CATHEDRAL AND THRONE IN LURAY CAVERN, VIRGINIA.—The formations of Luray Cavern are perhaps the most beautiful of all the subterranean wonders of the world. At some period, long subsequent to its original excavation, the cavern was completely filled with glacial mud, whereby the drip-stone was eroded into singularly grotesque as well as lovely shapes. Out of these molds of nature, after the mud had been mostly removed by flowing water, came these marvelous formations, rivaling in beauty and wonder the most exquisite carvings of art. The “Throne-Room,” so beautifully photographed on this page, is canopied with curtains and hung with tapestry that seem to be woven of pearls and diamonds, rivaling the splendors of Aladdin’s fabled cave. ] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [Illustration: BRIDAL VEIL FALLS, DINGMAN’S FERRY, PENNSYLVANIA.] The ascent of the mountain lies through superb forests of deciduous trees and along the banks of the rushing Swannanoa, until after a climb of five miles the second base of the mountain is reached—a small grassy plateau, where a residence once stood—now known as the “Half-way House.” From this point the world below unrolls before the gaze like an azure scroll, while above, awful in its nearness and immensity, towers the dark mass of Black Mountain, clothed with a somber forest, into the depths of which the path now plunges, and which it does not leave again until the final summit is reached. Winding in snake-like turns through the close-growing firs, the trail climbs the steep shoulders of the great mountain, passing over what is now known as Clingman Dome (of the Blacks) and then following its ridges for about three miles, until the bare rocky peak, which is the highest point of land east of the Rocky Mountains, is reached, and all hardships of ascent are forgotten in the view that bursts upon the enraptured vision. If the day is clear, the prospect is almost boundless in extent and of infinite beauty. Range behind range of great mountains lie below, like a Titanic ocean stilled by some mighty hand. From this supreme elevation it is possible to study the structural character of the region, and to count all the great chains that cross the country, while no words can express the varying and exquisite color that, like a glamour of heavenly enchantment, lies over the wide expanse. The whole earth, “and the beauty thereof,” seems to be spread out at one’s feet, and the airs that come to this high mountain crest are full of freshness and balm. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ [Illustration: