Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1891-11-25
~MY OUTDOOR STUDY"
DY MARGARET SPENCER.

Inc H6fO
and suffered from this long summer
drought. Our best and dearest bios
SONS have died. but the more sturdy
and enduring have gathered strength
for early frosts, and will die in glorious
colors. Our beds are banked with gold
and scarlet. The tail asters, the sal
Was, the most glorious chrysanthe-
NUNS, are in their prime" The
wide plumes of crimson coxcomb, and
the silvery pampas grass divide the
summer ANIMALS from the winter ivies,
and nastur tiums fill the low bed with
radiance.
TIE only real life for our girls is out
OF doors; mean all they can possibly
get. To some, summer has brought
rest, vigor and health, by an outing in
salt waves, or by the purple mountains;
to others, work, poverty, and i'll health,
but in some measure our great sun
shine and blue sky. Henry Ward
Beecher used to say: Money buys
books and houses and food and raiment,
but ont of doors is like salvation,
without money, and without price. "
"Oh, 1 am so tiredp' sighs Mary In
Office, store, or sewing room, nursery
or hot kitchen. All day, work, work,
work, till the sun goes down behind
the city spires. They go on crowded
cars, and the busy schoolgirl spends
the best hours of each day in the school
room. This is necessary, but there is
a midday blessedness of sky, of sun
and cloud, a peep at the trees, If one
looks for it, little walk in the sweet
air, and good drink for the thirsty
ones. We exhaust all our mental
power; use, till threadbare, the nerv-
ous force of brain and hand, but one
little hour or less of outdoor food will
build us up quicker than bottles OF
tonicl
know large room in Washington
full of girls from sixteen to twenty
years old, perhaps older. They ''feed'
oily plates for printers, and sew books
and cut and fold, from eight to fivel
Their long row of windows looking to-
ward the east and south keeps them
alivel 1 see them at the short noon.
time, water and tend the window boxes
of scarlet geraniums, and white alys-
sums, and with bits of twine train the
little vines to creep upward Very
little thingsP but these girls are
stronger, better, purer in character for
the peep of blue sky, and the still,
grateful voice of the CHEEKY friend in
the windowl Across the city street
into court, or Just a wall between
them and the clouds, but Gods face is
always. in the skyl
Grammara and histories are impor-
tsnt, but not half SO necessary to per-
tsct soul and body as an intimate
knowledge of nature. We begin with
our babies in their pretty carriages
standing deep in the grass under the
shady trees; and let them sleep to the
sweet lullabies of the rustling leaves
They begin life out of doorsl and
"Stsrry Eyes" In the nursery, "sweet-
est saint in all the calendar" kicks and
cries until the door opens, and she
goes outside nursery walls! Our girls
may have to do without costly sashes
and dainty boots, "yellow dog carts, "
and "lovely hats" but an outdoor
study is child's inheritancel
Mrs. Hayes, while in the White
House, asked the gardener to make
her small bouquets every morning, and
send to the family reception room (the
red room). She arranged them herself
on large table, and gave them to call
ers as they said goodbye. A member
of her household told me that she SAID
one day. "You see, dear have a
great many working girls and woman
come to see me, who have no flowers;
and live in close rooms. L love to walk
with them through the conservatory,
across the flower garden, and give them
little fragrant bunch of pinks or
roses; 1t makes them grO1O. l grow
myself in doing itl''
We have little man of nine, who
leads his college bred father many a
brisk walk through shut-away places in
wood and field, to tell him the name OF
trees which his older eyes haue never
sesnl
''what makes Susie so pale?" "Oh,
she hates to walk, and climb and run.
She always reads" Poor child
"Booky folks" are very nice, and
smart, and all tnat, but give me the
fresh air child, who springs to the first
crack in the door, simmer or winter,
to chase butterflies, or throw snowballs
at the unsuspecting father-may be
The baby cried; the bread burned
Mother was worn out; Mary's head
throbbed with the household friction
6he did all she could, then slipped into
the small yard or garden, or down the
street minute. The ''outdoor study
was openl ''Its roof and floor wa:
ever-changing blue and vendure, -
perhaps only tree, or spray of vine
tangled over her neighbor's 3 fence. The
picture was artistic and restful, the all
fresh, and the sunshine glorious
When our hearts are heavy with long
ipgs for some unattainable thing
duties drag ike a rundown clock
Oh, let us fly to our outdoor study
reach up to the topmost shelf for the
dear books, ''done in blue and gold,
pray a little prayer, quietly, by our
selves, to the blessed Father of oul
outdoor household, whose splendid
library Is never closed, whose sweetest
stories and most perfect pictures are
our ownl
Oliver Wendell Holmes measured
every tree on his place with a tape
line, and knew each one personally
Walter Scott wrote his best books out
of doors, under the trees, and hi
neig hbors used to ridicule the maj
"who wrote whole days under an um
brella." We grow rich, for our pos
session can never be valued. Fresi
every hour, new with every sunrise
and sunset.
Dear girls, make your "study'
everywhere; make it airy and spacious
cIatnl the best and biggest, and sun
niest spot near youl If you would
have beauty, and grace, and spirits
and love, you must so up and dowr
among the flowers, however few, OF
common, or poor. 1t inspires yot
with new life, and Glorifies most com
mon things. In this study you ar,
never disappointed, but always gur.
prised. Suddenly, out of a weedy cor
ner, peeps up a golden-faced pansy
blown by some summer wind and las
Noyember's blasts had away this year.
harvest OF b!ooml Not all the finerI
of riches can make you gladder. How
confidential you grow with the frs
families;" they bow and smile, and in
vite You to come again, and you g
again and egain, ard dream of th,
raSaa nrd MIMI md frnmrancn of til.