AUTUMN. 
335 
the way back into the track of truth, was the simple, kindly, up- 
right Cowper ; and assuredly it was a task worthy of a Christian 
poet — that of endeavoring to paint the works of the Creation in 
their native dignity, rather than tricked out in conventional devices 
of man. 
Still, all this might have taken place without producing that 
especial attention to autumn, perceptible in later English writers ; 
that very frequent mention of its softer days and varied foliage, 
which marks a change of feeling from the " chilling autumn" of 
Shakspeare, and the foliage " dusk and dun" of Thomson. One 
is led to believe that the American autumn has lielped to set the 
fashion for the sister season of the Old World ; that the attention 
which the season commands in this country, has opened the eyes 
of Europeans to any similar graces of the same months in their 
own climates ; the gloom is less heeded by them, Avhile every 
pleasing touch is noted with gratification. In the same way, Ave 
now see frequent allusions to the " Indian summer" by Englishmen, 
in their own island, where this last sweet smile of the declining 
year was entirely unheeded until its very marked character in this 
country had attracted admiration. Our native writers, as soon as 
we had writers of our own, pointed out very early both the sweet- 
ness of the Indian summer, and the magnificence of the autumnal 
changes. In fact, they must have been dull and blind not to 
have marked both these features of the season, as we usually 
trampled on, in spirit at least, at the present clay, than the ninth, " Thou shalt 
not bear false witness against thy neighbor." It is to be feared that the present 
ago is more especially a slanderous one ; slanderous not only upon individuals, 
but upon classes. Where shall we find the political party, the school of phi- 
losophy, the religious sect or party, wholly pure from this poison 1 These are 
among the facts which teach our race a lesson of perpetual humility. 
