The Washington herald., 1921-09-18


than any other nation in the world. But it
does know i'll The United States right here in
our borders possesses empire of grandeur and
beauty which has scarcely been heard of. We
the inspiring Fairgrounds. and the finest nature
schools in the whole world and most of quite
sereney ignorant of the fact We have heard OF
national parks. of the Grand Canyon the Yosemite the
Big Trees" but the average knows pitifuy little
about the marvels which his for the seeking, in
nine big wonder grounds one OF which alone is
larger in than all of Massachusetts, and Connec-
tcut.
For have nine national parks, under the d-
rcction OF Stephen T. Mather. of the Interior De-
partment. preserving the natural wonders which the
God OF Thinks as They Are carved out when the tu-
multi OF making the earth taking place. OF these,
the Yellowstone, in Northwest Wyoming, is the
largest and the most widely celebrated. possibly be-
Gauss 1t contains enormous geyser, which spouts
regularly, every hour OH the hour, missing a
stroke, day after day and year in, year out. That
curious fact has been given world wide publicity, SO
that millions OF people familiar with "Old Faith
full
But do they know that this park alone has an
area OF 5000 square miles? Do they realize that,
while the geysers have made il famous, the geysers
only phase of its wonders, new ones to add
to the already tremendous store being discovered
every year as new surveys made.
And the Yellowstone is just of parks.
Everyone has heard of the Yosemite Valley, But
know that the world famous valley, incompatible in
scenic beauty with anything else the top of the
earth : merely seven mile crack, in scenic mas
terpiece which I,Ioo miles square in That its
peaks would put to shame anything in Switzerland;
that its granite domes, deep, ice-cut canyons, and
soaring mountains capped with at all seasons,
are wonders which make the person viewing them
catch his breath in at his insignif-
canoe. ..... &C..
Then there is the Sequoia National Park, a little
south OF the Yosemite i'll California. Here within
area of 2s7 square miles to be found what are
popularly known as the Big Trees" More than a
million OF the big trees grow within the
fines OF the park, many Of them mere babes of few
hundred years, sturdy youths of thousand or
So many full of the vigor of young manhood of two
:hree thousand years, and just few which might
the parents of the tribe in the full maturity
of their thousands and thousands of years. The Sc
quota National Park is the gateway to of the
grandest, most sublime and inspiring scenic in
this country, or any other, for that matter.
HNER its borders, north and east, lies land
~ whose wild roaring rivers and tortuous can
yons whose glacier carved precpices and whose vast
snowy submits, eliminating in the supreme altitude of
Mount Whitney will some day make it known
passing almost anything i'll natural scenic beauty.
OF the big trees John Muir, who knew this
stretch OF ground better than any other man. stated
that diameter of 20 feet and height of 275 feet
might be taken average for mature trees, whose
seed had been cast in favorable place, where the
growth would not be hindered. Trees IS feet in
diameter and 900 feet high not rare, however,
though they larger than the average. But the
giar of the park, the General Sherman Tree" is
,6s feet through and the General Grant Tree" is IS
feet in diameter Measure this against the Washing
Monument, realizing that the would reach
half way the top, and then think that these
the Oldest living things in all the world. They
there when the Pharoans having the Pyramids
built-when Alexander the conqueror of the
world, when Diogenes looking for his honest
man. when Christ was born and crucifed, when
Caesar conquered GauL And they will be there
when the seventh generation of this age has become
the hudredth grandfather of the future people. For