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THE GREAT STONE FACE.
35
The Great Stone Face, then, was a work of Nature in
her mood of majestic playfulness, formed on the perpen-
dicular side of a mountain by some immense rocks, which
had been thrown together in such a position as, when
viewed at a proper distance, precisely to resemble the
features of the human countenance. It seemed as if an
enormous giant, or a Titan, had sculptured his own like-
ness on the precipice. There was the broad arch of the
forehead, a hundred feet in height ; the nose, with its long
bridge; and the vast lips, which, if they could have spoken,
would have rolled their thunder accents from one end of
the valley to the other. True it is, that if the spectator
approached too near, he lost the outline of the gigantic
visage, and could discern only a heap of ponderous and
gigantic rocks, piled in chaotic ruin one upon another.
Retracing his steps, however, the wondrous features
would again be seen; and the farther he withdrew from
them, the more like a human face, with all its original
divinity intact, did they appear; until, as it grew dim in
the distance, with the clouds and glorified vapor of the
mountains clustering about it, the Great Stone Face
seemed positively to be alive.
It was a happy lot for children to grow up to man-
hood or womanhood with the Great Stone Face before
their eyes, for all the features were noble, and the ex-
pression was at once grand and sweet, as if it were the
glow of a vast, warm heart, that embraced all mankind in
its affections, and had room for more. It was an education
only to look at it. According to the belief of many peo-
ple, the valley owed much of its fertility to this benign
aspect that was continually beaming over it, illuminat-
ing the clouds, and infusing its tenderness into the sun-
shine.
As we began with saying, a mother and her little boy
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"ocrText": "THE GREAT STONE FACE.\n35\nThe Great Stone Face, then, was a work of Nature in\nher mood of majestic playfulness, formed on the perpen-\ndicular side of a mountain by some immense rocks, which\nhad been thrown together in such a position as, when\nviewed at a proper distance, precisely to resemble the\nfeatures of the human countenance. It seemed as if an\nenormous giant, or a Titan, had sculptured his own like-\nness on the precipice. There was the broad arch of the\nforehead, a hundred feet in height ; the nose, with its long\nbridge; and the vast lips, which, if they could have spoken,\nwould have rolled their thunder accents from one end of\nthe valley to the other. True it is, that if the spectator\napproached too near, he lost the outline of the gigantic\nvisage, and could discern only a heap of ponderous and\ngigantic rocks, piled in chaotic ruin one upon another.\nRetracing his steps, however, the wondrous features\nwould again be seen; and the farther he withdrew from\nthem, the more like a human face, with all its original\ndivinity intact, did they appear; until, as it grew dim in\nthe distance, with the clouds and glorified vapor of the\nmountains clustering about it, the Great Stone Face\nseemed positively to be alive.\nIt was a happy lot for children to grow up to man-\nhood or womanhood with the Great Stone Face before\ntheir eyes, for all the features were noble, and the ex-\npression was at once grand and sweet, as if it were the\nglow of a vast, warm heart, that embraced all mankind in\nits affections, and had room for more. It was an education\nonly to look at it. According to the belief of many peo-\nple, the valley owed much of its fertility to this benign\naspect that was continually beaming over it, illuminat-\ning the clouds, and infusing its tenderness into the sun-\nshine.\nAs we began with saying, a mother and her little boy"
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