The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-08-12
CITY PEOPLE MAY KNOW
SOMETHING OF COUNTRY JOYS.
The Back Yard-AR Refuge and Exercise Ground for Grown Ups

WRITTEN FoR THE SUNDAY REPUBLIC.
Mr.. Charles NJ. SINNERS new book,
Flowers in the Pave" is a most attractive
volume. bound in green and gold and dam
tily Illustrated. Iippincott) Mr.. Skinner is
a nature-lover. who would live In the coun-
try II he could, but who must content HIM
self in the town. In this effort at content
ment the author finds as much as possible
Of the country even in the city, and he
makes the most Of every insect. every bit
Of color. every flower and weed. and every
glimpse Of sky and stars. Mr.. Skinner
says:
Some Of the best hours in a mans life
are those when he is beholden to nothing
and nobody. when he simply looks at the
sky or the woods or the hills, or from his
window gazes into tree-tops. clean and rare
delight.
Tightly as We have barred nature out of
town, 1t is nearly as hard to find human
nature there. 1t Is not often that we look
out Of the streets into souls. Men go
masked. In the crowd you see not one
that you care to know; yet If the masks
~ ~ NC oliiN 40 <hiiA "Aias
ugly masks! Here are the stern, the
naughty. the crushed. the ~furtive. the I'M
excellent. And how much harsh talk! Do
the takers realize how their tyranny and
coarseness vex? There is a special pity due
to those who must put up with it.; for while
strength grows out Of some suffering, an
other suffering numbs and weakens. The
sensitive and artistic endure much from the
gibes of sturdy, leather-witted barbariaas
and the bullying and jostling of the mob.
and are only made the more timid and Bit
ter by it all. The aged, too-but with them
timidity is the habit Of self-preservation in
famed. Cunning and caution take the pro-
| tective duty Of youthful confidence. They
! hesitate at lobster, and respect cough medi-
cine and the law Of gravitation.
II don't know when l was better plased
than with the conduct of a couple Of pau
| pers in q Connecticut city, after their neigh
bors had got together and made q purse fer
| them. Thcye were well-bred paupers, mind
you. and had asked no favors; but. having
i'll for a time, and lost work. they properly
erly came within helping range Of their fell
low-creatures. And the good souls said, Now.
| Mr.. and Mrs. B will be able to buy some
lannels and a barrel Of flour, and they
| really must get a necktIe and a bonnet to
come to church in But what q cackling,
what q holding up of hands and rolling of
| eyes! The first thing those paupers did was
to buy two tickets to hear Charles Dickens
read!
!"Dickens! A man who wrote stories that
were not true! 1t never occurred to the
deacons that a soul could be starved as well
as a body. These two people had minds;
their minds were hungry, and they had a
treat that blessed them as long as they
lived, but the givers of the fund were angry
because all Of the money was not spent for
bread and coal and fiannels. l have known
people to refuse aid to a man because he
had certain comforts-books. pictures and a
pipe. If he wanted aid, he was first to take
these things to the auction-room or the
pawnshop and get rid of them for a tenth
Of their value, and buy three meals. Then,
having nothing left to live for or with, he
was TO have bread. AS If the poor devil
didn't live in his books and pictures moro
than in his bread! Motley was right: Give
me the iuxuries and you can have the ne
cessities" How l could enjoy the flowers
that I hope will be sent to my funeral.
"Funerals! The city kills many men every
yeaT-hlNS Will u yedrIllNg 1Or nils ana
moving waters. And many die in the coun-
try for lack Of a crowd. Often we grieve
with city sickness, and lay it to heavy sup
pere, late hours, heat, press Of business,
sewer gas, want Of ventilation-this, that
and the other; but go into the country, even
look into some Wild solitude at sunset and
all comes right again. 1t was the mind that
was eranaped, the body was suffering vicari-
z.l,, NaorAQf pr}yy1o~A 10 >~z -
to walk the streets at night, look at the
sky and hear music, All other arts are
Initiative, Music alone 10 incentive and hu,