And further, although there scarce remains a great Alpine ridge untrodden by man, though the magic words—‘No information’—are rapidly vanishing from the pages of the Climber’s Guides, yet as subjects for literary, artistic, and philosophic inquiry, the mountains are far from exhausted. The basic emotions of the hills, at once bold and subtle, remain an almost untouched field, and many a curious by-path in the psychology of mountaineering has yet to be explored.
Those of us who have ventured to approach our theme in such subjective fashion, who have tried to give something more than a plain record of a climb, who may even have attempted to interpret the secrets of the hills, have probably only courted failure and earned ridicule. But at least we have started on a stirring venture, and we shall consider it successful if only a word here or there serves to recall some forgotten picture, some early romantic impression, to any reader for whom mountains, nature, or wandering have perhaps lost their first halo of romance.
It may be said that greater and more modest mountaineers have waited the experience of years before embodying their reflections in the written word. This reproof leaves us unmoved, for we are only concerned with the message the hills hold for Youth, a message which Youth therefore may be pardoned for attempting to explain. Each age hears different accents in the mountain voices. To the old mountaineer the riven lines of cliff may speak of failing strength or inevitable decay. For the child the white far gates may hide an unknown kingdom of magic. But active Youth need fear no comparison of strength, need draw no moral from decay. For him the gates that childhood could not pass have opened, and disclosed a wonderland ‘more real than childhood’s fairy trove,’ a country of difficult romance, and of perpetual challenge to the undying instincts of knight errantry and young adventure.
A. H. M. L.
February 1912.
CONTENTS
| PAGE | ||
| I. | [AN ARTIST OF MOUNTAINS—C. J. HOLMES,] By Michael T. H. Sadler (Balliol). | 3 |
| II. | [OF THE BEHAVIOUR OF A CHAMOIS: AND INCIDENTALLY OF SOME OTHER MATTERS,] By Julian S. Huxley (Balliol). | 37 |
| III. | [THE MOUNTAINS IN GREEK POETRY,] By Norman Egerton Young (Corpus Christi College). | 59 |
| IV. | [A JOURNEY,] By Hugh Kingsmill Lunn (New College). | 93 |
| V. | [THE MOUNTAINEER AND THE PILGRIM,] By H. E. G. Tyndale (New College). | 109 |
| VI. | [PASSES,] By N. T. Huxley (Balliol). | 137 |
| VII. | [BRITISH HILLS,] By H. R. Pope (New College). | 157 |
| VIII. | [ROOF-CLIMBING AT OXFORD,] | 177 |
| IX. | [THE MOUNTAINS OF YOUTH,] By Arnold H. M. Lunn (Balliol). | 197 |