HOW TO KNOW HIM. 71 



industries of the field, and the stimulating companion- 

 ship of the spirited denizens of the stable. The strong, 

 healthy odor of the earth, the scented hedges, the 

 tremulous happiness of harvest-heads, the welcoming 

 neigh of glossy favorites greeting my coming steps with 

 the pride of their arched necks and expectant eyes, — 

 all this is a delight. Hail to this life of innocent and 

 humane sovereignty, in which care sets with the setting 

 of the sun, and gentle night brings gentler repose ! I 

 cherish the ambition, that, in some limited measure, I 

 may contribute something to the intelligence of those 

 of my generation who share this feeling with me, by 

 which they shall more perfectly understand the prin- 

 ciples that underlie success in those pursuits, which, 

 while they minister to the truest pleasures of life, 

 supply, at the same time, the needed support and profit. 

 Enough for me, if, when that crowded life which lives 

 in cities, and to which I am now a teacher, shall have 

 forgotten me, — as it surely will forget, — I may still 

 be remembered in the scattered hamlets of the country, 

 and be occasionally mentioned by the farmer's fireside, 

 as having been a friend of the farmer, and of the 

 farmer's best friend, — the gentle, serviceable animal, — 

 the horse. 



