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To My Father and Mother.

NATURE.

[ATURE never did betray

NA

The heart that loved her: 'tis her privilege,

Through all the years of this our life, to lead
From joy to joy; for she can so inform
The mind that is within us, so impress
With quietness and beauty, and so feed
With lofty thoughts, that neither evil tongues,
Rash judgments, nor the sneers of selfish men,
Nor greetings where no kindness is, nor all
The dreary intercourse of daily life,
Shall e'er prevail against us, or disturb
Our cheerful faith, that all that we behold
Is full of blessings.

William Wordsworth.

PREFACE.

PERHAPS the most potent agency in fostering a love

of nature, next to direct "communion with her visible forms," is found in the eloquent tributes of the poets, whose sympathetic interpretation of her "various language" has a peculiar charm, especially for young people, from their instinctive delight in rhyme and rhythm.

POETRY OF THE SEASONS is designed for grammar schools and for home libraries. Its predecessor, NATURE IN VERSE, a poetry reader for primary grades, has been acceptably used by thousands of teachers and pupils, and there have been numerous requests for a companion vo ume for older readers.

It is believed that teachers and school boards will appreciate the assistance which this book cannot fail to render as a supplement to_nature study in the grammar grades. It will perform a double mission, in stimulating the love of nature, and in familiarizing its readers with some of the choicest forms of pastoral and lyric poetry.

The selections have been made with great care from a large number of the best English and American authors. They treat of the seasons, their varied phenomena, their characteristic flora; the habits of birds and other animals; the wonders of the earth, sea, and air; together with correlated lessons on order, industry, etc. The arrangement enables the teacher to follow the outline of work suggested by spring, summer, autumn, and winter during the school

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