The Commonplace 37 



and enjoyed it has missed a privilege and a 

 blessing. 



Give us the rain and the hail and the snow, 

 the mist, the crashing thunder, and the cold 

 biting wind ! Let us be men enough to face 

 it, and poets enough to enjoy it. In "bad" 

 weather is the time to go abroad in field and 

 wood. You are fellow then with bird and 

 stream and tree ; and you are escaped from the 

 crowd that is forever crying and clanging at 

 your heels, 



The common natural history. 



The first consideration of special study 

 should be the inhabitants of your yard and 

 garden : they are yours ; or if they are not 

 yours, you are not living a right life. Do 

 you wish to study botany ? There are weeds 

 in your dooryard or trees on your lawn. 

 You say that they are not interesting : that 

 is not their fault. 



We have made the mistake all along of 

 studying only special cases. We seem to have 

 made up our minds that certain features are 



