Towson University - Tower Echoes Yearbook (Towson, MD)

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THE TOWER LIGHT 1 - 1 Falls Road toward Baltimore-a quiet country road along which one delights to linger. In the southwestern part of the country near the Patapsco River, about three miles east of Wwdstock, we turn left from the Old Court Road to the Wrights Mill Road which follows the crest of the hills on the north side of the Patapsco River Valley. Here, six miles from Bal- timore, is the settlement known as Quaker Hill, settled by Quakers from Massachusetts in 1807, and still distinctive for the sturdy stone houses. The view from this elevation-valleys, ranges, and a long winding road Over the hills to the east-is beautiful particularly in early fall when the foliage is in varying shades of change. The descent from the crest of the hill is two hundred Hfty feet in one-third mile, accomplished in many curves. No wonder Quaker Hill is a favorite grade test of motor power for prospective purchasers of automobiles! Leaving State Highway 26 at the Police Sub Station we follow the Deer Park Road. After traveling about three miles we reach a section of the country very different from any other in Baltimore County. Thin flat stones cover the ground so closely that only scrub oaks and short stiff grass can grow. On one side of the road are dark, curiously formed stones sought by rock garden enthusiasts. There are great ravines sug- gesting earthquake disturbances, and geologists have repeatedly made trips to this region to study the soil and formation of the rocks. From the roadway looking south we have a magnificent view over parts of Howard and Carroll Counties, supplemented on a very clear morning by mountain ranges and Montgomery County in the distance. The beauty spot nearest the College is the Towson Nursery. No, we need not wander there in imagination, for it is so accessible to us. Let us begin at home and work out to the beauty spots farther from us. If we look hard, we may discover some new ones which we shall delight in recommending to others. Nofe: This arfirlc is an adapfafiofn of an address given by Mrs. S. Wfalter Perrim' of Ranrlallsfowrz, Maryland, to Miss Trm1ffJa1n's Rural lli70llIE'77,S Group. 'EQQT 10

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THE TOXVER LIGHT Beauty Spots in Baltimore County EE Baltimore County first! I.et's go on a beauty-spot seeking ex- cursion right here in this county! If we were showing a stranger the sights,', we would probably begin with Loch Raven where the huge dam across the Gunpowder River controls the water supply for Baltimore City. We approach the breast of the dam and pause to watch the great volume of water swirling out and on and wish we had something to feed the huge fish in the deep green water behind the dam. The curving road follows the stream, deep woods along one side, water on the other. In the afternoon the sun sends long shadows over the water and we get the full effect of this as we cross the bridge over the river. The road now winds along the opposite bank through a forest of pine trees which prevent soil erosion and thus conserves the water supply. At the crossing of the stream near the junction of the Dulany Valley Road we cannot help turning to look at the scenery. Green Spring Valley is approached from Towson via Joppa Road. After a mountain-top View of pretty Dulany Valley we reach the junc- tion of Falls Road and Joppa Road, and enter the Green Spring Valley. It suggests to our minds a vast, beautifully landscaped garden, with winding roads, small lakes and pools, and homes Cof rare architecturej, some of which are on the hills framing the valley. What a panorama to have spread before one at every hour of the day-and in the moonlight! Turning left from the York Road at Cockeysville and continuing for a mile of good road one comes to the top of a hill overlooking a long meadow, about 71 acres belonging to Mr. Bishop. In this valley are sixty lily ponds. In the morning, particularly on an early July morning, all the lilies are open and make a wonderful display. At the foot of the hill stands an old stone mill built in 1791 and now used as a salesroom for Hsh and aquatic plants. One needs some time to see the rock gardens, rustic bridges, and courses by which the water has been drawn from the old mill race to transform the plot of ground surrounding the mill into such a beautiful site. And there is a waterfall and an undershot mill wheel. The familiar York Road itself affords charming scenery as it winds over the hill tops. We cross the Gunpowder River on our way and turn left at a sign, To Prettyboy Damn. We have a good view up stream where the water is backed up between ranges of low wooded hills, re- flecting green in the water. We cross the bridge at the breast of the dam, park the car and descend the long flight of steps leading to the overflow stream. There is a beautiful bit of landscaped garden illustrating forcibly how so necessary a feature can be made a thing of beauty.-We follow the 9 .IQSQMSPQ

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THE TOWER LIGHT S Design for Inspiration LEON L. LERNER N a world hectic with cocked guns and marching armies and vicious browbeating and violent threats, it is hard, indeed, to find a subject fitting for inspiration. Shall we speak of the love of man for man? But in Europe man kills man. Shall we pronounce our faith in justice and right? But elsewhere Justice is torn out of the heart of those who profess to believe in it, and Right lies sniveling in the giant hand of Might. It is not a bright picture we face on this lit-cle planet of ours, humanity has good reason to be gloomy and sad. And so now, as in all dolorous periods of world history, we are offered plans and suggestions and patterns to follow. It is difiicult to know where to turn or what to do. The great mind of the world is crying out now, as it has been doing for the last twenty years, for guidance, for succor. Feverish eyes are being cast in a thousand directions for the hand that will enucleate a prescription for relief and salvation. Will the plea go unanswered? Jeremiah arose to answer the supreme question of his agei Buddha delivered his message to a world that had been desperately in need for one of his calibre, Confucius put an end to the plaguing doubts of his time, Christ drove back encroaching shadows of darkness. Here is evidence that in the past, burning questions have not gone unanswered, questions similar to those that parch our tongues today. Shall man kill man? Shall love and respect and honor be buried in the muck of outright selfishness and sheer hypocrisy? Shall human life be placed on the lowest par of value or on the highest? From the evidence of the past there is good reason for believing that for us, too, a way out will be found. Who will find the way out for us? It will be the teacher, even as before it was the teacher, Jeremiah and Buddha and Confucius and Christ. Here is the greatest concept for us who have chosen our life's work in this field of teaching. Our spiritual progenitors have cast the die for us, and we have their footsteps to follow. Theirs was a job of enlighten- ment, so is ours. Theirs was a job of dispelling fears and superstitionsg so is ours. They developed the understanding of man's behavior, we label the same, psychology, and apply it as we can. They were led to set standards for thinking and for doing, the teacher in the community is expected to do -the same. That we deal with children only enhances our position in the whole human race. Mencius, the Chinese philosopher, wrote: 'tThe great man is he who never outgrows che heart of a child. And so, in touching 11