THE PLEASURE OF THE FANCY. 7 



necessary to our well-being as Duty — Recrea- 

 tion is as healthful as Work. Charles Kingsley 

 said, " If you have not something to enjoy in 

 life you are a living grave." In a small quaint 

 black-letter book I own, printed 1552, called 

 "The Christian State of Matrimonie" (I love 

 books as well as birds), the author. Miles Cover- 

 dale, says, " God did intend man to be happy, 

 for when He created him He put him in the 

 Paradise, that is the garden of pleasure." Now 

 all the world over, a garden with its luscious 

 fruits and fragrant flowers and springing foun- 

 tains, is typical of happiness. And man, ever 

 since he was ousted from that Garden of 

 Pleasure, has been trying to plant another 

 garden of his own fashioning, where he may 

 dwell, lapped in enjoyment and ambrosial rest. 

 We all want our Eden ! Some people attempt 

 to plant theirs amidst the glitter and gaiety of 

 the fashionable world, but the atmosphere is 

 uncongenial, and their garden withers into a 

 wilderness. They build their mansions and they 

 open their Picture Galleries, and they summon 

 Prima Donnas, and they offer every inducement 

 to happiness to come and live there, but hap- 

 piness will not come. They send footmanned 

 and postillioned equipage to bring her ; she will 



