OCTOBER 



one perhaps realizes as strongly as 

 the naturalist (or he who has the 

 spirit of the naturalist, even if too 

 modest to apply the pretentious 

 title to himself) no one else, I say, feels so 

 keenly the characteristic mood of the several 

 seasons ; a mood and atmosphere so peculiar to 

 itself as to give to each of the seasons much of 

 the dignity of personality. 



Autumn has a mellow, ripened glow dis- 

 tinctively its own. The inflection of its cad- 

 ence is downward, as that of spring is upward. 

 The two seasons have all the contrast of youth 

 and maturity : the symbol of the one, inquiry ; 

 of the other, assurance. If the jubilant and vi- 

 vacious song sparrow be a type of spring-time, 

 autumn is represented by the rich and noble song 

 of the wood thrush. Spring is silvery ; autumn, 

 golden. Even spring's climax, June queen- 

 month of all the year is fairly rivalled by Oc- 

 tober's regal splendor the consummation and 



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