=natural selection=:—­One of Darwin’s theories, to the effect that nature weeds out the weak and unfit, leaving the others to continue the species; the result is called “the survival of the fittest.”

=steal a while away=:—­A quotation from a well known hymn beginning,—­

    I love to steal a while away
    From every cumbering care.

It was written in 1829, by Deodatus Dutton.

=Roman supper=:—­The Romans were noted for the extravagance of their evening meals, at which all sorts of delicacies were served.

=John Stuart Mill=:—­An English philosopher (1806-1873).  He wrote about theories of government.

=Polly=:—­The author’s wife.

=the day of my destiny=:—­A quotation from Lord Byron’s poem, Stanzas to Augusta [his sister].  The lines run:—­

    Though the day of my destiny’s over,
      And the star of my fate hath declined,
    Thy soft heart refused to discover
      The faults that so many could find.

=sack-cloth and ashes=:—­In old Jewish times, a sign of grief or mourning.  See Esther, 4:1; Isaiah, 58:5.

=Bordeaux=:—­A province in France noted for its wine.

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY

The author is writing of the ninth and tenth weeks of his work; he now has time to stop and moralize about his garden.  Do not take what he says too seriously; look for the fun in it.  Is he in earnest about the moral qualities of vegetables?  Why cannot the bean figure in poetry and romance?  Can you name any prose or verse in which corn does?  Explain what is said about the resemblance of some people to cucumbers.  Why is celery more aristocratic than potato?  Is “them” the right word in the sentence:  “I do not pull them up”?  Explain what is meant by the paragraph on salads.  Why is the tomato a “parvenu”?  Does the author wish to cast a slur on the Darwinian theory?  Is it true that moral character is influenced by what one eats?  What is the catechism?  What do you think of the author’s theories about scarecrows?  About “saving men from any particular vice”?  Why does raising one’s own vegetables make one feel generous?  How does the author pass from vegetables to woman suffrage?  Is he in earnest in what he says?  What does one get out of a selection like this?

THEME SUBJECTS

My Summer on a Farm
A Garden on the Roof
The Truck Garden
My First Attempt at Gardening
Raspberrying
Planting Time
The Watermelon Patch
Weeding the Garden
Visiting in the Country
Getting Rid of the Insects
School Gardens
A Window-box Garden
Some Weeds of our Vicinity
The Scarecrow
Going to Market
“Votes for Women”
How Women Rule
A Suffrage Meeting
Why I Believe [or do not Believe] in Woman’s Suffrage
The “Militants”

SUGGESTIONS FOR WRITING