The Indianapolis journal., 1902-08-31
THE TOP OF THE YEAR.
A Pleasant Little Talk of the Seasons
in Their Round.
The Independent.

The Independent.
The year reaches the top of the hill about
July 20. Then 1t is that the cicada begins
to rasp in the trees and tie fireflies are
thick in the short grass. The hay has been
cut and the world IS sweetened with the
perfume of clover. The barns are packed
with the equine feasts of the long winter
days that are steadily approaching. How
deliciously Il cows breath smells when she
comes up out OF the pasture. The deWs
are white and hang in drops on millions of
cobwebs, and drip down all night from the
young plums and apples.
Since the first OF May the bushes and the
trees have been full of love songs. The
thrushes have built close TO our balconies
and we have become deeply interested in
each others doings. When not too busy
with domestic affairs the catbirds have in
terrogated us as 10 the meaning of foun-
tain pens and the manuscripts preparing
for the Independent. That fellow who has
his home in the English elm is positive that
bird life is more simple, wholeful and nat
ural. The gypsy would suit him better than
we who people houses. He has supreme
contempt for old buildings that are used
over and over year after year. His houses
are always new. But the birdlings have
songs are ended. What would the birds be
but for this month spent IN the rearing and
training Of families? 1t calls out higher
faculties and nobler efforts. and in this way
all nature Is pointing forward.
What would the world be If the children
were no more?
We should dread the desert behind US more
than the dark before"
Longfelow is right. And so was Fiske
right when he said that the best gain that
man has made over the rest OF the world
is In heightened infancy for I'm this way
we have increased those influences that re-
strain the purely natural desires, and have
developed moral purpoSing. The same
parental love that lifts the mother and the
father is lifting the birds into n life OF
harmony, devotion and music. II creates
the social world, the family wOrship-with-
out which even birds would be interesting
only as mechanisms
But for the present year the song book
is closed. After the first OF August most
OF the birds stop singing and talk prose.
IL Is real language, however; and N you
VIII try you VIII ind that your catblrd,
and possibly some other birds, will con-
verse in quite modulatcd gamut OF sound.
For about two months the robin and the
catbird viii still be somewhere about US:
yet they will not be fond OF showing them
selves 10 Is not easy 20 find out what
they are doing. But IL you care TO be very
kindly and social you viii find your cat
bird Is one OF the most social and loving
creatures I'm the world. You Will soon get
him fond OF you, so that he VIII call you,
ana VIII respond, IN tones more tender and
loving than any other creature * capable
OF utterlng. A little shy all the time he
viii come within few feet, and pecping
at you out OF the bushes will modulate his
tones TO tell a most sincere affection.
There Is one thing that peculiarly be-
longs 20 and glorhes the top OF the year.
Nature gave the strawberry 10 June. the
raspberry TO July; but she kept the
crowning glory OK all berries-the black
berry-for August. II you never went
blaekberrying, YOU have missed pleas
ing. a. IL II more innocent. You shall
be clothed in buckskin." says Old Hum
phrey and even then these brambles will
argue with you. They be like "a politician.
who will buttonhole you. and perforcc you
must listen. They have you az all sides
and yet what glorious recompense. THIS
Is not the pride OF the Office seeker. There
Is no berry so luscious. nor one that better
ntteth the inside OF n pie. Siftcn delieately
with -four, and tendefly with sugar. IL
shall be finger deep and tho Juice shall be
abundant" Nature-that 10, nature modi-
fed by common schools. and by agrlcul-
tural colleges and experiment stations--has
developed all other fruit away from their