A traveler among the Alpine heights says:
We were at the foot of Mt. Blanc, in the village of Chamouni. A
sad thing had happened the day before we reached the village.
A young physician, of Boston, had determined to reach the
heights of Mt. Blanc. He accomplished the feat, and the little
village was illuminated in his honor; the flag was flying from
the little hut on the mountain side--that all who have visited
Chamouni well remember--that told of his victory. But after he
had ascended and descended in safety, as far as the hut, he
wanted then to be relieved from his guide; he wanted to be free
from the rope, and he insisted that he could go alone. The guide
remonstrated with him, told him it was not safe, but he was
tired of the rope and declared he would be free of it. The guide
had to yield. The young man had only gone a short distance when
his foot slipt on the ice and he could not stop himself from
sliding down the inclined icy steeps. The rope was gone so the
guide could not hold him or pull him back. And out on a shelving
piece of ice lay the dead body of the young physician, as it
was pointed out to me. The bells had been rung, the village
illuminated in honor of his success, but, alas, in a fatal
moment he refused to be guided; he was tired of the rope.
The restraints of life are usually salutary. Those of the gospel always
so. (Text.)
(2751)
* * * * *
Wild forces may be sublime and majestic, but it is when force submits
to authority that it becomes power for usefulness, for service, for
benefit.
Venice lies in a lovely and gentle series of lagoons. The sea,
which is terrible in storms when it is uncircumscribed, has here
built barriers of sand in which it becomes self-restrained. In
the lagoons the Adriatic is tamed to rest, and even in furious
weather it remains tranquil. It has lost its recklessness
and terror but has gained in beauty, reflecting everything
in pictures of incomparable loveliness. The sea at Venice by
sacrifice enters into service and ministers both utility and
charm to humanity. Over the quiet lagoons are built scores
of bridges, and along their borders stand lines of stately
edifices, and here stands in its matchless beauty a city unique
in the world. (Text.)
(2752)
See PROHIBITION.