two] selecting a home 



course not," you say; "it is absurd to suppose it." 

 It is absurd, sure enough; but I am confident that 

 most people in the country do not see, or hear, or 

 even smell adequately. They know almost nothing 

 of what is going on about them. Any bird is just a 

 bird. An apple tree is an apple tree, and nothing 

 more. They have no intimate acquaintances 

 among the bushes and the animal creatures. "Yes," 

 said a visitor, "this is fine; but it must be awfully 

 lonesome." I said, "I had forgotten that. It is 

 indeed lonesome until you get acquainted. Do 

 you hear that tree toad ? He is an acquaintance of 

 mine. Do you hear that catbird ? He is a close 

 friend of mine. Then do you see that every bush 

 and every tree I myself have planted, and I know 

 its life-thought and purpose .? Lonesome.^ The 

 city is the place in which to be all alone." 



The day laborer, the lawyer, the merchant, the 

 school teacher are all seeking country homes for dif- 

 ferent reasons. I have a letter from a Philadelphia 

 schoolma'am who says, "I am dead tired of this 

 treadmill work. If I could have a school and carry 

 out my own ideals I would enjoy it. So far Amer- 

 ican education has looked out for the individuality 

 of the pupils, but has forgotten that the teacher 



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