Page 359 - Third Book of Reading Lessons

358 THIRD BOOK OF LESSON VII.
PASS GE OF THE POTOMAC AND SHENANDO H RI RS THROUGH THE BLUE RIDGE.
PAs'sAGE, n., road; way; avenue. F. S. pasage. I. pass io. APPROACH', v., to come or go near; to draw qear; to advance nearer.
F. approcher, om proche, near. I. o procciare.
JuNo'TION (-shun), n., the place or point· of unio F. jonction, om
L. junctio, om jungo, to join.
Drsm:r'TION (-shun), n., breach; rent. L. disr tio, from sru o. AvuL'sroN, n., a pulling or tearing om or asunder; a rending or
rcible separation. L. avulsio, om avello, a and 11ello, to pull. CoN1TRAST, n., opposition and dissimilitude of gures, by which one
contributes to the e ect of another. F. contraste.
Cw'VEN, v., divided; parted. From A.S. cle an, to split and to
adhere.
PaE 11PICE, n., a steep descent,. F. From L. prcipitiu UL1TIMATELY, ad., in the last consequence. From L. ultimus. FRAG1MENT, n., a part separated om the rest; an imper ct part.
1. Tim passage of the Potomac through the Blue Ridge is, perhaps, one of the most stupendous scenes in nature. You stand on a very high point of land. On your right comes up the Shenandoah, having ranged along the ot of the mountain a hundred miles, to seek a vent. On your left approaches the Potomac, in uest of a passage also. In the moment of their junction they rush together against the mountain, rend it asunder, and pass o to the sea.
2. The rst glance of this scene hurries our senses into the opinion, that this earth has been created in time ; that the mountains were rmed rst; that the rivers began to ow afterwards; that, in this place particularly, they have been dammed up by the Bl Ridge of mountains, and have rmed an ocean, which lled the whole valley; that, continuing to rise, they have, at length, broken over at this spot, and have torn the mountain down, om its summit
L.fraymentium, omjrango, to break