KC 15266 HARVARD 52*77 COPYRIGHT, 1894, BY MACMILLAN AND CO. Norwood Press : J. S. Cushing & Co. - Berwick & Smith. Norwood, Mass., U.S.A. Can rules or tutors educate Of man's or maiden's eye: But, to his native centre fast, Shall into Future fuse the Past, And the world's flowing fates in his own mould recast. EMERSON. FROM A NEW ENGLAND HILLSIDE. I. I HAVE not spent October in the country for nearly forty years: As one who long in populous city pent, Where houses thick and sewers annoy the air, I roam among these hills and look out over the valleys with quite indescribable emotions. Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean, Tears from the depth of some divine despair How fortunate it is that some have been gifted with the power of expression, "that the thoughts of many hearts might be revealed." My friend objects to Sir John Lubbock's "Pleasures of Life" for the same reason, though not from the same cause, that the old lady objected to Shakespeare that it is made up of quotations. Now I wholly disagree with him. This is a work-a-day world, and blessed be the man with the time and happy taste to gather and put before us the choice bits which reveal us to ourselves. The late rains of summer after a long drought made the fields and woods so green that the autumn glory has been long in coming, but is now spreading abroad so rapidly that one can scarcely keep pace with it. The fields are still full of flowers. On Sunday afternoon I noticed the following in one old pasture: Golden-rods and asters of various species, blind gentian, grass of Parnassus, thistles, spearmint, a lobelia, yarrow, wild carrot, brunella, fragrant ladies'-tresses (which White of Selborne calls ladies'-traces), life everlasting, purple polygala, thoroughwort, turtle-head, two kinds of knot-weed, wild strawberry, and a yellow flower which I ought to know but do not. On my way over that morning, I found a spot glorious with the fringed gentians, and during to-day's stroll I found them by the hundreds—yes, I think, thou |