INTRODUCTION. 
7 
slums, privation and suffering of every kind, are 
their lot. Others there are — dwellers also in towns 
and cities — who can at times, though rarely, snatch 
a few hours from their toilsome labours for a brief 
glimpse at the beautiful in Nature. Others again 
there are who can devote longer periods to the 
relaxation and enjoyment afforded by a ramble 
across country meads and through country lanes, 
by the silvery waters of the flowing brook, and 
through the shady woodland. 
There are still a great many others whose oppor- 
tunities for enjoying the country are unlimited. 
Time and money are at their disposal, and if they 
do not live in the country, they can at any time and 
at any season transport themselves thither. To 
each and to all, to the rich as well as to the poor, 
and to one no more than to the other, God offers 
the bounties of the natural world. But how 
different are the degrees of appreciation of these 
bounties on the part of those who share them 1 
How keen is the enjoyment of those who can 
And — 
** Books in the running brooks, 
Sermons in stones, and good in everything •!” 
