Evening star., 1925-03-07
BEAUT|ESOF new
us. PARK STRESSED
Speakers at Dinner Laud
Choice of Recreation Space
in Shenandoah Valley.

bare glimpse of how the historic
ridge of the Southern Appalachian
mountains is some day to became a
continuous chain of great natural
reservations, with the Shenandoah
National Park as the nucleus, was
furnished a group of enthusiastic men
from Virginia, North Carolina and
Washington who gathered at the City
Club last night TO celebrate the sue
oessful conclusion of the first steps
toward esta blishment of the first park
in the Blue Ridge mountains of Vir-
sinia.
Present at the dinner, which was
arranged by several of those persons
who first suggested the Virginia site
as the logical place for the East S
first great national park, and work ed
day and night for passage of the leg
islation at the last session of Con-
gress that makes the park possible,
were many of. the leading park ex-
perts in the United States. They told
inspiring stories Of how the big,
natural sanctuaries of the West were
established.
Honor Guests Listed.
Stephen T. Mather, director of the
National Park Service, served as
toastmaster at the urgent request OF
the committee on arrangements
Seated on either side of him as guests
tor Glass, Helmer Hbryn, the Minister
from Norway; Representative Harri-
son, Robert Sterling Yard, John Bar
ton Payne, Representative Temple of
Pennsylvania, Representative Aoer-
nethy of North Carolina, Mai. VIII
liam A. Welch, Col. Glenn ). Smith
and Engineer Commissioner Bell.
The dinner was originally arranged
as A jollification in celebration of the
passage several weeks ago of the
Temple bill which established COM
mission of five experts to survey the
proposed boundaries of the Shenan-
doah National Park and the Great
Smoky Mountain National Park. Be
fore the diners departed it had de-
welcomed into a concerted movement
for the establishment in the East or
a chain of parks similar to those that
dot the entire Western part of the
country.
Needed Nucleus, Is View.
Speakers stressed the need of es-
tablishing without delay the Shenan-
doah National Park as the nucleus of
such a chain, not only because of its
wondrous scenic advantages and his
toric connections, but also because OF
its ready accessibility to more than
a third OF the Nations population and
the quickness with which it can be
opened up for the use of the people.
But they frankly told their audience
that the hardest work is ahead.
DIR. Henry ". Temple. Representa-
tive from Pennsylvania, chairman of
the commission appointed by Secre-
tary of the Interior Work which Sc
lected the Virginia area as the out
standing site in the East and chair
man of the commission which is now
to make the survey, declared that
the next step is to get ready for the
legislation that must be passed at the
next session of Congress, the act that
will formally take over the land for
park purposes,
Il have no fear that YOU will not
get the park" DR.. Temple said. But
it needs now all of the help of all of
the people and all of the organiza-
tions of Virginia. You must get the
whole State behind this thing, from
the governor down to the smallest
landholder."
Make Surprising Discovery.
Maj. Welsh, another member of the
commission of survey and one of the
first men TO examine the Shenandoah
National Park site, told how he and
Col. Smith went into the Blue Ridge
Mountains more out of courtesy than
in hope of finding anything worthy
of a national park area. But we
he said. we found an unbelievable
thing. 1t is there; there is no ques-
tion about it,"
1T is little piece of unspoiled
wilderness" Maj. Welch continued,
that God has kept unspoiled in the
midst OF our center of population"
National Pnrk Spirit spreads.
Mr. Mathar declared fh"t ~" na-
tional park spirit, originated in
America, has s-sread TO the whole
world. Even down in South America,
he said, governments have establish
ed such a reservation, and 1T is
wonderful that we can come back to
the Old Dominion, the place almost
where our own history began. and
find that same spirit, so strong and
so sincere"
Col Glenn Smith, who was appoint
ed Secretary of the commission of
survey, asserted that 'it would be a
very small thing to ask the State
of Virginia to donate $1,000.oo0 to-
word a project that is to prove so
beneficial to it." That sum, he said
would find it way back into the
States treasury, once the, park is
established, in less than 10 years,
and then continue to add wealth to
the Old Dominion for the rest of time.
VIII Demand Help of People.
Representative Abernathy of North
Carolina said the people want the
whole tree, with all of it's branches
and all of it's roots" ut is all right
to talk about donations" he contin-
ued, but before we are through We
are going up at the head of Pennsyl-
vania avenue and dig down into the
Treasury of the American people and
get all of these parks. They are all
worthy of such a signal honor and
the people of the country want them"
Mr.. Hbryn, paying tribute to the
site of the Shenandoah National Park,
which he has Travelled from end to
end, told how he was surveying a
bit of European scenery with an Eng
lish friend. Finally the Englishman
turned and asked: "Is there anything
quite SO beautiful in the United
States?" yes, replied the Minister
from Norway. 1T is down in the
Shenandoah Valley" Some years lat
err he continued, "the Englishman
came to see me at my home in Wash
ington, held out his hand and said: !:
You were right; the Shenandoah
Valley is more beautiful"