The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1859-08-11
For the Naiional Fra.
GOING INTO THE COUNTRY.
By MARTHA RUSSELL.


GOING INTO THE COUNTRY.
By MARTHA RUSSELL.
In looking over my portfolio tonight, with
the hope of finding some Seeding thought
which by care may be expanded so as to bear
transplanting into the Era, CHANGED upon the
following letters from my old schoolmate, Stella
H. With triumphant " Eureka" [ took
up my pen and was about to make excerpts,
when Conscience uprose with the query, How
will you justify this breach of trust 2"
For moment my hand seemed paralyzed !;
but when I remembered the spirit of inquiry
that marks our age-that ardent pursuit of
knowledge which requires an author to not
only, as Sydney Smith has it, "serve up his
heart, with brain sauce as tit bit for the pub
lic," but to open his very bed-chamber, and let
his readers count his stockings, for instance,
"this pair and the peach-colored ones, the one
for superiority and the other for use" knew
no reason why nay friend should not minister to
its wants as well as humber people.
Besides, l know that few people will be able
to identify the serene, calm browed wife of Pro-
lessor G., with the gay, funloving being
them just they were written, adding only a
kind of hook-and-eye commentary, to give them
the necessary connection and sequence
THoRNEYcRoFr, April II, 1874.
"Ahl my dear NJ, it will do very well
for you to rave ABOUT the beauties of nature
the delights of country life-to grow sentimental
over walks taken
Under the opening eyelids of the morn
in compsny with 'dewyfooted Spring., and
fairies and nymphs and dryads - characters
who, to say the least, have been much talked
about to run wild about the sweet miustrelsy
of birds, and woods, and waters, when you can
listen to the enchanted notes of Salvi, Brignoli,
and silverthroated Sontag, and walk dear,
delightful Broadway without fear of getting
swamped
"NOw, my firm conviction, backed by a
three-weeks experience of 'changeful April in
the country, is, that these so much beeulogized
beauties and delights Of country life are hum
Jug, born and bred in the brains of poets, fast
prisQDed within brick walls; and | strongly
suspect that the II Allegro of Milton, instead
of being written among the delightful scenery
of Forest Hill, first saw light in some mlsty
old court in London. IL / stay here much
long<H may be tempted to write an essay in
proof Of that suspicion,
Now, look on this picture, taken from, Ma
ture. A sky that is neither one thing nor the
other weather to match patches of dirty snow
lying along the fences and under the hills; mud
ankle deep roads unsettled, like the slough of
DespOnd where the frost is out, aud rough as
the valley of Humiliation where it is not out ;
and often, over all, wet, drizzlng mist, which
makes one think of Lg Aayyps, and all the
stories Of French suicide of which he has ever
read or heard At first, / was as blsstully ig-
norant as acknowledgement Cousin Tom would
say, and ] know not if it be not the more fitting
word-apd took several romantic morning
walks, returning with wet feet, bedraggled
dress, and tendency to sore throat, aud, par
consequence, had to endure an unmerciful quiz
zipg from Tom, an anxious lecture from my
mother, and the pepance Of wearing hencefoIth,
whenever / GO out, high, thick-soled walking
shoes, and, il damp, pail: of oyershoes beside.
Just think, ~, ct Shoes that creak and clatter
at every step, like y draymans l asked papa,
when he gave the order, if had not better turn
Observation-Disclosures ut once, hut he only laughs at
What he calls my city pr, udices and prophe-
cies NAT, before autumn, | will be as great a
lover Of the c9uatry as Gilbert White himself,
whose Natural History of 6eitorpe is seldom
out Of bis hands. Indeed, he and nam seem
highly pleased With this change. He talks Of
the different breeds OF esttle as zealopsy, if not
Jacob, and mama manifests an equal interest
in all that pertains to the dairy. We drove
oyer to H yesterday, and called at one of
the bookstores, What think you papa bought
The latest work Of Pr0scatt or Hallam Gar
| LYLE or Emerson ?-0r some beautiful German
legend or poem? Nothing of the kind-only
. treatise on Mich Cowsl
I" Listening TO pspa and his friends has made
me quite convert TO the doctrine of the i'm
mostality of animals, for not the most parch-
mept-hGea Old Midas among them but keeps,
hidden away someyhefe In bis heart, dream
of Paradise under the form OF snug place in
the country, with sprinkling of imported
bloods,' Durhams or Ayrshires, and, if Paradise
above be Paradise Iregained, do not see how
| tiey are to be happy there without animals !
"As Is the internal resources flor amuse-
ment, / mesn) of . paBke,tprned gentleman
farmers mansion, there is the library, the piano,
the chess and Backgammon boards, the dogs,
and Cousin Fog. beg the gentleman's par.
don he would clsiw pfeeedeHpe en- the list, |
suppose, bpt what is writ is wEitl' Papa says
tAeethe IS excellent sooiety in H, which is
only four miles distant, and even in our own
neighborhood and the ladies' who have called
here are certainly very pleasant and agreeable,
quite CONNIE II .faut in dress and address then,
IS corps de reserre, We have plenty of stu
dents Ii the College at H, some Of whom,
being the soa, ~ ny fathers old friends, or
saquaintances of TOMS, h4ye already been out
here q psF their respects - ~ !,