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Show GREAT SALT IjAKE. America's Dead Sea Poetically lMclurod by a Naturalist. Prof. Muir's Bath at Lake Point. Iu a receut issue of tho Sao Francisco Fran-cisco Bulletin, Prof. John Muir hns tho following poetic letter from Lake Point ; j When tbe north wind blows bath-, ing in Salt Lake ia a gloriouB baptism, bap-tism, for then it ia all wildly awake with waves, blooming like a praiiie iu snowy crystal foam. Plunging confidently into the midst of the grand uproar you are hugged and welcomed, and swim without eflort, rocking and whirling up and down, round and round in delightful rythm, while tbu wind eiugt in chorus and tbe coel, fragrant brine searches every fibre of your body, and at the end of your excursion you are tossed ashore with a glad God-speed, braced and salted and clean as a saint. The nearest point on the shore line is diatant about ten miles from Salt Lake city, and is almost inaccessible on account ol the boggy character of tbe ground, but by taking the Utab Western railroad, at a distance of twenty miles you reach what is called Lake Point, where the Bhore is gravelly and wholesome, and abounds in fine retreating bays, that seem to have been made on purpose for bathing. bath-ing. Here the northern peaks of the Oquirrh range plant their feet in the clear blue brine, with fine curving insteps, leaving no space lor muddy levels. The crystal brightness of the water, the wild flowers and lovely mountain scenery make thia a lavorite summer resort for pleasure and health seekers. Numerous Nu-merous excursion trains are run lrom the city, aud parties, some of them numbering upwards of a thousand, come to bathe, and dance, and roam the flowery hillsides together. But at the time of my first viait io May, I fortunately found myself alone. Tbe hotel and bathhouse, which form the chief improvements of the place, were asleep in winter silence, notwithstanding notwithstand-ing the year was in lull bloom. It was ens of those genial Sundays when llowera and Hies come thronging to the light, and birds sing their best. The mountain ranges, stretching ma jestically north aud south, were piled with pearly cumuli, the sky overhead was pure azure, aud the wind-swept lake was all aroll and aroar with white caps. I sauntered along the Bhore until I came to a sequestered cove, wlu-re buttercups and wild peas' were blooming close down to the limit : reached by the waves. Here, Ij thought, is juat the place for a bath; but tbe breakers seemed terribly bois-1 terous and forbidding as they came rolling up the beach, or dashed ! white against the black rocks that' hounded the cove on the east. The; outer runks, ever broken, everbuilded 1 formed a magnificent rampart, sculptured sculp-tured and corniced like the hanging wall of a bergachrund, appearing .hopelessly insurmountable, however easily onti might ride the swelling waves beyond. I feasted awhile on their surpassing beauty, watching their coming in from alar like faithful messengers, to tell their stories one by one; then J turned reluctantly away, to botanize and wait a calm. But the calm did not come that day, nor did I wait long. Iu an hour or two I waa back again to tho Bame littie cove. ! The waves still sang the old storm song and rose in high crystal walls, seemingly bard enough to ba cut in aogular sections like ice. a glorious swim. Without any definite determination I found myself undressed, as if some one else had taken me in hand; and while one of the largest waves waa ringing out its message and spending itself on the beach, I ran out with open arms in tbe next, and received a hearty salute. Then I was fairly launched aad at borne, tOBsed into right lusty relalionship with the bravo old lake. Away I sped in free, glad motion, ns if, like a fiah I had been afloat all my life, now low out of sight in the smooth glassy valley, now bounding aloft on firm combing crests, while the crystal fcum be;U against my breast with keen, crisp clashing, as if composed of pure, crisp salt. I bowed to every wave, and each lifted me right royally to their shoulders, almost Betting me erect on my feet, while tbey went speeding by like living creatures, blooming and re joicing in the brightness of tho day, and chanting tbe history of their grand old mountain home. A good deal ot nonsense has been written concerning the difficulty of swimming in this heavy water. "One's head would go down, and heels come up, and tho acrid brine would burn like fire." I waa couscious only of a joyous exhileralioD, my limbs seemingly seem-ingly heeding their own business, without any discomfort or confusion, so much ao, that without any previous knowledge my experience on this occasion oc-casion would uot have led me to detect anylhiog peculiar. In calm weather, however, the sustaining power of the water might probably be more marked. This was by inr the most exciting and effective wave excursion I ever made thia side of the Rocky Mountains; and when at its close I was heaved asnore among the sunny grasses and flowers, I found myself a new creature indeed, and went bounding bound-ing along the beach with blood all aglow, reinforced by tbe best life salts of the mouutiius, and ready for any race. A GLOi:iOUi3 watering place. Sinco the completion of the transcontinental trans-continental and Utah railways, thia magnificent lake in tho heart of the continent has become as accessible as aD- watering placo ou either coast;-and coast;-and I am sure that thous.mda ot travelers, sick and well, would throng its shores every summer were its merits but half known. Lake Point is only an hour or two from the city, and has good hotel accommodations, and a steamboat fur excursions; and then, besides the bracing waters, its ciimale is delightful. Tho mountains moun-tains rise into tbe cool Bky, furrowed with canons almost Yosemitic in grandeur, and filled with a glorioua profusion ot flowers and trees. Lovera ; of science, lovera of wildncss, lovers of pure rest will find here more than they over may hope for. i THE MORMONS. As for the Mormons one meets, however their doctrines may be regarded, re-garded, tbey will be found as rich in human kiuduees as any people in all our brand laud, while the dark niys-1 leruethat cloud their earlier history will vanish from the mind as com-1 pletely as when we bathe in the' fountain azure of tbe Sierra. |