and while he lived at home he enjoyed to the fullest the freedom of country life, and the inspiration of communion with Nature which he so dearly prized. Jefferson believed and taught that "cultivators of the earth make the best citizens. They are the most vigorous, the most virtuous, and the most independent."

III

Cincinnatus

Cincinnatus, to whom Washington has been likened, was a citizen of ancient Rome. The word "citizen suggests itself naturally in describing this man, although in reality he was a nobleman, and was, when occasion demanded, dictator, or supreme ruler, of Rome. In times of peace he lived on a small farm outside of Rome, and tilled the ground with his own hands.

There is a story that once while Cincinnatus was plowing his fields, messengers came to him from the Roman senate bearing the news that he had been chosen dictator. War was threatening, and Rome needed her citizen farmer to direct her perilous course.

Cincinnatus left his plow in the furrow, and went to Rome, where he was received with rejoicing by the people. In a little while he raised an army and marched against the enemies of his beloved city, who had, a short time before, defeated a detachment of Roman soldiers.

The great dictator triumphed over the enemies of his country, and brought them back to Rome at his chariot wheels. Then the warrior dictator laid aside his robes of office, and went back to his plow.

Word Study.

HELPS TO STUDY

in dom'i ta ble- unconquerable.

Ship of State government of the United States.

per'il ous - dangerous.

re ga'li a decorations of an office or order.

wont

accustomed.

bi og'ra pher—one who writes a history of a person's life. pri ma'ri ly - originally.

in ci den'tal ly-being of secondary importance.

fron'tis piece an illustration fronting the first page.

me ri'no a breed of sheep, originally from Spain, noted for

Notes and Questions. Name three farmers who helped to make history. Describe Washington's appearance as a farmer. Tell how his farm was equipped. What kind of stock did he have? What was the value of his farm at his death? What was his greatest pride? What was Washington's home called? Describe Monticello. What breed of sheep did Jefferson introduce into this country? What system did he work out for himself? What was he called? Why was he not as successful as Washington? How did he regard the "cultivation of the earth”? What did Cincinnatus do in times of peace? Tell a story about him. In what respects did the work of the farm in Washington's time differ from that of ours? Why is Washington sometimes called "The Cincinnatus of the West"? What did Washington and Jefferson do to improve American agriculture?

THE KINGS OF THE SOIL

Shall tales be told of the chiefs who sold
Their sinews to crush and kill,

And never a word be sung or heard
Of the men who reap and till?
I bow in thanks to the sturdy throng

Who greet the young morn with toil;
And the burden I give my earnest song

Shall be this - The Kings of the Soil!
Proud ships may hold both silver and gold,
The wealth of a distant strand;

But ships would rot and be valued not,
Were there none to till the land.

The wildest heath, and the wildest brake,

Are rich as the richest fleet;

For they gladden the wild birds when they wake,

And give them food to eat.

And with willing hand and spade and plow,

The gladdening hour shall come,

When that which is called the "waste land" now,
Shall ring with the "Harvest Home"!

Then sing for the Kings who have no crown
But the blue sky o'er their head

Never Sultan nor Dey had such power as they
To withhold or offer bread.

66

Read the words that indicate the time the farmer begins his work. Why would "ships rot and be valued not, were there none to till the land"? Of what use are the heath and brakes" now? When do they ring with the "Harvest Home"? In what way has a farmer more power than a sultan or dey? Who are meant by "chiefs who sold their sinews to crush and kill"? Why are farmers called "kings "?

Let us celebrate the soil. Most men toil that they may own a piece of it: they measure their success in life by their ability to buy it. It is alike the passion of the parvenu and the pride of the aristocrat. No man but feels more of a man in the world if he have a bit of ground that he can call his own. However small it is on the surface it is four thousand miles deep; and that is a very handsome property.

- CHARLES DUDLEY WARNER.

A TRAGIC MISTAKE

It all came about through that automobile breakdown. If those people from Coal City had not had a smash-up in front of the Benton's gate, and been compelled to remain under the hospitable roof of the farmhouse all day, the Bentons might never have caught the commercial fever and moved to town.

But they did catch it, and in a bad form, too. When the Coal City family rolled off in their repaired car that afternoon, the mischief had been done.

Mrs. Benton, the widowed mother of the half dozen promising young Bentons, was left like a woman in a dream, for the lady from the automobile had spent her time in telling astonishing and alluring tales about "light housekeeping" that had suddenly put life out of joint for the hard-worked home maker.

When the good woman raked out the ashes from the kitchen stove that afternoon, her mind hovered about the vision of a gas range where one had only to turn a thumb lever and strike a match. When she milked old contrary "Boss," she thought of a world where milk in "nice sealed bottles" was delivered daily on the front porch, and no questions asked. When she wound the dripping bucket up out of the deep, deep well, she longed for a house where hot and cold water awaited the turning of a faucet.

Yes, the widowed mother was in a dream. The Coal City man had offered to give her work for every single