The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-02-10
Things ! Heard of In the Summer.

one thing / heard Of i'm the summer was
a society for reading foreign languages,
which I Joined. As I happen at present
10 be living on the wrong side Of the At
lantlc-to an American-it Is needless to
say that this society was in England.
People on the Continent never have SO
cieties for reading anything, that / ever
heard of.
The foreign Language society IS a simple
affair | pay shilling the list of Octo-
Der and another the lst of February.
and pledge myself to read twenty minutes
a day out of any book written I'm any
foreign language / may choose. | may
do my reading at one stretch if j like,
bat | must always average the twenty
minutes daily. At the end of July |
send i'm my report and the list Of books
read and if the agreement has been kept
faithfully, | get a prize Of two shillings
and sixpence just sixpence more than |
paid in. In August. September, aud Oc-
tober ] have holiday.
The society seems to me practical
sort OF thing. because one can generally
manage to squeeze out two hours a week
to give to anything her mind is fixed on,
and I'm this way I think I'm going To as
sure myself Of reading Dante in the orig
inal I'm my old age. Age to me always
summons MP two most delightful old
ladies'. TO be like either Of which when !
have attained their years would be
sufficient compensation for lifetime of
ondeaVor. one was quite oil and very
delicate, and ! always think her as turn
ing over the leaves Of an Italian Dante
and saving, I'm a woman Of one book,
my dear" There was nothing old about
her but her age. however such spirit ana
such intelligence And what youth could
compete with the accumulated treasures
of lifetime stored away I'm her brainI
The other old lady must be old. | sup
nose but / have 10 stop and say ft over
10 MYSELF I'm order TO believe II. ! know
she has had "A Golden Wedding. but i
am sure II has only made her fifty years
Young. She has never wavered during
those fifty years and more In AN unfailing
devotion to plants and flowers, and there's
nothing Ike Il for keeping one young,
which makes me think Of another thing
| heard of in the summer
A Young English woman [ met, of in
dependent means, had devoted her time
TO founding a series OF drawing-room
l,eture-courses for women on practical
subjects, such as botany, Tor instance
with a bureau Of headquarters in Lon
don. She sends her lectures all over Eng
land. which is nothing itself but niue
garden, SO that il is easy enough Tor the
influence Of the capital TO reach every
where. But wouldn't such thing De
practical i'm America? This English Wo-
man and / used to take walks together
over the Normandy moOrs. The pleasure
of our walks was increased thousand-
fold through the things she knew about
the heather and the ferns and the via
flowers. Flowers and growing things we
have always with us. and wondered why
80 few women possessed botany al In ac-
compishment nowadays
Why couldn't bureaux be organized IN
the large towns, like Buffalo. Cleveland,
Detroit. Denver, Atlanta, which would
then become the headquarters of GER
tain district, for carrying out this idea
and a great many others, such AS bureaux
of organized labor, for instance. | am
sure plenty OF women In the smaller
towns would be glad to give five dollars
for A course of lessons on botany, proVid-
Cd they could be sure OF having an inter
esting and progressive teacher. The uou-
ble IL that those things are generally done
in such an amateur sort of way that they
cannot succeed, and ali such professions
as that of the teacher who would be re-
ouired for such lectures are now so huc-
tuating and uncertain that no wonian v.
hraIns and talent could sfford TO so into
them. 49,
other things I heard Of were profess
s,onal entertainer for children's parties.
a bright young girl with special gift
for amusing children, who had turned ner
talent to account 70 earn money In
cities there might be quite enough OK
that sort of thing 10 keep one person
busy. And heard of woman who was
a sort off, don't know what 10 call H.
but she advised with women about their
dress, how to make over their old gowns
told them what would be becoming 10
them. what would be most useful to buy
In view OF their needs-jn short. played
the part OF an artistic friend and advis-
or. | am sure many women would De
glad 10 give two dollars for a visit from
such person. provided that the advice
were really valuable and to the point.
These things, and many besides that I've
not time 10 speak Of might be carried
out by labor bureaux. OF which l may
have something to say at another time.
-Harper's Bazaar.