ed. Towering pines
stand as aisles and the vaulted ceiling is the clear blue dome of
heaven. Rustic and simple, it harmonizes exquisitely with its
surroundings, and strangely insensible must that worshiper be who, as
he kneels in this Nature shrine, and the organ peals forth its solemn
notes, with a wonderful accompaniment of hundreds of singing birds,
and the ascending incense of a thousand flowers, does not feel his own
soul lifted into a higher and more spiritual mental frame.

One of the chief troubles about a hotel like Tahoe Tavern is that it
is _too_ tempting, _too_ luxurious, _too_ seductive to the senses. The
cool, delicious breezes from the Lake make the nights heavenly for
sleep. With Sancho Panza we cry aloud: "Blessed be the man that
invented sleep," and we add: "Blessed be the man that invented cool
nights to sleep in." And I have no fault to find with the full
indulgence in sleep. It is good for the weary man or woman. It is well
to make up arrears, to pay oneself the accumulated debts of insomnia
and tossing and restlessness with an abundance of calm, dreamless,
restful sleep. Nay, not only would I have men claim their arrearage,
but lay in a surplus stock against future emergencies, future drafts
upon their bank account of "restorer."

Nor would I find any fault with the allurements of the Lake, either
for swimming, boating, "launching," canoeing or fishing. Indulge them
all to your heart's desire and you will not only be none the worse,
but immeasurably better for every hour of yielding. A plunge every
morning is stimulating, invigorating and jolly. It clears the brain,
sets the blood racing up and down one's spine, arms, fingers, legs and
toes, and sweeps the cobwebs out of the brain. A row is equally good.
It pulls on the muscles of the lower back, as well as the arms, chest
and shoulders. It drives away Bright's disease and banishes asthma and
lung trouble. It makes one breathe deep and long and strong, and
when inbreathing, one can take in power from Tahoe's waters, forests,
mountains and snow-fields. It means a purifying of the blood, a
clearing of the brain, a sending of a fuller supply of gastric juices
to the stomach, of digestive sauces to the palate, and a corresponding
stimulus to the whole body, which now responds with vim, energy,
buoyancy and exuberance to all calls made upon it by the spirit.

So with walking through the woods, by the Lake, along the River Trail,
up the mountains. The