HOMES NEAR AND HOMES FAR AWAY FROM NATURE 



There is little difference between a man and a rabbit; the rabbit lives in a brier patch, 

 and his philosophy makes his little world a good place; the man lives in an excellent world, 

 and by his philosophy generally makes it over into the worst kind of a brier patch, either 

 for himself or for his neighbors. — William J. Long in " 'Brier- Patch Philosophy.'" 



THE GUIDE TO NATURE 



EDUCATION AND RECREATION 



VOL II 



FEBUARY-MARCH, 1910 



No. 11 



t 



Rev. William J. Long's Homes and Work 



BY EDWARD F. BIGELOW, SOUND BEACH, CONNECTICUT 



ILLIAM J. LONG is a 

 scholar and a naturalist, 

 — two men, looking at life 

 from two different points 

 of view, yet with the same 

 eyes, 

 taken 



new home, near to nature, 

 in the suburbs of Stamford, overlook- 

 ing- a magnificent view of the Cove 

 and Long Island Sound, and also 

 farther northward across a pictur- 

 esque valley, the distant wooded hills. 

 Here in this home of modern archi- 



delves as carefully into classic lore as, 

 he tells us in his Introduction to 

 "English Literature," every Mussul- 

 man preserves scraps of paper on 

 which words are written because the 

 He has recently scrap may perchance contain the name 

 possession of his of Allah. 



The wood work and furnishings of 

 all the rooms blend most harmoni- 

 ously. There is an air of luxury, yet 

 of simplicity, of refinement, quietness 

 and good taste. 



In a business block in the center of 

 Stamford, in a front room on the 

 tecture he has his formal study and noisiest part of the city square, is Dr. 

 well-equipped library. Here all is Long's natural history study. Here 

 order and neatness, even to perfect ad- he revels in a delicious confusion and 

 justment of the angles of every book disarrangement. Newspapers, letters, 

 upon shelf or table. Here there is a books, photographs, notebooks, souve- 

 polished air of finish and of classicism, nirs of days in the big woods, aje 

 Here William J. Long is the clergy- everywhere, not even excepting the 

 man and scholar, the learned doctor of floor. In fact, the floor seems to have 

 philosphy, the graduate of Harvard taken up all the odds and ends of over- 

 and of Heidleberg. It is here that he turned wastepaper baskets. One feels 



Copyright 1910 by The Aeassiz Association, Arcadia : Sound Beach. Conn. 



