hope he will always love nature, and early learn to "look through
nature up to nature's God."

I shall never forget a drive with my father, when I was a child so
small that I sat on a little footstool in the carriage, between him
and my mother. We were returning from a visit to Aunt Harriet, at
whose house we had been spending the day. It was a fine evening. The
air was balmy and pleasant. I remember how the frogs sung in the low
ground, and how we listened to their quaint music. We had not ridden
far before the moon rose, and the stars, one by one, appeared. My
father had a true love for nature, and for whatever was beautiful or
grand. We drove on without speaking for a time, each enjoying the
evening. My father broke the silence by repeating that beautiful hymn
of Addison's, commencing with these lines--

"The spacious firmament on high,
With all the blue ethereal sky,
And spangled heavens, a shining frame,
Their great Original proclaim."

I was awed by the reverence of his manner, and I felt myself in the
presence of my Maker,--a mere speck amid his vast creations. An
ineffaceable impression was made on my mind, young as I was. My father
died many years ago, while I was still a child, but the lesson of that
hour has not been forgotten.

[Illustration]