GOD MADE THE COUNTRY." 



Abused mortals ! Did you know 



Where joy, II eaut's-kase, and comforts grow, — 



You'd scorn proud towers, 



And seek them in these bowers, 



Where winds sometimes our woods perhaps may shake, 



But blustering care could never tempest make, 



Nor murmurs e'er come nigh us, 



Saving of fountains that glide by us 



Sia W. Raleigh. 



INGULAR INDEED ARE THE 

 CIRCUMSTANCES WHICH FOR 

 THE MOST PART GIVE RISE TO 

 AN ARTICLE FROM OUR PEN. 



We very rarely know before- 

 hand upon what subject we are 

 going to gossip ; and a few 

 minutes, perhaps, suffice to 

 prompt us as to what is likely to be well 

 received. In this matter, we are Fortune's 

 favorite. As our ideas arise, so do we jot 

 them down. Fresh from the heart are they ; 

 and being " natural," of course they suit the 

 readers of Our own Journal. 



" But'" — some may say, " do tell us what 

 caused you to write an article with such a 

 droll, trite heading." Gladly will we do so. 

 A gentleman of the law is answerable for it ! 

 Filtering his sanctum one day recently, to 

 hold a friendly discourse upon u things in 

 general," (there was no " bill of costs " for 

 this, — strange as it may appear), we fell a- 

 talking about Our Journal among other 

 " interesting " topics. 



" What a happy fellow you ought to be 1 " 

 remarked our " learned friend." " Why, — 

 wherever I go, east, west, north, or south, — 

 there do I find your pink, enamelled, blushing 

 representative lying on the tables through- 

 out the country. Not a room scarcely, in 

 any house, but some one of your handiworks 

 is to be seen in it ! And in what esteem you 

 are held too ! Let me say again, — you 

 ought to be a happy fellow." 



A hearty laugh convinced our orator that 

 we were both " happy " and jolly ; and there- 

 upon issue was joined. A longer conversation 

 then followed, deeply interesting to us; and 

 the result is visible in the present article. 

 Our friend, be it known, is a long-headed 

 man; and we value his opinion — the better, 

 perhaps, seeing that it was not paid for, but 

 the offering of a kindly-disposed heart. 



" Do not," said he, " imagine that anything 

 you can write will ever interest the inhabi- 

 tants of cities and towns. Their tastes and 

 habits are diametrically opposed to yours. 

 You profess to despise wealth. They love 

 it. You advocate universal kindness and 

 benevolence. They laugh at you,. — of course. 

 You preach up the doctrine that men should 

 live to be useful to one another, and assist 

 each other in labors of love. ' Gammon ! ' 

 say they. 



" Again, — you work hard, and try to get 



people to ' think.' They say, truly, they have 

 no time to think. You woo them to be 

 ' natural,' and you speak eloquently of the 

 advantages derivable therefrom. Believe 

 me, my dear fellow, there is nothing 

 ' natural 1 in towns and cities. Flowers are 

 brought into the streets, truly ; and stowed 

 away in rooms. If they live, they live ; if 

 they die, they die. It is 'fashionable' to 

 speak about the ' loveliness ' of flowers, and 

 pretend to admire them ; but no citizen ever 

 sees any real beauty in them. How should 

 he ? His pursuits lay in quite an opposite 

 direction. Money, pleasure, dissipation, and 

 sleep, are the only gods he worships. 



" As to animals — horses, cats, dogs, birds, 

 &c. ; these are indeed introduced as domestic 

 fancies and utilities, and become ' fashionably' 

 naturalised in cities. And no doubt your 

 Journal will be eagerly consulted as to 

 their care and management. Self-interest 

 will accomplish this ; but look for nothing 

 further, or you will be disappointed. 



" No : you have a far deeper game to play. 

 You must address yourself, fearlessly as 

 ever, to those who live beyond the walls of 

 cities. For them, your pen ever has had, and 

 ever will have an undying interest. Living 

 secluded — apart from constant contact with 

 the callous world, they see infinite beauties 

 in the work of Creation. Every living thing, 

 the most minute, has for them charms 

 inexpressible. I speak to a point about 

 this. 



" You are now progressing nobly, and must 

 never attempt to conciliate any persons, 

 however great or noble, at the expense of 

 the principles you so manfully advocate. 

 In the country you are all-powerful. There, 

 people can fully estimate the value of your 

 sentiments — rejoice in perusing what you 

 write— and range with you, book in hand, 

 from field to field, from flower to flower. In 

 a word, they lead a natural, quiet, peaceable 

 life. Full of repose, they have time to 

 ' think,' and their thoughts, like yours, are 

 — 'happy.' " 



Such, in a materially abridged form, was 

 the conversation to which we have alluded. 

 It has dwelt much upon our mind, — so much 

 that we are anxious to let our readers into 

 our feelings. 



The gentleman of whom we speak, is of 

 necessity " chained" to London, during the 

 day. He knows the world in all its bearings, 

 and can fathom the human heart to a nicety. 

 It is, as he says, " hard," very ; and it be- 

 comes even harder, the longer it lives in the 

 atmosphere so congenial to its depraved 

 habits of life. 



It is quite clear that our mission lies not 

 in this direction ; so that if we do good, even 

 on the smallest scale, in towns and cities, 

 we shall be satisfied. Leisure moments do 



Vol. V.— 5. 



