St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-05-25
THE LOVE OF NATURE.

died, WALTER BEsANT wrote a sketch
of his life which he called ''The Eulogy
of Richard Jefferies." This title was
perhaps little artificial, because it was
so obviously initiative of an earlier
literary method which had passed away.
But its use suggests the room that there
is for us often to speak with fullneSS
and frankness of the things which give
us pleasure, not for any Interior motive,
but simply because in this way we eX-
press real feelings which are in US.
People in new country sing its praises
because it is profitable. They speak
loudly of its attractions to bring others
to join them and secure the adj
vantage their presence and CO.
operation carry. All this, of course,
is very desirable; but there is, in adj
dition to this, opportunity for apprecla-
ton of things of different kind.
from realizing that he lives in favored
spot, and the open and frank express
sion of the fact helps him to this state
of mind. There is no more beautiful
city in the world than lSt. Paul. Every
stranger who comes here for day or
an hour says so. The thread of the
Mississippi, spanned by bridges. stretch
ing like more lovely Arno between
the house-clad hills on either side, fills
the sensitive onlooker with the highest
thoughts. 1t only becomes uninspiring
to those of US who fail to notice it be-
cause it is so familiar. The love Of nat
ure and responsiveness to its vary
ing moods form pleasures of the
highest sort, which are open to
every one. But the capacity to
enjoy them in their completeness
comes only as the result of high cult
walton and earnest effort. The eXhil-
aratiOn which comes from viewing
clump of trees or fair stream of water
is new emotion which belongs to mod
ern man. The portraying of natural
beauties in painting and literature is the
achievement of the artist and poet of our
own day. The ancient world had no
TURNER and no WORDSWORTH. The
art and the writing of Greece and Rome
had to do with men and their moods.
PHIDIAs nodded human forms, and
HOMER and VERGIL sang of arms and
the hero. 1t remained for US to develop
pleasures of another sort-to develop
music, the most satisfying of all de-
lights, because it answers to the COM
plexest of emotions, and to develop real
joy in physical inanimate nature. The
we'll equipped modern man is the man
who has tuned himself to such pitch
that he is keen and alive alike to the
higher and what are called the lower
qualifications of life. The pleasures of
eating and the pleasures of drinking
are real and substantial, but no less real
and actual are the pleasures of books,
the pleasures of good pictures, the
pleasures of music and the pleasures of
contact with nature, if one has fitted
himself to appreciate them. 1t is for
the last of these, however, that we es-
pecally plead now, because, as we have
said, it is so particularly accessible to
all of us who live in this community,
and because it is so simple and so salts
flying. The long twilights, and the
bright weather with cool air, and the
unlocked, cloudless sky will soon be here
to last for many and many day. The
trees will be full-clad and the rivers
willrun with the high water. The frail
spring flowers are in the fields and the
lawns are green with the grass, strong
because of the heavy rains. Every va
riety of Nature in her gentle and benef-
cent aspects spreads about us. And
every breath which we gain from her is
inspiring and restful. To the tired
man, if communed with in solitude, she
gives peace; and to the restless and
eager, steadiness and discretion. For
such Of US as need these things their
source is at our command. To the rest
of US she will be best enjoyed if we add
the pleasure of human companionship,
and compare our sensations in spoken
words. There are hundreds of beauti-
full roads radiating from the city in
every direction to invite the gay riding
parties, and the river banks and hills
will be bright with groups of people,
now standing for a moment to catch the
view and now passing on. 1t is very
great privilege to live in so beautiful a
place as st. Paul.