bursts
OF enthusiasm not inspired In the least
by science, but by the pure emotion o.
l Nltvnftu