n6 BY MEADOW AND STREAM. 



I am wishful to draw the attention of my readers. 

 "Little Rivers," by Henry Van Dyke (D. Nutt), its 

 very title sent me off into this garrulous reminiscence 

 of a bygone time. I have no thought of reviewing it, 

 that interesting work must be left to the critic, and I 

 possess not the critical faculty. The work consists of 

 eleven essays, and one has to read them to know what 

 they are about ; it has no long chapter headings, out of 

 which an artful critic could construct a slashing or a 

 brilliant review without the trouble of perusal. 



I propose leisurely to read these essays one by one, 

 and to cull therefrom such tit-bits as I think may in- 

 terest or amuse my readers. As yet I have got no 

 further than the title page. This is followed as a pre- 

 lude by a little poem, " An Angler's Wish in Town," 

 from which I take one verse for the sake of the last 

 line : 



" Then weary is the street parade, 

 And weary books, and weary trade ; 

 I'm only wishing to go a-fishing ; 

 For this the month of May was made." 



"Little Rivers" is the title of the first essay, in 

 praise of rivers in general. " For real company and 

 friendship, there is nothing outside of the animal king- 

 dom that is comparable to a river." 



" It is by a river that I would choose to make love, 

 and to revive old friendships, and to play with children, 

 and to confess my faults, and to escape from vain, 

 selfish desires, and to cleanse my mind from all the 

 false and foolish things that mar the joy and peace of 

 living. 



" Every river that flows is good. But those that we 



