138 



KIDD'S OWN JOURNAL. 



the prostrate corn. Others, raising the 

 ponderous sheaves, and placing them one 

 against the other for support ; their sun- 

 burnt features, the while, lighted up by an 

 expression of joy peculiar to the harvest 

 field alone. Others again are vigorously 

 plying their active sickles, before which the 

 brave crop seems to retreat reluctantly like 

 a half- defeated army. 



At noon, we shall find all these gathered to- 

 gether in one picturesque group, — their coun- 

 tenances " steaming" with delight ; whilst 

 the keg goes merrily round, and the bread 

 and cheese imparts to it the relish so pecu- 

 liarly the result of labor. Happy rogues 

 these, if they could but think so ! How 

 many are there, who would give a fortune to 

 possess the appetite of one of them, as with 

 his rustic clasp-knife he raises the coarse, 

 meal to his healthy lips ! 



The little carnival over, the work of the 

 field again goes merrily on : — 



The clattering team now comes ; the swarthy 



hind 

 Down leaps and doffs his frock alert, and plies 

 The shining fork. Down to the stubble's edge 

 The easy wain descends half built ; then turns 

 And labors up again. From pile to pile, 

 With rustling step, the swain proceeds, and 



still 

 Bears to the groaning load the well-poised 



sheaf. 



To watch this well-piled wain, is of itself 

 a delight. How heavily it moves among 

 the decreasing sheaves, swaying from side 

 to side as it jogs along ! whilst such of the 

 reapers as have got through their part of the 

 toil, lie stretched out on the ground, under 

 the leafy shade, observing the clearing of 

 the field : — 



The field is cleared ; 

 No sheaf remains ; and now the empty wain 

 A load less honorable waits. Vast toil 



succeeds, 

 And still the team retreats, and still returns 

 To be again full fraught. 



Such are the joys of harvest, — now being 

 felt, let us hope, all over the country. This 

 year, if ever, a few " handfulls of purpose " 

 may be left for the gleaner. In our early 

 days, how we did revel in the company of 

 some of these innocent little creatures, sent 

 out by their parents to secure the ears of 

 golden grain overlooked by the lords of the 

 soil : — 



See, where she follows, and with studious eye 

 And bended shoulders traverses the field 

 To cull the scatter'd ear, — the perquisite 

 By Heaven's decree assigned to them who need, 

 And neither sow nor reap. 



To view the fields, when these little strag- 

 glers are busily engaged in their daily wan- 

 derings, is a pretty sight; Hard must be 

 the heart of that man who would grudg- 



ingly defraud them of the bounty sent them 

 by Heaven's own hand. 



Oh, ye who have sown 

 And reap'd so plenteously, and find the grange 

 Too narrow to contain the harvest giv'n, 

 Be not severe ; grudge not the needy poor 

 So small a portion. Scatter many an ear; 

 Nor let it grieve you to forget a sheaf, 

 And overlook the loss. For He who gave 

 Will bounteously reward the purposed wrong 

 Done to yourselves ; nay more, will twice repay 

 The generous neglect. 



Should these lines catch the eye of any landed 

 proprietor, let us tell him that they are from 

 the pen of Hurdis. Could our pen have 

 been more eloquent, it should have embodied 

 and improved the same idea; but here, 

 " simplicity" is the charm. The heart of a 

 Christian is appealed to with a touching 

 voice; and if not responded to, woe be to the 

 offender ! 



We have said nothing to-day about the 

 " harvest-home." The jollifications that 

 used to take place on such occasions, are, 

 comparatively speaking, obsolete. The 

 times are changed, and we have changed 

 with them. We were once a purely agri- 

 cultural people ; we have now become a me- 

 chanical and a manufacturing nation. Hence, 

 the old associations have vanished, and all 

 things are become new. How far we are the 

 better for the novelty, we cannot say ; but 

 we deal far more in the superficial and arti- 

 ficial than ever we did before. The cordiality 

 and frankness of early days is fast dwind- 

 ling away ; and the simplicity, in which we 

 individually so much delight, is all but 

 nominal. We know too much ; we teach 

 our children too much. We are a " fast " 

 people. 



Still we stick to our text. In this world, 

 there is comfort to be found, — excellent com- 

 fort. There are a few, a noble and discrimi- 

 nating few, scattered over the country, — to 

 cultivate whose esteem, to deserve whose 

 love, to excite whose admiration, we would 

 climb Mount Etna even in the midst of 

 winter, or toil through all the sands of 

 Ethiopia even in the midst of summer. 



The esteem of such men and such women 

 as these, — one friend ; one choice partner 

 for life ; and one God, — oh, this world, thfs 

 " vain and anxious world," is ' a Paradise ' 

 after all ! 



Education of Youth. — In the education of 

 children, there is nothing like alluring the ap- 

 petites and affection. Otherwise, you make so 

 many asses laden with books; and by virtue of 

 the lash, give them their pockets full of learning 

 to keep. To do well, you should not only lodge 

 it with them, but make them espouse it. — Mon- 

 taigne. 



Life. — The dream of a shadow. 



