The Indianapolis News from Indianapolis, Indiana • Page 15

15 INDIANA DUNES, AMONG FINEST IN WORLD, MENACED BY COMMERCIALISM; SEETHING FURNACES, RUMBLING MACHINERY THREATEN NATURE'S WORK THE TXDIAXAPOLIS XEWS, SATURDAY. JUNE 11. 1910. Investigation of Possibilities of Great Sandy Wilds, by Richard Lieber, of Stat Conservation Department, at Order of Governor Goodrich, With Idea of Getting Complete Report on Their Possibilities for National Park Purposes Proximity to Chicago and Northern Indiana Cities Has Already Made Them Favorite Haunt for Many Thousands of Persons Every Year. VT.

TMedgett. Caav epeewlew. ef TK toamH' NewaJ I THE DUNES OF INDIAXA. KEAB MICHIGAN CITT. Ill Juo iLl bahad I I on wU1, w0(J 1 hmT been trucking it through northern Indiana with' Richard Lieber, director of th department of emsTvatkm of Indiana', natural, resources.

Mr. Lieber la a state official who takes hie position He Imagine ha to chained to bta job and. therefore, time and space and regular hoar for eating and sleeping niut not be permitted to Interfere with the schedule of hia daily work. The Indiana state conservation com misslon waa created by the legislature of 1919 and it combines the division of geology, entomology, forestry, lands aod water, and Ash and fame. This cororolslaon elected Mr.

Lieber. and Governor Goodrich at one notified him that h. the Governor, had always been 'a strong advocate of public parks, and particularly was favorable to coi vert if is tha sand dunes of this aUte into a treat national park. And so Governor Goodrich sent Mr. Lieber to tha dun region to make a complete report on tha possibilities of tha dunes for national park purposes, Acts of Spoliation.

Tha dune are suffering; from acts of spoliation and unless so me thin a Is dona to preserve them, their annihilation to certain. Ones they ara cone. Indiana will have suffered a loss that can not be estimated In money. They can never be replaced. Nature laughs at the presusnption of man.

To quote Charlie Robb of tha Michigan City News: "Man can not build a dune. He can only destroy it and nothing better repreaenta real nature than one of tha great pllee of aand. Man can build dusty roads and green ban If a Ha can convert a tiny spring Into a daahtng at ream, but when It comes to a duns, nature alona to able lo do tha work of conatructlon." And one of Mrv Lieber duties la to atop. If possible, tha destruction of theae wonderful gifts from nature'a storehouse, for they are repldly being absorbed by Industrialism. For miles along the southern shor of Laks Michigan great Industrial plants with their seething furnaces and rumbling and crashing "machinery have, sprung up.

Towns and cities Ilka Gary, have coma Into existence almost overnight, and that part of the aand dune region between. Chicago. East Chicago and Gary to filled with the uproar of men. Mora Than Stat Affair. Saving the Indiana dunea to more than a atate affair.

It to a matter of prime national concern. About twenty miles of thee dunes havs been left untouched and there ia time to eave them If men mho havs the ability and aklll to carry a great work to a aucressful concluaton ka the matter in hand. Tha accumulate of money la not everything In life. There la more happiness in another' happlneea than there to In one'a own end the saving of the dunea meana much h.pplneaa not only to the people of In diana, but to those of Chicago, and for that natter, the whole world. It doubtful whether the people of Indiana realise what an unuaual region nrr aie contatna in the dunes country How many know that the Indiana dunea are claeaed aa among the ftneat In the world How many know that the greateat ectentlata of Europe have ranked the dunea of thla state with the Grand Canyon and the Toaemlx In scientific importance' For a great many years the dunea of Indiana have heen the resort of the scientist, tha student, the wanderer seeking solUvhls, and the lover of nature.

Thla region a paradise for the artist and the writer. The beauty of the dune is mysterious, whether they lie under the Malng sun of summer or ara swept by the boisteroua winds of winter. In February. 1917. Stephen f.

Mather, aaatatant aerretary of the ratercr, wsa instructed by tha national parks committer of the United State senate, of which Thomas Tag ran waa hn a member from Indiana, to make an Investigation on the advisability and cost of obtaining tha dune district for a national park, by purchase athar wiae. Mr. Mather made an elaborate report that to on file la Washington. D. C.

Work of A sea. Describing th dunes district, Mr. Mather said In his report: "I have never seen tha aaad dunea which equal them In any degree. They are readily accessible to ow people, and furthermore, they Ideally located with respect to the center of population of tha Vnlted States. Contrary to the generally accepted notion, these sand dunes are not mar accumulations of clean, white sand from Lake Michigan, with which the wtnd play at will.

They ara deposit which constitute tha action of the elements for sges past. The sand in hundreds of acres of this region has remained untouched for decades and perhapa centuries. Trees. Urge and amall hars grown on the sand piles, snd today form on of the scenic features of the dune country. Various vines, shrubs, reeds, grasses and hedges thrive In these areas which are not In the process of diminution or augmentation, and wild flowers are found In great abundance.

These dunea are beautiful at all tlmea of the year. The beauty of the trees and other life plants In their autumn garb, aa I saw them recently, waa beyond surpassing Interest to the visitor are the dunes which are In the building or sre being destroyed by the winds. In these one may see the omnipresent battle, of the sand and wind and plant life. Here the sand, swept by the winds, attacks trees and shrubs and slowly covers them it wV 5T A I. II: 5.

4y i ff zm?" 11 A II nH IJ tli.ss? CLUMPS or CVoS 7 'WXiB aaSBjWBBBBBBJBBBJBBBMSBBBJBB ijv i vv 1 OKE HbYJOUTS and smothers them, while the inda laah them mercilessly; there a ilune century old. has gotten in the psth of the gale, and la beaten and battered and finally destroyed. Its sand carried away to furnish material for further fantastic work. Oftimes. when a dune is destroyed, great dead trees are wholly uncovered.

Indicating that the winds once aealed their doom. These are only a few of the many interesting and curious features of the dune roun try. They attract the scientist, ths teacher and the student, as wen as the Individual who merely, seiks rest snd recreation snd communion with nature. Jt is Important that the Lake Michigan shore should be mentioned. Here Is a stretch of unoccupied besch sbout twenty fivj miles In.

length, a broad, clean, safe beach, Mch In the montbe furnlahea aplendld bathlnx facilttid for thousands of people at the ame Inatant. Fishing In Iake Michigan directly north of the dunea ia to be exceptionally good, and therw are hundroda of good cam aites on the beach and back of the dunea" Valuo Overlooked. How at range it ia that shrewd buat neaa men of America have overlooked the dollar and centa value of scenery. Every nature lover, every one who knowa the spiritual value to the masses of the people of preserving for oc caalonal vlatts. the exceptionally beautiful part of the country for playgrounds and refuges of quiet In the great out of doors, realises the ultimate necealty of providing for the centns of population great spaces for breathing and for the influence of nature.

Ind rlal centers, the cities and towns whe men and women labor In the mills, in factories and the shops are benefited by parka and places of Innocent recreation. So teachers, artists, business men, re search scientists, authors, social workers, clubwomen, members of church and fraternal organizations have Joined In a plea that this unique piece of land be saved and that they be permitted to share In making this tract of about twenty miles along the south short of Lake Michigan a national work. Picturesque Battleground. Professor T. C.

Chamberlain, of the geological department. University of Chicago, describes the dune territory as a picturesque battleground between plants and the elements. They are also a common meeting ground because of peculiar climatic conditions; the trees snd flowers from all sonea, swamp. forest and prairie plants an meet each other In the dunes. The vegetation at tracts a great number of birds, which If the region were owned by the government and protected by the national preserve laws, would take refuge there In great numbers.

It Is valuable for these reasons, aa a science laboratory and even at this time Is in wide use by hundreds of student groups." Dr. Clifford Mitchell, of Chicago, said EVE had a reunion at the Mt 1 jTITi tie house a nearly as that is I II I Possitte with two of our best I I I I beloved ones overseas; and i possibly the word waa Ill ad vised at that, since the two principal guests had never met before. However, it waa a day to be long1 remembered, when John Emerson and itose came out to see us; I can imagine no two men more unlike than he and Judge Mason, nor two who were more congenial. There waa no stately greeting from John when he came up the steps. Just a "Well.

well. Mary Ellen, still smll in aresi't your And I wouldn't have been very much am axed If be had thwacked me across the shoulders as he said it. However, one even a John Emerson grows more dignified with the advancing years, and ail he did was to leave ray hand numb, and chuckle when I winced. They i say i iiae rranite. wnen ne sits at a board meeting, and I'm not sure that I'd like to cross swords with him in earnest: but to me, he will never be more than fifteen years old.

Apropos of a remark, to that effect. 0J VfliST SEACK. the Indiana dunes should be saved because of their immense value to Chicago from the standpoint of health. "Near every large Inland city," says Dr. Mitchell, "there should be a national park reserved forever for the use of the people, and containing sufficient attraction to draw the crowds away from the cities on Sundays and holidays.

Chicago could find such a tract within an hour's trolley ride from the city, namely, in the wilderness of northern Indiana, along the south phore of Lake Michigan. If this region were made by con gress Into a national park, drained and cultivated, and if a boulevard system and trolley lines of Chicago (In addttion to the numerous railroads) were extended through It. the benefit to the city's population In future years would be Incalculable." Of Glacier Formation. The Indiana dunes are drift soils, formed by a mass of heterogeneous material which was brought to its present resting place by a gigantic glacier or slowly moving sheet of Ice, which, thousanda of year ago, covered what is known aa the dune region. This glacier, moving slowly, but with tremendous force, gathered in Its path various rocks which were ground fine and thoroughly mixed by the onward moving mass.

Hills and ridges, sheets and pockets of sand, the sequences of the material pulverised by the grinding glacier, were either blown up by the wind or built up by the receding waves of Lake Michigan, and they now constitute the moat striking and characteristic objecta of the shore line, which ia a atrip of rolling sand coun try. Sometimes these dunes are con tlnuoua for a mile or more, but more often they sre broken by solitary' ra vines and hollows caused by fierce gales producing what is termed a blowout; a blowout is the result of the winds bitting into the banks of the dune and cutting its way to the level country back of lt For the most rart the dunes are a wilderness of wood covered hills. Work of the Water. It is estimated that more than W0.000. 0 cubic yards of sand have been added to the surface of Lake.

Porter and Laporte counties by the waters of Lake Michigan. The region is sparsely settled, but Is available the year around for excursions and week end trips. The long beach, above which tower the high sand hills, the wealth of beautiful flowers and trees, make them a playground for the people that is full of resources and charm. The dune district along the Lake shore is about the most primitive bit of wilderness that still remains in the middle west, so close to a great dty and busy lines of traffic. That It has not long ago been occupied by settlers Is due to the sterility of the soli.

Its lack of anything even resembling; a natural harbor for shipping, its destitution of natural products of market value. Its timber is of little use In Industry and about the evnly thins; In the dune region that men can get money THE HOUSE BY THE he turned to the Judge and said: "Toa see I had Mary Ellen for a neighbor along about the time when a fellow begins to take the world and himself seriously, and she was the most effectual cure for ingrown dignity that any one could ask for." I sought to change the subject by aakmg Rose: "Where's Bilue Paige, why didn't you bring' him along?" Upon which John turned to me. with a terrific frown. "Bring him along Say. Mary Ellen, this is my party.

I've been relegated to the background enough in the last six months. And now. just when I think I'm among1 appreciative friends, somebody baa to ask why we didn bring Biilie Paige alongt" "But we're all very fond of Biilie." I persisted. Vpon which he tried to look injured and indignant, but chuckled instead and said a bit soberly: "So'm I. Mary Ellen, and I reckon I'd sure be in bad luck if I wasn't." Judge Mason remarked that he had known BiUie all bis life, whereupon he 5HUB iKl5 GROWTH ON TH out of is Its sand, which is used chiefly in railroad and street building.

And it is the taking away of this sand and the gravel that is causing a spoliation of the dunes that is almost a catastrophe. Gravel Shipped Away. Much gravel, consisting of pebbles ranging in size between a hen egg and a small marble, is washed up by the waves to within a few feet of the water. This Is shipped to Chicago, where It Is used In roofing and In concrete making. Great quantities of gravel are taken away.

Besides carrying the away from the dunes themselves, boats known as "sand suckers" are anchored a short distance off shore, and these by aid of machinery suck the aand from the bottom of the lake and load It into barges. These boats carry away from 800 to 1,000 tons of sand each trip, and the holes they leave In the lake bottom are filled with the sand driven from the dunes by the wind, thus cutting down the dunes themselves. At the last session of the Indiana legislature an effort waa made to enact a law prohibiting these "sand suckers" from working. The bill passed the house unanimously, but was smothered in the seriate. Had such a law been passed it would have beep a strong element in the savin? of the dunes.

In addition to the work of these sand suckers it is estimated that each year 15,000 cars, each of an average of thirty tons, are loaded with sand in the dunes and hauled away. Famous Hill of Sand. A hill of sand, near the entrance of the Michigan City harbor that had weathered the storms of centuries, was known ajs Hoosier Slide, snd it was one of Indiana's most spectacular exhibits of the state's natural resources This hill was originally about 30 feet high. and from its summit millions of people have viewed the wonderful and dramatic scenery of the shor line, picking out in the distance Gary, Millers and other Indiana cities, and gased on Chicago in the dim perspective, G. A.

Oreenbaum. secretary of the Michigan City Chamber of Commerce, for years was secretary of a steamboat line, and he says that for fourteen years his boats carried to Michigan City an average of people annually, and at least two thirxis of these people climbed to the top af Hoosier Slide. These millions of people do not include the hundreds of thousands brought in by the steam and electric linea. The Hoosier Slide was written about and pictured In almost ewery country on earth It was a world wide advertisement of the Hoosier state. Just when Hoosier Slide came into existence is not recorded, but It probable bad its start at the beginning of things.

In 1675 Father Marquette left where Chicago now stands on a canoe tour of the lake coast. His account tells of stopping one night in the shelter of a gret sand hill. Some of the wise disciples of the choregraphic art frequently point out to the MlcnUran City visitor the ery and John began to exchange views on mankind in general and the rising generation in particular. The judge is a firm believer in environment, his theory being that it plays a much larger part in molding character than heredity or its twin sister "natural instincts." "There's a man our town. Mr.

Km erson, who, but for the laVk proper education. Here the Little Mother leaned over to whisper in my ear, "Grace Stoner's father. I'll wager!" And though his name was not mentioned. I soon recognised him from ail that I had been told about him and his family), would be one of our philosophers." continued the Judge. "Oh.

a man can have a bit of rh orhy of his own." declared John erson. "if he can't write his nnme. We'd ail of us be mighty poverty stricken, mentally and spiritual'y, if we didn't have something to cl; tc some sort of a belief in humanity and ourselves." "Yes. that's quite true, but Pre. not thinking of generalitiea I'in talking spot where the prow of Kiihor Marquette's canoe was pushed into the band.

Old Indian Outlook. Chevalier de Baugy of the king's dragoons voyaged down the shore of Lake Michigan in 1633 and camped a day or two In the shade of what was afterward Hoosier Slide. In the early days the Fottawstomie Indians used Hoosier Slide as a lookout and there they made war medicine against their ancient enemies, the lllini. When muskets, standards, proclamations and beating of drums were the order of the day, and soldiers with Iron frames and stout hearts marched along; the lake shore, which was the only road between Detroit and Ft. Dearborn, now Chicago, they bivouacked at the base of Hoosier Slide.

This wonderful formation that stood the Iron tooth of time for hundreds of years has been sacrificed to the remorseless Juggernaut of commercialism. Millions of tons of Its sand have been sold and hauled away until all that is left of the mutilated remains of the great Hoosier Slide Is a small mole. And what happened to Hoosier Slide has happened to Mt. Rifenburg and other of the high dunes and will happen to the entire dune region unlnss commercialism is cucbed. Haunt of First White Man.

A world of historical events surround these dunes. The first white men to see this strip of country were Robert Cavelier, Sleur de LaSalle and Jaques Marquette. LaSalle discovered the Mississippi river and passed down it in 15S. He also discovered the Ohio river and followed it to the fall at Louisville in an effort te rt ach the Pacific ocean. In order to get to the Pacific ocgan he traveled by way of the Great Lakes and passed the particular part of the country described in this story LaSalle.

In search of what Ls now the Chicago river, skirted the southern shore of Lake Michigan, went down the Fox river to the Illinois and built a fort near where Peoria now standa. Marquette was a French Jesuit missionary. In 16 he was sent among; the Indians of Canada and In less than a year he mastered six Indian dialects, which was regarded as a wonderful feat. Marquette. Joliet and five other Frenchmen started from St.

Ignace in two large birchbark canoes. May 17, 1673. They crossed Lake Michigan and landed close to the place where Michigan City now stands. Marquette later descended the Mississippi tcr the mouth of the Arkansas, but becoming alarmed at the number of Spanish soldiers stationed farther down the river, he turned back up the Illinois, reaching Lake Michigan by way of the DeaPlalnes and passed up the Calumet, in what ls now Lake county. He left the Calumet and skirted down the coast to where Gary now is.

Marquette and his men established a camp on the east shore on the site of the present city of Lu ding ton, and a short time before his death SIDE OF THE ROAD about one man who has reared a large family of self respecting. Godfearing men and women, and dono it all without worry, as far as I can se." It waa on the tip of my tongue to fray it. but Emerson said it for me: "Possibly he let his wife and family do the worrying The judge looked grieved. As the Little Mother says, he has defended that family, and especially the head of it. ro that he feels a personal pride in making others appreciate them.

"Well, one of his daughters is by way of becoming the most widely known woman our little town haa ever produced" The Little Mother smiled across at him. "All of which doesn't say much for your theory of environment, father o' mine! Look at your only child how she was pampered and petted, and no body'll ever know she existed, twenty years after she's gone!" John Emerson rose gallantly to the occasion. "Can you look at these bright youngstera and really mean that. Mrs. Rutiedgs? Can't you see that TSOW BACK naOM LKK he made another tour of Lake Michigan's southern shore.

Along the south shore line of Lake Michigan, over which the verdure of the dunes throws its shadow, are some of the finest bathing beaches of the country. The beach sand is cool and moist a short distance below the surface and the sand ls ten feet deep. These sand beds extend out in the lake to where the water reaches' a depth of thirty five feet. This sandy bottom ls a gentle decline and the lover of aquatic sports can wade out a long distance before there is danger to those who can not swim. On these beaches can be found beautiful and glossy shells' whose great number and numerous species are the delight of the conchologist.

Most people who have never seen the dunes imagine that they are simply heaps of sand in which barefooted children can play Just a barren waste turned yellow by the glare of the sun; that is not the case. The dunes are full of wild life. One of the most fertile fields for the entomologist can be found. In the dune region. There he can study specimens of Insect life that he can find nowhere else.

Brlgrht blue, green and yellow dragonflles that Tennyson calls "the living flash of Kfe." a most interesting study, can be found here in countless numbers. There Is hardly anything in insect life that affords rare sport to a collector that does not Inhabit this region. Because of its several hundred varieties of plant life the dunes district has been visited by botanists from all parts of Europe. Here can be found the hackberry. the ordinary wild rose, the paint plant, bug seed, sea rocket, dog wood, witch ha zel.

aweet acented sumac, sassafras, beard grass, golden rod and wild sunflowers. Bass wood is common, and so is white Labrador pine. Here can be found Arctic willows, the prickly pear or cactus of the southern clime, snd timber that grows only in the temperate aone. There is a luxuriant development of climbers nowhere in the country can such a variety be found. Amos W.

Butler, secretary of the Indiana board of state charities, who Is an ornlthologiat. say a that the region about the southern line of Lake Michigan presents an unusually fertile field In the bird line. There loona have been been caught by fishermen, geese, brant and ducks abound in season. Blue herons, sand hill cranes and an endless variety of other birds can be found in the dune region. Thousands of people from Chicago visit the dunes every Sunday and hundreds go there during the week.

Many outing parties and campers spend the greater part of the year among these hills. A visit to the dune is an event in the life of any man or woman, and something that a child will never forget. Mr. Lieber had gained all his knowledge of the dunea from books, but he admitted when he saw them that they were far beyond his idea and expectation. At Port Chester, a hesitation point en they're your hostage to the and that no matter what other women may do in the world of business or of art, if you rear these youngsters to be useful men and women.

you've done the biggest thing of all?" "And I'd rather a thousand times my daughter should live her life Just as she is living it. making a home and rearing her children, than that she should take this other girl's place, no matter how useful or brilliant her life may be! I lake off my hat before the new woman and I appreciate what ahe meana in the upward march of civilization, but I'd rather my own girl should be a wife and mother." "For goodness sake!" ejaculated Rose. "Are all men like that? Here I've been trying to convince Dad what a useful member of aociety I might be, if he'd only let me. even took a business course, ss a surprise to him. but d'ye think he'd have me in hia office? Not een as a forty second assistant! And I was willing to begin at the bottom." she finished in a morose tone.

John Emerson chuckled. "Seems to the South Shore electric line, Mr. Lieber was joined by Jens Jensen, of Stelnway hall. Chicago, one of the greatest living lover of he great wild. He knowa all about the dune.

Since 1886 Mr. Jensen ha been a con stant visitor to the dune country, visits he was able to make because) of hi advantage of residence. The purpose of Mr. Jensen In joining Mr. Lieber was thai he might escort the director of conservation through the dune and give the state of Indiana the benefit of his wonderful Information about this locality.

i Between Hill and' Valley. The road from Port Chester to tha dunes extends a Bandy length between hills and valley to the lake. It la not smooth nor la It Joltleae. It' rough. A guide wtth a frosty face who alwaya stands on the crossing near the Port Chester station, will de clare that the road is a boulevard.

Don't believe him. This road ends in a forest of small trees some distance from the lake shore; where there la a place to park automobiles It Is a shady nook, with Mt. Tom towering far above the trees. Mt. Tom.

which la a typical dune, baa been centuriea In the making. It ia more than S00 feet high and la one of the hlgheat peaks among the dunea. On three aides of It ls a veritable desert except the spot where automobll ists park their machine and eat their picnic luncheon. Still one doe not have to visit the dune In an automobile. In fact, you can not get very far in a machine.

The visitor had better walk and take hia luncheon with him. At the base of Mt. Tom ia a thick forest of pines, cottorjwood and choke cherries. On the hAlleldea and at the aummit rise the northern scrub pine, common In Alaaka, the low trailing evergreen which carpet the bare apots. All of thl Mr.

Jenaon vocally labeled like a maater botanist, explaining at the same time the peculiar stratification of the earth with the glibness of a BlatchJey. Climbing Mt. Tom. Climbing Mt Tom is a real Job. It physical effect 1 Just like turning on the horizontal bar or In the flying rings.

With every step forward there ls a half step back. The climber ls expected to fall and if he does not roll to the bottom of the hill he la euspected of carrying weights. He dlga In with hi toes and pounds In' with hi heels, and when he reaches the top he is sure to drop into a place for rest. Thl la one of the living outdoors. But the glorious panorama spread out before one well repaya the labor.

It ia a picture that no artist can paint a nature haa drawn It. Within a mile radius are the sand wastes dotted with blasted trees, pleasing oases, bog teaming with rare flora, including the cactus of Arizona and apecimena of vlnea found only in the Indiana dune and Alaska. Looking toward Michigan City is a line of wonderful dunes. There are a few places along the shore where the me I haven't beard so much about that lately, daughter." he said. "Guess I'll have to give Biilie credit for that.

'anyway:" Roe blushed but stoutly defended her convictions. "Just the same." ahe said "Billle thought It waa aplendld that I did learn something uaeful and I ehouldn't be eurprieed If he lets me work: with him!" Emerson grumbled something that Bounoe i nae; "Better let me catch him putting you to work in an office Whereupon Roae had an inspiration. "Juat think, father." ahe aald In a conciliatory tone, "how fine it would be If Bfllle ever had a perfectly splendid Mlea Farley working for him." But Emerson interrupted, turning to Judge Mason for symnathy. "Of all the hard luck I ever had thla XI las Farley Is worth a half dnsen men atiy time. She's been my ears and eyea and darn near my handa and feet for me, when I've been awamped with work.

1 reckon she a capable of managing thlnga out i Continued on Page Seventeen. Twenty Mil Stretch Alons the Shore of Lake Michigan, Where Shrfting Sands Have Battled to Choke Out Vegetation and Then, When Yi torious, Have Been Them selves Whisked About In Fantastic Manner at the Caprice of the Windc Haven for Many Varieties of Birds and Treasure Trove for Those Interested in Bot any Rne Bathing Beaches. ordinary bar or frraawy dune appear, but most of the dune belt seen from Mt. Tom cons 1st 'of forested sand hill 75 to 100 feet hUtb. Below.

Lake Michigan atretchea tar away Ilk a great sheet of teel. wtth' here and there a ship wtth bellying aua or the thin spiral ot smoke from passing steamer whose hoarse siren ar faintly heard on the shore. Robin Whlstls Snipe, sanderllnga, anel tlpup and other shore birds run about and robto whistle their merry congratulations to others of the bird world. These red breasted visitors to all climes ara gTtad MA io nerv. fieri eviuci ai luuuca of wind and white trulls talking; In gutteral languaga that only they can understand, dart about and skltn along; the surface of the lake playing; In the shadows of tha foliage reflected to great Inland sea.

All natare, save) the blrda and Insect, aeema asleep. The merry laughter of children on the beach' Is hushed from fatigue. They have found a good place for a cooling; sleep. There ls no clamor. On the hill sides naked tree, gaunt and blackened and with splintered branches resembling arras from, which the hands have been chopped, pro trude, like forgotten sentinels, from the piles of sand that years and years ago had taken their Uvea, Specters they aeem to be.

from the land of phantom who are dead but too proud to Ho dowra. There is no gaudy or ostentatious wealth. There is no cast. Delicate white, pink and yellow flowers, half screened from view, charm the eyo with their beauty, and luxuriant shrub seem eager to fill the arid wast. Blrda car rollng merrily flutter through the masses of verdure.

Girl and boys wtth face painted the picture of health by the llfe grrtnc air. climb barefoot up the hill; mother with their babe teas tng and maiden and their sweethearts stealing a kiss or two make the surroundings like a dream of tha Garden of Hesperide. Back from the lak the dunes dwindle away Into broad farms and meadows filled wtth tha melody of feathered songsters. ft st forlty Wary. Thla tha place for gloom artist to come.

Here the pleasure drugged man and women' of the city can find Teat rest from the dty with Its poisonous moke. Its heavy and diagurrUng odors, Its ponp and vanity, its graaptng world lines, the nerve destroying noises and the frivolous and shallow things of life. Here can be found the golden Ingot of happiness, happiness that brings with It forg etfulness of selfish and self absorbed commercialism. High In the air appear a epeck Ilk There ls a harsh and discordant rattling far above. The harsh, discordant rattling eoraea from an airplane.

The aerial visitor makes a tan spin, drops down and down until it reflect a treat shadow in the water below. Bllm! and It 1 away, a if to avoid human sera, tiny. exclaims Mr. Lieber, watching; the plane through his field' glasses, as faint and flickering It grows smaller In the hasy atraoapher rising; above the great city, think that aviator 1 breaking; all rules of caution. But I hope he will get through all right.

I admire his nerve, but can not say I have the same admiration for his. Judgment. An idea. slapping his cheat, "make the dunes a great park aUd es and Chicago. It would go big! Motion Picture "Studio," The keen eye of the artistic promoter haa caught Instantly the great scenic valnai tst tha dunaa ttif Tnta nnmnaa Ut.

tlon picture producers have sought It etw mniiAt.lfii mmA Via grouKd. Borne of screendom's greatest artists havs worked out their scenarios In the dune country. Many of the Maxl can pictures that thousands of people all over American have enjoyed, have been filmed here. A clear moon above and the dune region becomes In pictures the land that lies just' across the Rio Grands in Mexico. On almost atfes the gay and handsome ca balls ros with their aeraoea Ilka rainbows of tawdrT colors.

Duennas waving; large and I l. M.rtA a. fttm WfttH with their little black, beady eye the senorttas peeping coquetlshly from be hind silken mantillas; vaouero with their green hide rtata and with cfrar ettea concealed In their hair loung lazily In the shad a Dried up mommies coffee seem ready to drop into the graves. The chords of a guitar Cfuirer in the air. Th 'vestments of th sandal shod padre are faintly dUcernabt among the trees as he bows before his sliver candlestick and Ivory crucifixes.

There is a waving of sombrero and ehoute of "Brava, Brava! but If only a day dream in th dunea and not Ufa In that land where the peopls lea the most careleaji existence, betting, gambling, making love and fighting chickena There are no "dobe" ho usee, no cries of donkey boys. This Sphinx In the distance is of painted canvas. Oblivion of Solitude. A th un sinks Into th herUon th deep oblivion of solitude aurrounda th dune. All 1 peace: and tranquillity.

A alight brees wrinkles the lake Into waves of wondrous violet hue. The choir of birds is missing. Th severe beauty of th dune begins to fade; It is as sad as a woman who ha discovered her first wrinkle. Tha moon struggle through th clouds that hav complicated Into one Tnasa Th stars peep out and wink at the) earth. A dealer In superstition would ho In hia element with his warning of the peril of meeting a black cat or cracking a new mirror.

It ta th time for ghosts to walk. Who knows but some per turbed spirit, doomed because of tragedy of wrong to wander. Is taking hia nocturnal atrolt. and flitting anaenx th deep and gigantic shadows..