| Show MONTANA A Contrast between Natures Niggardliness Nig-gardliness and Her Lavish S Hand Why Montana Valleys and I Mountains are so Beautiful I Why Utah is a Better Place After TAll BUTTE CITY MONTANA Editor Herald As I said in my last I could readily read-ily understand why Montana was called l Gods Country after haying hay-ing passed through Snake River Valley in Idaho Late in the afternoon after-noon the train began an ascent and once more one gradually gets into a i mountainous country I might here remark that when I came through Snake River Valley several weeks ago there was scarcely a vestige ves-tige of snow and at the eating stations sta-tions a strong and disagreeable wind blew gusts of unwholesome dust in the most undesirable directions Since then there has been a most abundant fall of snow Alter commencing the ascent the scenery changes slowly but in a most decided manner There apt ap-t pears occasionally in the sides of the narrow canyon a tree the rocks become more abrupt and as the sun seeks the verge of the golden horizon hori-zon the train glides for some distance dis-tance along the side of a beautiful smoothly flowing stream which nestles close to prccipituous rocks on the one side while on the other side a valley opens to the sight the mountains turning away and forming form-ing a grand amphitheatre One can imagine the pleasure afforded by such a contrastfirst an endless waste of sagebrush and greasewood of such stingy growth that one felt a starving sensation even to gaze on it a valley almost without with-out limit and not a sign of life in any direction Then a small valley val-ley surrounded by moderately high mountains wooded nearly all the way down with the ever green pine small but thick a stream of pure water winding its peaceful way along the base of high rough and massive rocks affording a protection which the graceful grace-ful windings of the waters seemed to feel and to impart to those who saw it to the right long stretches of beautiful hay land which had been mowed down early in the fall in which from the absence ab-sence S of snow the course of the mower could yet be traced to the left a growth of thick brush and shrubbery still adorned with the tints of last autumn and on which the sinking sun cast its mild warm rays bringing out in glowing colors the hidden beauties of the seeming dull tints while everywhere there was an air of peace of quietness and offsupreme loveliness which no one could resist and the influence of which made itself visible on every passenger I could mot help thinking to myself if fontana fon-tana is like this in February what must it be in June and then I could understand why it was called Gods Country and though I am a firm believer in the doctrine that all countriesthe most desolate with the most productiveare alike Gods countries I could not help feeling that he had lavished in Montana liberally as he held back from Idaho The twilight was unusually long and all sat and gazed intently in-tently on the fair country through which we were passingof grazing lands almost without end and as the twilight deepened into night I ween many a sad thought was inspired by the lovely scene but it was a sadness which comes to all at times with which one does not care to part and which makes us better acquainted with ourselves and oftentimes inspires to higher thoughts and to nobler deeds as it recalls joys that have been endured cares that have fallen from life and surrounds the future with mild doubts and much less sanguine expectations ex-pectations and fortifies the soul for fresh disappointments for new pleasures and for other caresfor of such is this life The charm of Montana scenery is readily accounted for The altitude alti-tude of the arable land as a rule is not much greater than that of Utah but it is nearer the backbone of the Rocky Mountains Consequently the mountains are not so high and the valleys are not so large The country is new and there has yet been no time to strip the mountain slopes of the unlimited supply of pine which not only crowns the summits of the mountains but which adorns the hills to the very base The winters are long the snows heavy the frost severe Consequently Con-sequently when summer does come and the snow melts it recedes grad ually and the streams hold out well throughout the season The valleys being small little streams flow from all sides and the valleys are therefore there-fore well watered The pines protect pro-tect the snow from the summers sun and as fast as the line of white recedes up the mountain slopes the green appears and follows while in valleys the green remains the summer sum-mer through Your valleys are arger your mountainsjbare of trees the winters brief and comparatively mild summers long and dry and you cannot expect such delightful scenes for it is inconsistent with the nature of things While I am a great lover of scenery which is green and rustic I also admire the evidences of thrift and I certainly prefer a country which can be made Beautiful by artificial meanseven if the mountains are bare brown I and ungainlythan one the very charm of which is due to the existence exist-ence of a climate which generally discourages thrift by the lack of mildness and which from its nature na-ture forbids the husbandman to make it his home Utah may be lacking in such beautiful scenery but she more than compensates for it in the warmhearted kindness with which she encourages her children chil-dren to industry and in making possible the inauguration gradual development and ultimate realization realiza-tion of varied enterprises which alone constitute the foundation upon which can be erected a permanent perma-nent structure of wealth influence education and of art 33 ut I started to write about Montana Mon-tana ST CROIX |
