The United Seas Part 2

Two cities on the Western coast are heralding to the world the triumphant completion of the Panama ca.n.a.l. And if a certain writer is right in saying that there are seven wonders of the modern world--telephone, wireless, aeroplane, radium, and antisceptics and ant.i.toxins, spectrum a.n.a.lysis and X-rays--as there were seven wonders of the ancient world, we can well add that the Panama ca.n.a.l is the eighth modern wonder and that it is the wonder of all wonders, ancient and modern.

And it is well that nearly a year is to be given by both cities to the commemoration of this event in order that the whole world may fully feel the significance of this remarkable engineering feat to its whole life.

The Panama-Pacific International Exposition held at San Francisco, from February 20 to December 4, 1915, is the national celebration authorized and sanctioned and partly financed by the government of the United States, the total investment being $50,000,000. The Exposition area covers 635 acres of ground, having a frontage of two miles on the bay immediately inside of the Golden Gate. The grounds are divided into three main divisions; the foreign section nearest to the Golden Gate, the central portion with its exhibit palaces and great Tower of Jewels rising 435 feet high and the eastern section for rest and amus.e.m.e.nt. In keeping with the world consciousness four courts are found on the grounds; the Court of the Four Seasons; Court of the Universe; Court of Abundance; Court of Palms; Court of Flowers. Every state and territory in the Union has made exhibits and in spite of the world war more than forty foreign countries are represented and co-operating in the commemoration of this most historic event.

The Panama-California Exposition is held at San Diego, California, throughout the year 1915, for which the sum of $3,500,000 was raised.

The grounds are embraced within a fourteen-acre park, known as "Balboa Park," being at the very heart of the city of San Diego. The Exposition is international in its scope and has exhibits from all the American countries and from some of the European and oriental nations. It has an exhibit showing the progress of man from primitive times up to the present; and also some beautiful floral and horticultural exhibits, which are making both of the expositions most attractive, many of the tourists going south from San Francisco in order that they may partic.i.p.ate in both celebrations.

FOOTNOTE:

[B] An impression caught while crossing the bay at night.

III

The Coast

THE THRESHOLD OF VISION

The following prose-poem is written from the viewpoint of the national spirit, pressing toward the world vision which directly controls the thought of the previous prose-poem. For the Golden Gate, especially during the Exposition is for the quickened soul the portal--the pulling aside of the curtain through which one gets the world vision. The t.i.tle, "Our Pacific Sea" might well be interpreted:

Our--Democracy.

Pacific--Nationality.

Sea--Verging into the world-vision.

Here on this sh.o.r.e--as prophets are, of course, doing elsewhere--we are putting our feet on the rock and looking out over the waters and into the skys. With San Diego, which is even nearer to the ca.n.a.l, our whole coast is peculiarly susceptible to world thought at this time. And the people who come here may forever after have an outward and upward look in their lives.

Much has been written concerning the flowers, hills and climate of California, but at this time, when the world is looking toward our coast, would that more writers would reveal the thoughts that have been inspired in their minds by the sight of our great Western sea.

The prose-poem itself is a denial of the thought that the Pacific is a monotonous calm--an appreciation both of its storms and serenity written after several visits to the beach in which both moods were displayed.

The first three verses, the prelude, describe the impression made by the movement of the boisterous sea landward, upon the observor when first arriving at the sh.o.r.e.

OUR PACIFIC SEA

The raging of our sea!

The defiant roar of its attack on rock, cliff and sh.o.r.e, Spreads the contagion of a mighty courage, Springing from the resolute deep.

The voices from our sea!

Like an unending processional stealing on the soul from the double blue afar, The eternal ba.s.s of nature's choir, A power-inspiring undertone from profundity.

The laboring and heaving of her waves Like the toiling of all humanity at its task, Braces the will with the story Of our faithful ocean's endless day.

O, great Pacific! Often calm as a sea of gla.s.s, Who durs't say that thou cans't not live And bestir thyself with boisterous life; That thou cans't not with growing fury hugely to thy defense arise, When rebuffed by wind, by rock and cliff.

Thy deep is not an incessant, idle sleep!

Thou cans't heave and leap and live with ponderous life, Until thy waves, up from the bottom turning, are all afoam with terrible rage, Their salty crests mounting on tangled spray And raining back to sea a million opals.

We love our sea and thy reserve of strength, For thou art indeed the favorite of our G.o.d, For when the Son of Man spoke to the snarling waves, Thou of all waters didst best obey and heed the Master's mandate, "Peace be still."

But He commanded not eternal quite and thou art somewhat falsely famed.

For when necessity's hour arrives, Thou with all violent seas canst throb from deepest heart; With unrestrained power plunging to climb the skys, crushing against the rocks-- Sublimely tempestuous, majestic in rage, in fury glorious!

And after the waters' landward a.s.sault, To-day we can better ascend to observe the ocean's peace.

And here, great Sea!-- How naturally hovers infinity over that hemispheric calm, As from this rocky, sh.o.r.e-projecting cliff We behold thy endless expanse over meridians and the world, into and behind the sky--vast, serene, stupendous.

And as we gaze and worship and pray, drenched with omnipotence, We dare with highest emotions declare That G.o.d, not once but always, walks the seas.

O life giving fount, a resurrecting breeze, We cling to our sea, an army of men in cities and fields, on streams and on hills, Because thou dost live and let live.

For daily thy breath kisses our sh.o.r.es with beauty and life, Thy varying moods are an unspeakable comfort to all manly souls.

For thy grandeur holds an invisible gate of gold, Through which sails a celestial mariner, the spirit of our Father, G.o.d.

O visitors to these enchanted sh.o.r.es, Join the brotherhood of the brothers of the sea-- Not dreamers, but heroic men, Who love our rock-ribbed, templed hills and gigantic trees, but better yet, our sea!

Take the shoes from off thy feet, For here thou art on holy ground before nature's truest Angelus, To feel the awe of power, to think as deep as truth, And leave a n.o.ble soul to uplift the homes of friends.

And deep-eyed patriots, On every sh.o.r.e and from every inland city, vale and hill, Look out and up, and live!

In spirit journey abroad over lat.i.tudes and longitudes, the equator and the sphere, To mingle with the vision'd souls of men who gaze far out on our Pacific sea Toward the slowly rising essential Republic of the world.

Fear not, move out in ship, in thought and plan-- Brave men, move out!

For on the waters of the Earth's vast deeps brotherhood has faith in Fatherhood.

And the G.o.d who bound together The colonies on our New England sh.o.r.es Will bind together the nations about the seas, Through fearless men of faith moving toward the best The alluring best that is still to be.

"The fact that man has discovered no celestial body which contains elements other than those of the earth is more than a hint of the unity of creation" and its movement towards a single purpose.--Adapted from Josiah Strong.

IV