308 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



and the country woman may have as much of that as she will, if 

 she diligently makes her own contribution to it. 



An Atlantic Monthly contributor has pictured the decadence 

 of a New England hill town as evidenced by the conversation 

 current there. He says : "We who are capable of appreciating 

 the merits of Thackery, of Hawthorne and George Eliot are 

 discoursing of bullocks ; we who are susceptible to the fine in- 

 spirations of history, poetry and the varied study of nature are 

 employing our bravest energies "on our neighbor's affairs." He 

 bewails "the lack of touch with inspiring personalities." The hope 

 of our Western life prevents the possibility of any such dismal 

 portrayal of our prairie conversation. Yet, any aspiring woman 

 will strive to introduce and discuss profitable subjects for conver- 

 sation and secure as her privilege and duty profitable and good 

 talk as one of the great pleasures of country life. 



Frequent social gatherings, not only for the young but for 

 the older men and women, in her own house is also a noble con- 

 tribution which a country woman may make to her own pleas- 

 ures and to those of others. "Getting together" for innocent rec- 

 reation and noble pleasures is worth while. The efifort to make 

 her own mind go out to meet another's is productive — and love 

 and charity are good fruits of social intercourse. We may say 

 with Wordsworth : "I am not one who oft or much delight to 

 season my fireside with personal talk," but harmless personal 

 talk is "like a dash of onion in a salad, appetizing if all share it 

 together." 



What might we not together think concerning those 

 higher spiritual pleasures which come to us in fullest richness in 

 the peace and quietude of country life? We may not speak of 

 them here — but we believe with Wordsworth : 



"One impulse from a vernal wood 

 Will teach you more of man. 

 Of moral evil and of good 

 Than all the sages can." 



We sympathize with Frances Willard when she said : "No 

 feeling ever comes to me so fraught with bitterness but that one 

 long steady look at the blue sky above me will cause it to disap- 

 pear and melt away." 



Those shut in by brick and mortar see the sky only in slices — 

 "I never knew the sky was round before" was the plaint of one 

 of them. 



We may well magnify all these real pleasures of country life 

 and seek to increase them. 



