LITERARY AND BIOGRAPHICAL. 



-*35 



[ITERARY 



BIOGRAPHICAL 



Nature in Literature. 



BY EARL, DOUGLASS, PITTSBURG, PA. 



The last cold breath of winter had 

 gone and the air was fresh, pure and 

 mild on the vast prairie that extend- 

 ed in every direction to the warm 

 sky. The spring's work was done and 

 the sowed fields were getting green. 

 There was now time for a little rest 

 and recreation. My sister, her hus- 

 band and I were riding over the 

 smooth, grassy expanse where the 

 fresh green of spring was mingled with 

 the withered vegetation of the pre- 

 vious year. We were going to a beauti- 

 ful lake for a couple of days of change 

 and pleasure. I was occupying the 

 back seat alone, yet not alone for I 

 had with me no less distinguished com- 

 pany than Richard Jefferies — at least 

 his spirit was there for I was reading 

 his essay, "Nature and Books." 



I know not just how much was due 

 to circumstances, how much to the 

 charm and originality of the author 

 and how much to the smiling prairie, 

 the pure air and the sky; but that es- 

 say was one of the most exquisite 

 literary feasts I ever enjoyed. It was 

 like a sweet dream the remembrance 

 of which comes again and again and 

 makes one happy. From that day to 

 this some of its thoughts come to me 

 with the sweet atmosphere and the 

 charming background of the prairie 

 and sky. 



How often I have wished that I 

 might find other writings that would 

 give me such extreme delight, that 

 would paint in fresh and original 

 beauty the old world so it would be 

 new again. But "paint" is not the 

 right word. Nature needs no daub- 

 ing over with a brush or re-veneering. 

 Go deeper into her unfathomed wil- 

 dernesses, take broader views and you 

 will find that, to your eye, she is en- 



dowed with eternal youth and never 

 ending transformation. The writings 

 of men of original thought are in- 

 geniously constructed lenses which 

 show us things that have been there 

 all the time but we either did not 

 see them before or saw them very 

 imperfectly. The aspect of the world 

 is changing all the time as the shifting 

 radiance of knowledge lights one 

 portion or another of our mental sky; 

 but the change is not often so sudden, 

 as when some illuminating thoughts 

 transform the mere rubbish of facts 

 into rare and beautiful things full of 

 life and meaning. We cannot expect 

 to enjoy the supreme and happy mo- 

 ment of first love or conversion every 

 day or every month ; but I believe that 

 the most of us could get more out of 

 literature than we do if we knew just 

 what to read and at what time. I 

 believe that the most of us have yet 

 to learn the art of reading, not only 

 what to read but when and where, 

 if we would get the most from books. 

 Not that it will ever be an exact 

 science, that would spoil the charm ; 

 but if we would first study guides to 

 the best literature we might get more 

 pleasure and profit from our reading. 

 Leaves fall from the printing presses 

 as thickly as leaves in the autumn 

 woods, but who shall tell us where 

 among them lie hidden the rich paw- 

 paws and the butternuts. 



Jefferies said, "There were no books 

 as yet ; they have got to be written." 

 Outside of the best poetry, drama 

 and fiction it seems to me that he is 

 about right- The progress of the hu- 

 man race will of course always be of 

 vital importance and therefore our 

 present literature will furnish a rich 

 historic storehouse to be carefully pre- 

 served ; but how many books of the 

 present time will be read for pleasure 



