Adelia B. Beard

“ When you are new to the trail and must hurry, you are intent only on what is just before you—usually the feet of your guide—or if you raise your eyes to glance ahead, you notice objects simply as things to be reached and passed as quickly as possible. Unhurried trailing will repay you by showing you what the world of the wild contains.
Walking slowly you can realize the solemn stillness of the forest, can take in the effect of the gray light which enfolds all things like a veil of mystery. ”

“ Roses, geraniums, lilies, fuchsias, heliotrope, sweet violets—sheltered from too great heat by the larger plants—verbenas and mignonette may all grow in this odd companionship. Endeavor not to crowd them too closely and study the habits of each plant, that it may be kept from encroaching upon the rights of its neighbor, if aggressive, or be crowded out of existence if of a retiring and yielding nature. Give all equal care, and your love for each plant and its giver will also grow and blossom in a way most sweet and marvellous. ”

“ EVERYTHING awakens with new life and rejoices on Easter; and the dear old Earth smiles with sympathy and brings her offering of sweet flowers. It is the day when all people, little and big, young and old, should be filled with joy, because Easter means the Resurrection. ”

“ You can stop to examine the tiny-leafed, creeping vines that cover the ground like moss and the structure of the soft mosses with fronds like ferns. You can catch the jewel-like gleam of the wood flowers. You can breathe deeply and rejoice in the perfume of the balsam and pine. You can rest at intervals and wait quietly for evidences of the animal life that you know is lurking, unseen, all around you; and you can begin to perceive the protecting spirit of the wild that hovers over all. ”

“ You may crowd a room with the rarest and most expensive flowers, but so arrange them that more than half of the effect of their beauty is lost; and you may have only one flower, but if it be the right kind of flower in the right kind of vase, and placed in just the right spot, your room will appear abundantly decorated and be filled with the beauty and sweetness of the one blossom. ”

“ As far as we know it is of absolutely no use, and does not even provide for itself, as do other plants. It is a root parasite and draws its nourishment from the roots of the pine upon which it has fastened itself. The stem as well as the blossom is silvery white, it has no foliage, and the flower at the end of the stalk bends its head as though ashamed of its idle life, but it continues to live on the vital juices of the roots and we call it the Indian Pipe because it somewhat resembles the long-stemmed Indian calumet, or pipe of peace. ”

“ You want your flower-garden, not with great and gorgeous masses of bloom in evident, orderly beds, but keeping always charming surprises for unexpected times and in unsuspected places. You want the flowers that grow without your help in ways you have not planned; that hold the enchantment of the wilderness. Some people are born with this love for the wild, some attain it, but in either case the joy is there, and to find it you must seek it. Your chosen trail may lead through the primeval forests or into the great western deserts or plains ”

“ Mother Nature is every bit as fond of the little folks in her human family as of the grown-ups, and while she prepares untold joys for lovers of the outdoors among men and women and larger boys and girls, she never forgets the little ones.
For their benefit she keeps an open toy-shop full of marvellous playthings, all free to any child who wants them, and instead of the children paying her for what they take she pays them for coming to her by giving them rosier cheeks, brighter eyes, and stronger bodies. ”

“ Go where the sky is bluest, where winter is changed to summer, where the wild mocking-bird, the Kentucky cardinal, the scarlet tanager, the blue jay and a host of other birds are on most friendly terms with girls and boys. Go where the wild squirrels live unmolested in the beautiful great live-oaks, whose branches are hung with long, soft gray moss which swings and sways with the slightest breeze. ”

“ With its unfamiliar terms to be committed to memory and the many parts of the flower to be distinguished, botany is apt to prove dry and tiresome to the little child, but to study nature by copying the flowers in this marvellously adaptable material is only a beautiful game which every child, and indeed many grown people, will delight in. The form of the flower, its name and color, may, by this means, be indelibly stamped upon the memory, and a good foundation laid for further study. ”

“ WHILE icy blasts are still sweeping through the cities of the North, while the snow lies deep on the ground, and the children, bundled up until little except their pink noses is visible, are coasting, sleighing, and snowballing, in the South soft breezes are sifting through the green leaves of the trees and gently stirring the beautiful flowers blossoming in the warm sunshine. ”

“ Even a bit of meadow or woodland, even an uncultivated field on the hilltop, will give you a taste of the wild; and if you strike the trail in the right spirit you will find upon arrival that these remnants of the wild world have much to show and to teach you. There are the sky, the clouds, the lungfuls of pure air, the growing things which send their roots where they will and not in a man-ordered way. ”

“ There is a water garden in our neighborhood which is a source of great pleasure to its owner. Floating on the surface of the water in two great stone tanks are pond lilies of several varieties. As the great buds grow and unfold they are watched closely and with intense interest until they are suddenly found full-blown, fair and pure, a floating mass of loveliness. ”

“ By the roadside, through the meadows, on the farm, at the cottage door, and in your own yard those dear, familiar little friends, the clover-blossoms, come to greet you. Even in city parks you may find them, and always they are ready and glad to help you have a good time. ”

“ Often the fish is cooked, sweetmeats are served and pickled radish also, but frequently the breakfast consists of merely a bowl of cold rice. These unique people do not seem to think or care much about their food; many times they deny themselves a meal that they may spend the money on a feast of flowers in some garden where they can enjoy gazing upon masses of exquisite cherry blossoms, chrysanthemums, or other flowers. No nation in the world loves flowers more than the Japanese, and none can rival them in the beautiful arrangement of their blossoms. ”

“ Quivering and shimmering, down the colored rain will fall, lightly covering your hair, clothing, and surrounding objects, while you stand, racket in hand, watching the result of your stroke. Your companions, seeing your success, will be eager to try their skill, also, with one of the pretty magic eggs. ”

“ Ping Pong Young and old alike enjoy the game whose object is merely to strike a small ball backward and forward over a net stretched across a table. If you have never played the game it will seem very simple, but upon first trial you will probably realize that keeping the ball in motion is not as easy as it appears, for, instead of returning over the net in an orderly manner, the ball shows an uncontrollable inclination to jump down on the floor and hide in some obscure corner, thereby causing the player to enter reluctantly into a game of hide-and-seek with the tantalizing little object. ”

“ You can keep the preparation of the living tree absolutely secret and make it a complete surprise, for it does not have to be set up where all may see in order to be decorated, and no hint of its existence need be given until the time arrives, the door is thrown open and the beautiful, sparkling Christmas tree glides slowly into the room. ”

“ Discovered, developed, and still, in many cases, carried on by women, surely pottery is a woman's art, and as a girl inheriting the old instincts, you may find it the simplest and most natural means of expressing your individuality and love of the beautiful. Beginning as these gentle savages began, using their primitive method, you may be inspired to study deeper into the art, and perhaps become the discoverer of some new process that will give to the world a still more beautiful pottery. ”

“ When darkness creeps through the woods, closing in closer and closer; when it blots out, one by one, the familiar landmarks and isolates the little camp in a sea of night, with the mutual wish for nearer companionship, we gather around the camp-fire, the one light in all the great darkness. ”

“ Painted with a bristle brush, a camel’s-hair brush, a sponge, a rag or your thumb, as the case may require; painted on glass and then printed on paper, with a clothes-wringer for a printing-press; can anything be more enchantingly unconventional? Yet the finished monotypes are truly artistic and beautiful. If you can paint at all, be it ever so little, you can make some kind of a monotype, and you will always have the feeling that you can do better next time. ”

“ MINGLING with the festivities of May day in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries were certain games intended to represent the adventures of Robin Hood, that bold forest chieftain who with his band of merry men, all clad in Lincoln green, held many a contest with bow and arrows; and though most of them were masters of the sport, none could quite equal the leader, Robin Hood.
From certain customs of these bygone days we can evolve a delightful entertainment and call it the Twentieth Century May day. ”

“ The wild world is, indeed, a wonderful world; how wonderful and interesting we learn only by degrees and actual experience. It is free, but not lawless; to enter it fully we must obey these laws which are slowly and silently impressed upon us. It is a wholesome, life-giving, inspiring world, and when you have learned to conform to its rules you are met on every hand by friendly messengers to guide you and teach you the ways of the wild: wild birds, wild fruits and plants, and gentle, furtive, wild animals. ”

“ Though all you find is the footprint of this nocturnal little fellow you may rest assured that somewhere, just above your head perhaps, he is snugly curled up in the hollow of a dead limb awaiting the darkness, when he will sally forth to seek his supper. ”

“ While strolling in the country it is pleasant to walk along laughing and singing as we go, but we must refrain if we really wish to come near any of the bright-eyed, suspicious little creatures. They can only be approached very quietly, for wild things understand an unusual noise only as a danger signal, and will start in alarm at the least sound or sudden motion, and be up and off before we are conscious of their presence. ”

“ You want to plant your feet upon [6] the earth in its natural state, however rugged or boggy it may be. You want your cushions to be of the soft moss-beds of the piny woods, and, with the unparalleled sauce of a healthy, hearty appetite, you want to eat your dinner out of doors, cooked over the outdoor fire, and to drink water from a birch-bark cup, brought cool and dripping from the bubbling spring. ”

“ All Japan is alive and anxious to celebrate the occasion. Quaint flags in the shape of enormous [170] fish swim in the air and float over the towns, forming bright masses of color. Every home that is blessed with one or more boys displays a fish banner for each son, the younger the child the larger the fish, and the proudest house is the one that can boast of the greatest number of fish flying from its bamboo pole. Every Japanese boy's birthday is celebrated on this day with great rejoicing, no matter at what time of the year he was born.
Fig. 293.—Boy's birthday pole. ”

“ The Green Sponge appears quite marvellous to one who sees it for the first time. Take a large, rather coarse sponge, put it in a glass bowl, sprinkle it with sand and give it as much water as it will hold, then scatter all over it flaxseed or mustard seed, clover seed or buckwheat and place in your window. It will not be long before you have a sponge of living green, the secret of whose beauty lies in its being kept always wet. ”