=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.
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