Norwich bulletin., 1911-03-25
THINGS BELONG WHERE THEY BELONG NOT ElsEwHERF

(Writtsn Specially for The Bulletin.)
 A hundred years ago or so there used to be a good deal of talk in some sorts Sf literature about love in a cottage 2 with a diet of bread and cheese and kisses," as the ultimate ideal of life. Then. say fifty years ago, the phrasi1g g 3 0hanGed and it was plain living and us a as an ideSi Now it IS the simple life" which is supposed to be de- things is that they are assumed to be if not the ,uguai At least the natural and easy thing in the. country. No matter in what terms this that we now cAll the eimple life sis written of, it's only sure habitat is Always assumed to De the hills and fields of the open lands.
 We don't hSar much sbout living on love in a cottage any more. If, now and thsn, some sentimental boy dreams such q dream. he is soon, awakened from t by the more busifsess-ltk like girls, bless their practical souls. Whersupon roast e e Seef and s potatoss and candy and ice cream. Nor do we often find that expressed, unless by a few Of the older folks who rememher when it used to nave q meanlnG-sD DuL Lnc SlHpio llAe ---ah, that's the ttinS! We hear about that from schoolma' ams and professors and preachers and presidents. It is held up as the ideal of ;human exist- ence. It is preached about and poetized and argued for and dramatized; it is sSs the 6f .ssts ss # e0Sas s4sosd and ahd thd fiorf6ed: it is set forth as the uni varxal rest-ct1re for all the social and moral and menta1 ills of d scabious and uneasy generation.
 Whether rural fife ii dis&inetly spsej- fled As necesstty preceding this sim piicity or not, the average man. listen ing or reading, has his. mind instantly tiifned toward the 1Shes and back woods. Like Cowber, fis beeiIis to sigh He takes it for granted. if he could only ket away from the dusty avenues and the roaring streets and the con fupsd dfn of the market plSce i1tp. some Gecfuded nook of the country, that then he would surely be leading the simple life in truth.
 Which is whore hs makes one large, first-quaIity, A-No.-1 mistake.
 lt is sf esurs., possible. to lead the simple life in the coun6y=if one is simple in heart and desire. Given those same requisites. it iie also p9ssi- b1e to five it on Fifth avenue. With out those same requisites neither a lodge on Podunk mountaiu nor. a pal ecS in London will bring # about, Just iKs i1 dscfded1y eway frefn simpiicltyy apd fowafls q highly eonfUsing. com plSxity. We cotintTymen and county women have beHn setting of late quite a fW of the ,.eity convs1&ences- And % ws'rs going a. {nt to ,s,, nayf } mere gSum! into our farmhotses; and the trolley lstssr diiissty tS sasrs' cas private s ~ boxes: x ws'vs tAtght the 9rocers that we aren't sugar and soap any more; they must come and. ask us what we want and then bring 1t to tis, just as they do in esis psst too Ana f4 tie % soastry aSs d0etor a is eeing to have an asatoi4ohlle iristead we're Foing to. NaFm our houses by 4te4m heat, and light tliem with gas if we can't get electric lights. The b6st room center table with the le4tfSf bound Bible and the plush GOV srsd album of family horrors has giv- hAbA worse luck, to the Canned musicy machine.
 ,,Hxrs 4seins in" for. sifS 'wa;ys and elly. InIu91. Jo9t 48 1aSI AuQ. as lar as we cah. S0metimes a little faster than
 safe. and senerally good deal far % sim6ie ife E e1 hidlns Meahsms in aha woods 4ds Ind .wpndefink when the heavens are Eoirx. to fall, s6 ,tt can perhaps catch d ktfd or two ,to keen, it alive through the irifiospitable season.
 spsskins sSriSdsIy sad 1r1stieaIiy, it eeefns to me. as If this tendency I've ss compisass & sad 'SMneas seaity nsEeasng of eoun try life, is one to De deplored rather than praised City fife and country Efe are two distinct and different SeaE from fhs safne hub. They are pretty close toe ether there, but as they kadiate oiltwafd they spread wider and wider apart ii, san the spokes of a sarfiaee wheel should be ruth out
 stfer at the tbs ' as at a the s9Sa sSanFs, ks wheel which. would lack support. The ptrsngt11 of a wheel consists in having fhe spokes radiate equally in all direc- ths felloes. The ssttength of our. civ- Iiization depends upon a complete and natural development of both city and country life, in their respective di- rsctfons-whfch are never the same nor even parallel. Atteh1pta to make the one even iil s1itfitest degree an initiation OF copy. of the. other are at tefppts at distortion and not at sym metry.
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