To those who do listen, the desert speaks of things with an emphasis quite different from that of the shore, the mountain, the valley or the plains. Whereas these invite action and suggest limitless opportunity and exhaustless resources, the implications and the mood of the desert are something different. For one thing, the desert is conservative, not radical. It is more likely to provide awe than to invite conquest. The heroism which it encourages is the heroism of the endurance, not that of conquest. It brings man up against this limitation, turns him upon himself and suggests values which more indulgent regions suppress. Sometimes it induces contemplation in men who have never contemplated before. And of all the answers to the question what is a desert good for-'contemplation' is perhaps the best.