198 FRIENDS WORTH KNOWING. 



screech of the ungreased wheelbarrow and the howl of the 

 farmer's dog no dulcet sounds. Many of the noises con- 

 stantly uttered by men and evoked by their work are any- 

 thing but melodious, and young birds born and bred in 

 their midst must surely turn out less sweet and accomplish- 

 ed singers than if reared among the gentle whisperings of 

 leafy woods, and learning music only from the golden- 

 mouthed minstrels of the sylvan choir. 



