Surely this is a surprising showing, and one which, in itself, sufficiently indicates the character of our climate.
Résumé.—To sum up, then, the information we have gathered with reference to the nature of the Colorado climate, between the hours of 9 a. m. and 5 p. m., the invalid's day, and during the eight months from September to April inclusive, the invalid's winter: we have learned that the days are very few, probably not more than two in a month, when an invalid can not be out of doors, gaining health and strength; that the air is warm enough to admit of his being out the greater part of the time from 9 a. m. to 5 p. m., and by this we mean with comfort (certainly, even the most sensitive invalid can get several hours out of doors at midday); that, while there are occasional high winds, they are not more frequent than occur elsewhere, and the average daily motion is mild—not more than is enjoyable and conducive to purity; that the air is an exceedingly dry and bracing one, and that fogs are of very rare occurrence.
Are there not in these conditions the most desirable elements of climate for the consumptive? Here are to be found the greatest amount of sunshine to be had anywhere in the United States; a dry air, a rarefied and pure air; absence of fog; a dry soil free from snow and moisture; a temperature that admits of out-of-door life with comfort; and a daily movement of the air that is mild and gentle—all of which conditions combine to tempt the invalid to a life in the open air.
Says Professor Frankland of Davos, "In the brilliant sunshine one feels comfortably warm sitting in front of the hotel in a light morning coat." What would he say of a climate where the sun shines so brightly and the air is so mild that picnics are admissible, and out of-door sports, such as riding, driving, tennis, quoits, etc., can be indulged in the greater part of the winter?
Before concluding the article, we wish to say a few words in regard to what seems to us to be the weak point of Professor Frankland's advocacy of the Yellowstone Park as a winter sanitarium; an objection which, we think, would be sufficient to condemn any place as a resort for consumptives, no matter how advantageous its climate. We have reference to its distance from the settled portions of our country, and the lack of accommodations in the park itself. These features, which Professor Frankland recognizes and mentions, must, for the present at least, put the Yellowstone Park entirely out of consideration as a winter resort for the consumptive; for he will not be willing to subject himself to a journey of five or six days by rail, a stage-ride of thirty hours, and the utter isolation of such a place, to say nothing of its lack of accommodations, simply that he may winter in an elevated region, possessing "a continuous and, during winter, permanent covering of snow"—a covering of snow which, by-the-by, is deep enough, so I am credibly informed, to drive the big game from the park during the winter months.
