and beans, he does not do it merely for the sake of
being polite, and he will feel hurt if you do not accept his
hospitality. His dishes may not be as white as those to which you
are accustomed, but I will venture to say that you have never tasted
better beans than those with which he will fill your plate from
his soot-begrimed kettle.

We ought all to see more of this wildlife. Even if we do not care
to, make our permanent homes among the mountains, it would do us
good to go there every summer at least, and so not only become
stronger, but cultivate that familiarity with and love for outdoor
life which our ancestors enjoyed.

GOLD AND GOLD-MINING

Gold derives its value partly from its purchasing power, partly
from those properties which make it serviceable in the arts, and
partly from its beauty. The high esteem in which gold money is
held is as much the result of its comparative rarity as of its
physical properties. Among nearly all the nations of the world
it has been agreed upon as a standard of exchange. Gold has one
disadvantage as a medium of exchange; it is rather too soft to wear
well. But this difficulty is overcome by alloying the gold with
another mineral of nearly the same color,--copper, for instance.

In order that we may understand better the position which gold
occupies in the arts and trades of the world, let us compare it
with other metals, and first with platinum. This mineral is far
less abundant and has many properties which make it valuable in
the arts. Like gold, platinum is malleable and ductile and does not
tarnish in the air, but it differs from gold in not being easily
fusible, so that it is used in the laboratory for crucibles. The
steel-gray color of platinum is, however, so much less attractive
than the yellow of gold, that it is not used for ornamental purposes.

An effort was made at one time by Russia, where a comparatively
large amount of platinum is found, to coin this metal into money,
but its continued use was not found practicable because of its
changing price in the markets of the world. If the leading nations
would agree upon a fixed value for platinum, it might be used like
gold as a medium of exchange.

Silver is brighter and more attractive than platinum, but is of
little use in the laboratory. It has been found in recent years
to be so much more abundant than gold that its value has decreased
greatly as a commercial article. In our country when coined it
has,