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transformed it within her own body that she produces the wonder- 

 ful substance known as honey. So with the writer. He may 

 laboriously gather his facts, but it is not until he has transformed 

 them in his head, worked them over in his mind, will the result 

 flow forth as sweet and wholesome literature. The principal 

 interest of a walk afield is not in plants or birds or beasts as mere 

 objects of natural history, but in the various ways in which these 

 objects minister to our five senses. Music, color, fragrance, 

 gracefulness, the thousand charms that appear in the surroundings 

 of the principal object and the fancies, incidents and associations 

 that they recall — these are the things that interest, and these are 

 the things that should creep into your writings. Suppose you 

 were to try to tell a friend, who had never seen it, just how lovely 

 and beautiful your own part of the world is; would you begin by 

 giving him botanical descriptions? Not a word! Then do not 

 give your friend, the public, different treatment. Botanical detail 

 is all right in its place, but its place is not a popular article. As to 

 the subject matter, the facts you use may not be new, but if 

 clothed in new language may be formed into something that is 

 new. At the same time, it must be said that a new fact, or a new 

 idea suggested by an old fact, is by far the best material with 

 which to begin your labors. Having found your subject, use plain 

 language, which need not be confused with commonplace lan- 

 guage, and may success attend you ! It is not given to all of us to 

 achieve this end, but none are debarred from making the attempt. 



BOOK NEWS. 

 — Some of the literary journals are commenting with surprise 

 upon the fact that the support that takes the form of orders in ad- 

 vance of publication, has been extremely small in the South for 

 the new book "Southern Wildflowers and Trees." Nearly all the 

 advance orders have come from Northern booksellers. The reason 

 for this is assumed to be that the people of the Northern States are 

 most likely to need such a book and to buy it to carry w T ith it 



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