PREFATORY. 



, ana Books about it. 



OFTEN, during a long and dusty walk in mid- 

 summer, I have chanced suddenly upon a way- 

 side spring, and stooping drank directly from the 

 bosom of Mother Earth. Filled with the pleas- 

 ant recollections of such moments, how tame is 

 all other tipple, even though the crystal is a mar- 

 vel of art, with " beady bubbles winking at the 

 brim " ! 



So, too, I find it with matters of graver im- 

 port. I would that no one should aid me in gath- 

 ering my stores, but with my own hands I would 

 delve at the fountain-head. The spirit of such 

 an aim is a spur to youth, but becomes a source 

 of amusement rather than a more serious matter 

 in our maturer years. I am more than willing now 

 to take nature at second hand. But is this safe ? 

 How far can we trust another's eyes, ears, and 

 sense of touch and smell? There are critics 

 scattered as thickly as motes in a sunbeam, veri- 



