Sonos of the Fields 



'■t^ 



fluence of this gold bath that all creation has be- 

 come intoxicated with it for centuries. Poets sing 

 it, artists paint it, and natural historians wrestle 

 M'ith it — thus. 



It appeals to nie that this would be a fine time 

 to celebrate the New Year. Why should we call 

 the first of Januarj^ the "New Year?" There is The New 

 nothing new about a continuation of the same New-Year 

 dead, shut-in winter season. Why go around cry- 

 ing, "Happy New Year!" when nothing is new 

 and people are least happy of all their lives? 



But when winter flees at the awakening of 

 spring, when JNIarch winds arouse us, when earth 

 thrusts up tender growth to signal us that she is 

 ready for seed-bearing, when natiu'e is given a new 

 robe, the sky pure air; when the birds come home, 

 animals creej) from hil)ernation, and the Almighty 

 sliowers His gold, — everything is refreshed, even 

 the oldest hearts of us. Just for the sake of con- 

 sistency the year should be new when the earth 

 awakens, when human as well as bii-d, insect, and 

 animal hearts are glad, Avhen the soul is uplifted, 

 when for a few days all nature is rich enough lit- 

 erally to bathe in gold. 



Among the few musicians that have arrived at 

 this time in birdland the skylark soars pre-eminent. 

 Not that he is more beautiful than his fellows, 

 although he comes in time to stripe his head and 

 cover his lieart with the choicest of the gold. The 



181 



