Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1957-06-27
Beauty at Your Back Door

For long time l have been wondering
whether or not 1 possessed the mental stature to
do a column of this kind was further confirmed
in this desire today when took little boat ride
up the river from Seneca. Idling along la little
three horsepower motor IS ideal for dalying)
could not help but think of the vefitabe miracle
unfolding before my eyes as manifested in the
beauty and the wonder that is Nature.
Nature is free. 1t does not cost you anything
to let your gaze inger the tall and stately oaks
and elms the boat glides along there was the
squirrel who albeit little timorously, came down
to the water to drink and gaze at me in wonder
ment the understandable beauty OF the golden
trumpet vine way up high in white.bark syca.
mores was enchanting; there the raccoons
tracks in the mud Van Deventer Island OPP
posite Ten Foot Island the spoor of the deer was
plain to see
A water tarpon, half-dry, half wet, danged
precariously from root at Hoorspen Cuvert-
a shiny bass shot across the bow Of the boat
if propelled by a cannon; there was the call of
the wood thrush and the beauty Of the red.winged
cardinal to break the solitude
The cost? Not penny
All you have to have is the ability to appre-
ciate the beauty that is to be found in the great
out-ofdoors
But / got to thinking when 1 got back, Il
take the exact four mile trip l did, and when
they would get back would just say at was nice
and cool out on the water, but isn't it hot now"
Not word about anything they might have
seen The trees, the Clouds the sun, the squirrels,
the trumpet vine were there-but they didn't see
them--they saw not the wonder and the beauty
that right at their own back door-pu right
there by an unseen Power for them to love and
appreciate.
1t is truly a sad commentary human
ture that the simple wonders Of the universe fail
to excite or intrigue the great great majority of
our population
Someone has said that it would not do for all
of to be alike, and certainly subscribe to this
but it wouldn't hurt anybody to get right down
to earth and see if they can't find wee bit of
sentimentality in bed of back-eyed Susans
bower of honeysucke. For truly believe me,
beauty is everywhere-in everything under the
sun--if you will just stop and look for it, and
once you do you will get such grip on it that
you will never never relinquish it It will be yours
by divine right
I've heard people say ooh, you'd never get
me out in plowed field to look around for those
old Indian relics" And they'd have lot of rea-
why they just wouldn't go-the sun was too
hot-it was hard on the eyes-it was too tire
some. feel sorry for these people-it is hard
for me to believe that there would be anyone
who wouldn't get some kind of an exhilaration out
of picking up an Indian arrowhead that has lain
untouched for aeons and aeons-it is almost UNI
believable that any intelligent person would not
thrill at the marvellous craftsmanship the Indian
displayed in his beautiful and mechanically flaw
less banner stone. / am sorry these people do
not appreciate the romance that is woven around
these tiny stones; they do not see the patient
savage, the almost INDECENT savage without any
of our modern tools patiently carving from hard
stones the tools and weapons he must have if he
was to survive How many of us today would sur
vive if placed in the exact position of the
prehistoric Indian?
Personally, / never say any more, "Oh, I'm
sure I'd like that" I've learned to say, I'D like
to try it sometime" Thereby, and by so doing
have found many wonderful things-the great
big thrill of coon hunting-the peace and quietude
which attends fishing-the wonder of wild flow
ers, to name few
Many, many nights I've gone up the river TO
fish my bush" hobs. When I'd get to the last one
I'd push the boat away from the bank and let it
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