8 Preface. 



of omniscience as derisively applied to hu- 

 manity, and such unfortunates are apt to bore 

 us. 



To foresee the flowers and forehear the birds 

 might be sufficiently satisfactory, if you are 

 lazily inclined, and so the suggested outing fore- 

 done, which means staying in-doors and doing 

 nothing. The ever-present possibility of nov- 

 elty is an incentive that should prove all-power- 

 ful, and nowhere is the world so worn out that 

 the unexpected may not happen. What of 

 the showers of frogs, fish, and worms of which 

 we sometimes read ? To be caught in such a 

 shower, and without an umbrella too, would 

 probably stir up the dormant instincts that 

 make us all curious as to Nature in her playful 

 moods. It ought to, if it does not. 



It was not long ago that a distinguished 

 archaeologist came to this neighborhood to see 

 the indubitable evidences of man's antiquity 

 that had recently been unearthed. He came 

 late in the day, but in time to see what was to 

 me of much greater interest, a superb sunset. 

 His attention was called to it, but he replied 

 with a groan, and not looking up even, as he 



