Many an enthusiastic tourist has sacrificed morning sleep to
witness a sunrise from some summit, and suffered disappointment.
The splendor extended over too wide an area; it lacked
concentration--accentuation. The sunrise of the short horizon,
seen from the average altitude, appears brighter as well as
narrower. It requires no wide ranging of the eye, no shifting of
the point of attention. It is not weakened by its own diffusion.
You may carry this principle over into the philosophy of life.
The short horizon--which is, for the most part, the average--has
its distinct advantage. You will doubtless get more out of
life at the average altitude than if you live always in some
extraordinary height.
(175)
B