THE BEAUTIFUL IN NATURE. 457 
crow; then find your life’s enjoyment and recreation in loving the beautiful 
in nature, and,there will be no room or taste for frivolous, worldly pleasures, 
and consequently no death-bed regrets. 
Horace Bushnell’s daughter says of him, “He saw twice as much as 
most people do out-of-doors; took a mental survey of all land sur- 
faces, and ‘kept in his head a complete map of the physical geography of 
every place with which he was acquainted. He knew the leaf and bark of 
every tree and shrub that grows in New England; estimated the water power 
of every stream he crossed; knew where all the springs were and how they 
could be made available; engineered roads and railroads; laid out, in imag- 
ination, parks, cemeteries and private places; noted the laying of every bit of 
stone wall, etc. etc.’”’ How much enjoyment and profit has life to such a man! 
John Burroughs, John Muir, Ruskin, Wordsworth and many others, are 
also examples for us to imitate, in their study of nature. Fortunate, indeed, 
is the one who can skillfully immortalize some beautiful scene on canvass, 
or by a happy word-picture establish one’s impressions in prose or verse. 
The house-mother is as busy as the father; many times her hours of 
work are much longer, and she longs for some beauty to enliven the mono- 
tony of the daily routine. So she tries to cultivate a few flowers out-of-doors 
and in, or train an ornamental vine, but it is often hard work without a 
man’s hand to help. So, please delight the good wife and daughter by oc- 
casionally “lending a hand” and tidying up the yard and surroundings of 
your home. Let your rooms boast of a few house plants; they need be noth- 
ing choice; just a few geraniums, if nothing more. Let me read you an 
extract that I came across the other day. “Geraniums have a way of look- 
ing several directions at the same time; they are such good-natured, free- 
hearted fellows and give of all they possess for the good of others. You 
never see a geranium getting the dumps or sulking around or refusing to 
bloom, just because they can’t have everything their own way. Ah! but 
they are brave fellows—these geraniums. I would rather have them, with 
their ever-blooming cheerfulness, their sturdy hold on life and their bright- 
ness and freshness than all the choice, once-a-year, flowering exotics you 
can bring me. They are like the good, sensible working class: of people; 
they bloom every day in the year, cheering and comforting hearts, wherever 
they are, and brightening homes that would otherwise be mere hovels.” 
Now, having said my say on the topic assigned to me, I have a little 
grievance to air before this meeting. During the past year or two, I have 
read several criticisms in our farm papers as to the advisability of giving the 
women so much room on‘the program of our horticultural and dairy meet- 
ings. The criticism is, that the papers written by women are not practical; 
that they never come to the point; that their ideas are visionary, ideal and 
of school girl simplicity. Well, with due humility, I trust, I admit that per- 
haps such is the truth! At least, at present, I would not argue with or ques- 
tion the wisdom of the decision reached by the “lords of creation;’” but, 
remember, that woman, whether occupying the sphere of wife, mother or 
daughter, is pre-eminently a home-maker. If, by cultivating a love for the 
beautiful in nature, the training of ear and hand in music, the leading to a 
pure taste in reading, the giving of heartfelt sympathy in our home life, thus 
keeping our boys and girls under the safe influences of home and away 
from the enticing allurements of saloon and questionable amusements—if 
