The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-09-13
prepared by the National Geographic
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y" 1HEN millions Of Americans
N leave for three days, three
" weeks, or three months at
the beach or the lakes, on
the farm or in the mountains, they
are hitting an age-old trail
Laps, Of Lapland, and the Bakhtiari,
OF West Persia, take the vacation trail
10 a cool summer climate, and it Is
called a migration because they have
70 90. The Athenian gentleman went
TO Olympia and called his recreation
interval the Olympic games. In China
and India popular thought satisfies the
vacation impulse by religious pilgrim
ages. Some people, not yet entirely
accustomed TO pleasure for pleasures
sake, 60 TO health springs, 'bads," or
spas, but il is a vacation, nevertheless.
and a salutary one.
Olympic games OF ancient Greece
were probably the first vacation ex-
cursions. Before their organization,
800 years before the birth Of Christ,
travelling was risky. The mountains
loved life, he stayed in his own little
kingdom, though he cooked and boiled
and baked in the sun. In Greece, for
one month following the first full
moon after June II, every four years,
a general peace proclamation went
out through the states Of Greece, per-
hitting contestants and hordes Of ex-
cursionists 10 go safely TO the beauti-
full vale Of Olympia.
Rome marked its conquests not with
lead plates or f1agpoles. but bath
houses. Many of the innumerable
health springs of Europe, gathering
places for multitudes for the cure of
disease and the enjoyment of rest or
sport, boast of Roman origin at the
hands Of the "amphibian legionnaires."
The site Of Bath in England attracted
one Of the largest Roman settlements
by its famous springs. bad" in Ger
man means bath" and towns with
bad, before or after the names are
almost as frequent as Main Streets"
IN America. This word spa" for
health spring resort. has its origin in
the Belgian town Spa, once the most
famous in Europe.
Resorts of Royalty.
The prince Of Wales goes in for out
door life on a Canadian ranch; the
king Of Spain summers at San Sebas-
tan, the Spanish counterpart to Bar
ritz; whereas Peter the Great of Rus
STA. and monarchs of Austria and
Sweden, soaked In and drank chemi-
caIIy-scented water in Spa. King
George, of England, goes to the sea-
shore or TO the Scottish moors for a
vacation, but his ancestral namesakes
went TO the pumphouse Of Bath.
In the hills west of Peiping (Peking)
are the ruins Of one of the most beau
tiful summer resorts the world has
seen. the summer palace of Manchu
emperors. The Jade fountain, a fine
large spring. has been the site of sum-
mer palaces for Chinese sovereigns
since the Tenth century. But the
most beautiful was that built by he
poet emperor in 1861. Jesuit priests
described 70 him the beauties of YER
sailles palace and he wove some Of the
designs into his own plans. A Jesuit
supervised the development Of the
palace enclosure. Here the emperor
took his ease on a royal barge floating
on a sapphire lake in the midst of
which rose an artificial mountain grid
ed with marble bastions.
Climbing Fujiyama is the cherished
Japanese idea Of a vacation Although
the numerous hot springs Of the ma
ton attract thousands annually, Mount
Full is their mecca. Every true jap
anese expects TO climb it oLce in his
lifetime. II is sacred TO both Shinto
and Buddhist believers; to tie former
II is the beautiful goddess causing
flowers to bloom brightly" to the lat
ter II is the folded bud of the sacred
lotus. The desire TO climb the perfect
snow-white cone Of Full has given rise
TO vacation lotteries throughout Japan.
The lucky ticket gives its holder suf-
ficient funds TO ascend the supreme
altar and salute the sun as it turns
the sea of cotton. as the japanese
call the cloud roof. into a fleece of
gold.
Lucky are the Mohammedan pill
grims bound for Mecca when their
shifting calendar brings the hottest
time for this Journey into the spring.
for that is the most delightful season
In the desert
Fairgrounds by the Sea.
Each nation has its Atlantic City.
Peruvians 90 down to Barranca on the
Pacific the French in Algeria go TO
Temcen in the hills back from the
Mediterranean, Athens listens TO